along with him with undaunted courage and resolution marches against Narvaez and such was his good fortune that not onely Narvaez became his Prisoner without much blood-shed but likewise all his Men joyn'd with him in his Design through the favour of the Chancery or supream Court of St. Domingo and by the procurement of the Licentiat Vasquez de Ayllon a Judge of it who was sent with Narvaez to accommodate the Differences With this Recruit Cortesius marches back again to Mexico but at his coming finds things in a very bad condition for the Citizens gather'd together under the Command of one Quicuxtemoc had recourse to Arms and for three days and three Nights vex'd the Spaniards with continual Stormings notwithstanding what-ever Commands they had to the contrary from their imprison'd King who at last looking out of a Window endeavoring to appease them was hurt with a Stone of which he soon after died as they say who would not have the Spaniards thought to have murder'd him as the Mexicans say they did with divers other Noble-men and some of his Children the very Night they fled However it were not long after his Death out of extream necessity and chiefly for want of Victuals the Spaniards were forc'd to leave the City in the night-time and with the loss of four hundred and fifty of their Men who were either slain or taken Prisoners at the passing of a Draw-bridge the rest making a heavy Retreat to their Friends at Tlascalla There is standing at this day in Mexico upon the place where so many of them were kill'd a certain Hermitage which they call Los Martyres or The Hermitage of the Martyrs though but improperly if upon that occasion as one of their own Writers confesses though he alledges no other reason This Retreat of the Spaniards out of Mexico hapned to be upon the tenth of July after mid-night in the Year 1520. which the Spaniards at Mexico call The Doleful Night Nevertheless the undaunted Cortesius being got though with much difficulty and trouble by reason of the pursuit of the Mexicans for a good part of the Way to his sure Friends of Tlascalla neither lost his Courage nor gave over his Resolution of yet gaining Mexico especially the way being now laid open and sufficient occasion given by the Death of Muteczuma and the provocations of the Mexicans themselves to make himself absolute and sole Lord of the Place wherefore having sent for and procur'd a competent Supply of fresh Soldiers from Santo Domingo or Hispaniola Almeria Cuba and other places being in all nine hundred Foot eight hundred Horse and seventeen Pieces of Ordnance he joyns himself with the Auxiliary Forces of Tlascalla which were no less than a hundred thousand Men Arm'd with Bowes and Arrows and with this Army marches again towards Mexico and Besieges it both by Land and Water viz. with the help of thirteen Brigantines or Galliots which he had built upon the Lake and six thousand Canoos or little Boats which his Friends and Confederates had procur'd him By which means and by his Army on Land in a short time he cut off all Provision from the City and after a Siege of full three Months or more and a most stout and obstinate resistance made by the People within in which they are said to have lost above a hundred thousand Men beside those which perish'd by Famine Sickness or otherwise Mexico taken by the Spaniards he took it by Storm upon Tuesday the thirteenth of August 1521. Sackt it first and then burnt it to the Ground yet afterwards he caus'd it to be Re-built again far more Beautiful than at first it was as in due place we shall further see They speak not of above fifty Spaniards slain during the whole Siege six Horses and not many Tlascaltecans In this manner and with so little Charges to the Conqueror there fell to the Crown of Spain the richest and goodliest Kingdom one of them of the whole World viz. the Kingdom of Mexico which the Conquerors presently nam'd New Spain and in reference to which name the Catholick King hath ever since stil'd himself in the plural number Hispaniarum Rex or King of both Spains and all by the Valor Prudence Cortez advanc'd to Honors admirable Resolution and happy Conduct of Cortez who was at first but a private Adventurer in the American Plantations and Discoveries though otherwise a Gentleman of a good Family in Spain born at Medellin in the Country of Estramedura The Emperor Charles the Fifth who was also then King of Spain for his great Services endow'd him deservedly with many great and rich Territories in the Provinces of Tlascalla Mechoacan and other parts thereabouts made him Marquess of the Valley viz. of Guaxata which is his chief Title a rich and flourishing Province of that Countrey Captain General or Commander in Chief of all the Military Forces of New-Spain and General Discoverer of all the Maritime parts and Coasts of America towards the South-Sea assigning him in propriety the twelfth part of whatsoever should be discover'd to him and his Heirs for ever but deny'd him the Government of Mexico out of reason of State though 't is said he much desir'd it Among the famous Havens which lie along the South Sea and Northern Ocean the chiefest is Acapulco before-mention'd The grand Haven Acapulco whither all Merchandize is sent to be transported to China which is above two thousand Leagues distant from thence in which Voyage they generally spend fourteen Months four Sail each of eight hundred Tun appointed for this Trade generally two of them set Sail to China in March and returning in Summer have no sooner drop'd their Anchors but the other two set out from Acapulco from whence the way by Land to Mexico is seventy two Leagues over steep Mountains dangerous Rocks and several Rivers the chiefest whereof are first Del Papagayo or De las Balsas which runs exceeding strong which the Indians cross on bundles of Canes ty'd upon Callabashes Next San Francisco which though the biggest yet hath many shallow places to wade over The Mustichoes are no small Plagues to those that travel this way for their Poysonous Stings are the occasions of many Ulcerated Wounds and oft-times Death it self In this way lies also the Countrey del Valle from which Ferdinand Cortesius receiv'd the Title of Earl PORTUS ACAPULCO The Mouth of the Haven Acapulco gapes a full League North and South and within exceeding large hath a nook call'd Boca Grande where the Ships Ride safe at an Anchor More Easterly appears a Land Inlet by the Spaniards call'd Puerto del Marques secur'd against all Winds near which is the City of San Diego to which belongs a Fort with six Bulwarks lying on a Promontory the main of the City is one large Street consisting of fair and stately Houses and leading directly to the Haven the Church which is of an oblong square hath a high Steeple in the middle
Court that were brought over thither by Columbus Moreover Hoieda was inform'd here That this Gold-River took its Original in the Province belonging to Cacicus Caunaboa signifying The King of the Golden Palace Columbus builds a City Mean time Columbus selected a piece of Ground on a rising Hill on the North part of the Isle where he intended to build a City because close by the Hill on one side rises a Mountain pregnant with Stone and Chalk on the other a Plain so exceeding fruitful and pleasant that the Sun scarce shines upon a more delightful and fertile Soil which they found afterwards by experience Here Melons are set and ripe in thirty six days Corn in two Months Strange fruitfulness there twice a Year the Trees and Plants bring forth their several Products the Vines come to maturity and are loaden with Clusters of Grapes in two Years and Sugar-Canes grow as thick as a Mans Arm in fifteen days On this pleasant Soil accommodated with a convenient Haven Columbus afterwards built the City Isabella fortified with Walls and Trenches against all Invasions over which he made his Brother Bartholomew Columbus first Governor Mean while the Admiral Columbus himself march'd up into the Countrey with three hundred Men in quest of the Gold Mines Seventy two Leagues the Valley Cibava lies distant from Isabella to which Columbus pass'd over swift Currents and high Mountains where he built a Fort which he call'd St. Thomas and exchang'd with the Inhabitants Toys and Trifles for Pieces and Ingots of Gold which the Inhabitants as before-mention'd found in the Sand of their Rivers And besides they inform'd him That about half a days Journey further greater Quantities of Gold were to be found in a browner colour'd Soil Whereupon Luxanus one of his Officers was sent with a sufficient Party thither who march'd through a delightful way cool with shady Boughs and pleasant with the prospect of spacious Meadows where they mow'd Grass for their Horses which in four days time grew up again higher than our tallest Wheat Goes to Sea to discover new Countreys Mean time Columbus being return'd with great Riches to his new City Isabella went soon after by Sea with three Vessels to discover new Countreys more remote which his Design fell out also successfully for he fell first upon Jamaica where he found more stout Opposition than elsewhere by the Natives at his Landing but finding themselves over-power'd they came to Agreement and accepting an amicable Composure presently struck up a Peace From thence putting to Sea he next discover'd Cuba which sailing round about he found also to be an Island where Landing in a convenient Harbor on each fenc'd with a high and jutting Rock he espied two little Hovels wherein was abundance of Fish besides two great Snakes or Serpents each having eight Feet spitted and ready to be laid to the Fire to be roasted but neither Man Woman nor Child to be seen they being gone with part of the Fish they had dress'd into the adjacent Woods whither the Spaniards following saw hanging by small Strings on the Branches of Trees abundance of Snakes some of which had their Mouths tied together others their Tongue and Teeth pull'd out Hence marching on a little beyond they saw a Company of the Natives which they judg'd to be about seventy Men covering the top or summit of a Hill to whom the Spaniards made Signs and to entice them near shew'd several of their gawdy Trifles but in vain till at last one adventur'd descending from the Hill to whom one of the Natives who in the first Voyage that the Admiral made was taken from the Island Guanahaini near Cuba carried to Spain and there Christned call'd aloud telling him they need not fear they should have no harm done them which said they came down all together and inform'd them That they were sent by their King to catch Fish for another King which was with him at Dinner and if they had not eaten the Serpents they gave them many thanks for they were provided for the second Course and very scarce to be got being a greater Dainty than any Fish Discovers not without great Accidents several New Countreys Columbus From hence proceeding on further Westward discover'd a fruitful Coast verging the Mouth of a River whose Water runs boyling hot into the Sea Somewhat further he saw very strange Fishes especially the Guaican not unlike an Eel but with an extraordinary great Head over which hangs a Skin like a Bag. This Fish is the Natives Fisher for having a Line or handsom Cord fastned about him so soon as a Turtel or any other of his Prey comes above Water they give him Line whereupon the Guaican like an Arrow out of a Bowe shoots towards the other Fish and then gathering the Mouth of the Bag on his Head like a Purse-net holds them so fast that he lets not loose till hal'd up out of the Water Here the Spaniards having Din'd on delicate Fish went on still Westward and came to an uninhabited Isle but well stor'd with Geese Pelicans and ugly Dogs that could not bark Here they came amongst so many Shoals that the Keels of their Ships raked upon the Ground almost forty Leagues together the Water thick and white like Milk Lastly they came again into deep Water and Landed at the Foot of a high Mountain on the Island Cuba where they found two Springs of very sweet Water A Musqueteer going into the Woods whilst the rest fill'd their Vessels with Water and cut Wood he spied a tall Man in a Coat like a white Fryer's Frock behind whom came two more and soon after thirty more follow'd all alike Habited the Musqueteer running away they beckned him to stay but he march'd off arid informing Columbus of his Adventure he sent a Party well Arm'd to see farther into the Countrey but they neither saw nor heard any Men onely found on the other side of the Wood a great Plain but so overgrown with deep Grass that it was impossible to get through The next day he sent out twenty five more which found nothing else than the Prints of the Steps of great Beasts and Lyons and also abundance of large Grapes which hung on the Branches of Vines clasping about the Bodies of the great Trees Hence Columbus again putting to Sea and Sailing Westerly found a Shore overflow'd with Water and abounding with Pearl-Mussles and after that the whole Countrey full of Mountains whose tops smoaked By this time the Fleet was much damnified by the Shole-water where as we mention'd before they often struck and their Keels rak'd upon the Ground so that having sprung several Leaks and their Provisions growing mouldy with the Damp they were forc'd to return and Tacking about they ran against Turtles which lay as thick in the Sea as if they had been sow'n Columbus now on his return home and Landing once more on Cuba found an antient Man stark naked who speaking to him
and quantity onely in such things as require more Sun and that may be produc'd by Industry there may be some little difference because Virginia is somewhat more to the Southward of Mary-land as in Vines Oranges Lemmons Olives Silk c. There is a Plant grows naturally in this Countrey Silk-Grass and in Mary-land call'd Silk-Grass which will make a fine Stuff with a silky Gloss and better Cordage than Hemp or Flax both for strength and durance The wild Beasts Birds and Fish are much the same also in this Countrey as are before describ'd in the precedent Description of Mary-land Nevertheless we shall think it proper not to omit some Fruits Plants Beasts c. mention'd by the most authentick Describers of New England Fruits peculiar to Virginia as peculiar to that Countrey The Fruits are their Putchamines which are a kind of Damsons Messamines a kind of Grapes Chechinquamins a sort of Fruit resembling a Chesnut Rawcomens a Fruit resembling a Gooser-berry Macoquer a kind of Apple Mettaquesunnauks a sort of Fruit resembling Inkian Figs Morococks resembling a Straw-berry besides a Berry which they call Ocoughtanamnis somewhat like to Capers Their peculiar Roots are Tockawaugh Roots good to eat Wichsacan of great vertue in healing of Wounds Pocones good to asswage Swellings and Aches Musquaspen wherewith they Paint their Targets and Mats Also they have in great request a Pulse call'd Assentamen and the Plant Mattouna of which they make Bread Their peculiar Beasts are Beasts the Aroughena resembling a Badger the Assapanick or Flying-Squerril Opassum a certain Beast having a Bag under her Belly wherein she carrieth and suckleth her Young Mussascus which smelling strong of Musk resembleth a Water-Rat Utchunquois a kind of wild Cat. Their peculiar Fish are Stingrais On the West side of the Bay of Chesapeak between Cape Henry and the Southerly Bank of the River of Patomeck are three fair Navigable Rivers as is before mention'd into which the other small Rivulets fall Rivulets which here we will give some account of as also of the Indian or antient Names by which these three principal Rivers were formerly known The first whereof is Powhatan now call'd James-River according to the Name of a large and considerable Territory that lieth upon it The Rivers that fall into this Southward are Apamatuck Eastward Quiyonycohanuc Nansamund and Chesopeak and Northward Chickamahania The second Navigable River is Pamaunkee by the English now term'd York-River The Rivulet that falls into this is Poyankatanck The third which is before describ'd and usually known by the Name of Rappahanoc was formerly term'd Toppahanoc This we thought fit here to insert to the end no colour of mistake might remain to after Ages concerning the derivation or original change of such proper Names especially being Places of great advantage to the Colony Several People of the ancient Natives of Virginia The chiefest of those Tribes or Divisions of People among the Indians that were by Name known to the English at their first arrival were upon the River Pouhatan the Kecoughtans the Paspaheghes on whose Land is seated James-Town the Weanocks Arrohatocks the Appametocks the Nandsamunds the Chesapeacks c. On the River Pamaunkee are the Younghtanunds the Mattapaments c. On the River Toppahanoc the Manahoacks the Moraughtacunds and the Cuttatawomens On the River Patawomek the Wighcocomocans the Onawmanients and the Moyanances On the River Pawtuxunt the Acquintacsuacs the Pawtuxunts and the Matapunients On the River Bolus the Sasquesabanoes Southward from the Bay the Chawonocks the Mangoacks the Monacans the Mannahocks the Masawomecks the Atquanahucks and the Kuscarawaocks besides a number not material to be nam'd as having had little of Transaction that we hear of with the Planters Number of Inhabitants The number of English Inhabitants in this Countrey are in this present Year 1671. about thirty or forty thousand who are plentifully stock'd with all sorts of tame Cattel as Cows Sheep Horses Swine c. and all sorts of English Grain great store of brave Orchards for Fruit whereof they make great quantities of Cyder and Perry They have been much oblig'd by that worthy Gentleman Mr. Edward Digges Son of Sir Dudley Digges who was Master of the Rolls and a Privy Councellor to King Charles the First of Great Brittain c. For the said Mr. Digges at his great Charge and Industry hath very much advanc'd the making of Silk in this Countrey for which purpose he hath sent for several Persons out of Armenia to teach them that Art and how to wind it off the Cods of the Silk-Worms and hath made at his own Plantation in this Colony for some years last past considerable quantities of Silk which is found to be as good Silk as any is in the World which hath encourag'd divers others to prosecute that Work The Commodities of Virginia Though this Countrey be capable of producing many other good Commodities yet the Planters have hitherto imploy'd themselves for the most part in Planting of Tobacco as they do in Mary-land whereof there are two sorts one which is call'd Sweet-scented and the other call'd Oranoack or Bright and Large which is much more in quantity but of lesser Price than the former and the Plantations upon York River are esteem'd to produce the best of that sort of Sweet-scented There is so much of this Commodity Planted in Virginia and Imported from thence into England that the Custom and Excize paid in England for it yields the King about fifty or threescore thousand Pounds Sterling per annum With this Commodity the Planter buys of the Ships that come thither for it which are above a hundred Sail yearly from England and other English Plantations all Necessaries of Clothing and other Utensils of Houshold-stuff c. which they want though they make some Shoes and Linnen and Woollen Cloth in some parts of Virginia of the growth and Manufacture of the Countrey and if they would Plant less Tobacco as it is probable they will e're long find it convenient for them to do it being now grown a Drug of very low value by reason of the vast quantities Planted of it they might in a little time provide themselves of all Necessaries of Livelyhood and produce much richer and more Staple-Commodities for their advantage Their usual way of Traffique in buying and selling is by exchange of one Commodity for another and Tobacco is the general Standard by which all other Commodities receive their value but they have some English and foreign Coyns which serve them upon many occasions The Government is by a Governor and Council Appointed and Authoriz'd from time to time by immediate Commission from the King of Great Brittain And Laws are made by the Governor with the consent of a General Assembly which consists of two Houses an Upper and a Lower the first consists of the Council and the latter of the Burgesses chosen by the Freemen of the Countrey and Laws
so made are in Force there till His Majesty thinks fit to alter them The Chief Court of Judicature is call'd The Quarter-Court because it is held every quarter of a Year where all Causes Criminal and Civil are heard and determin'd and the Judges of this Court are the Governor and Council The present Governor in this Year 1671. is Sir William Berkley who was made Governor by King Charles the First of Great Brittain c. in the Year 1640. And those of the Council are Sir Henry Chichesly who is one of the greatest and most considerable Planters there and Mr. Edward Diggs before-mention'd Mr. Thomas Ludwel Secretary Major-General Robert Smith and divers other worthy Gentlemen That part of the Countrey where the English are Planted is divided into nineteen Counties viz. Northampton-County in Acomack on the Eastern shore and on the Western shore Corotuck Lower-Norfolk Nansemund Isle of Wight Surry Warwick Henerico James Charles York New-Kent Gloucester Middlesex Lancaster Northumberland Westmoreland Rappahanock and Harford-Counties In every one of these Counties there are inferior County-Courts kept every Moneth these take no Cognizance of Causes relating to Life or Member or exceeding a certain limited Value such being refer'd to the Quarter-Courts only to which likewise there lie Appeals from their Inferior Courts There are Sheriffs Justices of the Peace and other Officers in every respective County appointed by the Governor for the Administration of Justice who sit there according to his Order and whereof these County-Courts are chiefly compos'd There are few Towns as yet erected in this Colony the Principal Seat of the English there is at a place call'd James-City in Honor of King James of Great Brittain c. This is situated in a Peninsula on the North side of James-River and has in it many fair Brick and other good Houses In this place are held the Quarter-Courts General Assemblies the Secretary's Office and all other Affairs and greatest Concerns of the Colony are here dispatch'd On the same side nearer the Mouth of this River stands Elizabeth-City containing also several good Houses of Brick and Timber Sir William Berkley the present Governor resides at a place somewhat distant from James-City call'd Green-Spring a fair Brick House which he himself caus'd to be built The other Towns of Note belonging to the English only Henricopolis or Henry's-Town so nam'd from Prince Henry then living built in a very convenient place more within Land about eighty Miles distant from James-City and Dale's-Gift so nam'd and Planted at the Charges of Sir Thomas Dale Deputy-Governor of the Countrey about the Year 1610. Of the Indians of Virginia The Indians of Virginia in Stature Complexion and Disposition differ very little from those of Mary-land Their Laws and Customs their way of Living and Apparel their Religion Money and manner of Burial are the same in both places all which are more particularly express'd in the precedent Description of that Province to which we refer the Reader Yet these Indians far exceed those of Mary-land in Treachery and Cruelty to the English there as will appear by this following Relation of their Proceedings towards them since the first Seating of that Colony wherein nevertheless the Civility of some particular Persons at their first Landing is not to be omitted Transactions between the English and the Natives Upon the first arrival of Captain Amidas and Captain Barlow in Wingandacoa now Virginia they were accosted by Granganimeo the King's Brother of that Countrey who attended with a Train of forty or fifty Men came in a very civil manner to Treat about a Commerce of Trade and Traffick which immediately began between them and several Barters were made Granganimeo who was very just of his Word and always kept his promis'd Day of meeting fancying most a Pewter Dish gave twenty Deer-skins for it and boring a Hole therein hung it about his Neck for a Breast-plate afterwards he with his whole Company and his Wife and Children frequently and familiarly did eat and drink aboard the English Ships the King himself call'd Wingina lying sick at his chief Town six days Journey off of a dangerous Wound which he had receiv'd from a neighboring King his mortal Enemy Some of the English going to Land upon the Isle of Roanoack were met by Granganimeo's Wife who her Husband being absent commanded her Servants some to draw their Boat ashore some to carry them on their Backs to Land others to carry in their Oars into the House for fear of stealing and having caus'd a great Fire to be made to warm them and to dry those that had been wet in their Voyage she afterwards Entertain'd them with a very plentiful Feast or Banquet after that Countrey fashion and when they took alarm at the coming of two or three of her Men with Bowes and Arrows she caus'd the Bowes to be broken and the Men to be beaten out of the House besides several other demonstrations of extraordinary civility and when notwithstanding all this they could not be perswaded to Lodge any where but in their Boat she us'd all means imaginable to make them quit their jealousie and accept of a Lodging in the House In the Year 1585. a Company that went over with Sir Richard Greenvill burnt the Town of Aquascogoc by reason of a Silver Cup that was stoln by some of the Indians took Prisoner Menatonon King of Chawonoc who gave a large Relation of another King about three days Journey off who possess'd an Island wonderfully rich in Pearl which was taken in great abundance in a deep Water that inviron'd it Going towards the Countrey of the Mangoacks among whom in the Province of Chaunis Temoatan they heard of a Mine of strange Copper call'd Wassador with Skiko the King of Chowonock's Son and Manteo a faithful Salvage for their Guide they were treacherously dealt with by Wingina alias Pemissapan for so his Brother Granganimeo being lately dead he had alter'd his Name who endeavor'd to stir up a Confederacy of the Chawonocks Moratocks and Mangoacks against them yet by the urgent perswasions of Ensenore his Father the truest Friend the English had after the death of Granganimeo and seeing them safe return'd from their Journey wherein he thought they had all perish'd and especially upon Menatonon's sending Messengers to them with Pearl and Okisco King of Weopomeock to yield himself Vassal to the Queen of England his Hatred was somewhat cool'd but Ensenore deceasing soon after he return'd to his old treacherous Practises again and in the end while he was contriving mischief against the Planters he himself was shot taken Prisoner and beheaded After the Company left upon Virginia by Sir Richard Greenwill for he himself was return'd tir'd out with hunger hardship and the many extremities they were at last reduc'd to had deserted the Place and obtain'd Passage for England through the civility of Sir Francis Drake pitying their distress fifty Men more were Landed upon Roanoack-Isle by the
whose Principles not being corrupted with Learning and Distinction are contented to follow the Dictates of right Reason which Nature has sufficiently taught all Men for the well ordering of their Actions and enjoyment and preservation of humane Society who do not give themselves up to be amus'd and deceiv'd by insignificant Terms and minding what is just and right seek not Evasions in the Niceties and Fallacies of Words Carolina granted by Patent to several Noble Persons by His Majesty The same is to be said of the first discovery of this Countrey as hath been formerly said of Virginia and Florida of both which it partakes but as to the present Interest and Propriety the English besides all Virginia intirely have also so much of Florida as makes up this considerable Province of Carolina which soon after the happy Restauration of His present Majesty King Charles II. from whom it receives Denomination was granted by Patent to Edward Earl of Clarendon L. Chancellor of England George Duke of Albemarle William Earl of Craven John Lord Berkley Anthony Lord Ashley Sir George Carteret Vice-Chamberlain of His Majesty's Houshold Sir William Berkley Knight and Baronet and Sir John Colleton Knight and Baronet The Lords-Proprietors of this Countrey for the better Settlement of it according to their Patent granted unto them by His Majesty and for the enlargement of the King's Dominions in those parts of America have been at great Charge to secure this so rich and advantageous a Countrey to the Crown of England to whom of ancient Right by the Discovery of Sir Sebastian Cabott in the time of Henry the Seventh it doth belong and for its Situation Fertility Neighborhood to our other Plantations and several other Conveniences of too valuable consideration to be negligently lost By the Care therefore and Endeavors of those Great Men Their care for Setling and Improving of this Plantation it hath now two considerable Colonies Planted in it the one of Albemarle on the North side bordering on Virginia where are some hundreds of English Families remov'd thither from New England and some of our other Plantations in the West-Indies and another towards the middle of the Countrey at Charles-Town or Ashley-River a Settlement so hopeful for the healthiness of the Land and convenience of access by a large deep Navigable River and so promising in its very Infancy that many of the rich Inhabitants of Barbados and Bermudas who are now crowded up in those flourishing Islands and many in our other American Plantations are turning their Eyes and Thoughts this way and have already remov'd part of their Stock and Servants thither Nor is it to be doubted but that many following the Example of those who went to Albemarle will be drawn to this better Plantation at Ashley-River from New-England where the heat of their Zeal and the coldness of the Air doth not agree with every Man's Constitution and therefore it is to be thought that many well temper'd Men who are not much at ease under such Extreams will be forward to remove hither Fair Terms propos'd to whomsoever shall remove thither The Lords-Proprietors for the comfortable subsistence and future enrichment of all those who shall this Year 1671. Transport themselves and Servants thither allow every Man a hundred Acres per Head for himself his Wife Children and Servants he carries thither to him and his Heirs for ever paying onely one Peny an Acre as a Chief-Rent which Peny an Acre is not to be paid these nineteen years and those Servants who go along thither with their Masters shall each also have a hundred Acres upon the same Terms when he is out of his Time But though these Conditions are very advantageous and the Countrey promises to the Planter Health Plenty and Riches at a cheap Rate yet there is one thing that makes this Plantation more valuable than all these and that is the secure possession of all these things with as great certainty as the state of humane Affairs and the transient things of this Life are capable of in a well continu'd Form of Government wherein it is made every Man's Interest to preserve the Rights of his Neighbor with his own and those who have the greatest Power have it limited to the Service of the Countrey the Good and Welfare whereof whilest they preserve and promote they cannot miss of their own the Lords Proprietors having no other aim than to be the greatest Men in a Countrey where every one may be happy if it be not his own fault it being almost as uncomfortable and much more unsafe to be Lord over than Companion of a miserable unhappy and discontented Society of Men. With this Design the Lords-Proprietors who are at great Charge for carrying on this Plantation have put the framing of a Government into the Hands of one whose Parts and Experience in Affairs of State are universally agreed on and who is by all Men allow'd to know what is convenient for the right ordering Men in Society and setling a Government upon such Foundations as may be equal safe and lasting and to this hath a Soul large enough to wish well to Mankind and to desire that all the People where he hath to do might be happy My Lord Ashley therefore by the consent of his Brethren the rest of the Lords Proprietors hath drawn up to their general satisfaction some fundamental Constitutions which are since by their joynt approbation confirm'd to be the Model and Form of Government in the Province of Carolina the main Design and Ballance thereof according to the best of my memory having had a Copy thereof in short is as followeth The Model drawn up by the Lord Ashley for the Government of Carolina 1. EVery County is to consist of forty square Plots each containing twelve thousand Acres Of these square Plots each of the Proprietors is to have one which is to be call'd a Signiory Eight more of these square Plots are to be divided amongst the three Noble-men of that County viz. a Landgrave who is to have four of them and two Casiques who are to have each of them two apiece and these square Plots belonging to the Nobility are to be call'd Baronies The other twenty four square Plots call'd Colonies are to be the Possession of the People And this Method is to be observ'd in the Planting and Setting out of the whole Countrey so that one Fifth of the Land is to be in the Proprietors one Fifth in the Nobility and three Fifths in the People 2. The Signories and Baronies that is the hereditary Lands belonging to the Proprietors and Nobility are all entirely to descend to their Heirs with the Dignity without power of alienation more than for three Lives or one and twenty years or two Thirds of their Signiories and Baronies and the rest to be Demesne 3. There will be also some Mannors in the Colonies but none less than three thousand Acres in a Piece which like the
whereupon Izcoalt resolv'd to send his Victorious Army thither but Tlacaellel opposing the same promis'd to subdue the Rebelling City wâ—â—â— a considerable number of Boys which had skill in the managing of a Canoo which being permitted him he accordingly made himself Master of Cuytlavacan from whence the Boys brought a great Booty and divers Prisoners whom they sent as an Offering to Vitzlipultzli Tezcuco submits to the Mexicans These unheard of Victories being spread far and near mov'd Tezcuco after several Skirmishes and Conflicts with Tlacaellel to submit to the Mexican King who chose the Governor thereof for his Prime Councellor Izcoalt Deceasing after having Reign'd twelve years his Son Muteczuma was chosen his Successor the Election and Coronation being perform'd after the following manner Coronation of Muteczuma The new King mantled in Tygers Skins was led into the chief Temple before a Hearth on which burnt Fire both Night and Day not far from which stood the Throne where sitting down he Offer'd Bloodâ— which was taken from his Cheeks Ears and Legs after which an Orator Congratulated him in the name of the Nobility which done they ended the Solemnity in a great Dinner Fire-Works and Dancing At the same time it was establish'd that all Future Coronations should be kept with an Offering of Provision fetch'd by the King out of the Enemies Countrey wherefore Muteczuma going to the Countrey Chalco took several of the Natives whose reaking Hearts he Offer'd to Viztlipuztli Which done the Coronation follow'd to which an innumerable company of People came flocking from all the neighboring Provinces Those which were Tributaries brought Presents with them before which the Heralds carry'd the Coats of Arms belonging to the Nobility of Mexico in a good order Thus his Predecessors and he having Conquer'd divers Provinces insomuch that he was now become absolute Emperor over a vast Tract of Land he resolv'd to settle the same in good order to which purpose he erected Courts of Judicature with good Laws built a stately Palace and Temple ordain'd several Customs to be observ'd in Religion which done and having Reign'd twenty eight years he Deceasing left Ticocic for his Successor Description of the Temple Cu. The foremention'd Temple was call'd Cu being built of Stone in form like a Serpent of an exceeding bigness in the middle thereof there was a spacious open place and round about it Habitations two Stories high the lowermost for the Inferior Priests and the uppermost for the High Priests in this place also above ten thousand People Danc'd in a Circle on all high Feasts four great Gates fac'd the like number of broad Streets each two Leagues long On the outmost Gate stood large Images the Front of black Stones Painted between each Lay with red and yellow Colours no less Beautiful than Artificial On each corner of the Temple were plac'd two Marble Statues of Indians sitting with their Arms stretch'd out and holding a Candle and on their Heads Plumes of Feathers Thirty high steps led up to a round place set about with Deaths-Heads which was a Stage appointed for the slaughter of those whose Hearts were to be Offer'd to the Diabolical gods and whose Heads their Bodies being eaten were brought back to the Priests who hung them under the Stage where every Head hanging till it dropp'd off the vacant place was immediately supply'd with a fresh Head At the end of the Stage stood two Chappels cover'd like a Cardinal's-Cap in one of which sate the Image of Tiztlputzli and in the other Tlaloc to which led a hundred and twenty Stone steps But besides this stately Temple Cu Mexico boasted nine more standing not far asunder in a large Plain all adorn'd with curious Imagery and set out with large Pillars each being Dedicated to a peculiar Idol and built with magnificent Apartments for the Priests to lodge in the chiefest of them Dedicated to an Idol call'd Tezeatlipuca or Lord of the Humble This Temple was ascended to by eighty steps and had before it a spacious Court within a low and broad Gate appear'd a high Vail which open'd into a spacious square Hall hung with Tapestry at the end whereof stood large Images and beyond which were several Rooms in which Assemblies met Scholars were taught Judges sate and Priests Resided Tlacaellel resigns the Kingdoms to Ticocic But to return again to Muteczuma his Funeral was no sooner finish'd but the four Prime Councellors were attended by the Commissioners of Tezcuco and Tacuba in order to the Election of a new King Tlacaellel being the chief amongst the Dukes was by a general Vote Saluted King as being most worthy thereof for his special Services shown in behalf of the Empire of Mexico But he humbly refusing the same was desir'd to Nominate another whereupon he making choice of Ticocic Muteczuma's eldest Son the Council immediately bor'd a hole through his Nose and hung an Emrauld in the same But before he receiv'd the Crown he was forc'd according to the Custom to fetch in some of his Enemies for an Offering which though he perform'd yet he lost more Mexicans than he took Prisoners not without sufficient testimony of Cowardise which being ill resented by the People he was Poyson'd in the fourth year of his Reign and succeeded by his Brother Axayaca by the appointment of Tlacaellel Axayacan chosen King who having attain'd to a great Age and left the Charge of his Children to the new King departed this Life to the great sorrow and grief of the whole Empire by the States whereof he was Bury'd with great Solemnity His Victory against theâ— Teguantepecks In the mean time Axayaca went with a considerable Army to the remote Province Teguantepek to fetch Prisoners to be Offer'd at his Coronation and marching before alone Challeng'd his Antagonist the King to a single Combat which he refus'd and chose rather to fall upon Axayaca with all his Forces whereupon the Mexicans cunningly feign'd flight ambuscaded themselves till the Enemies pursuing them gave them their desir'd advantage for rushing out of their Ambuscade they set upon the Teguantepecks so disorder'd that they easily put them to flight and had the pursuit of them as far as Guatulco a noted Haven upon the South-Sea from whence Axayaca returning Victor receiv'd a Crown for a Reward yet notwithstanding these Proofs of his Valor the Lord of Tlatellulco Challeng'd him whereupon he sent Agents thither with proffers that since the Citizens of Tlatellulco were of one Blood with the Mexicans whom they deserted upon the dividing of the Wards and Towns just before the Election of the first King Acamapixtli they should if they pleas'd be receiv'd anew into fellowship and alliance with the Mexicans acknowledging one and the same King for their Supreme Head and Governor But the Ambassadors being scorn'd and laugh'd at for their proffers returning related the same to Axayaca who immediately marching thither to take revenge sent part of his Army to fall on the
there Captain Francis Drake set Sail from Plymouth Anno 1577. and after much hardship getting through the Straights of Magellan arriv'd in the Haven Guatulco having before his coming thither taken as many rich Spanish Ships in the Southern Ocean as he could possibly have wish'd for so that his onely care now needed to have been how to get safe home yet he put on a Resolution not to come short of Ferdinandus Magellanus who Saild about the World Which brave Resolution of Drake's was approv'd of by all his Sea-men whereupon he set Sail along the North of California the fifth of June being gotten into forty two Degrees which was the farthest that Cabrillo went he came on a sudden out of a warm Air into so frigid a Climate that the Sea-men were almost kill'd with Cold and the farther they went the colder it grew wherefore falling down three Degrees more Southerly they got into a convenient Haven where the Natives who liv'd along the Shore brought them Presents which Drake left not unrequited by returning them others that were to them more novel and not unuseful Nature and Habit of the People These People are exceeding hardy for notwithstanding the extraordinary coldness of the Climate the Men go naked but the Women wear Garments of pleited Flags or Rushes which being put about their Middle hang down to their Ancles on their Stomachs hang the ends of a hairy Skin ty'd together which hanging also over their Shoulders cover their hinder Parts They shew great Respect and Obedience to their Husbands Each House is surrounded with an Earthen Wall and all the Corners thereof being close stopp'd and Fires made in the midst of them they are very warm Rushes and Flags strow'd thick on the Ground near the Walls serve them in stead of Beds Drake's Entertainment by the King of the Countrey The rumour of these Strangers arrival spreading all over the Countrey made the Inhabitants far and near desirous to see them the King himself sending Ambassadors to Drake to inform him that he was on the Way coming to see him all which the Agents related at large and desir'd some Presents as a testimony that their King should be welcome which he being assur'd of came with a Retinue of above twelve thousand Men before whom walk'd one of a Gygantick size carrying a costly Scepter on which by three long Chains made of Bones hung a great and a small Crown made of Feathers next follow'd the King himself in a Sute of Cony-Skins then came a great confus'd company of People each of them carrying a Present whereupon Drake putting his Men into good order march'd to meet the King at which the Mace-bearer made a long Preamble and when he had done Danc'd to the Tune of a Song which he Sung himself then the King and his whole Retinue also fell a Singing and Dancing so long till being weary the King went to Drake and humbly desir'd of him that he would accept of the Realm assuring him that all the People should be under his Obedience which said he put the fore-mention'd Crown on his Head and hanging three double Chains about his Neck call'd him Hioh whereupon Drake took possession of the Countrey in Queen Elizabeths Name The King staying alone with Drake his Retinue went amongst the English every one looking very earnestly upon them and to those whom they lik'd best being the youngest they falling down and crying proffer'd Offerings as to Gods and held their Cheeks to draw Blood out of them which the English refusing they desisted but shew'd them great Wounds and desir'd some Plaisters of them which they suppli'd them with The English going up into the Countrey found the same well grown with Woods which abounded with Coneys whose Heads differ'd little from the European but having Feet like Moles long Tails like Rats and in their Sides a Bag wherein when they had fill'd their Bellies they put the remainder They also saw numerous Herds of Deer with whose Flesh having been courteously Entertain'd in several Villages they return'd to the Fleet. Drake just before he weighed Anchor caus'd a Pillar to be set in the Ground with a Silver Plate on the same A Monument erected by Drake before his departure with an Inscription mentioning the Day of his Arrival Name and Arms of Queen Elizabeth and free delivering of that Realm to him by the Indians he also nail'd a Sixpence with the Queens Effigies on the Plate under which he caus'd his own Name to be Engraven THE ISLANDS OF Northern America CHAP. XI Terra Nova or New-found Land with the Island of Assumption HAving treated at large of all the several Regions and Provinces of the North part of the Continent of America we come now to those Islands that lie within the same Degrees of Northern Latitude with that part of the Continent The first is Terre Neuve or New-found Land discover'd together with several other Parts upon the Continent before mention'd by Sir Sebastian Cabott by the Countenance and Charge of King Henry the Seventh of England whereupon a rightful Claim thereunto and Interest therein hath been own'd by the succeeding Kings of England as hereafter shall be more particularly related Situation and bound of New-found Land New-found Land is situated betwixt the Degrees of forty six and fifty three of Northern Latitude and is divided from the Continent of America by an Arm of the Sea in like distance as England is from France The Island is as large as England in length greater in breadth and lies near the Course that Ships usually hold in their Return from the West-Indies and is near the mid-way between Ireland and Virginia INSULAE AMERICANAE IN OCEANO SEPTENTRIONALI cum Terris adiacentibus We shall not much need to commend the wholsom temperature of this Countrey Temperature seeing the greatest part thereof lieth above three Degrees nearer to the South than any part of England doth so that even in the Winter it is pleasant and healthful as England is Nature of the Inhabitants The natural Inhabitants of the Countrey as they are but few in number so are they something a rude and salvage People having neither knowledge of God nor living under any kind of Civil Government In their Habits Customs and Manners they resemble the Indians of the Continent from whence it is to be suppos'd they come they live altogether in the North and West part of the Countrey which is seldom frequented by the English but the French and Biscainers who resort thither yearly for the Whale-fishing and also for the Cod-fish report them to be an ingenuous and tractable People being well us'd and very ready to assist them with great labour and patience in the killing cutting and boyling of Whales and making the Trayn-Oyl without expectation of other Reward than a little Bread or some such small Hire It hath the most commodious Harbours in the World Commodious Harbors and the most safe
the Sun who also was the Chamos and Baal-Peor of the Moabites and Medians Near the Red-Sea lay the City Baisamsa which signifies The House of the Sun famous for the many Feasts which were kept there in honor of this Planet The Persians accounted this Luminary for the greatest God and Consecrated to him three several Feasts looking upon him as the Author of Wisdom Goodness and Power and is express'd by three several Operations viz. Warmth Light and Distinction of Time The Egyptians honor'd the Name of Ofiris whom some will have to be the same with Misraim or Chamszoon the first Founder of the Egyptian Monarchy In Egypt also was famous amongst many other Cities that of Heliopolis which signifi'd The City of the Sun where the Ox Mnevis or Menapis being Consecrated to the Sun was religiously worshipp'd This Image is describ'd by Macrobius The Moors made likewise great Offerings to their Assabin for so they call'd the Sun and allow'd their Priests onely the priviledge to gather Cinamon and that with this Proviso That they should first Offer forty four Oxen besides Goats and Rams to Assabin nor should fetch the least Stick of Cinamon either immediately before or after Sun-set The Cinamon brought altogether was to be divided by the Chief Priest and the rest having each their Portion assign'd that which remain'd was sold to the Merchants to Trade with into Foreign Parts but if the Sun chanc'd to set the Cinamon on fire then they concluded they had not dealt justly The Greeks according to Proclus hung a long Pole full of Laurel and Flowers on every seventh day of the Moneth on the top thereof was a great Copper Ball from which hung others still lesser and lesser about the middle of the Pole hung three hundred and sixty five Garlands and the bottom thereof was cover'd with a Womans Garment of a yellow colour The uppermost Ball represented the Sun the lesser the Stars and the Garlands the Days of the Year in which manner they worshipp'd the Sun The same Luminary the Massagetes and old Germans ador'd in antient times and to this day the People in the utmost North Japanners Chineses Tartars and the East and West-Indians pay their chief Devotions to the Sun Why Divine Worship so generally given to the Sun the reason of which may easily be made out for it is the common Opinion of all Men as Aristotle Simplicius Themistius and other Heathens witness to place the Omnipotent Godhead in the uppermost Orb which surrounds the Earth wherefore those that Pray lift up their Hands to Heaven but because the rest of the Heavens appear not so resplendent as the Sun therefore they take the Sun for the onely chief God whether for its exceeding lustre and glory or for its being a hundred and sixty times bigger than the Earth or for its swift Course in running ten hundred thousand Leagues in so short a time or for its-nourishing and genial Warmth which gives Life to all things or for its necessary Light by which all worldly Affairs are manag'd or for its measuring the Days by its moving from East to West and the Seasons of the Year by a Course from the South to the North for all these excellent qualities being well consider'd by the most Learned Heathens or observ'd by those of lesser Judgment have made them shew that Honor to a visible Creature which is onely due to the invisible Creator These and such like Arguments induc'd the Caribbeeans to go to Bemarin where the Feast of the Sun was to be kept The Apalachites and Caribbeans unake an Offering to the Sun on the Mountain Olaimi The Apalachite King also Entertain'd the neighboring People exceeding courteously in the chief City Melilot from whence he was carried in a Chair on the Shoulders of four Men with sound of Pipes and Drums and an innumerable company People to the top or the Mountain Olaimi where he made a stately Offering to the Sun and afterwards Feasting and Caressing the Caribbeeans with Gifts he sent them home all well contented and satisfi'd with their Entertainment This Custom was yearly observ'd Part of the Caribbeans revolt from the Apalachites when at last they began to neglect their Duty wherefore Toltlabin resolv'd to proclaim War against the Caribbeeans if they did not continue paying their Devotions to the Sun which Injunction was differently receiv'd some judg'd it to be inconsistent with their purchas'd Freedom to receive Laws for Religion from a neighboring King alledging That if any Reverence was due to the Sun it might as well be given on the Mountains of Amana as within Toltlabin's Realm others who lov'd Peace and had a zeal to the Olaimi Religion would not be against the Proposals which occasion'd a Contention amongst themselves and every one apply'd himself to those that were of his Opinion nevertheless those that stood upon their Freedom were of the greatest Party wherefore the Worshippers of the Sun clos'd with the Apalachites who going out with their Forces routed the other Party And receiv'd those Caribbeeans that joyn'd with them in Religion into Co-partnership also in the Government so that they united into one People But those that were routed rally'd again and not without thousands of Inconveniences made towards the Sea where Embarquing they Landed first on the Isle Ayay now call'd Sancta Crux They people the Caribbees and grow powerful and in process of time grew very populous for from thence by degrees have been peopled all the little Isles which lie before America and grew so considerable that they were sought to by the Calabites to side with them against the Arovaces Yaos Sappayos and other People their Enemies on the Main Continent where they have taken many large Countreys extending as far as Brasile where they are greatly respected and fear'd for their Valor and Policy in warlike Affairs But because the memory of antique Passages hath no firm foundation in Books having been onely taken by Tradition from time to time amongst the Caribbeeans therefore we cannot give you an exact Account of their Removal from Florida yet it remains without contradiction that it hapned above five Ages before the Spaniards Arrival which time at least was requir'd to the peopling of so many great Islands and Kingdoms Original of the Apalachites Concerning the Original of the Apalachites they themselves affirm that they cannot certainly determine the time when they first Setled here however they report that they have peopled the Provinces Bemarin Amana and Matika many Ages ago That they are Extracted from the Tartars appears not obscurely by their Customs Idolatry and Language Amongst other things they have learn'd from the Tartars religiously to remember those Kings which perform'd any grand Exploits in the Service of their Countrey Amongst others the Apalachites make mention in their Areitos or Songs of a King call'd Maydo eminent for his noble Atchievements and prudent Governing of his People Their Opinions in
flight up into the Mountain Vilcabamba where he Setling his Successors Reign to this day secur'd from any Invasion by the natural strength of the Place But the Inga Saritopa coming from the fore-mention'd Mountain submitted himself to the Spaniards who allow'd him the Valley Yucay to dwell peaceably in but the rest of the Family of the Inga's that fell into the Hands of the Spaniards were all of them kill'd in Cusco not without great grief of the old Inhabitants to see so antient and noble a Family by which they had been Govern'd in great State for three hundred years together put to death by common Executioners Cusco the Residence of the Peruvian Kings The City Cusco which was the Royal Seat of all the Peruvian Kings was made more splendid than ever before by Guayanacava of whom Augustine de Tarrate describing his Magnificence relates That when his Queen was Deliver'd of a Son who was to succeed in the Throne Guayanacava kept a great Feast for twenty days together and on that day when the Child was to be Nam'd a Golden Chain each Link of which was as big as a Hand and contain'd in all seven hundred Foot in length was carried by twenty Peruvians to the Temple The Manner of the Succession of their Kings The Succession of the Inga's was after this manner The Inga's keeping many Concubines had many Children by them none of which could lay claim to the Peruvian Crown but onely the Son begotten on the Coya or Queen being generally the Kings own Sister whom they accounted lawful for them to Marry as in antient times did the Egyptian Kings Inherited the Realm unless the Inga had a lawful Brother who Inherited before the Son though born of a Coya or if the said Brother had a Son he obtain'd the deceased Uncles Crown before him who in apparence was the elder Heir The same Succession was also observ'd by other Governors which the Peruvians call Curaca's Their Burials and disposal of their Treasure The Burials of their Kings were perform'd with great solemnity and the Treasures which they left behind were bestow'd in building of magnificent Guaha's which were Temples or religious Houses where a kind of solemn Worship was to be perform'd to celebrate the Memory of the Deceased Some part of the Treasure was also distributed amongst the Inga's Servants but the Successor inherited not the least Mite of what his Predecessor had gotten but was forc'd according to an antient Law to build himself a new Palace and purchas'd anew every thing else belonging to it Their Crown Their Crown or Diadem was onely a fine red woollen Coif with a Tassel that hung down over their Foreheads which other meaner Princes wore hanging on their right Ear. Their Coronations Their Coronations were also kept in great Pomp and State the Nobility and Priests coming from all parts of the Countrey to Cusco besides an innumerable multitude of common People The Noblemens Presents to the Inga's consisted chiefly of Gold and Silver Vessels fine Cloth call'd Cumbi all sorts of Sea-shells and stately Plumes of Feathers of inestimable value Thousands of Sheep differing in colour serv'd for Offerings moreover the Chief Priest sacrific'd a Child before the Image of Viracocha on whom with great Reverence he cry'd O great God Viracocha we Offer you this Child that you may keep our Realm in Peace aid us in time of War prosper our Inga in all his Undertakings make him more powerful and greater than any of his Predecessors and grant him wisdom to Govern this vast Countrey Their exact Form of Government No People in the World can be more respective and shew greater Reverence to their Kings than the Peruvians for there were never any heard of in this Countrey that ever Rebell'd against their Prince the reason of which was chiefly because they always Govern'd with great Justice and Mildness placing Governors over the respective Countreys and Provinces according to their several Divisions greater or lesser with subordinate Power one under another so that they Rul'd with great strictness punishing with Death both Drunkenness and Theft Moreover the Ingas observ'd a prudent way in Government viz. They kept their Subjects continually employ'd The ordinary sort of Persons of subdu'd Provinces were sent to remote Countreys and the Governors thereof kept at the Court in Cusco and Princes Descended of the Royal Blood sent in their Places to Govern the new gotten Dominions they divided the Inhabitants into Companies plac'd one to Command over ten another over a hundred and a greater Officer over a thousand and at last a Prefect or Major-General over ten thousand every one of which Officers were to bring in an Account every Week to the supream Governor who was always of the Inga's Family what Men dy'd of their number or how many were born a present Estimate of every ones Stock in Cattel or otherwise and all remarkable Transactions that hapned On the high Feast-day they were all to appear at Court and to bring in the Revenues gather'd out of their Substitute Countreys The main Division of the Countrey was into four grand Provinces call'd Tahucantinsuyos according to the four Ways that went from Cusco through the whole Realm viz. Chinchasuyo towards the North Coclasuyo towards the South Andesuyo towards the East and Condesuyo towards the West The Collectors were divided into Hanansayos Upper-Collectors and Urinsayos or Under-Collectors The Quipocomayos or Accomptants could â—ast up exactly with Buttons not onely what every Province but also what each Man was to pay and that according to the ability of the Countrey and Person Their stately Structures Many were the stately Temples invincible Castles magnificent Palaces and other wonderful Structures built by the Ingas the chiefest whereof stood in Cusco Tiaguanaco and Tambo the Builders whereof were sent for by turns out of the adjacent Countreys from which they brought exceeding great Stones most of them thirty eight Foot long eighteen broad and six thick which were so neatly joyn'd together with Mortar or Iron-work that a whole Edifice seem'd to be one entire Stone Their Bridges that led cross the Rivers were made of Flags and Rushes fastned to each Shore with great Ropes The like Bridge lay cross the deep Mouth of the Lake Chicuito on which great Bundles of the Rushes Toto being ty'd together and cover'd with Straw so strengthen'd the Bridge that great Loads were safely carried over the same The great Riches of the Ingas No Prince ever possess'd so much Riches and Splendor as an Inga of Peru each Countrey presenting him with what was most esteem'd amongst them the Chiches bringing Sweet-woods the Lucanas strong Sedan-Carriers the Chumbibilcas brave Dancers and so accordingly every Countrey provided him with what they best esteem'd besides the usual Tributes which they paid Those which digg'd the Gold and Silver out of the Mines had Meat Drink and Clothing from the Inga though at other times he enjoy'd
conquer'd Fort according to Ordas his appointment who went up the River Orinoque not without great hardship for his Provisions were not onely short but he was tormented in the Day by the Muschitoes and in the Night by the Bats at last coming to a Village Commanded by Viapari he was kindly Entertain'd which made Ordas contrary to the will of his Men who would willingly have gone farther into the Countrey stay there all the Winter but as soon as the rainy Moneths were over Ordas went farther up the River Orinoque where his Ship was stav'd against a sandy Shelf which forc'd him with two hundred Foot and forty Horse to travel along the Shore where he was much scanted of Provisions and for forty days together met none but a few poor wild Fishermen and at last stopt at an unknown River which fell into the Orinoque The Guianian Guide which Viapari had given Ordas advis'd him to go along the Shore of the new River because it would lead them to a well Cloth'd and rich People But Ordas went along by the River Oronoque till he came where the Water falling from the Mountains makes it so terrible rough that Ordas his Vessels which were Toed along were not able to be got any farther so that after two hundred Leagues advance he was necessitated by reason of the fore-mention'd Water-falls to go aboard and Sail down the Stream His Men being weary'd with so troublesom a Journey forsook him on the Island Cubagua which made him return over Hispaniola to Spain where not long after he dy'd with Grief The Expedition of Hieronimo Ortall This unsuccessful Expedition of Ordas no way daunted Hieronimo Ortall from prosecuting the same Design for setting Sail from St. Lucas Anno 1533. to the Fort which Ordas had taken from Juan Gonsalves he Steer'd from thence over to Cubagua to fetch some Men and sent the Lieutenant Alonso Herrera with five Ketches carrying two hundred Men the same way which Ordas had been Herrera coming to the fore-mention'd Water-falls where Ordas return'd caus'd his Vessels to be unladen then Toed them by meer force over the Water-falls where he discover'd plain Fields without any Inhabitants extending themselves to the Mouth of the River Meta where he quitted his Vessels and with no small trouble got over Morasses and Pools to the fruitful Countrey of the Xaguas a People both cruel and valiant whom after a sharp Conflict vanquishing he became Master of their Village in which he found plenty of Provisions as also in another neighboring Town where his tir'd and almost starv'd Army began to take Breath being exceedingly refresh'd with the delicious Meat of a sort of wild Dogs which were here in great abundance Having spent the Winter Season here they were often set upon by the Caribbeeans by whose poyson'd Arrows several of them being shot dy'd Distracted and amongst the rest Herrera himself after which his Successor Alvaro Ordas return'd to the Vessels which were left at the Mouth of the River Meta from whence he Sail'd back without any other success the Design being to find out the Golden City Manoa on the Banks of the great Lake Parime Is follow'd by Hermandes and others Not long after Peter Hermandez de Serpa undertook the same Work with three hundred Spaniards several Brasilians and Negro's but before he could reach the River Orinoque he was destroy'd by the salvage People Wikiri eighteen of his Men onely escaping to bring the news of this sad Disaster Peter de Orsua following the footsteps of Gonsalvo Pizarro went to seek for Gold in Guiana but being kill'd by Lopes Agira near the Amazone River that Expedition also prov'd fruitless Berreo's Relation of his Adventures to Sir Walter Raleigh With the same desire of finding Gold in Guiana Antonio Berreo went from New Granada thither but being taken by Sir Walter Raleigh was interrupted in his Design however he gave him an Account of his Adventures so far as he had gone viz. That he went to find out a Way along the River Cassanor between New Granada and New Guiana went from Cassanor to the Stream Meta and from thence to Orinoque where he was in great danger by reason of sharp Rocks over which the Stream flowing washes several Isles That he spent a whole year before he came to the utmost Borders of Amapaia near which he lost several of his Barques and on the Shore not onely divers Horses but also many of his Men who either dy'd of hardship or were kill'd by the Natives with poysonous Arrows so that sixty of his Men were kill'd in the Countrey of Amapaia which extends along the River Orinoque besides a great many that dy'd there by drinking the Water which was full of poysonous Animals and glided over a slimy and muddy Ground which made it thick and troubled Six Moneths he stay'd in the Countrey Amapaia where he made Peace with the Inhabitants of Anebas who gave him ten curious Images of massie Gold The River Orinoque is about four Leagues broad here and about seven hundred Miles long before it fall into the Ocean and is every where enrich'd with the Waters of many Rivers which fall into it from the North and South He added moreover that he endeavor'd to go down Southerly to Guiana but was prevented by steep Mountains and therefore went on Easterly till he came to the Countrey Emeria where he found a courteous People and plenty of Provisions that the Governor of Caripana being about a hundred years of age had a long time Convers'd with the Christians on the Islands Trinidad and Margareta and learn'd a Form of Civil Government that Sailing down the River Orinoque between many Isles lying at the Mouth of the River to Trinidad and from thence to Margareta he took sixty Men into his Service but that he himself being tir'd with so great a Journey and staying to refresh himself at Trinidad fell into the hands of another Party of the English that before he was taken he sent several of his Men to Caripana to find the King of Morequito who three years before had been with abundance of Gold at Cumana and Margareta and inform'd a Spaniard call'd Vides so much concerning the Golden Countrey Guiana that he obtain'd a Patent at the Spanish Court to discover Guiana but that Vides jealous that he might be there before him had not onely incens'd Morequito against him but so instructed him that he suffer'd his Men to pass through the Countrey to fetch Gold from the City Manoa and as they return'd set upon them and slew them on the Borders of Aromaia together with a Monk that was in their Company one Man onely escaping by whom being inform'd of the Murder he immediately sent divers Soldiers to take Revenge of Morequito who flying to the Governor Vides was nevertheless upon his demanding him in the King's Name deliver'd to him and notwithstanding he proffer'd a great Sum of Money for his Ransom was cruelly put to
Death but not satisfi'd with that Revenge he over-run all the Countrey of Aromaia took Morequito's Uncle call'd Topiawari Prisoner who bought his Life for a hundred Plates of Gold and some Precious Stones That Listing many Men in Spain for the Gold which he sent thither he Row'd with Barques up the Rivers Barema Pattroma and Dessequebe where he barter'd Trifles for Men Women and Children of whom he made great Sums of Money on the Island Margareta This Information which Sir Walter Raleigh got from his Prisoner Berreo made him desirous to make an Expedition to Guiana to which purpose he sent Captain George Gifford with a Ketch and a Barque to the River Capuri where the Water fell before the Vessels could get beyond the Sands in the Mouth of the River John Douglas had better success being likewise sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh for he with his Boats found that Orinoque had nine Arms to the North Sea and seven to the South which embrace divers Isles of which those on the right side are call'd Pallamos and those on the left Horotomaca The Mouth of the River gapes a hundred Leagues On the fore-mention'd-Isles dwell the Titiriras a modest People who speak a bald Language in the Summer they live under the open Skie upon the bare Earth and in the Winter being there between May and September on the tops of the Trees because during that time the River Orinoque rising thirty Foot higher overflows all the Isles thereabouts which are very high and mountainous But Raleigh himself Rowing up the River Amana endur'd great hardship his Men being most of them sweltred with the Heat and great want of Provisions and had not their Indian Pilot shew'd them another Stream much easier to Navigate he would have been forc'd to return successless but being stor'd with Provision out of a Village built along the Shore he chased four Canoos of which he took one and also an Arwaccas which in fifteen days time brought him into the River Orinoque where he saw the high Mountains of Guiana afterwards Anchoring before a fair sandy Bank which lay near the Mouth of three Rivers he took abundance of Tortoises and was furnish'd with plenty of all sorts of Provisions sent him from the Governor Toparimaca who inhabited the pleasant Village Arowocay built on a little Hill surrounded with delightful Gardens and Fields till'd by the Negro's who accommodating Raleigh with an experienc'd Pilot he set Sail with a fresh Easterly Wind and Westward saw the Isles Assapana twenty five Leagues long and six broad and Iwana of the same bigness The River Orinoque hath here thirty Leagues in breadth and receives the Rivers Arrawopana and Europa He Sail'd next by the Isles Ocaywita and Putayma opposite to which on the Main Land appears the Mountain Oecope whose top reacheth the Clouds on the right side a Plain Countrey discover'd it self a vast way which the Pilot said was call'd The Plain of Sayma extending Northerly a hundred and twenty Leagues to Cumana and Caracas inhabited by four sorts of People viz. the Saymas Assaways Wikeries and Aroras which last being a Coal-black People us'd poyson'd Arrows Raleigh passing between the two Mountains Aroami and Aio came to an Anchor near the Island Murscolima and from thence into the Haven Morequito where the King Topiawari a hundred and ten years of age brought all sorts of Fruit Poultrey Fish and Flesh and gave him an Account of the Condition of Guiana viz. That the whole Countrey from the Mountains Waccarima to Emeria bore the Name of Guiana the Inhabitants calling themselves Orinoque Poni on the other side of the said Mountains lies the spacious Valley Amariocapana where the Guianiatas reside Southerly the Oreiones and Epuremei who coming out of a strange Countrey have destroy'd the ancient Inhabitants leaving onely the Awaaawaqueri and Cassipagoios The Epuremei built the stately City Macurewarai there But Raleigh going on his Journey saw the Island Caiama and came to the Mouth of the River Caroli whose strong Current he was not able to stem wherefore he desir'd Aid from Wanuretona Governor of Canuria who furnish'd him with Provisions and Men to Toe him up the fore-mention'd Stream and inform'd him that the River Caroli which sprung out of the Lake Cassipa was inhabited on one side by the Iwarawakeri and the Lake Cassipa by three powerful People viz. the Cassiapagotos Eparagotos and Arawogotos all mortal Enemies to the Spaniards whereupon Raleigh sent some of his Men thither who return'd with great hopes of finding rich Gold-Mines The fore-mention'd Lake also produces the Rivers Aroi Atoica and Caora near which dwell the Ewaipanoma who have neither Necks nor Chins but their Mouthes just upon their Shoulders Towards the North the River Cari falls into the Orinoque and on the West the Stream Limo between both which the Cannibals reside whose Metropolis call'd Acamacari is very famous for their strange way of Trading for there the Women are brought to Market and bought by the Arwaccas But because great Showers of Rain fell daily and the Stream Caroli glided down wards with extraordinary force Raleigh return'd to Morequito from whence Putima King of Warapana conducted him to a rich Golden Mountain in his Countrey and along the Rivers Mana Oiana and Cumaca to the place where the Orinoque divides it self into three excellent Streams the chiefest whereof call'd Cararoopana washes the Province Emeria out of whose Mountains the Rivers Waracayari Coirama Akaniri and Iparoma glide to the Northern Ocean as also the Araturi Amacura Barima Wana Morooca Paroma and Wyni all Branches of the River Orinoque from whence Raleigh return'd home to England Not long after he sent Laurence Keymes and Thomas Masham back to Guiana Keymes found out all the Rivers between the Amazones and the Orinoque and Masham the Stream Wiapoco from whence both return'd without any farther success Sir Walter Raleigh condemu'd for Treason After this the Business lay still for a while in regard Sir Walter Raleigh being together with Grey Cobham and the Romish Priests Watson and Clark found guilty of High Treason was Condemn'd to die but being Repriev'd by the King was kept a Prisoner in the Tower for the space of fourteen years during which time he wrote a Description of Guiana which the King perusing was so well pleas'd with it especially since he undertook to make out by several Reasons that England might make it self Master of divers Gold-Mines there to which Spain could lay no manner of Claim that he discharg'd him out of Prison He is Repriev'd and sent again to Guiana and permitted him to make a second Expedition Whereupon with ten Ships Anno 1617. he set Sail for Guiana again being toss'd with divers Storms he at last came with five Sail to the River Calliana where he fell dangerously sick and therefore sent Captain Keymes with five Sail to the River Orinoque to conduct the Men to the Gold-Mines each Ship carrying fifty
Description of the Countrey Extracted from the Iseland Chronicle is look'd upon by a late French Writer of note as the most particular and faithful however the Danish Chronicle differs in many things and amongst others in this that not the hundredth part of Groenland is possess'd by the Norwegians but that there inhabit several different sorts of People of different Fashions and Governments altogether unknown to the Norwegians Temperature of Groenland Groenland notwithstanding its Northerly Situation is reported to be a Countrey not unfertile of Corn and other Productions of the Earth and in respect of its verdant Aspect at some Seasons of the Year above the rest of those Septentrional Regions it is concluded to have merited the Name of Groenland i. e. Greenland nay so great is the Heat that is said to be there during the Moneths of June July and August by reason of the reverberation of the Sun-beams from the Rocks that many times there is but six Weeks space betwixt Seed-time and Harvest What sort of Animals breed there The Beasts which are said to breed here in great numbers are Horses Deer Foxes Hares Bears both black and white common Wolves and a sort of Beast between a Deer and a Wolf besides great store of Beavers and Martins as the Iseland Chronicle testifies whose Furr in fineness may compare with the Sables of Russia There are also Gerfalcons in abundance both white and grey of so delicate a kind that they were in ancient times sent to the Kings of Denmark as Presents of great rarity The Seas about Greenland abound in very many sorts of Fish as Sea-Wolves Sea-Dogs Sea-Calves and above all incredible numbers of Whales of a vast bigness Strange kind of Horn found there But the most remarkable Commodity of this Countrey is a kind of Horn commonly call'd the Licornes or Unicorns-Horn which is found there in great quantities and great store of it is to be seen in Denmark some whole some in great pieces sometimes onely the Ends or Stumps but since it appears very different from all other kind of Horn there is great Question made amongst Naturalists whether it be Horn or Tooth and if Horn whether the Horn of a Beast or Fish but it is discover'd of late to be the Horn or rather Tusk of a certain Fish which the Islanders call Narhual being indeed a kind of Whale as the Name seems to imply signifying a Whale which feeds upon Carcases The chief Voyagers thither This Countrey is call'd by the Natives Secanunga who was the first Discoverer thereof is not certainly known but the first chief Voyagers thither were of the Dutch William Barents or Barentson of Amsterdam who set forth towards those Parts in the Year 1594. and before him Dithmar Blefkens in the Year 1563. of the English Mr. James Hall who set out from Copenhagen in Denmark Anno 1605. and in a second Voyage was slain by a Salvage of the Countrey The Coastings Havens and Creeks of Groenland The Coastings Courses Havens and Creeks of Groenland according as Barentson receiv'd an Account of them from Iver Boty a Groenlander written in the Norsh Language as it is call'd are as followeth From Stad in Norway to Hornness the East part of Groenland it is seven days Sailing Between Iseland and Groenland lieth a Riff call'd Gombornse-skare the Ice lying upon which hindreth the Passage Those that Sail from Bergen in Norway South of Rokeness in Iseland come under Swafster a Promontory or high Land in the East part of Groenland and within sight of the high Mount Whitsark between which and Groenland lieth a Headland call'd Hernoldus Hook not far from Sound-Haven formerly much frequented by the Norway Merchants Those that Sail from Iseland to Groenland Steer to Snoffness West of Rokeness and after South-West East of Hernoldus Hook lieth the Village of Skagenford the most Easterly Village of the Island East of Skagenford the Haven Bearford inaccessible by Ships by reason of a great Riff lying at the Mouth thereof This Place is chiefly remarkable for the Whale-fishing the Whales upon the going back of the Tide running into a great Swalth as they call it which is in the Haven East of Bearford is the Haven call'd Allabong-Sound full of little Isles East from the Icy Mountain the aforemention'd Haven Fendobothes Farther East is the Highland Corse Hought where they Hunt white Bears West from Hernoldus Hook is the Village Codosford and hard by the Sea-Coast a fair Church which we conceive to be the same with Korsekirk above spoken of as Codosford may also probably be the same with Kindelfiord A little farther West lieth the Boy or Town of Wartsdale for in the Norsh Language Boy signifies a Town belonging to Petresuik or Peterswike Church Near this Boy or Town standeth a Cloyster or Abbey of Canons Regular dedicated to St. Olafe and St. Augustine Next to Codosford is Rompnesford the same questionless with the above-mention'd Rumpesinfiord where there is a Cloyster of Nuns of the Order of St. Benedict In this Ford lie many small Isles Between Rompness and the next Sound lieth a great Garden call'd Vose belonging to the King of the Countrey as also St. Nicholas Church before mention'd At the entrance into Emnestnesford is the Inlet Southwoderswike and somewhat higher on the same side the little Cape Bloming beyond the Inlet Granwike above that the Garden call'd Daleth belonging to the Cathedral Church and on the right-hand to those that Sail out of the said Sound a great Wood belonging to the same Church where they feed their Oxen Kine and Horses The Highland lying by Emestnesford is call'd The Ramas Hayth from the Rain-Deer which use to be there Hunted And hereabouts is that sort of Stone of which they make large Fat 's or Cisterns as hath been before intimated it is by some call'd the Zevell-Stone being a sort of Marble or as some will have it Load-stone of all colours West from this lieth another Highland call'd Long-Highland The next Sound is call'd Swalterford having a Church belongining to it of the same Name and where there is also a Garden belonging to the King call'd St. Hentelstad Next to that lieth Erricksford and at the entrance thereof the Highland Erricks Hought belonging to Deverskirk the first Parochial Church in Groenland North-West from Erricksford is Megdenford Farther out is a Church call'd Scogelkirk and farther in the Sound Leadenkirk Beyond Erricksford is another Ford or Sound by the Name of Fossa belonging to the Cathedral Church and to the North of it two Villages Ever-boy and Forther-boy From thence farther North lieth Bredaford and after that Lormontford and from thence Westward Icedeep To the North of the Westland lieth a spacious Wilderness call'd Hemel Hatsfelt and Edg'd with massie Rocks and Cliffs towards the Sea side beyond which the Sea is innavigable by reason of the many Swalgen or Whirlpools thereabouts In Groenland there are divers Hills wherein are Silver-Mines multitudes of
to the Sea thereabouts Not having the use of the Mariners Compass he made use of Ravens for the steering of his Course and having sent forth two without success by the guidance of the third he had sight of the Eastern side of the Island and Steering Southward he found a very wide Bay between the Promontories Renkanes and Snaefesness which Bay from Faxa a Scottish Mariner that accompany'd him he nam'd Faxaos that is The Mouth of Faxa though from its many Havens it came afterwards to be term'd Hafnafiordur Sailing along the West side of the Island he entred the Bay Bredafiord and took up his Quarters at Watnesfiordur a Haven in the Province Bardostraund for by these Names these Places came afterwards to be known Having stay'd here two Winters he return'd back into Norway and is said to have been the first that gave this Countrey the Name of Iseland from the great quantities of Ice which fill'd the Seas thereabouts he also gave it the Name of Rafnaftock from the Ravens which serv'd him in stead of a Compass A Plantation setled in Ise by Ingulphus and Hiorleifus The last and most considerable Adventurer was Ingulfus the Son of Orn Duke of Fyrdafilace in Norway who together with his Cousin Hiorleifus that Marry'd his Sister Helca being adjudg'd to Banishment by Halsten to the Award of whose Judgment they had submitted themselves upon the slaughter of his two Brethren Holmsten and Hersten these three Brethren were the Sons of Atlas one of the prime Noblemen of Norway in a Quarrel wherein Halsten was chosen Umpire and also detesting the Tyranny of Haraldus Pulchricomus King of Norway went over Gonfaloniere or chief Leader of a great Colony of People whom he rais'd for the setling of a Plantation in some foreign Countrey Accompany'd with his Cousin Hiorleifus he took Shipping for Iseland in the Year of our Lord 854. having been over to visit it about four years before he Landed at a Promontory on the South Shore which from him took the Name of Ingulfholde and Reicharwick setled his Habitation while Hiorleifus seated himself at the Promontory by him call'd Hiorleifholda where he built two very large Houses each being about a hundred and thirty Foot long then he set himself to Manure and Till the Ground employing in that Work ten Slaves whom he brought with him for that purpose out of Norway but it was not long ere they traiterously set upon him and slew him by an Ambuscade which they had laid for him after which they betook themselves to certain little Isles which were nam'd Westmafyar where before they had well nestled themselves the whole Race of them were rooted out by Ingulphus in revenge of his Kinsman's Death After this the Island grew daily more and more populous by the coming over of new Families from Norway so that at this day it is a Place not the least considerable belonging to the Kings of Denmark The ancient Inhabitants of this Place for it is to be suppos'd that there were People here before the coming over of Ingulfus were call'd Papae or Pappae and the East side of the Island Papey which agrees very well with the Names of two little Islands on the Coast of Scotland Pappa and Westrepappa from which many conjecture as also from several Crosses and Bells found upon the Place that there hath been in former Ages a resort of the Irish and of the People of the North-West parts of Scotland The Division of Iseland The Eastern bound of Iseland is call'd Austurborn the Western Randesandur the Northern Langanes and the Southern Reicranes The Island being divided according to the four Quarters of the World North-Island is sever'd from East-Island by the aforesaid Promontory of Langanes from West-Island by Rutafiordur Bay from South-Island by vast and unpassable Desarts Between South-Island and East-Island runneth the River Jocolsu through the Desarts of Solseimasande Between South-Island and West-Island a famous River nam'd Albis which emptieth it self into the Bay of Bargarfiord Schetland the Thule of the Ancients 'T is a vulgar Opinion that this Island is the same which the Ancients call'd Thule but upon consideration it will appear that by the Ultima Thule taken notice of by Virgil Claudian Statius Pythias Massiliensis Pliny Seneca Solinus Tacitus and others is meant one of the British Isles amongst which were comprehended the Isles on the North of Scotland as the Orcades and some others the utmost of which we call Schetland and is very probable to be this Ultima Thule of the Ancients Nova Zembla when first discover'd Nova Zembla lying under seventy six Degrees of Northern Latitude and a hundred and twelve Degrees and twenty five Minutes of Longitude and being reckon'd above two hundred Miles in length was together with the River Puora and Straights of Weygats discover'd and as it is thought first of all by Stephen Burrough who was sent out by the Muscovia Company in the Year 1556. to find out a Way to Cathay by the North-East Afterwards one Oliver Burel a Dutch-man mov'd with the hope of Gain went from Enkhuissen to Pecora where having first discover'd Costinfarca in Nova Zembla he lost all by Shipwrack The States-General nothing discourag'd with the little success of these two Voyagers sent forth two Ships under the Command of Hugo Linschot to the Straights of Weygats and two others under William Barrents who were to go directly Northwards for Nova Zembla Linschot went fifty Miles beyond the Straights but the Northerly Winds and late Season of the year forc'd him to hasten back with all possible speed William Barents and his Company were necessitated in the Year 1596. being not able to get off in regard the Ice increas'd upon them more and more to take up their Winter Quarters there in a Cottage which they made a shift to cast up for their present necessity having much ado to defend themselves against the Bears that continually assaulted them Dâ—scription of the Countrey This Countrey is generally deliver'd to be a barren and desart Countrey full of Wood indeed but the Boughs as bare of Leaves as the Ground of Grass also very incommodious to be travell'd through by reason of its desartness and the danger of Bears great fierce Foxes and such like ravenous Beasts which feed onely upon Flesh and which are the onely Beasts this Countrey harbors In a Journal of Mr. Henry Hudson there is to be found a much more favorable Description of the Countrey Generally saith he the Land of Nova Zembla that we have seen is to a Man's Eye a pleasant Land much Main High-land with no Snow on it looking in some places green and Deer feeding thereon and the Hills partly cover'd with Snow and partly bare It should seem to have beery a receiv'd Opinion from the first Discovery of Nova Zembla that it was inhabited by Pygmies it being several times in the Journals of some Voyages mention'd particularly by the Name of
these Countreys onely give Animation and comfortable Enjoyment to all Living Creatures Moreover St. Austin in some places seems to clear his own Doubts saying That People if they could find a means to Sail those Vast and Undiscover'd Seas might make Land raising new Stars under another Sky How beasts came on remote Islands A Learned Father searching after the Original of all sorts of Beasts which multiply by Generation concludes That they must derive themselves from those that were sav'd with Noah in the Ark. But how came they to the Isles To those adjacent and near the Main Land they might easily Swim to the remoter they were Transported And chiefly the wild But this Doubt is not altogether clear'd for the Domestick and other Creatures fit for Humane use and Sustenance were thus brought thither Yet how comes it to pass that Voracious and Wild Creatures are also found there such as Wolves Tigers Lions and other Beasts of Prey This puzzle putting St. Austin to a stand he had no other means to get off but by saying that by God's Commands or Permission the Angels convey'd them thither If so why might not God please to Plant Men there in like manner and the rather the Earth being created for Humane use Austin is contradicted But what needed this when Men can in Ships Transport themselves either of their own accord for curious Inquest to find new Countreys or else enforc'd by stress of Weather to far remoter and altogether unknown Lands How men came to new Countreys Besides though the Earth is here and there divided by large Bays and vast Seas yet nevertheless in other places it is all continu'd Land or at least parted by some narrow In-let or Sea so that there was no difficulty for a crouded Plantation to go over and so ease themselves in another Countrey till then not Inhabited therefore none need to question but that from Adam or nearer from Noah's three Sons Sem Ham and Japhet those as well as we were extracted that Inhabit this our other World Reasons why America was so long unknown But one question is to be observ'd How first after the expiration of so many Ages in these our later times a New-World was discover'd altogether unknown to the Antients when they in the greatness of their Parts and Undertaking Prowess and Prudence were no ways inferior to the Modern and every way as fit for great Designs and grand Exploits Who first sail'd on the Ocean We need not scruple or make the least doubt but the Sea hath been Navigated of old but the first attempters set forth unexperienc'd Several opinions of the Antients concerning it in as pittiful and ill-contriv'd Vessels The Heathens ascribe the Art of Navigation first to the Cretans who under the Conduct of Neptune set forth a Navy to explore Foraign Countries But Pliny long before gives the Invention of this Art to Erythra King of Egypt who upon Pieces of Timber conjoyn'd and brac'd together crept along the Shores and ventur'd to Discover the Isles in the Red-Sea But others give that honor to the Trojans and Micians when with a Fleet by Sea they Invaded Thrace Others Brittains amongst the first Inventors of Navigation to the Brittains who made little Vessels of Leather and were the first that by this Invention found how to Float upon the Waters Some plead that the Samothracians were first Others that Danaeus before all found a way by Sea from Egypt to Greece But without all Contradiction Noah's Ark was the Pattern or Sample that succeeding Ages imitating built their Ships by and the more probable because his Offspring multiplying so fast that they were enforc'd to inlarge their Colonies by passing Seas and other broad Rivers to settle their Super-numeraries there The first Inventers of several things belonging to Shipping So Jason Invented a Ship which he call'd Argos which Sesostris King of Egypt took as his Pattern Next the Biremis a Galley with double Banks of Oar was made by the Erythreans with treble Banks by the Corinthian Amocles the addition of the Quadruple the Carthaginians boast of the Quinqueremis Nesichthon Alexander the Great brought them to twelve Banks Ptolomy Soter to fifteen Demetrius Antigonus Son doubled them to thirty Ptolomy Philadelphus to forty and last of all Philopater rais'd them to fifty Banks of Oars Hippus a Tirian was the first that set Ships upon the Stocks the Rhodians a Ketch and the Batavians a Boat the Copes made the first Oar Dedalus the Mast and Boltsprit Piscus the Beak the Tyrrheans the Anchor Tiphys the Rudder taking example from the motion of a Kites Stern Icarus found Sails fancy'd by the Poets for Wings though some ascribe that honor to his Father Dedalus Why in former Ages no remote Countreys were discover'd Minos was the first that Ingag'd in a Sea-Fight whereby we may easily conjecture that of old none adventur'd far into the Offin or to remote Countreys not daring to trust their so sleight contriv'd Vessels But these later times have strangely and suddenly improv'd this growing Art of Navigation yet pitch'd not to that height at first as boldly to adventure and loose sight of Land The manner of the Antients Sailing The Tyrians first understood how to Steer their Course by the North-Star and when dark and foul Weather had Clouded the Sky that they could neither see Heaven or Earth but onely Sea they directed their Course by the Wind and if they doubted the change thereof they let some Birds flie whom they follow'd supposing that they flood directly to the nearest Land But these are but poor helps and blind Guides to shew you Land from the middle of the boundless Ocean It is certain Of the Romans that the Romans in the time of Julius Caesar and Augustus stretch'd the Bounds of that Empire Eastward to Euphrates Why America was so lately known the Rhyne and the Danube and Westward to the Ocean and Mount Atlas Sailing up and down the Mediterranean with great Fleets which stoutly endur'd the violence both of Waves and Weather but all this made them not so hardy as once to think or look after new Worlds But after the Roman power decreas'd by several Eruptions of the Goths Vandals Huns Normans Lumbards and other Northern Countreys which swarm'd with People that overflow'd all places like a Deluge so that Europe was every where puzzel'd and Imbroyl'd their whole business consisting in conjoyning Forces to withstand such bold Invaders and so vexatious an Enemy And farther East Asia was at the same time little better still trembling at the daily Alarms and Incursions of the Scythians Persians and Saracens and afterwards the Turks growing upon them more than any of the former expected no other than a sad Gatastrophe so that the known World had too much work cut out for them by these Distractions and Alterations of Government then to go in Quest of uncertainties to find they
such a bustle amongst the Learned that several tired themselves about the explanation of the suppos'd Sibylline Prediction CHAP. II. Of the Original of the Americans whence they came when how and from what People Planted The original of the Americans much disputed on ABout the Original of the Americans the Learned Dispute so much that they find nothing more difficult in Story than to clear that Point for whether inquiry be made after the time when the Americans first settled themselves where they now inhabit or after what manner they came thither either by Shipping or by Land on purpose or accidentally driven by Storm or else forc'd by a more powerful People to remove from their old Plantations and seek for new or if any one should be yet more curious asking the way that directed them out of another Countrey to this New World or else enquire for those People from whom the Americans deriv'd themselves He will find several Opinions and the Learned still Jangling The first Doubt is concerning the time Voyagel l. 1. c. 8. Mr. Purchas where-ever he had the Hint endeavors to prove that America hath been but lately Planted for which he thus argues That if Asia or Europe furnish'd America with People in Abraham's time or at least before the Birth of our Saviour then it must upon necessity by the Expiration of so many Ages have been much more Populous then the Spaniards found when first they discover'd it The time when America was first Peopled Besides the vast Territories yet unhabited says he are sufficient testimonies that this New World hath been Planted but scatteringly and not many Ages since else the Countrey would have more abounded with Inhabitants because the fertility of the Soyl was able plentifully to maintain Millions more then were there when first discover'd And what Marks are better to know a new People by in any Countrey than a rude Life and unsettled Government just like a Family removing to another House which takes no short time to settle their Goods and Houshold-stuff in a handsome and convenient Order The condition of the first World after the Floud When Noah went out of the Ark on Mount Ararat and not long after saw his Seed spread over Armenia and Assyria the new Generation of People consisted in Shepherds and Husbandmen that setled themselves near Lakes and Rivers Villages Cities and much less whole Kingdoms were scarce found on the Face of the Earth and as little of Trade or Commerce Riches Division of Lands costly Garments and Furniture for Houses were not then in use but the works of long settlements in happy Peace To curb growing-Wickedness and the Pride of Libertines who incroach'd upon their weaker Neighbors Laws were invented by which Bridle the unbroke or wild World grew tamer And first the Assyrians were brought to endure the Bit and answer the Reins of Government then Egypt next Greece and after that the Romans who spreading their Power by Arms and Martial Discipline first civiliz'd the Gauls Spain Brittain and lastly Germany But because a Countrey or Pastoral Life knowing no Commerce but mean Hovels and to dwell in Huts priding in poor and no Habits despising all greatness unlimited by Laws and all things else which the People observ'd presently after the Flood is now found among the Americans who will take them for ought else but new Comers to that Land as themselves acknowledge For the Mexicans boast that they are the eldest there and that from them Peru Chili Chika and other Countreys towards the South had their Colonies and yet the oldest Chronicles of Mexico reckon not above a thousand Years Thus far Mr. Purchas But certainly all this Muster of appearing Reasons is not able to vanquish single Truth For grant that America was not very Populous when the Spaniards first arrived there America was Peopled many Ages ago must this needs prove that it was never well inhabited before Perhaps the Civil Wars which have been always destructive to this Nation have much hindred the increase of People and the more because their Salvage Nature is such that in several places they account Man's Flesh Broil'd a very great Dainty Purchas contradicted And suppose such Prodigal Excess of their Humane Bankets were not us'd in America as indeed they are Is it wonder that such a great part of the World not onely exceeding Europe in bigness but Asia also should here and there have a Tract of Land uninhabited These might by reason of their Barrenness be useless as many such places are found in the midst of the most Populous and fertile Countreys But above all this it is certain that America to this day notwithstanding almost innumerable thousands of Indians formerly Slain arid Massacred by the Spaniards is so well inhabited that it may stand in Competition with either Asia or Europe And how could such vast multitudes Plant the far-spreading Countrey of America without the help of many Ages Moreover This truth is not without sufficient Testimonies when any one looks on the Islands with which America lies incompass'd he may suppose they did not willingly go from the Main Continent to the Isles but were driven thither by Wars among themselves or as most times it happens because of the vast increase of the Natives the Countrey must discharge its burden Hereto is added the several Languages us'd in America as in Europe or any other part of the known World whereby we may easily guess that America was Peopled presently after the Confusion of Tongues at Babel Furthermore If the Americans live a Rude Life go meanly Habited be without stately Houses such Customs are even among us observ'd by several People as the Tartars Numidians and others which made their Antiquity be call'd in question He also must needs have no knowledge of the Arts and Mechanick Sciences us'd by the Americans who concludes that they setled but lately in America One Argument at present will be sufficient to contradict them all and in the further Description the contrary will be more manifest American Gold-Smiths Hieronimus Benso relates That he stood amaz'd at the Gold and Silver Smiths in the Territory of Chito who without any Iron Tools made Images and all manner of Vessels Which work they performed thus First they made an Oval Crucible of a good Look round about Pasted with Earth embody'd with the Powder of Wood Coals which Crucible being Bak'd very hard in the Sun they fill with Pieces of Gold or Silver and put in the Fire about which standing with five six or more Pipes made of Canes they blow the Fire so long till the Mettal melts which others sitting on the ground run it into Moulds of black Stone and so with little trouble Cast into what shape they please Lastly Though Mexico can reckon but a thousand years must it therefore follow that the Inhabitants are no older How many famous places even among our selves have no longer Registers and
And also the Mexicans of their Original giving the Spaniards a far better Account when first they came thither wherein we must a little deviate viz. How they were remov'd from some other place as Robert Comtaeus relates who with many Learned and seemingly true Arguments affirms That the Original of the Americans must be sought for either among the Phenicians Sydonians Tyrians or Carthaginians Lib. 1. cap. 7. being indeed all one People Herodotus saith thus of the Phenicians They liv'd formerly according to their own Relation along the Shore of the Red-Sea from whence removing they planted the Sea-Coast of the Syrians Festus Avienus the Latin Poet agrees with this Opinion where he saith On the Phenicians Coasts the Ocean beats Who through the Red-Sea Sailing chang'd their Seats They were the first that ventur'd through the Seas And freighted Ships with richer Merchandise Fair or foul Weather They without controule Sought Foreign Trade directed by the Pole Original and Habitations of the Phenicians of whom according to serval Learned the Americans are extracted Aristotle from a Greek Word calls them Phenicians from their being red or bloody with the Slaughter of all Strangers that Landed on their Coast but rather and so indeed they are call'd Phenicians or Erythreans from Esau or Edom from whom they are deriv'd for these two Words or Denominations signifie in Greek Red the two last the like in Hebrew Phenix himself first planted all the Countrey lying between the River Eleutherus and the Egyptian City Pelusium and afterwards Damiata wash'd by the Mediterrane But since these Boundaries are alter'd on the North by Judea Westward by the Mediterrane Southerly by Egypt and towards the East by the Desart Arabia The chiefest Cities are Ptolemais otherwise call'd Acon Sidon Arad Great Cana Sarepta Biblis Bothrit Berithus and their Princess Tyre formerly scituate in an Isle but since joyn'd to the Main-Land by Alexander the Great None can disown but that the Phenicians have every where been Admirals of the Sea so that they were formidable to the greatest Princes When the Persian King Cambyses came with a vast Army against the Carthaginians Heredot lib. 1. he was forc'd to give over his Design because the Phenicians refus'd to help him with their Fleet being allied to and the City founded by them But they not only built Carthage Salust in Igurtha which strove with Rome to be the Empress of the World but also the famous Cities Leptis Utica Hippo and Adrumetum in Africa with Cadâ—z and Tartessus in Spain nay they sent Plantations of People into the Heart of Iberia and Lybia It will not be amiss to add Q. Curtius his Relation who tells us Where-ever the Phenicians came with their Fleets Wonderful Power of the Phenicians Landing their Men they subdu'd whole Countreys and by that means spread their Colonies over the known World Carthage in Africa Thebes in Boetia and Cadiz near the Western Ocean Aristotle relates That they made such rich Returns of their Merchandize and chiefly of their Oyl in Spain that their Anchors Pins and all Iron Materials belonging to a Ship in stead of that Metal were Silver But to return to our Discourse and disprove the former Testimony That the Phenicians found America The formention'd Comtaeus saith thus None can justly doubt Testimonies that the Americans are deriv'd from the Phenicians but that since the Phenicians took the Command of the Sea from the Rhodians they more and more increas'd their Fleets and growing experter in Navigation passing the Gibraltar Northward became Masters of Cadiz and still prepar'd new Fleets which searching beyond Atlas Southward discover'd the Coasts of Africa and the adjacent Isles driving a great Trade to the Canaries and to those which lay scatter'd along Cape de Verd formerly call'd the Gorgades This way of Trade also was not unknown to the Greeks Iberians and other People but after the Phenicians assum'd it wholly to themselves without any respect or difference of Countreys they sunk all whomsoever they could catch Curtius further adds saying First Testimony I believe that the Phenicians sailing into the Main Ocean have discover'd unknown Countreys And which are those Not the Gorgades or Canary Isles for those were sufficiently known before but a Main Land far beyond Is contradicted But though the Phenicians were most expert yet not skilful enough to make out such Discoveries They indeed were the first that before any other sail'd out of the Mid-land Sea nay they ventur'd a good way into the main Ocean beyond the Straights of Gibraltar or the Herculean Pillars But how far Not to the Gorgades above half way betwixt Spain and America but to the Cassiterides or Flemish Islands which to the number of nine lie in sight of Spain Strabo affirms this Truth Lib. 3. Geogr. saying The Cassiterides are ten lying in order close by one another Flemmish Islands One remains uninhabited on the rest live a swarthy People This way the Phenicians sail'd first when they were in quest for Trade from Cadiz And though he reckons ten there are indeed but nine viz. St. Michael St. Mary St. George Tercera de Pico or Tenariff so call'd from the Mountain which vomits Fire Fayal Las Flores Del Cuervo and Gratiosa Moreover the same Strabo relates Lib. 17. That the Carthaginians did not throw over-board the Traders on the remote Gorgades but those especially that came from Sardinia or Cadiz Salt-Islands how long known Joan. Mariana de Reb. Hispan lib. 1. cap. 20. Mean while we cannot deny but that the Gorgades that lye before Cape de Verd were frequented by the Carthaginians long before the Birth of our Savior but with so much admiration that Hanno their Captain in that Expedition was listed amongst the number of their Heroes hapning thus The Carthaginians sailing for Cadiz to assist the Phenicians against the Spaniards made that the Seat of War which soon drew on a greater Design for Hamilco and Hanno being impowr'd by the Senate at Carthage manag'd the War in Spain Both of them were ambitious to discover new Countreys Hamilco sail'd along the Coast of Spain and Gaule reaching to Batavia Hanno steer'd Southerly Very remarkable Voyage of Hanno the Carthaginian along the Coast of Africa to the Salt-Islands carrying thirty thousand Men of all Trades in his Fleet purposing to build a new City in some place or other and got beyond the Promontory Ampelusium now call'd Cabo Spatil the River Ziloa which washeth the City Arzilla and the Stream Lix now Lusso where the Poets place the Gardens of the Hesperides in the custody of a waking Dragon From thence proceeding on his Voyage he came to an Anchor in the Mouth of the River Subur at this day call'd Subu and afterwards before the City Sala now call'd Salle at that time made very dangerous by the voracious Beasts in the neighboring Woods At last the Fleet reach'd the Foot of the
lesser Atlas which ends at the Point Chaunaria by the Modern Navigators call'd Cabo Non because it was judg'd that none could scape with Life that durst adventure to steer beyond Chaunaria yet Hanno sail'd between Palma one of the Canary-Islands and the Promontory Bojadoris towards the pointed Coast call'd then Cornu Hesperium but now Cape Verd in the River Asama by Castaldus call'd Omirabi Here he found horrible Croccodiles and Hippopotami or Sea-Horses Atsama is held to flow from the same Fountain whence the Nyle hath its Original In this Latitude Hanno descried those Islands which he call'd Gorgones from the three deform'd Sisters Medusa Sthenio and Euryale whose Heads were Periwig'd with curl'd Serpents because they found as illfavor'd Women on these Islands which at this day the Hollanders call the Salt-Islands amongst which the chiefest is St. Jago a Colony of The Portuguese but the Mountains opposite to the Gorgones on the main Coast of Africa rising aloft with spiring tops near the River Masitholus Hanno call'd the Chariots of the Gods now nam'd Sierra Liona lying in eight Degrees Northern Latitude When Hanno and his Armado either provok'd by an undaunted Courage or covetous of Fame if they proceeded in their so wonderful Adventure went forward Strange Vision where they reported that they saw Rivers of Fire falling into the Ocean the Countrey all about burning and the tops of the Mountains dazleing their Eyes with continual Flashes of Lightning intermix'd with terrible Thunder adding further That the Natives all the Summer shelter'd themselves from the excessive Heat in Caves under Ground and coming forth in the night run abroad with lighted Torches over their Ground so gathering in their Harvest and Officiating all other Affairs of Husbandry Yet Hanno no ways daunted at such strange Sights sail'd from Sierra Liona Southerly to the Aequinox where he discover'd an Island not far from the African Coast inhabited by a rough and hairy People The Ancients believ'd Baboons to be Men. to take some of whom he us'd all possible means yet could not onely two Women being incompass'd by Soldiers were taken and carried aboard but being very salvage and barbarously wild could not be tamed or brought to any Complacency so they kill'd them and carried their stuff'd-up Skins to Carthage where they were a long time gaz'd upon with great admiration The Island St. Thomas This Island which Hanno then found can be no other but that which we call St. Thomas and hath a very unhealthy Air for Strangers but else very fruitful and abounding with Sugar-Canes and the hairy People which he makes mention of were Babeons or Baboons which Africa in this place breeds large to the amazement of the Beholders in great abundance because those deform'd Monsters more than any other Beast whatsoever represent Humane shape Hanno's Return Here Hanno stopp'd his Voyage being hindred from going further for want of Provision Five years he spent in this Expedition before he Anchor'd again at Cadiz from whence not long after he steer'd to his Native Countrey Carthage where he was receiv'd with no less Wonder than State insomuch that none before or after him ever gain'd greater Honor seeming to oblige his Countrey with the hopes of future Profits from these new discover'd Regions Nay Is for his Voyage plac'd amongst the Gods he receiv'd a Name and was plac'd amongst their Gods in the Temples which he being ambitious of promoted after a strange manner teaching several Birds to cry The great God Hanno which when they could speak perfect they were let fly in the Air where to the admiration of all People they every where repeated their well-taught Lesson This the most remarkable Voyage which hapned in the time of the Ancients considering they wanted several Mathematical Instruments belonging to Navigation and especially the use of the Compass and also considering the length of the Voyage to Sierra Liona whither never any durst venture before Nay in so many Ages after Hanno the famousest Navigators which were set out by the King of Portugal fear'd a long time to cut their Passage through the Aequinoctial-Line however in long Process of time divers Experiments were made which have now so much improv'd the Art of Navigation Testimony that America was not known to the Ancients Hanno's Voyage was four hundred years before the Birth of our Savior therefore if none have been further than Hanno until the time the Portuguese sail'd beyond Cape de Bona Esperana how could America be discover'd by Sea How did they steer from the Salt-Islands or St. Thomas out of sight of Land through the Main Ocean to an unknown World Hanno himself who was the stoutest of all Ancient Navigators not only crept along the African Coast which made him spend so much time but not daring to cross over those wide spreading Bays he found left not his hold of the Shore and measur'd and search'd every winding Inlet and Creek And if he found a New World why was it not known The more because his Ambition carry'd him on to get a Name and Reputation by such Naval Discoveries And how true the Relation of this Expedition is Pliny tells us saying The Journal-Books were then to be seen which Hanno writ in that his African Expedition Though many of the Greeks and also of our Moderns following Hanno have found several things contrary to his Observations wherein he makes mention of several Cities built by him which none ever since heard of or any have seen neither is there the least Marks of their Ruines to be found This large Relation serves for nothing else but to shew that they seek in vain herein to give the Honor of the Discovery of America to the Ancients And as little do those Testimonies signifie that are taken out of Diodorus Siculus Pliny Pomponius Mela and Aelian It will be worth our time to hear every one of them particularly Lib. 6. cap. 7 Second Testimony that Americans are deriv'd from the Phenicians First Diodorus saith Beyond Lybia in the Ocean lies a very great Island several days sailing in Circumference having a very fruitful Soil and pleasant Meadows distinguish'd by Hills and moistned by Navigable Rivers unknown in Ancient Times because it seems to be separated from the other World and was thus found The Phenicians sailing along the Lybian Coast were several days and nights toss'd with perpetual Tempests and at last driven to the foremention'd Island where Anchoring and observing the pleasant Scituation thereof made it known to their Magistrates Is contradicted But how comes this nameless Island to be America What Man would take that for an Island which far exceeds the main Continent of Asia And have the Phenicians ascrib'd the finding of this New World to any Whence then proceeds such great silence amongst all the Ancient Writers of a whole World who otherwise us'd to give Denominations to the least remote Village or Mountain or River Lib. 5.
since found by credible Navigators and therefore we cannot depend on Zeno's Discovery The Ameriecan Tongue is nothing like the Norwegian John de Laet accounts it a great mistake in Grotius that as a testimony of the Americans original out of Norway he compares their Languages He reckons up some Places to be Northward of Panama which end their words with the syllable Lan in stead of Land because the Spaniards have left out the Letter D at the end thereof It is certain that in the Northern America lie Cimatlan Coatlan Guescolan Artlan Quaxutatlan Icatlan Tapatlan Cinacatlan Tenuchitlan Comitlan Metzitlan Guatitlan Necotitlan Curcatatlan Besides that most of these Names are not of Countreys but of Towns and Villages and therefore no ways fitting to have the termination of Land and it is well known that many ny American words end with Lan which signifie nothing less than Land for the Mexicans say Puertatitlan which signifies At the Gate below Ochachitlantzitlan Yet lower Tenoxtitlan this City is also call'd from her Founder Mexis Mexico that is Rests on a Rock Moreover it may not without reason seem strange to any that the Northern Americans have remembred but three Cities out of all the Teutonick Tongue viz. Lan in stead Land Groenland when discovered Concerning Groenland through which the Norwegians are thought to have travell'd to America Lysander witnesseth Serm. 3. Antiq. Daâ—â—â— That it was accidentally discover'd by one Eric Rauder Anno 987. and planted thirteen years after Olaus King of Norway plac'd two Bishops over the new Inhabitants as Substitutes to the Archbishop of Dronthen For four Ages they Sail'd frequently to Groenland but since their King was impoverish'd by War they left off that Trade We find not in any Author that the Norwegians which liv'd along the Sea-shore ever went to seek a Way over the inaccessible Snowy Mountains of Groenland to this our New World Besides Grotius stands for the Norwegians as Planters upon testimony of the Mexicans themselves who told the Spaniards That their Ancestors which planted there came from the North first setling themselves on Estotiland where to this day there are not improbable proofs by several remarks that they were a Norwegian Colony The opinion conceâ—â—â—â— the City Norumbega 〈◊〉 America In the American City Norumbega live a People that speak the same Language and observe the same Customs with the Mexicans In this by-Corner are found also some Alavards or Longobards or Lombards as they say Now the Spaniards call that New Mexico because last discover'd though indeed the old cramm'd with People eight hundred years since for the Mexicans of New Mexico do not lie so far Northerly as to the North-west for this Mexico lies in sight of California which is believ'd to border on Tartary or at least separated from it by a narrow Channel But Norumbega if ever such a Place was must according to the West-Indian Records have been situate where a part of New France lies now planted by the English between which and New Mexico lies an almost unmeasurable vast Tract of Land Mean while here is not the least sign of this City Norumbega to be found neither do the Inhabitants dwell in Cities but live in Tents or moveable Villages which change their Names as oft as their Governors Moreover the Norwegians could not get to this Norumbega by Land through Ysland and Groenland to Estotiland because of the vast Bays and great Midland-Sea discover'd by the English in their North-western Discoveries so that leaving Estotiland it was altogether impossible for them to come to Norumbega Hereto may be added what the Mexicans say of themselves who acknowledge That travelling from the North they did not find an un-inhabited Countrey before them but were forc'd to make their Way by a long and bloody War with the Chichimecen a salvage People Chichimecen that knew neither Laws or Religion The People also dwelling opposite to California differ from the Customs of the Mexicans being divided into several People of contrary Constitutions and as different Languages They are so much inclin'd to Gaming that they venture their Liberty at it Every one is satisfi'd with one Wife except some of the Nobility which oftentimes have more They throw up high Banks in several places to damm out the Sea believe the Immortality of the Soul every one eats at a peculiar Table most of them go naked onely caver their Pudenda with a Cloth some Sacrifice and eat Mans-flesh all which according to Tacitus Pliny Lucan and other Roman Writers was observ'd by the antient Germans from whom those that inhabit between the Norwegian Mountains were extracted These Allegations to make the Norwegians to be the Parents of the Northern Americans John de Laet thus contradicts It no ways follows that one People take original from the other because here and there are several words found that have the same signification and sound in divers Countreys much less when they must either add change or diminish several Letters Moreover there is no small mistake in the compar'd words for Pagod is not us'd all over America the East-Indians about the River Indus call their Idol-Temples Pagod or Pagode the word Guaira is no where us'd in America but by the Peruvians and with them not signifying a Fan but a little Oven neither is Ilama a Lamb for before the coming of the Spaniards thither neither Sheep nor Lambs were ever seen in Peru but a Wool-bearing Beast thus describ'd by Joseph de Acosta A description of the strange Beast Ilama in Peru. Ilama says he a four-footed Creature furnishes its Master with Meat and Clothing and supplies the office of a Beast for Burthens and at no charge for Hay nor Provender well satisfi'd with what he finds in the Ways or Mountains But the Ilama's are of two sorts either woolly or short-hair'd the first go by the Name Pacos the other Moromoro being not much less than a Calf with a long Neck like a Camel but of several colours for some are white some black and others speckled having an odd Look especially when they are ty'd and stand still without any motion staring with goggle-eyes on their Owners Sometimes in a moody humor upon a sudden taking a freak they run up to the top of almost inaccessible Mountains where both the frantick Beast and his Burthen are loft The Pacos sometimes likewise takes sudden Pets and fustian Fits often doing the forward Supersalt tumbling over and over with their Goods and will not be rais'd their moodiness continuing with beating nay though they cut them to pieces but the best way is to sit down by them and wait some hours till their humor being spent they rise again of their own accords These Beasts are much inclin'd to a Disease call'd Carashe or the Mange of which they generally die and because the Disease is very catching they straight bury the infected alive so the better to preserve the rest Grotius also mistakes when
the Straights of Magellan and Le-Mayr Relatie de Terra Australe Peter Fernandes de Quir relates That he and a Commander Lodowick Paes le Torres saw a part of the South Countrey and in it innumerable Inhabitants Whites The Description of the unknown South Blacks Sallows with long black curl'd Woolly and yellow Hair They know no Walls or Fortresses for Defence Laws or Kings but are divided into Tribes They use indeed Bows Arrows Clubs and a kind of Spears Their Houses are cover'd with Palm-Tree-Leaves their Housholdstuff consists onely of a few Earthen Pots and such Trinkets yet they have some little skill in Weaving and though they gonaked pride themselves in Neck-Laces and Bracelets made of Mother of Pearl But these for their Complexions and Constitution of Body Customs and manners are rather deriv'd from the Americans than they from them and therefore we must seek for their Original from the North from which are but two ways one from Ysland and Groenland which Grotius endeavors to prove but contradicted the other out of Tartary which certainly was the first Nursery from whence the Americans were Transplanted Description of Tartary Tartary or Tattary so call'd from the River Tatter which runs thorow the Countrey Mongul into the Northern Ocean covers a great part of the Terrestrial Globe the lesser Tartary makes out a considerable part of Europe the greater is Asia This great Tartary which is a thousand Leagues long and six hundred broad reckons five chief Provinces viz. the wild Tartary inhabited by Herdsmen Sagatai of which the Metropolis is Samarcand famous for the mighty Tamerlane next Turkestan then Kitai which the great Cham Commands and lastly Old Tartary according to Andreas Caesariensis the habitation of Gog and Magog Now we must enquire from what Tartars the Americans are Extracted Mornaeus Postellus Genebrardus Poterus and others are of opinion Thrian l. 67. That the Tartars which about the year 1228. under the Command of Zingis Cham overspread the Earth like a deluge were the Successors of the ten Tribes of Israel which were carry'd into captivity to Assyria by Salmanazar If the Israelites were Tartars The name Tartary or rather Tattaria seems to be some testimony thereof because it signifies in the Syrian or Hebrew Tongue Remnants or Remainders as seemingly because these Tartarians were remainders of the foremention'd Tribes nay the Northern Tartary Herdsmen preserve to this day the Names Dan Zabulon and Naphthali Wherefore we need not to admire why so many Jews are found in Russia Sarmatia and Liefland nay the nearer to Tartary the mote Jews there are Circumcision hath a long time been observ'd among them before Mahomet brought in his new Law it seems that Mahomet order'd the Circumcision and other Laws according to Moses to be observ'd by the Northern people because that in his time they began to Rebel that so they might the better be kept in awe by their new Religion Joannes Leonclavius relates That in Liefland near Riga Pand. Hist Turtica he heard the wilde Natives call'd Letti not without great admiration go crying along the High-Ways and Fields with a doleful voice Jeru Jeru Masco lou It is believ'd that they mourn for Jerusalem and Damascus but by their long continuance in the vast Wildernesses they have forgot their Religion and Laws and what else might enable to tell us who they were Several learned Authors question this removal of the Israelites out of Assyria to Tartary though to our Judgement their Arguments are too weak to take from them of the footing they have gotten there yet nevertheless the Israelites are not to be taken for the Planters of America for why else is not Judaisme as well found in America as in Tartary But it is already shewn that America was inhabited long before the dispersion of the Israelites Americans are not deriv'd from Africa nor Europe Now to shut up all it is evident that the first Planters of America were not Europeans from the dissimilitude of the People both in their Complexions Language and Persons nor Africans because that in all the far spreading Countrey of America not one Negro is to be found except a few near the River Martha in the little Territory Quarequa which must by Storm be drove thither from the Guinny Coast But Asia and chiesly out of Tartary So that Asia the Mother of all People onely remains to be Implanter of our America whose Western Coast opposite to Asia is more inhabited than to the East where it respects Europe Tartary is not parted from America by the Straights of Anian Moreover Armenia out of which by Noah's Progeny the whole Earth was re-peopled borders on Scythia now call'd Tartary and Tartary faces America separated onely by the Straights of Anian though some are of opinion that out of the South into the Frozen Sea there is no passage thorow these Straights else as we have already prov'd the contrary how came all those Voracious and Poysonous Beasts into America if it be clearly separated from Asia by Sea It deserves here to be related what happen'd to Henry Cornelison Schaep and William Byleveld Sailing from Batavia to discover the Tartarick River Polysange but were taken and carry'd Prisoners to the Japan Court at Jedo being Commanded there by Order of the Councel to give an account of a Japan Map or Card which was laid before them and contain'd the Provinces of Japan Amboina the Molucca Islands Manilha the South-Sea Borneo Celebes Malacca Tartary Formosa Corea and the vast and Mountainous Countrey or Desart of Jesso separated from Japan by the Straights of Sungar though toward the North it joyns to Japan in the Province of Ochio and beginning in forty seven degrees run North-East towards America but they could not possible find the Straights of Anian but on the contrary the Promontory of Tartary viz. the Province Kataya or Katui lay in the same parallel with the Northern America Hereto may be added that Asia hath no Territory any where which may more easily with numerous Colonies supply America than this part of Tartary as well for the vastness of the Countrey to which no other can compare as for the increasing of the Inhabitants Who doth not admire that according to Michalon Lithouwer Ennead 9. l. 6. Testimonies that the Americans are Tartars there is scarce a City in Tartary that boasted less than a thousand Temples and to see Canguista first King of Tartary about the Year 1200. in Arms and his Successor Hoccata following his Fathers bloody Footsteps whilst he prepar'd his Sons with three vast Armies The eldest Son Jachis March'd Westward with thirty thousand Horse Batho drew with as great an Army towards the North Tagladais being the youngest fell into the Moores Countrey above Egypt Hoccata himself March'd victoriously into the North America subdu'd great part of the Persian Kingdom and beat the Turks led by the General Goniata with a great Army Anno
Grotius thus argues If America joyns to Tartary then the Horses which run wild at Grass might easily have found America themselves seeking to improve their Pasture and have gone from one Countrey into the other as it appears that since the Spaniards transported Horses to America they are dispers'd over the highest Mountains out of one Province into the other Or if the Straights of Anian run between both the Tartars never were Navigators and suppose they had been they would not have cross'd without Horses without which they knew not how to subsist To which we only say thus That although Tartary now and in former times abounded in Horse yet must we grant that it hath been always so or that the ancient Scythians who we avouch first planted America had such frequent use of them as the Tartars now This may be controverted for that these Scythians planting there in the Non-age of Time presently after the Flood the use of Horses was unknown which the Ancient Poets testifie by their Fiction of Centaurs who when first seen the Horse and Rider were taken for one Creature The like mistake the Mexicans had when they saw the mounted Spaniards a thousand running away from one Cavalier CHRISTOFEL COLONUS As to their coming thither of themselves it may easily be confuted Who knows not that there is no Countrey a continu'd Pasture but luxurious Vales separated with inaccessible Mountains Lakes and vast Wildernesses But David Ingram relates That he saw some Horses in the Northern America which the Mexicans and other Conquests of the Spaniards never heard of Whereupon we may conclude and we suppose without all peradventure That the Americans have absolutely their Original from Tartary which bordering Armenia where Noah's Ark first rested hath a convenient way though beyond the Artick Circle through a temperate Climate betwixt Heat and Cold to Cathay in the same Parallel with the neighboring America CHAP. III. First Discoverers of America Christopher Colonus his Expedition Christopher Colonus generally though by mistake call'd Columbus Pet Bizari Res Genoiâ—s lib. 6. was born in Arbizolo a Village in the Dominion of Genoa near Sovona his Father liv'd by Fishing in the Midland-Sea So that Sebastian Schroter Lib. 11. Hist Georg. and others besides him are mistaken saying Colonus was born in the City Cucureum and descended of the Noble Family Pilistrelli For Peter Bezarus Colunus his Countrey-man gives unquestionable Proofs of his mean Extract Christoph Colonus 's Birth and amongst other things That the Common-wealth of Genoa refus'd to receive the great Legacy which Colonus left them in his Will because they fondly thought it a derogation to their Honor being so great a Republick to take any thing of Bequest from a Fishers Son Yet his Majesty of Castile thought otherwise not onely enriching him with Wealth and a fair Revenue for his Discovery of the West-Indies but also though of a low derivation rais'd him to great Honor Ennobling him the first of his Family with Dignities Titles and Escutcheon which rank'd him in place among his Prime Nobility Colonus whom we shall henceforth call Columbus His Life spent his Youth neat the Sea where he was busie exploring the Winds considering their Natures and the Quarters whence the rose especially with the setting of the Current from the Atlantick to the Mediterrane The Wescern Winds which often as well as the Levant blow several days together from the great Ocean much amusing him hinted at last some Notions that there might be another World and hew Places to be discover'd beyond the setting of the Sun and that the Ne plus ultra should not be if he could help it the commanding Terminary of the Earth that way He also spent much time being of a solid Judgment in the Emendations of Charts and Maps then very much improvable And the Portuguese who at that time had got the start in Navigation from all other People being the busie to find a way by the South of Africa to the East-Indies not contented to go by hear-say he went himself in Person a Voyage with them Soon after Columbus settled himself in the Island Madera where an Accident hapned Strange Accident Hst Peru. which Francis Lopez de Gomesa relates thus The Master of a Ship whose Name and Countrey lies buried in Oblivion though some would have him to be of Spain some an Andalusian or Biscayner and other a Portuguese Trading to the Canaries and Flemmish-Isles was surpris'd by a hideous Tempest from the East which hurried him nolens volens through dreadful Waves where at last he found himself ingag'd upon a Western Coast altogether unknown The Storm ceasing without making further Discoveries he pick'd his way homeward at last Landing in the Haven of Madera All his Crew but three and himself with hardship want and the long Voyage having perish'd himself dangerously sick was carried into Columbus his House where lying on his Death-Bed he bequeath'd to Columbus his Maps Journals and other Observations of this his unfortunate Voyage Columbus being by these Papers more confirm'd than ever in his Opinion of a New World in the West declar'd what he verily believ'd Makes his Address at Genoa to the States of Genoa but they look'd upon him as a vain and idle Fellow yet Columbus full of his great Project thus slighted and scornfully rejected sate not so down but address'd himself to the King of Portugal To the Portuguese where they wearied him spending long time with dilatory Answers to ho effect the Opinion of a whole Court of expert Navigators having cast his Declaration out as a Chimera or meer Fancy Soon after Columbus sending his Brother into England English to move the Business to King Henry the Seventh he being taken Prisoner by the way and lying long er'e his Release came too late to the English Court prevented by the News of Christophe's return with Success from his intended Voyage For mean while Ferdinando and Isabella King of Castile And Castilian King concerning a New World having finish'd his Wars with the Moors had furnish'd him out for the Expedition which he effected by the favor of Alfonso Mendotio and Alfonso Quintavilia both great Ministers of State under Ferdinand and Isabel and obtain'd so much at last that he was sent with a hundred and twenty Souldiers besides Sea-men in two Ships and one Pinnace Thus supplied Sails from Cadiae to discover New Countreys he set Sail from Cadiz upon the Kings account the fourth of August Anno 1492 and first reach'd the Canary-Islands and from thence steering South-West the Wind in thirty three days scarce varying one Point But though the Weather blew so constant yet the Sea-men chang'd their Minds and Storm'd quite contrary crying His People rebel That Columbus was guilty of all their Deaths For said they after they had lost sight of the Canaries so many days nothing appearing but Sea and Sky Who can hope for any Success
Didacus interpreted the Language in some part agreeing with that of Hispaniola to this effect You have to all admiration come to see this Countrey from another World my advice to you is That you hurt none for the Souls of evil-doers go to dark places But on the contrary they shall enjoy the heighth of all Pleasures that are Friends to Peace Columbus reply'd That he came a Scourge for the cruel Cannibals but a Shield to protect the quiet and well-meaning Indians Great disturbance in Hispaniola After this returning to Hispaniola much contrary to his expectation he found all things which he had setled there turn'd topsie-turvy for first the Governors at Isabella jangled and were at private contentions amongst themselves and the Benedictine Monk Boilus and Peter Margarites were return'd to Spain there to make their complaints at Court and besides the Spaniards had dealt very inhumanely with the Natives by their frequent Rapes Thefts and Murders wherefore the Indians not unjustly incens'd destroy'd all the Spaniards they found stragling in any part without the Lines of their Fortification Caunaboa also lay about the Fort St. Thomas and closely besieged Hoieda but receiving intelligence of Columbus's arrival he broke up his Siege and march'd from thence but soon after was taken Prisoner by the Spaniards Mean while upon Design a Plot none of the wisest the Natives of Hispaniola had neither Till'd or Sow'd the Ground or us'd Agriculture the year before contriving by want of Provisions not considering themselves to starve out the Spaniards but the mischief fell upon the Contrivers for so great a Famine hapned that spreading over the whole Countrey in a few Moneths fifty thousand were starv'd to death but the Spaniards made a saving though hard shift with their own store then though too late the Islanders repented of their folly for they saw the Spaniards making an advantage of their misery not onely built more Houses in their City Isabella but prepar'd their Weather-beaten Vessels with which Sailing to the Gold Mountains of Cipangi on the Hill whence sprung several Fountains they rais'd the Castle of the Conception Great benefit they reap'd by this Fort to which they carry'd daily abundance of Amber Brimstone mix'd Ore of Silver and Gold and Brazile-wood besides great store of Gold and they might have gotten ten times more had they not been so much inclin'd to slothfulness and minding other vain pleasures yet notwithstanding all the Fleet carry'd that year above one thousand two hundred pound weight of Gold to Spain Spaniards tyrannise there In the mean while the Natives complain'd to Columbus of the Spanish Soldiers which under pretence to seek for Gold committed many insufferable Outrages therefore they desir'd that they might be retain'd in their Forts and not straggle so much abroad and they would willingly bring them every three Moneths a certain weight of Cotton Amber Brazile-wood and Gold more than equivalent to what they snatch'd but Columbus whose Soldiers notwithstanding his severity and using Martial Law upon some of them for their Crimes and proud with their success yet prevail'd at last that they consented thereto but the Inhabitants never perform'd their promise who being almost famish'd had much to do to preserve themselves alive spending their time in picking Sallads Whilst the Business remain'd in this ill posture or rather confusion Cibanus Their Conquest Brother to the imprison'd Caunaboa rais'd an Army of five thousand Men the Spaniards divided into five Companies march'd to meet him and their Enemies being naked and having no other Arms than Bowes Arrows and Clubs after some little resistance were soon dissipated and put to flight but overtaken by the Spanish Horse many of them were taken Prisoners and others forc'd to skulk and hide themselves on the tops of Mountains ANGRA op TERCERA Columbus Sails the third time to Hispaniola Whilst all things were thus in disorder at Hispaniola the Admiral Christopher Columbus set Sail a third time with eight Ships from the Haven Barrameda in the Year 1498. To shun the French Pyrates which watched for the Indian Treasures he directed his Course to Madera a fruitful Island of Corn Wine Sugar Wax and Cattel desolate till Anno 1420. Here coming to an Anchor he sent six Ships away to Hispaniola which himself afterwards followed with the remaining two steering by the Flemish Islands or Acores first so call'd from the Flemings the first Planters Here he dropt Anchor before the City Angra on the Isle Tercera which is sixteen Leagues in circumference Description of the City Angra and very Mountainous the tops whereof are like Spires and abound with Grapes the Plain Countrey produces great store of Corn but it will not keep above twelve Moneths The Ground is oftentimes terribly shaken by Earthquakes and between several sulphurous Places both Flames and Smoak ascend up to the Sky Near the City Angra is a Fountain which turns Wood into Stone The Winds in this Place blow so fierce and strong that they not onely beat down Houses but wear out Iron and all manner of Stone-work In Angra the chief Commander of all the Flemish Isles hath his Residence The City surrounded by steep Rocks lies towards the Sea like a Crescent or Half-Moon for at both ends thereof the Mountains extend with deep Points into the Ocean The uppermost part towards the West stands likewise fortifi'd by a high Rock as also by another on the East on both are continual Watches kept whereof those on the first can discover Ships fifteen Leagues off at Sea coming either from the East or West-Indies and on the other all those that come from Europe When they see above fifteen Sail they put out the Kings great Flag upon the top of all the Rock This City of Angra is divided into several Streets the Governor and Archbishop live each in a stately Palace five handsom Churches are no small ornament to it the Sea before it abounds with Fish but are not to be taken in December by reason of the turbulent Waves Christopher Columbus having refresh'd at Angra Sail'd along the African Coast between the Hesperides under the Equinoctial he was so miserably tormented by the Heat that his Vessels seem'd to burn the Hoops sprung from the Casks so that the Water run about the Hold and they could expect nothing but death from the insufferable Heat and want of Water eight days they had endur'd this hardship when they met with a fresh Gale out of the South-East so that they made great Way towards the West On the last of July he discover'd three high Mountains and approaching near the Shore he smelt as in a Posie all the sweet breathings of fragrant Flowers commix'd and at last saw a convenient Haven where going ashore he found cultivated Grounds and steps of Beasts but not a Man appear'd the next day they spy'd a Boat with twenty young Men come rowing from the Shore into the Ocean The Admiral hal'd them in
with his Ships fir'd upon them with Chain-shot which did great execution yet notwithstanding about forty Spaniards leaping ashore out of their Boats found themselves in no small danger for the Cannibals upon the sound of Horns flocking together so press'd upon them that they were forc'd to lay aside their Gans and fall to Blows and had not timely assistance come to them they had undoubtedly been all slain two hours the Victory was doubtful on whose side it would fall yet at last the Cannibals quitting the Field left the Spaniards Victors who the next day pursu'd their gotten Victory with such success that they drove their Enemies before them burnt their Villages and Boats and carry'd two hundred and two and twenty of them Prisoners to Spain where they safely arriv'd the 15. of November Anno 1498. Vesputius second Expedition This good success so encourag'd Vesputius that having stay'd scarce seven Moneths ashore he obtaining the Command over six Ships with which he set Sail from Cadiz and touching upon the Canaries Steer'd from thence Southerly and having Sail'd five hundred Leagues he discover'd a Countrey overflow'd and made Marishy by great Rivers and abounding with Trees but saw no sign of any Inhabitants yet not long after coming before an Island he took a Boat with two Prisoners newly guelt and sent as a Present to feast the Cannibals which refus'd to Treat on any other account whatsoever wherefore he Sail'd eighty Leagues forward along the Shore of an unknown Island where he Barter'd for some Gold and got five hundred Pearls for one single Shell these Pearls the Inhabitants said were not found there but taken from their Neighboring Enemies which liv'd Westward and had abundance of them Strange constitution of a salvage people Nothing worthy of remark happen'd in this Voyage onely the strange constitutions of a wild People living on a barren Isle deserve to be mention'd About their Necks hung two hollow Vessels the one full of white stamp'd Worts and Herbs and the other full of Grass which they greedily cram'd into their Mouths feeding like Cattel then a Stick wetted with Spittle they put into the bruis'd Herbs taking upon the end of it as upon the point of a Knife some of the bruis'd to their Mouths which as if chawing the Cud turning therein then taking out again and strowing more of the same Herbs out of the Vessel upon it swallow'd it down No fresh Water was to be had amongst them but what they gather'd from the Dew in great Leaves Neither had they any Houses but dwelt under great Trees and fed on dry'd Fish Strange adventure of nine Spaniards meeting with great Giants The next remark in this Voyage was the discovery of an Island not far from the former where he found the Footsteps of a Gigantick People upon which nine Spaniards went a League to search the Countrey where they saw five great Huts standing in a spacious Valley and in them two old and three young Women each of them being twice as tall as an ordinary Man The old ones invited the Spaniards to eat who when they were fat down consulting how they might take and carry one of these Giantesses to Spain there to shew her for Money thirty six Giants came in to them never did the Sun shine on a more terrible People which so amaz'd the Spaniards that their Hair seem'd to stand an end at the fear thereof Every Giant was arm'd with a Bow and Arrows and a Club They wondering at the nine strangers stood talking very earnestly one to another which gave the Spaniards time to think of making their escape some judg'd it convenient to discharge their Guns upon them and in the Smoke to run away others thought that it would be better to take a milder course which they all agreed on and taking their leave went out of the Hut but were follow'd by the Giants who kept a Stones cast behind them and went faster or slower as the Spaniards slacken'd or mended their pace who at last getting to the Shore and from thence into their Boats they suddenly put off but the Giants then pursu'd them with eager speed all of them leaping into the Water and Swimming shot abundance of Arrows after them but frighted by the Thunder of two great Guns that were discharged from the Ships return'd ashore and fled into the neighboring Hills Vesputius at last began to consider of returning home his Provisions beginning to grow scarce and his Sea-men faint having continu'd in the Equinoctial heats a whole year wherefore he directed his course towards Spain in his Voyage driving along the Coast an advantagious Trade by bartering Shells and Glass for Pearls Description of the Pearl-Oysters The Inhabitants presented him with Oysters of which some inclos'd one hundred and thirty Pearls when they attain to their full growth they fall out of the Shells themselves but those that stick decay So upon the tenth of November the Fleet came safe to an Anchor before Cadiz After which Vesputius third Expedition Vesputius retired to Sevil with intent to settle himself there but he had not long repos'd when Emanuel King of Portugal sent for him to Lisbon and gave him the Command of three Ships to discover new Countreys between the Canaries and Africa they pass'd thorow so many Fishes not unlike a Bream that in an hours time they loaded their Boats with them this Fish hath a round thin Scale sharp Teeth Stones in their Brains or Foreheads a sharp pointed Heart a Bladder full of Wind red Tail and Fins feeds on Sea Weeds Gurnets and Oysters and is of a delicious Taste From thence five degrees Southward of the Equinox he found a naked People on the top of a high Rock that beckon'd the Spaniards to come towards them upon which two of them resolv'd to venture thither having order not to stay at the most above five days Cruel deed of some Indian Women The first incounter they had was of some Women who offer'd their bodies to prostitution but a Youth as if affrighted with some sudden danger came running amongst them whom whilst they stood gazing upon and wondering at an old Woman with a great Club running down the Hill overtook and knock'd him down dead upon the ground which done the Women that were making Court to the Spaniards took him by the Heels and dragg'd up the Hill where soon after they saw him chop'd in pieces Broyl'd and eaten They also made signs to the Spaniards that they would devour them also in the same manner The Shore was crouded with Men which showr'd upon them several flights of Arrows wherefore they thought it best to Weigh Anchor so taking Aboard their two Men and having Sail'd 150. Leagues they got sight of the Coast of Brasile along which he Sail'd Southerly to fifty two Degrees where three Brasilians came Aboard of their own accord and were easily perswaded to go with him to Portugal but the Weather growing
very bad and the Cold intollerable the Storms swelling the Waves into the bigness of Mountains Vesputius left the Coast des Patagones and the Streights afterwards call'd Magellan behind him burnt one of his Ships before Cape Sierra Leona and brought two safe to Lisbon Vesputius having left this desolate Isle three hundred Leagues a Stern enter'd a Haven to which he gave the name of St. Abdy where he stay'd two Months expecting the return of those which he had sent into the Countrey but seeing it in vain to wait any longer he proceeded on his Journey and Sailing in between the Abrelhos in the River Curubabo he built a strong Fort Garrison'd it with twenty four Men twelve pieces of Ordnance and Provisions for six Moneths Five Moneths Vesputius had spent in the building this Castle when he return'd home with one Ship laden with Brasill Wood where approaching Lisbon beyond all expectation the Inhabitants of the City ran to Congratulate his happy return And from this Americus Vesputius the New World is to this day call'd America SECT VII The Expedition of Alphonso Fogeda Diego Nicuesa Ancisus and Roderick Colmenares AMericus Vesputius was scarce fitted out in Lisbon when Fogeda set Sail with three hundred Men from Beata the chiefest Haven of Hispaniola to the Island Codego inhabited by Naked People but of comely Personage and withal expert and most excellent Archers Here he found a very strange Tree Wonderful Tree on Codego which bears a Fruit not unpleasing to the Palate yet deadly Poyson and besides whoever chances to sleep under their shadow loose both their understanding and Eye-sight and never attain to their former Sences except they take some Opiates as dangerous and so by long sleep recover Fogedo's cruelty and destruction Here Fogeda set upon a poor Village near the Sea-side where without mercy he put them all to the Sword except a few Youths which were onely saved that they might inform Fogeda what was become of the slain and taken Spaniards Who told him that according to their Custom they had Roasted the dead and also their living Prisoners and feasted on their Flesh Here having burnt the Houses and sifting the Ashes Nicuesa found some Gold But now they began to be distress'd for Provisions for prevention of which Nicuesa had given order to Ancisus Marshal in Hispaniola that he should follow with a Ship of Victual Famine for the Army to Codega But he being kept back by inconveniencies most of the Spaniards were famish'd so that the three hundred Men which Codega brought from Hispaniola were reduced to sixty And he was already under-Sail to Hispaniola when Ancisus Anchor'd in the Haven of Codegoos and sent some Men ashore to mend his Boat and fetch fresh Water which whilst they were doing the Natives came flocking about them Three days they fac'd one another Strange accident using no Hostility when at last a Spaniard that understood the Codegan Tongue adventuring to fetch Water he was immediately encompassed when speaking to them and informing them in their own Language That he was none of Fogedas or Nicuesas People which not long since had committed so great slaughter they left him and the rather because he told them that Ancisus would take revenge on them if they did any wrong to him Thus quieted they brought all sorts of Provisions Aboard Mean while Ancisus Sail'd to the Main Continent Uraba Ancisus escapes great danger where in the Mouth of a Haven he ran his Vessel a-ground which was bilg'd the Sea-men taking some Arms along with them sav'd their lives by swimming ashore where their first sustenance they found was store of Peaches and Cherries which was a great refreshment in those hot Countreys but yet had undoubtedly been starv'd but that in searching the Wood for Fruits they found Wild-Swine which preserv'd their lives yet they were not free from apparent danger having to deal with a Salvage People into whose hands they were so unfortunately cast by Shipwrack however Ancisus set a good face on the business marching with a hundred Men up into the Countrey where some of the Urabanners from an ambuscade unawares with their Arrows wounded several of his Men hereupon they retreated to the Shore of the River Daria whither also they had brought the small Boats sav'd from the Wreck where whilst they were in consultation how to return to Hispaniola the Inhabitants having muster'd themselves and making a Body of five hundred Men set upon them who after a sharp Conflict made them retreat and at last to flie whom Ancisus pursuing found in a Thicket of Canes or Reeds a great Treasure of Gold Mean while Nicuesa Sail'd to the plentiful Golden Countrey Veragua with three Ships of which he lost two the one Commanded by Lupus de Olana and the other by Peter Umbria Olana which was stranded in the River Veragua which gives name to the whole Island but he built a new Carvil whereas that of Lupus Olana was bilg'd among the Rocks Little better success had Nicuesa whose Ship over-turning with a Tempest he with a few of his Men made land upon Veragua where he rang'd up and down in a miserable condition on a barren and in a manner desolate Shore seventy days All that time finding no other Food than Wild Roots who wandring up and down at last met with Olana a little before cast away on the same Isle whom he secur'd because he presum'd to usurp the Title and be prime Commander of that Countrey Upon which the Spaniards being divided some for Ancisus some for Olana the difference more and more encreasing would not be reconcil'd till the Famine over-powering master'd both so that not being able to handle their Arms the Salvages slew them at their pleasure by this means in a short time of seven hundred eighty five remain'd scarce ninety yet did not all this misery work any thing upon the ambitious humor of Vasques Nunnez who rebelling against Ancisus split that small remainder of Men and with the help of those he had drawn over to his Party made himself Governor of Uraba not possible to be long enjoy'd without speedy supply which soon after they receiv'd for Colmenares Sailing from Hispaniola with Provisions Colmenares Expedition arriv'd there the 15. of October Anno 1510. having been toss'd twenty three days at Sea then making into the River Gaira to furnish himself with fresh Water he lost forty seven Men for whilst they were filling their Casks seven hundred of the Salvages came down upon them and with their Poyson'd Arrows wounded and kill'd most of them His strange reception Colmenares came in a good time to the remainder under Ancisus Command being in danger of death for want of Provisions and finding the factions that were among them about Superiority he thought it fit consulting with some of the chiefest of them to find out Nicuesa who was indeed the Governor that had the Grant from the King This agreed
some Figures of Men the Floors are cover'd with parti-colour'd Mats made of Sea-Reeds and several tough Roots and their Carpets beset with Pearl add also a great beauty to their Rooms In the Valleys the Spaniards found several precious Jems as Saphires Jasper Emeralds and great pieces of Amber and in some Huts Baskets and Chests full of dry'd Locusts and Crabs Here also grows the Root Yuca as also on several other West-Indian Coasts of which they make their best Bread and is call'd in Hispaniola and Angola Yuca by the Brasilians Mandiba and Mandihoka by the Mexicans Quauhcamotli it grows with a thick or midling Body according to the fruitfulness or barrenness of the Soil the Leaves are like those of a Tulip and have small Flowers and Seed but no ways useful the Root not unlike Horse-Raddish hath a milky Juice which swells it exceedingly the Sprigs which in the eighth and tenth Moneth shoot out of the Root serve for new Plants and if at any time it happen that either by a moist Season or by Worms or Pismires the Plant is spoil'd then it occasions such an inconvenience amongst the Inhabitants that half of them in that year die of Famine Arias 's Exploits in New Andalusia But to return to our matter Arias coming to an Anchor in the River Daria was cheerfully receiv'd by Nunnez his first Business which he undertook was the building of three Forts to secure the Passages to the South Sea to which purpose Joannes Aiora received the Command over four hundred Workmen Moreover Arias took great dislike in the Place call'd Maria Antiqua which the Spaniards were forc'd by necessity first to Plant in it lay in a deep Valley between high Mountains so that it not onely wanted the benefit of the rising and setting of the Sun but when in or near the Meridian it shin'd down upon them and scorch'd all their Plants and the tepifi'd Morassy Grounds about the same infected the Air and the Water which they took up to wash their Houses immediately bred Frogs the River Daria overflow'd the Grounds with his muddy Water three Leagues distance from the Sea the Passage thither also was very troublesom because of the uneven Ways and besides the Tygers and Lyons devour'd many People and Cattel A strange Accident The first Night that Arias lay in Maria Antiqua the House wherein his Chirurgion Lodg'd was fir'd with Lightning who running out with his Wife being both scorched by the Flames saw a very great Crocodile which snatching up his Dog ran away with him towards the River Remarkable Trees The neighboring Territory Coiba produced Trees whose Timber us'd for Shipping never breeds Worms because of its acerbity whereas on the contrary all other Vessels in that Countrey are very subject to that inconvenience Here also grow those famous Plague-Trees whose very Leaves if but falling upon one are like Gods Arrows mortal and immediately kill unless the Place whereon they light be straightway anointed with fasting Spittle and the Coibensers say that they know another poysonous Wood which they use to destroy their Enemies withall Whilst Arias was consulting about the beforemention'd Affairs he sent several Comanders to divers Places to take a survey and give him an account of their Return of all their Discoveries Remarkable Journey of Moralis to the South Sea Amongst others Gasper Moralis was order'd to march towards the South Sea to confirm the Peace which Nunnez had begun with the Kings Chiapes and Tumaccus and chiefly to go to the Pearl-Island with sixty Men which Nunne was forc'd to leave being stress'd by tempestuous Weather Chiapes and Tumaccus were according to their promise to prepare an Army â—â—ady for his assistance against his coming which indeed they perform'd so tâ—â—t they wanted nothing but Vessels for the biggest of theirs could not carry above three or four Men yet they undertaking their Enterprise Landed seventy Men oâ— the Island upon which the Inhabitants under their Kings Conduct ran to meet the new Landed Forces and crying out aloud Guazzavara Guazzavara they ran in amongst the Musqueteers with their woodden Swords but the report of the Guns mix'd with Fire Smoak and Bullets soon amaz'd them the King flying thought by alarm to raise all the Islanders but they being inform'd that no People whatsoever could withstand the fire-spitting People made Articles of agreement with Moralis and Condition'd to deliver a hundred pound weight of the choicest Pearls to the use of the King of Castile and as a testimony of his Friendship he was Christen'd Peter Arias from the Governors Name of New Andalusia Strange Pearl How great the Treasure was which Moralis brought from the Pearl Island may appear by one of the Pearls for which Pope Leo the tenth gave forty four thousand Ducats to a Venetian Merchant Amongst the Commanders which were sent out by Arias was also Johannes Solisius who Sailing six hundred Leagues Southerly along the Coast of the Caribbies beyond Cape St. Augustine he found the Inhabitants of Pernambuck to be no less cruel than subtile for being invited ashore he with some of his Men Row'd thither Solisius his miserable end where no sooner Landing but were all kill'd and eaten in the sight of the other Sea-men aboard at which being amaz'd they weighed Anchor and Sail'd away Freighted onely with Brasile Wood to Cadiz Aso in an unhappy hour did Johannes Pontaeus put some of his Laundresses ashore on the Island Guadalupa to wash some Linnen for him for the Islanders coming on a sudden out of the Woods surpriz'd them and forthwith killing without mercy cut them in pieces and carbonadoing eat their broil'd Flesh hot from the Coals while Gonsalus Badajocius Sail'd with eighty Men Westerly and having gone sixty Leagues he went ashore and spent some days in vain to Court the Americans to a friendly correspondency which whilst he was doing he was recruited with fifty Men from Daria Commanded by Lodowick Mercado so both agreed together to travel over the Mountains to the South Sea The Governor Juana whose Jurisdictions abound in Gold flying with most part of his Treasure was never heard of onely they took some of his Slaves Strange Slaves whose Faces were strangely Carv'd with sharp Fish-bones the Wounds fill'd with red and black Powder which so discolour'd the Flesh that it could never be got out After that they travell'd through the Wilderness five days together being onely met by some Indians carrying Maiz who signifi'd to them that King Periguete liv'd along the Sea-shore and up into the Countrey the blind Totonoga of both which they got an unvaluable Treasure of Gold Great Booty Amongst other Pieces of that rich Metal was one which weighed two pound Taracura rais'd in this Expedition eighteen thousand weight of Gold and little less did they take out of the Territories belonging to the Princes Pananome Tabor Cheru and Scoria The Prisoners serv'd them in stead of Horses they not being
hundred Houses on fire yet they Could discern no likely issue thereof but judg'd it best to make their escape by Night over the nearest Bridge Cortez therefore dividing his gotten Treasures which amounted to above seven hundred thousand Duckets amongst his Soldiers carried Montezuma's Son and two Daughters Prisoners with him though not without infinite danger and loss for the Tenustitans assail'd him on both sides and falling in also upon his Rear spar'd not to kill Montezuma's own Children In this last Fight the Service was so hot Spaniards beaten aftersh that Cortez lost forty two Horse a hundred and fifty Spaniards and two thousand Auxiliaries and although gotten over the Lake they were still pursu'd by the Mexicans who would then undoubtedly have made a general Slaughter had not Cortez amused the Enemies by leaving in the Night great Fires in several Places his suppos'd Camps whilst he silently stole away Yet the Tenustitans would have pursu'd the Spaniards had they not wanted Provisions But Cortez sending his Treasure before him through the Countrey Colva to Vera Crux with a Convoy of five Horse and forty four Foot were all cut off by the Colvaans and feasted upon in a Thanksgiving Sacrifice The same misfortune befel twelve Spaniards in Tepeacu which great City surrendred it self up to Cortez Remarkable Exploits of Cortez being assisted by a mighty Army of Tlaxcallans and others But after all these Losses he took Guaccachiulla and Izzuca both fortified with strong Walls and Gates in which last he burnt above a hundred Temples built for Humane Sacrifices All the Countrey through which he thus ransack'd he call'd New-Spain From the City Tazuco which he had newly taken intending to besiege Tenustitan he digg'd through the Lakes a broad Trench of above three Leagues in length to bring up thirteen new Ships to Tenustitan and the neighboring People envying that that City should not be conquer'd as well as theirs rais'd an Army of above a hundred and fifty thousand Men making Cortez their General Himself incamped on one corner of the City appointing the other two sides to be invested by Gonsales Sandovalo and Pedro Alvarado but the Besieg'd resolutely broke out and made a fierce Sally with five thousand Boats setting upon the thirteen Ships but the great Guns made such execution and havock amongst them that they retreated with great damage Whoever were taken Prisoners in this Fight by the Spaniards the Tlaxcallans being Commission'd by Cortez feasted upon Tenustitan or Mexico taken On the seventh day the City was taken but not without great Slaughter and the new King imprison'd After this mighty Conquest Cortez resolv'd to discover those Territories that lay Southward and whilst he was making all things ready for the Voyage he sent two Ships with an invaluable Treasure to Spain who fearing to be taken by the French Pyrats ran in at Tercera Sad accident occasion'd by a Tyger where a miserable Accident hapned to the Seamen of the biggest Ship wherein were carried two Tygers which though taken young and bred up amongst men yet had not so quite forgotten their natural ferocity but that one breaking loose in the Night tore seven of them in pieces hurting a far greater number of which some had the Brawns of their Arms the Calves of their Legs and fleshy parts of their Thighs bit out Several Places in America breed Tygers that far exceed Lyons in fierceness so that where any considerable number of them frequents though the Soil be never so fruitful yet it is left desolate and forsaken But the Baboons that frequent the Woods are more pleasant Strange Battel with Baboons and less dangerous Peter Arias relates That his whole Army incountred with these Beasts which climb'd from one Tree to the other shrieking and making very strange Gesticulations to those that were gone before and gathering their Mouths and Hands full of Stones which they threw as exact and strongly as a Man When one of these Baboons shot by a Musquet fell to the Ground the rest gave such a horrible shriek that the Woods resounding with the noise strook a terror into the Spaniards Amongst several things that hapned in this Counter-scuffle take this one A Spaniard taking aim with his Musquet at an old Baboon which sate pearch'd up in a Tree and being now just ready to give Fire the Baboon Soldier at the very instant to break the Shot taking a Stone out of his Mouth threw it exactly into the Mans Mouth with such force as beat out some of his Teeth with which sudden blow surpris'd he lost his Mark and the proud Foe shewing signs of Triumph went his way But whilst Cortez staid in the Countrey of Tenustitan now call'd Mexico Franciscus Garajus sail'd out of the Haven of Jamaica with eleven Ships to the River Panucus there according to the Command of the Emperor Charles to plant a Colony Whereupon he went ashore ordering his Fleet to sail along in sight of Land So wading through the River Montaltus which glides between high Mountains he came to a Morassy Ground in which he and they often sunk almost up to the Middle and lost his way in a Thicket of young Trees yet at last being come to the River Panucus he found several high Walls Great destruction being the Ruines of Fortresses Temples and Towers destroy'd by Cortez so that the City lay quite desolate Twenty Leagues further upon the Banks of the same River Cortez had in like manner sack'd and destroy'd Chiglia a Town which before its burning reckon'd above twenty thousand Houses besides many fair Palaces Walls Towers and Temples Which Cruelties and Spoil had bred so great an Odium in the Inhabitants against the Spaniards that they immediately sent an Army against Garajus The unfortunate Expedition of Garajus who had only a few half-starv'd Men with him yet he receiv'd the Enemy twice in his Retreat to the new Colony St. Steven rais'd out of Chiglia's Ruines but finding no Provisions where-ever he came he judg'd it fittest to send his Horse into the Countrey to Forage which Cortez meeting took Prisoners under pretence that Garajus came to take Possession where he had neither Authority nor Right Cortez also made himself Master of Garajus Ship and Fleet commanding him withal to appear in Tenustitan which not knowing how to avoid he obey'd His People mean time ranging up and down without a Head or Commander either died by Famine or were murther'd and eaten by the Natives for at one time the Americans made a general Feast with two hundred and fifty rosted Spaniards Spaniards tosted But their days of Triumph lasted not long for Sandovalus one of Cortez his Prime Officers set with so much fury upon those Cannibals that he kill'd several thousands of them and burnt sixty Persons of Prime Quality all Commanders in the sight of their Friends and Relations But Garajus whose Son was married to Cortez his Daughter liv'd not long after the
to England Not many Months after he renew'd his Voyage Queen Elizabeth having rigg'd out and sent under his Command one Frigat and two Ketches Mann'd with a hundred and forty Men The twenty sixth of May hâ— weigh'd Anchor and sail'd to the Orkenies lying to the North of Scotland where landing he found the poor Islanders fled out of their Huts into Caves and Dens among the Rocks From thence he steer'd North-North-West through abundance of floating Pieces of Timber which oftentimes gave him great stops The fourth of July he made Friezland where he met with a great Storm of Hail mix'd with Snow Before the Shore lay a great Ridge of Ice which hindred for a while their Landing Here he saw several Wild People but could not come to speak with them for upon the least approach they fled yet when they saw any advantage made resistance At last three of them came unarm'd to the Shore beckoning Forbisher to come to them which he had done had not great numbers of the Natives appear'd too soon from an Ambuscade in a Wood and behind a Hill who seeing themselves discover'd march'd up into the Countrey three onely staying on the Shore of whom the middlemost feigning to be lame at last fell down whom his Companions took up and carried a little way but then forsook by which the English observing their Design shot that the Sand flew all about him whereupon forgetting his Lameness he ran as swift as a Deer up a Hill Forbisher's Men had by this time fill'd two Barrels with a Mineral not unlike Gold but was afterwards found to be of little value Nothing else of Remark did he find here except great long-hair'd Men who being exceeding salvage subtilly plot nothing else but to murder lurking for Men like Wild Beasts for their Prey whom when caught they tear in pieces Close fitted to their Bodies they wore the Skins of several Wild Beasts priding in the Tails which hung down betwixt their Legs Their Tents are of conjoyn'd Whalebones cover'd over with the like Skins the Entrance always facing the South They use Bowes Arrows Slings and two sorts of Boats In the biggest they can carry seventeen Men which are made of several Wooden Planks clinch'd together and cased on both sides with Leather The smallest ones are cover'd just in the same manner much resembling a Weavers Shuttle having in the middle a Hole wherein a Man sits who drawing the Cover of the Boat about his Waste by Strings with one Oar makes swift Passage The Countrey it self is barren yet feeds abundance of Deer Hares Wolves Bears and Dogs like Wolves whose Flesh serves the Inhabitants for Food This Countrey seems to be exceedingly troubled with great Earthquakes because several pieces of Rocks and whole Mountains rent asunder may be seen in divers places Sir Francis Drake's Expedition At the same time when Forbisher sail'd Northerly Sir Francis Drake also fitted out by Queen Elizabeth steer'd another Course sailing by Cape Blanko and Cape Verde along the African Coast to Brasile where he caught several Sea-Wolves and Anchoring in the River La Plata furnish'd himself with Fresh Water Then proceeding on his Voyage through the crooked Straights of Magellan he came to an Anchor before Moucha wash'd by the South Sea The Islanders receiv'd him very courteously because they were inform'd that the English were at great Wars with the Spaniards to avoid whose Cruelties they had deserted the main Continent and setled on Moucha One of these Mouchaners going aboard serv'd them for a Pilot to the Haven Valparizo where Drake burnt the St. Jago a small Village and plundring all the Countrey about it got together a great Treasure of Gold and Silver Before Arica he took three Spanish Ships richly laden and before Lima four more having an unvaluable Treasure of Pearls and Gold aboard them Thus inrich'd he steer'd his Course Northerly to forty two Degrees but the Cold forcing him to fall four Degrees to the Southward he discover'd a very pleasant and inhabited Coast the People whereof shew'd him great kindness The King himself coming aboard with a great Train set a Crown of Gold upon Drakes Head and gave him a Golden Scepter and an Ivory Chain After this he inspected the Islands Tidor Ternata Java Zeilon and Cape de Bona Esperanza from whence after a three Years Voyage having encompass'd the World he came safe to London where he rested not long for sailing Anno 1585. to America he took great Prizes from the Cities St. Jago St. Domingo St. Augustin and Carthagena setting them all on Fire Thus again returning home victoriously and after the famous defeat of the Spanish Armado he rigg'd out a new Fleet having for his Vice-Admiral Captain Hawkins Their Design was to have sail'd to Panama but both dying and so the Commission ceasing the expected great and golden Project also died with them Candish his Expedition A Year after the death of these famous Navigators Captain Thomas Candish Mann'd with a hundred and twenty Men and Provisions for two Year setting sail in a lucky Hour a second time encompass'd the World passing the Straights of Magellan in which Voyage having got above ten times the value of his Charge by taking the Spanish Carrack St. Anna valued at twenty Tun of Gold and at last freighted with a Mass of Treasure he came safe into the River of Thames But much worse success had Captain John Smith Smith's Voyage who weigh'd Anchor Anno 1614. with two Ships fitted out by several Merchants in London for New England and on the Island Monachigga to load Copper Gold and other Minerals that were to be had there and also to fish for Whales But there were no such Minerals to be found there nor any Whales to be taken on the Coast because the time of the Year was past so that he return'd home without Success However not long after they undertook the same Expedition a second time but with worse Fortune for being gotten in sight of Virginia he was treacherously set upon and taken by the French who accus'd him that he had destroy'd the Plantations in Nova Francia and unless he would make satisfaction for the Damage they threatned him with death He was carried Prisoner to Rochel in a French Ship but not far from thence surpris'd by a mighty Storm Smith finding an opportunity leap'd into the Boat and driving betwixt the Waves at last half dead was thrown upon the Island of Oleron whom afterwards having lost all an English Ship took in and brought to his Native Countrey SECT XV. Netherland Expedition by Jaques Mahu and Simon de Cordes FIve Ships being fitted out at Rotterdam Mahu's Voyage the Command of them was given to Jaques Mahu and Simon de Cordes who on the twenty seventh of June Anno 1598. weigh'd Anchor from the Goree and sail'd on an immense Voyage at last landing at the Island St. Jago they won a strong Castle there and took two Barques
ground being meer Stone and their Anchors coming home Schouten in great danger the great Ship drove against a Rock and at Ebbing Water broke off the outermost Planks and Iron-Work and the Ketch also striking on a high Shelf was at low Ebb two Fathom with her Keel above the Water and had without peradventure been overset and bilg'd but a fresh North-West Wind kept her upright yet at last the Weather growing calm she lean'd but the Tide coming in very fast set her afloat so that she was miraculously sav'd then setting Sail again to King's-Island they found so many Eggs of black Mews Incredible many Eggs. that one without stiring from his place might reach above fifty Nests and in each of them at least three Eggs which they carry'd aboard by thousands Their Boat Rowing Southerly down the River found some Ostriches and Beasts not unlike Stags but with exceeding long Necks On the Hills lay Stones heap'd one upon another which removing they found Dead Bodies of eleven Foot long here Great Corps here they spent their time in cleansing their Ships and new Sheathing the Ketch but as they were Tallowing Kotch burnt the Flame accidentally got between the Crevisses which immediately taking Fire in a short time consum'd it to Ashes The great Ship had gotten a Horn in her Bow seven Foot under Water Strange Horn. this Horn being firm without any hollowness and not unlike a great Elephants Tooth struck thorow two Ashen and one Oaken Plank sticking in a Rib of the like Wood and yet above half a Foot remain'd out to be seen At length Schouten Weighing Anchor from Porto Desire Great Mews and Sailing to four and fifty Degrees Southern Latitude met whole Shoals of Whales insomuch that he was fain to Tacque to and again to shun them Sea-Pies bigger than Swans came flying in great numbers aboard suffering themselves to be taken with the hand On the North-side they spy'd a high and scraggy Coast spreading it self to the East South-East which they call'd The States Countrey that which lay to the Westward of it Mourice of Nassau the Islands in fifty seven Degrees Barnevield's-Isles and the sharp Point in which lay the Snowy Mountains Southward of the Magellan Straights end the Cape of Hoorn Schouten had now gotten the height of fifty nine Degrees when he enter'd the South-Sea through the new passage between Mauritius and the States-Countrey which was call'd from his Partner Straights Le Maire The Straights of Le Maire Isles in the South-Sea Near the two Isles Juan Fernando they found great store of Fish after that they view'd these Islands that lay scatter'd up and down the South-Sea each of them they nam'd according to their several occasions calling the first The Isle of Dogs because they have abundance of Dogs there that could not bark Another The Bottomless Island because the Sea was so deep about it that they could not come to an Anchor The Inhabitants who go naked with their Skins pounced full of strange shapes of blue Snakes Dragons and such like Creatures Salli'd out of the Woods upon the Hollanders with great Clubs to which was fasten'd the Sword or Snout of a Sword-Fish and also with Slings Somewhat further they came to Water-Land and Flyes-Island the first so nam'd because the Shore round about was planted with Trees but in the middle all lay cover'd with Salt-Water the other from the Flyes which with incredible numbers troubled the Sea-men four days together Strange entertainment at the Horn Islands Moreover the Reception or Entertainment which Schouten was welcom'd withal at the Hoorn-Islands being very remarkable we will in brief relate Anchoring in nine Fathom Water Shelly ground before a fresh Rivulet three Hollanders sent to the King were by him courteously entertain'd who with strange humility not bow'd but kissing their Feet fell flat on the ground and put the Hollanders Feet upon his Neck and after this manner of Salutation waited upon them aboard Yet although this King fawn'd so much and seem'd so humble yet he was very severe over his Subjects for finding one that had filch'd a Sword he not onely brought and restor'd it but immediately Executed the Thief before their Faces Le Maire and Arias Claeszoon were much honor'd here for the old and young King put their Crowns on their Heads curiously Wrought of fine White Feathers and the end adorn'd with small Red and Green Feathers they gave also to each of them a Pigeon White to their Wings the hinder part Black and under their Bellies Red. In the interim the King of Water-Island visited the other by whom Le Maire was treated When they met they made strange shews of Honor to each other but at last shew'd their Salvageness by eating raw Fish and rudely Dancing before the Hollanders Le Maire going into the Countrey and climbing up a high Mountain saw nothing but Morass Wilds and Vallies lying under Water The King and his Retinue here kept him company during his stay there when weary with walking they sate down together under Coco-Nut-Trees the young King tying a String about his Leg climb'd with exceeding dexterity up a high Tree bringing several Coco-Nuts down with him which he open'd very expeditiously But the two Kings meeting again the next day Complemented one another with more antick and ridiculous Postures sitting side by side under the Roof imploring their God with their Hands folded and their Heads bow'd to the ground At this interview four Holland Trumpeters and Drummers stood playing before the King to the great admiration and amazement of the Islanders which were near ten thousand gather'd together upon the News of the strangers to attend the two Kings Soon after a great company of Rusticks came running thither which had a green Herb call'd Cava Cava a strange Liquor ty'd about their middle on a sudden they began all to chaw this Cava throwing that which they had chaw'd into a large Woodden Trough then putting Water to it they Kneaded it together which done brought the Liquor on their Heads to the two Kings before whom they kneel'd when they gave them any Yet notwithstanding they receiv'd such honor from their Subjects they shew'd servile respects to the Hollanders for every King presented them with a Pig which they first laid on their Heads then kneeling put it down at Le Maires Feet and bowing their Heads to the ground rose again They wear their Hair long which Brayded hung on the left side of their Heads down to their Hips ty'd at the end with two Knots but the Nobility had two such Locks All of them went naked their Privities onely cover'd The smallest of the Men exceeded the biggest of the Hollanders in tallness Impudent Women The Women had long Breasts hanging like Satchels down to their Bellies and so unshamefac'd that they prostituted themselves to any in sight of all Men and still at low Water their business was to catch
generally computed to be from the utmost South of Terra Magellanica to the farthest North of Estotiland about six thousand English Miles reaching from about sixty Degrees of Northern to fifty three of Southern Latitude the breadth from St. Michael or Piura Westward to Parabaya a Town on the Coast of Brasile Eastward three thousand nine hundred Miles and the whole compass thirty thousand SECT II. Estotiland THat the English have been very great Undertakers of Voyages and Discoveries towards the North-West appears by the Denomination of divers Places both from the Persons which have Sail'd thitherward and also from such of our own Countrey Names as were thought fit to be there fix'd as beyond the Arctick Circle are Sir James Lancaster's Sound Sir Dudley Diggs's Cape Queen Annes Foreland Cumberland Isles Davis 's Straight c. on this side toward the Arctick Circle Button's and Brigg's Bay Hudson's Sea otherwise term'd Mare Christianum out of which more Westerly runs a narrow Sea call'd Hudson's Straight beyond Hudson's Sea towards the Arctick Circle is a place call'd New North-Wales and on this side answerable to it between Button's Bay and the Christian Sea lies New South-Wales all which places we find generally set down in the American Hemisphere but in the Geographical Discourses thereof little is said of them if so much as nam'd The farthest part of Land Northward between Hudson's Gulph and Hudson's Straight betwixt fifty seven and sixty Degrees of Northern Latitude goes generally by the Name of Estotiland I mean that properly so call'd for Estotiland is by some as largely taken as Canada by Cluverius Golnitzius Peter du Val and others namely for all that Tract of Land extending from that supposed Straight of Ansan which divides America from Asiatick Tartary as far as the utmost point of Land that shoots toward the Atlantick Ocean which Southerly towards Terra Laboratoris is bounded with a River vulgarly call'd Rio Nevado or The Snowy River Estotiland seems to have deriv'd its Name from its lying more Easterly than the rest of the Provinces and according as Nova Britannia is plac'd in some Charts might very well be taken for the same though it hath not been so term'd by any Author but rather Terra Laboratoris Cortereatis and Nova Britannia are generally receiv'd to be all one First discovery of Estotiland This Province is affirm'd by Matthias Quadus and J. Antonius Maginus to have been the first discover'd Countrey of the new World and that by Antonius Zeno a Patrician of Venice in the Year of our Lord 1390. which was long before the Expedition of Columbus through the encouragement of Zichmus King of the Isle of Friezland but by whomsoever found out or at whatsoever time it is commonly affirm'd to be not ill furnish'd with Provisions of all sorts as Beasts Birds Fish Fowl and Fruits having a Soil indifferent fertile in respect of the coldness of the Climate The Nature of the People The People in general for some there are that live wild and salvage up and down the Woods and go naked whereas the Clothing of the Countrey is the Skins of Beasts and of Sea-Calves call'd Morses are reported not onely tolerably civil but also ingenious and expert both in mechanick Arts and other necessary Faculties insomuch that the first Voyagers to this place are said to have observ'd of them upon this first Discovery That they sow'd Corn brew'd Beer and Ale and Traded by Sea to Greenland Friezland and other places to the distance of fifteen hundred Miles and that they were not altogether void of the use of Letters but that their Character was onely proper to themselves and not intelligible by any other Nation Moreover there is a certain Tradition that there was here and there some little knowledge of the Latine Tongue amongst them and that there were found divers Latine Books in a Library of one of their Kings the reason of which if true is conjectur'd to be from certain Europeans who understood that Language having in Ages past suffer'd shipwrack upon those Coasts where chancing to abide either through constraint or choice they might haply at their Decease leave behind them some Books and other Monuments of the Latine Tongue They were observ'd to use such a kind of Javelin or short Dart as was known to be us'd by the People of Java and some other Islands of the East-Indies whereupon it seems not wholly improbable that they might for a long time have entertain'd Traffick and Correspondence with them Description of the Morses The Morses or Sea-Calves before mention'd are about the bigness of a young Heifer the Hunting of which by the Natives who take them in great numbers is to them in the stead of Whale-fishing which is not there so good for they draw a great quantity of Train-Oyl out of them On each side of the Jaw of this amphibious Creature for it is said to live very much on the Land as well as in the Water there sticks out a crooked Tusk winding downward like an Elephants Proboscis above a Cubit in length and as white and hard as Ivory It is esteem'd of great venue at least it passes for such among those who take it for other than what it is for it is frequently vended for Unicorns-horn of which imposture Dr. Brown takes notice and gives a Caution against in his Vulgar Errors This Countrey is suppos'd and that probably enough to have store of Brass and Iron Mines but for the Mines of Gold and Silver which some have imagin'd there the Northerly Situation of the Countrey and by consequence the coldness of the Climate give sufficient cause to question the truth of any such assertion What chief Towns Cities Rivers and Mountains there are in this Province is not yet deliver'd by any onely Maginus and Quadus make mention of four principal Rivers which disperse themselves through the Countrey and take their source out of a great Mountain in the midst thereof SECT III. Terra Laboratoris TErra Laboratoris Situation by some call'd Nova Britannia by others Corterealis though there are some who make Laboratoris and Corterealis two distinct Countreys comprehended according to Peter du Val under Nova Britannia as the more general Province or according to Cluverius under Canada lies from about fifty four to fifty seven Degrees of Northern Latitude between Estotiland and the River Canada which Maginus and some others though for what reason is not express'd name Fretum trium Fratrum The Bay of the three Brethren others The River of St. Laurence and is according to the said Author of so vast a bigness that the Mouth of it extends it self thirty five Italian Miles wide likewise of such a length as to have been navigated a continu'd Voyage of eight hundred Miles The denomination of Terra de Laborador or Laboratoris seems probably enough conjectur'd to be from the cultivability if one may so term it of the Soil or its
aptness for Cultivation or Tillage that is because by the painful Hand of the Labourer or Husband-man it may be rendred so fertile as to yield all sorts of Grain and Fruits haply in allusion to that fruitful Countrey of Campania in Italy vulgarly known by the Name of Terradi Lavoro As for the Appellation of Terra Corterealis it need not be question'd but that it derives it self from Gaspar Corterealis a Portuguese Gentleman who about the Year of our Lord 1500. is thought by some to have made the first discovery of these Parts though Sir Sebastian Cabot a Venetian is more generally believ'd to have been the Man that under the favour and countenance of Henry the Seventh King of England first discover'd them at least the adjoyning Island Terra Nova or New-found Land but just onely discover'd being hinder'd the farther prosecution of that Design by the important Affairs in which the said King was about that time involv'd neither did Corterealis whether he was the first or came after do any more for returning within a year after his first setting out he was never heard of nor as Osorius a Portuguese Historian writes any of his Company being all suppos'd to have been drown'd by Shipwrack and in like manner Michael Corterealis who the year following set forth with two Ships in quest of his Brother Gaspar Upon which series of Misfortunes the Portuguese being wholly discourag'd and giving over this Design the French of Armorica or Bretany succeed them in it with somewhat better success about the Year 1504. whereupon it came to be term'd Nova Britannia or New Britain The ancient Inhabitants of this place were formerly of a Nature like the generality of the American People somewhat bruitish and salvage but by long conversation with the French are said to have cast off their original wildness and become more civilly manner'd they are very jealous of their Wives by report much addicted to Soothsaying though otherwise having little of Religion or of any other kind of Learning they dwell for the most part in Caves under Ground feed chiefly upon Fish and are accounted most expert Archers Whatever places the French have built here besides those of chiefest note are St. Maries Cabo Marzo and Brest SECT IV. Canada or New France CAnada as it is taken for one and the same Province with New France contains New France properly so call'd Nova Scotia Norumbega and some adjoyning Islands as the Canada of Cluverius lying more North-Westerly comprehends as we have already intimated Estotiland Laboratoris and Corterealis and according to the most modern Division for that of Cluverius neither consents with the latest Authors nor agrees with exact Survey it being nam'd Canada in respect the River Canada runs through it hath on the North Terra Corterealis on the South New England and on the East the Ocean and hath between forty five and fifty two or fifty three Degrees of Northern Latitude Situation The River Canada is judg'd to be the largest of all the Rivers of America as those Rivers generally the largest of all in the World besides it rises in the Western parts of this Province which remain yet undiscover'd and in some places spreads it self into huge Lakes some of them a hundred Miles in compass with many little Islands dispersed up and down in them and so running from the West about a hundred Leagues falls at last into the North part of St. Lawrence Bay being that wide Emboucheure of thirty five Miles breadth already mention'd This River is extraordinary full of Fish among which there is one sort more remarkable than the rest call'd by the Inhabitants Cadhothuis having Heads resembling the Heads of Hares and Bodies as white as Snow they are taken for the most part before the Isle de Lievres The Countrey on both sides of the River is pleasant and indifferently fertile especially towards the South-West where upwards from the River the Ground rises into many little Hills invested most of them with Vines with which and several other sorts of Trees this Countrey abounds being well water'd with a great many lesser Streams all of them falling into the River Canada That this Countrey is term'd New France First discovery from having been discover'd by the French at least more fully than before there needs no question to be made but whether Joannes Verrazanus under Francis the First of France or Sebastian Cabot before spoken of were the first in this Discovery may admit of some dispute the Cabots indeed for John the Father is by some mention'd to have accompanied his Son who by all are own'd the first Discoverers of New-found-Land and Terra de Baccalaos are also commonly reputed to have first found out the Province of New France together with some parts adjacent though perhaps it might be upon this Ground that Terra de Nova or New-found-Land not being known at first to be an Island New France and that might be taken for one continu'd Province and it appears so much the more probable because Canada or Nova Francia is by some call'd Terra Nova however it be or whoever were the first Adventurers Quarteri and Champlain are the two French-men that have gain'd so much fame by making a more ample and particular search into these parts that this Province may seem from thence to have sufficient claim to the Title of New France whereof that part more especially so call'd lies on the North-side of the River Canada and Southward to Terra Corterealis The Winter is here very long and so much the more severe by reason of a cold North-West Wind which blows most part of the Winter Season and brings with it so thick a Snow that it continues upon the Ground most commonly till after May. The Countrey is for the most part wooddy but in the Champain parts thereof very fruitful of Corn and all sorts of Grain especially Pulse It hath also Fish Fowl wild Deer Bears Marterns and Foxes in abundance and of Hares such plenty that one of the little Islands belonging to this Province is by the French nam'd L' Isle des Lievres or The Island of Hares But the most peculiar Commodity belonging to this Countrey is the Esurgnuy a kind of Shell-Fish extraordinary white and approv'd of singular vertue for the stanching of Blood to which purpose they make Bracelets of them not onely for their own use but also to vend them to others but John de Laet and others have observ'd no other than a superstitious use of them amongst the Salvages in their Funeral Rites for the Dead the manner of their taking it is very remarkable for when any one is condemn'd to die or taken Prisoner they cut off all his fleshy parts in long slices and then throw him into the River where they let him lie twelve hours and at last pulling him out again find his Wounds full of Esurgnui Quadus and Maginus make mention of three ancient Towns namely
in the new Plantations for a contracted Sum of Money After this they receiv'd all sorts of Arms and Ammunition with several Brass Guns of the then King Lewis the XIII and other gifts Collected and gather'd out of their several Societies for two new Accadian Apostles Gilbert du Thet a subtile man of the same Order transported their Necessaries At this time all things going favorably with the Jesuits they made themselves Masters of Port Royal and began to raise a Fort on the River Pemtagovet but there their happy Proceedings were stop'd for Captain Argal before-mention'd Sailing thither in vindication of the English was encounter'd by du Thet who firing the first Gun on Argal was by him taken off with Chain-shot and taking Biard and Masse carry'd them Prisoners to Virginia and dismantled the Fort built at Port Royal after which it was by King James given by Patent to Sir William Alexander as hath been already related together with what of most remarkable hath happen'd since SECT VI. Norumbegua NOrumbegua Whence denominated lying between Nova Scotia Northward and New England Southward is so utterly not taken notice of by many as a distinct Province that it might seem to be swallow'd up and lost in the two Countreys between which it lies or at least to be thought a part of Virginia or New England for Virginia largely taken is said to contain New England Novum Belgium and Virginia especially so call'd and that so much the rather because the Bessabees accounted by Sanson d' Abbeville an ancient People of New England are written to have liv'd near the River Penobscot which is reckon'd to be the same with Pemtegovet or as some will have it Norumbegua from which or from a certain great City of that Name the Country for fancy's sake must needs be denominated but since most commonly we find it nam'd and treated of apart it will not be improper to follow that method carrying the Bounds of New England no farther Northward than the River Quinnebequi or Sagadahoc and so determining the main part of this Countrey to that space between the aforesaid River and Pemtegovet excepting a small Southerly portion upon the Banks of the River Chovacovet so that it appears chiefly situate under the forty third Degree of Northern Latitude Towns and Cities not certainly known As for the Towns or Cities of this Province there is but a very uncertain account to be given forasmuch as the pretended great City Norumbegua from whence the Province should take its Appellation is not acknowledg'd by any of the most authentick modern Writers nor in any late Voyage or Discovery any mention made either of that or any other considerable Town or City Dr. Heylin supposeth it to be no other than Agguncia a poor little Village that seems compos'd of a company of Hutts or Sheaves cover'd with the Skins of Beasts or the Barks of Trees But the most favourable conjecture is that it might haply be the Ruines of an ancient Town which the Natives call'd Arambeck and had probably deserted it long before the arrival of the Europeans in those parts however it is not very probable that the Name of the Countrey should be deriv'd from this City if ever there were any such or from the River which appears to have been term'd Norumbegua on purpose to make way for this derivation whereas Pomtegovet is the ancient Appellation that properly belongs to it nor hath any modern one been apply'd to it but that of Rio Grande by Buno in his Comment upon Philip Cluverius upon what ground is hard to tell since it is observ'd by Heylin and others to be neither large nor otherwise much to be commended being Navigable not above twenty or thirty Miles in respect of its many great Cataracts and Falls of Water an Inconvenience with which many other Rivers of America are prejudic'd and rendred impassable Before and about the Mouth of this River which is judg'd to be about eight or nine Miles broad lie many small Islands or rather Hills inviron'd with Water the chiefest of which is by the French call'd La Haute Isle from the high and Mountainous appearance of it to those that see it from afar off at Sea The aforemention'd Buno though he names as belonging to Norumbega these several places viz. Porto del Refugio Porto Reale Paradiso Flora and Angolema from some obscure French testimonies without particularising any Author yet he afterwards confesses that the Names given by the French and those apply'd by the Spaniards are so various and disagreeing and breed such a confusion that no Charts or Descriptions had concluded upon either As for those who will have Norumbega deriv'd from Norwegia in respect of a Colony brought thither from Norwey if the Etymologie be not a little too much forc'd the Invention may pass well enough till a better be found out The temperature and nature of its Soil In this Countrey the temperature of the Air is not bad nor the Soil unfruitful if it were well cultivated chiefly towards the Rivers and where it is not either overgrown with Woods or craggy with Hills and mountainous Rocks neither are the Woods unprofitable for they afford good Timber and all kind of necessary and useful Wood especially Beeches Fir-trees Wallnut-trees and other Nuts The Plains are very pleasant and yield good Pasturage onely the Maritime Coasts are so shallow and full of Sands that the Sailing near them is accounted somewhat dangerous and this may be imagin'd to be the reason that no Authors have yet met with any Ports or Havens belonging to this Countrey which they have thought worthy their notice CHAP. II. New England AS Canada is by some accounted a general Province containing New France L' Accadie Norumbega and other places so under Virginia largely taken are comprehended New England New Netherlands and Virginia properly so call'd however since that part which vulgarly goes under the Name of Virginia and New England were possess'd if not discover'd at several times and their Plantations promoted and propagated upon several occasions and by distinct Interests and since New England hath been look'd upon as a place considerable enough for Persons of very eminent quality to concern themselves in it we rather are induc'd to consider this Countrey as a principal part than as any way depending on or being any Branch or Portion of Virginia Situation of New England It lies between Norumbega which it hath Northward and New Netherlands Southward from forty one to forty five Degrees of Northern Latitude in the midst of the temperate Zone and paralell to France and some part of Italy in the Western Hemisphere so that one would think it should enjoy the same temperature of Air but the contrary is found for that part which borders upon the Sea is colder partly by reason that the Sea-waves break the reflexion of the Sun-beams partly by reason of the abundance of Vapors which mounting upward abate the ardor of them
return to the Sea till they have cast their Spawn Clamms or Clamps Clamms or Clamps are a Shell-fish not much unlike a Cockle they lie under the Sand and have every one of them a round hole to take Air and receive Water at When the Tide ebbs and flows a Man running over these Clamm banks will presently be made all wet by their spouting of Water out of those small holes These Fishes are in great plenty in most places of the Countrey which is a great Commodity for the feeding of Swine both in Winter and Summer for being once us'd to those places they will repair to them as duly every Ebb as if they were driven to them by Keepers In some places of the Countrey there be Clamms as big as a Peny white Loaf which are great Dainties amongst the Natives and would be in great esteem amongst the English were it not for better Fish Other Commodities which this Countrey is said to yield are in down-right Prose Furrs Flax Linnen Iron Pitch Masts Cables and some quantity of Amber so that if what many Authors have consented to assert concerning New England be not a meer Fiction what e're hath been affirm'd of the unfruitfulness of the Country will demonstrably be found invalid There are also to be found here some hurtful Creatures Noxious Creatures of which that which is most injurious to the Person and Life of a Man is the Rattle-Snake which is generally a yard and a half long as thick in the middle as the small of a Mans Leg she hath a yellow Belly her Back being spotted with black russet yellow and green colours plac'd like Scales at her Tail is a Rattle with which she makes a noise when she is molested or when she seeth any approach near her her Neck seems to be no thicker than a Mans Thumb yet she can swallow a Squirril having a great wide Mouth with Teeth as sharp as Needles wherewith she biteth such as tread upon her her Poyson lyeth in her Teeth for she hath no Sting When any Man is bitten by any of these Creatures the Poyson spreads so suddenly through the Veins and so runs to the Heart that in one hour it causeth Death unless he hath the Antidote to expel the Poyson which is a Root call'd Snake-weed which must be champ'd the Spittle swallow'd and the Root apply'd to the Sore this is present Cure against that which would be present death without it This Weed is rank Poyson if it be taken by any man that is not bitten whosoever is bitten by these Snakes his flesh becomes as spotted as a Leopard until he be perfectly cur'd It is reported that if the Party live that is bitten the Snake will die and if the Party die the Snake will live This is a most Poysonous and dangerous Animal yet nothing so bad as the report goes of it in England for whereas it is said to kill a Man with its breath and that it can flie there is no such matter for it is naturally the most sleepy and unnimble Creature that lives never offering to leap or bite any Man if it be not trodden on first and it is their desire in hot weather to lie in Paths where the Sun may shine on them where they will sleep so soundly that I have known four Men stride over one of them and never awake it five or six Men have been bitten by them which by using of Snake-weed were all cur'd never any yet losing his life by them Cows have been bitten but being cut in divers places and this Weed thrust into their flesh were cur'd A small Switch will easily kill one of these Snakes In many places of the Country there be none of them as at Plymouth New-town Igowamme Nahant c. In some places they will live on one side of the River and swimming but over the Water as soon as they are come into the Woods they turn up their yellow Bellies and die Up into the Countrey Westward from the Plantations is a high Hill which is call'd Rattle-Snake-Hill where there are great store of these Poysonous Creatures There are likewise troublesome Flies First there is a wild Bee or Wasp which commonly guards the Grape building by Cobweb habitation amongst the Leaves Secondly a great green Flie not much unlike our Horse-Flies in England they will nipp so sore that they will fetch Blood either of Man or Beast and are most troublesome where most Cattel are which brings them from out of the Woods to the Houses this Flie continues but for the Moneth of June The third is Gurnipper which is a small black Flie no bigger than a Flea her biting causeth an itching upon the Hands or Face which provoketh scratching which is troublesome to some this Flie is busie but in close Mornings or Evenings and continues not above three Weeks the least Wind or heat expels them The fourth is a Musketor which is not unlike to our Gnats in England in places where there is no thick Woods or Swamps there are none or very few In the new Plantations they are troublesome for the first year but the Wood decaying they vanish These Flies cannot endure Wind heat or cold so that these are only troublesome in close thick Weather and against Rain many that are bitten will fall a scratching whereupon their Faces and Hands swell The nature of the ancient Inhabitants As touching the Nature of the ancient Inhabitants they are to be consider'd according to their several Shires or Divisions those that inhabit to the East and North-East bore the name of Churchers and Tarrenteens these in the Southern parts were call'd Pequods and Narragansets those Westward Connectacuts and Mowhacks to the North-West of whom were the Aberginians The nature of the Mowhacks The Mowhacks were ever accounted a cruel bloudy People which were wont to come down upon their poor Neighbors with more than bruitish Savageness spoiling their Corn burning their Houses slaying Men ravishing Women yea very Canibals they were sometimes eating on a Man one part after another before his Face and while yet living insomuch that the very Name of a Mowhack would strike the Heart of a poor Aberginian dead till they had the English on their sides to succor them for these inhumane Homicides confess that they dare not meddle with a white Fac'd Man accompany'd with his hot-mouth'd Weapon These Indians are a People of tall Stature long grim Visages slender Wasted and having exceeding great Arms and Thighs wherein they say their strength lieth which is such that one of them hath been known to kill a Dog with a fillip of his Finger and afterwards to have flead and sod him and eat him to his Dinner They are so hardy that they can eat such things as would make other Indians sick to look upon being destitute of Fish and Flesh they suffice Hunger and maintain Nature with the use of Vegetatives but that which they most hunt after is the
his Majesties Commissioners IN the Year of our Lord 1665. his Majesties Commissioners for the Affairs of New England being in the Province of Mayne the People being much unsetled in Point of Government by reason the Mattachusets Colony or Boston Government did usurp compulsively a Power over them contrary to their wills and the right of Sir Ferdinando Gorges Heir who had his Commission then in the place did unanimously Petition to his Majesties Commissioners to settle the Government upon which the said Commissioners examin'd the Bounds and Right of Mr. Gorges Patent with all the Allegations and Pretensions on both sides and so according to their Instruction from his Majesty did settle a temporary Government under his Majesty's immediate Authority until such time as his Majesty should give his final determination thereof and for that end did Institute Justices of the Peace to Govern the Province according to the true Laws of England Also his Majesty was pleas'd by his Mandamus in April 1666 to the Governors of Boston to signifie that it was his will and pleasure That the Province of Main should stand good as his Commissioners had setled it until he had more leisure to determine it yet notwithstanding after three years quiet possession and exercising of Government by the Kings Justices according to their Commission granted by his Majesty's Commissioners the Bostoners without any Conference with the said Justices did in a hostile manner oppose the King's Power July 1668. which was as followeth The General Court of Boston sent their Warrants to keep Court at York under their Authority and for that purpose Commissionated Magistrates by their own Authority namely Major General John Leveret Mr. Edward Ting Captain Richard Walden and Captain Robert Pike Whereupon the King's Justices did oppose their Warrants and sent Post to New York with an Address to General Nicholas for Advice what to do therein who forthwith dispatch'd away to the Governors of Boston informing them of the danger of their Proceeding it being an open breach of Duty to subvert the Government establish'd by his Majesty's Power also sent the King 's Mandamus April 1666. that will'd to the contrary Notwithstanding the Boston Magistrates in July 1668. in order to their Boston Commission came to York Town in the said Province with several Armed Men Horse and Foot to keep Court under their Authority Opposition was made by the King's Justices and his Majesty's Power was urg'd but little regard thereunto shewn his Majesties Mandamus was likewise much insisted upon and produced by the Justices who ask'd the Bostoners what they thought of it and how they durst act so contrary to the King's Will and Pleasure Major General Leveret told them That he believ'd it might be the King's Hand but he had a Commission from the general Court at Boston which he would follow and observe by the help of God The same day in the Afternoon the said Major General Leveret with the rest of the Boston Magistrates seiz'd and imprison'd the Province Marshal in doing his Office and then forthwith went in warlike posture to the Court-house where the King's Justices sat in Judicature and putting them from their Seats sat down themselves in their Places and Executed their Boston Commission The King's Justices drew a Protest against their Proceedings and so left the Decision to God's Providence and his Majesty's good Pleasure Then they turn'd out all Officers both Military and Civil and Swore others in their Places under their Authority they forc'd the whole Record of the Province out of the Recorders House contrary to his Will by vertue of a Special Warrant from that Court They imprison'd the Mayor of the said Province about three weeks forcing him to give in five hundred Pound Bonds not to act according to his Commission which with some Reservations he was forc'd to deny for the security of his Estate These riotous Proceedings thus acted with such a precipitate fury so incens'd his Majesty that speedy care had been taken to reduce them to reason had they not upon mature consideration bethought themselves afterwards to yield Obedience to his Majesties Orders Having treated at large of all that concerns New England in general both in reference to the Natives and the English Planters we shall conclude with a brief view of the Provinces of Laconia and Main as they are truly Describ'd among other ingenuous Collections and Observations of the Affairs of America and especially these Parts by Ferdinando Gorges Esq Heir to the above-mention'd Sir Ferdinando and thereby sole Lord of the said Provinces onely contracting what hath been by him deliver'd more at large A brief Description of Laconia a Province in New England Among divers Plantations of the English happily Founded in New England is a Province to the Landward nam'd Laconia so call'd by reason of the great Lakes therein but by the ancient Inhabitants thereof it is call'd The Countrey of the Troquois It lies between the Latitude of forty four and forty five Degrees having the Rivers of Sagadehock and Merrimeck on the Sea-Coast of New England Southerly from it into each of which Rivers there is a short Passage frequented by the Salvages inhabiting near the Lakes Also it hath the great Lakes which tend towards California in the South Sea on the West thereof On the North thereof is the great River of Canada into which the said River disgorgeth it self by a fair large River well replenish'd with many fruitful Islands The Air thereof is pure and wholesom the Countrey pleasant having some high Hills full of goodly Forrests and fair Valleys and Plains fruitful in Corn Vines Chesnuts Wallnuts and infinite sorts of other Fruits large Rivers well stor'd with Fish and inviron'd with goodly Meadows full of Timber-trees One of the great Lakes is call'd The Lake of Troquois which together with a River of the same Name running into the River of Canada is sixty or seventy Leagues in length In the Lake are four fair Islands which are low and full of goodly Woods and Meadows having store of Game for Hunting as Stags Fallow-Deer Elks Roe-Bucks Beavers and other sorts of Beasts which come from the Main Land to the said Islands The Rivers which fall into the Lakes have in them good store of Beavers of which Beasts as also of the Elks the Salvages make their chiefest Traffick The said Islands have been inhabited heretofore by the Salvages but are now abandon'd by reason of their late Wars one with another They contain twelve or fifteen Leagues in length and are seated commodiously for Habitation in the midst of the Lake which abounds with divers kinds of wholesom Fish From this Lake run two Rivers Southward which fall into the Eastern and Southern Sea-Coast of New England Into this Lake there went many years since certain French of Quebeck who sided with the Algovinquins with the help of their Canoos which they carried the space of five Miles over the Impossible Falls to Fight a
live without the help of any other Countrey for their Clothing for Tradesmen there are none but live happily there as Carpenters Blacksmiths Masons Taylors Weavers Shoemakers Tanners Brickmakers and so any other Trade Them that have no Trade betake themselves to Husbandry get Land of their own and live exceeding well We shall conclude our Discourse of this Countrey with a notable Character given thereof by a late Writer as to the great advantage of happy living in all respects for whosoever shall be pleas'd to betake himself thither to live The Character of a happy Countrey IF there be any terrestrial happiness saith he to be had by any People especially of an inferior rank it must certainly be here Here any one may furnish himself with Land and live Rent-free yea with such a quantity of Land that he may weary himself with walking over his Fields of Corn and all sorts of Grain and let his Stock amount to some hundreds he needs not fear there want of Pasture in the Summer or Fodder in the Winter the Woods affording sufficient supply where you have Grass as high as a Man's Knees nay as high as his Waste interlac'd with Pea-Vines and other Weeds that Cattel much delight in as much as a Man can pass through And these Woods also every Mile or half-Mile are furnish'd with fresh Ponds Brooks or Rivers where all sorts of Cattel during the heat of the day do quench their thirst and cool themselves These Brooks and Rivers being inviron'd of each side with several sorts of Trees and Grape-Vines Arbor-like interchanging places and croding these Rivers do shade and shelter them from the scorching beams of the Sun Such as by their utmost Labors can scarcely get a Living may here procure Inheritances of Lands and Possessions stock themselves with all sorts of Cattel enjoy the benefit of them whilst they live and leave them to their Children when they die Here you need not trouble the Shambles for Meat nor Bakers and Brewers for Beer and Bread nor run to a Linnen-Draper for a supply every one making their own Linnen and a great part of their woollen Cloth for their ordinary wearing And how prodigal if I may so say hath Nature been to furnish this Countrey with all sorts of wild Beasts and Fowl which every one hath an interest in and may Hunt at his pleasure where besides the pleasure in Hunting he may furnish his House with excellent fat Venison Turkies Geese Heath-hens Cranes Swans Ducks Pigeons and the like and wearied with that he may go a Fishing where the Rivers are so furnish'd that he may supply himself with Fish before he can leave off the Recreation Here one may travel by Land upon the same Continent hundreds of Miles and pass through Towns and Villages and never hear the least complaint for want nor hear any ask him for a Farthing Here one may lodge in the Fields and Woods travel from one end of the Countrey to another with as much security as if he were lock'd within his own Chamber And if one chance to meet with an Indian Town they shall give him the best Entertainment they have and upon his desire direct him on his Way But that which adds happiness to all the rest is the healthfulness of the Place where many People in twenty years time never know what Sickness is where they look upon it as a great Mortality if two or three die out of a Town in a years time Besides the sweetness of the Air the Countrey it self sends forth such a fragrant smell that it may be perceiv'd at Sea before they can make the Land No evil Fog or Vapor doth any sooner appear but a North-West or Westerly Wind immediately dissolves it and drives it away Moreover you shall scarce see a House but the South-side is begirt with Hives of Bees which increase after an incredible manner So that if there be any terrestrial Canaan 't is surely here where the Land floweth with Milk and Honey Noua TERRA-MARIAE tabula This Northerne part of Virginia the limitts whereof extend farther Southwards is heere inserted for the better description of the entrance into the Bay of Chesapeack A NEW DESCRIPTION OF MARY-LAND SECT III. BEfore We proceed to the Description of this Countrey it will be first requisite to relate the true occasion and means whereby this part of America came to be erected into a Province and call'd Mary-land In the Year of our Lord 1631. George Lord Baltimore obtain'd of King Charles the First of Great Brittain c. a Grant of that part of America first discover'd by the English which lies between the Degrees of thirty seven and fifty Minutes or thereabouts and forty of Northerly Latitude which is bounded on the South by Virginia on the North by New England and New Jersey The situation part of New York lying on the East side of Delaware Bay on the East by the Ocean and on the West by that part of the Continent which lies in the Longitude of the first Fountains of the River call'd Patomeck In pursuance of this Grant to his said Lordship a Bill was prepar'd and brought to His Majesty to Sign who first ask'd his Lordship what he should call it there being a Blank in the Bill designedly left for the Name which his Lordship intended should have been Crescentia but his Lordship leaving it to His Majesty to give it a Name the King propos'd to have it call'd Terra-Mariae in English Mary-land in honor of his Queen whose Name was Mary which was concluded on and inserted into the Bill which the King then Sign'd and thereby the said Tract of Land was erected into a Province by that Name His Lordship somewhat delaying the speedy passing of it under the Great Seal of England dy'd in the interim before the said Patent was perfected whereupon a Patent of the said Province was shortly afterwards pass'd to his Son and Heir who was Christen'd by the Name of Coecil but afterwards confirm'd by the Name of Coecilius the now Lord Baltemore under the Great Seal of England bearing Date June 20. 1632. in the eighth Year of His said Majesties Reign with all Royal Jurisdictions and Prerogatives both Military and Civil in the said Province as Power to Enact Laws Power of pardoning all manner of Offences Power to confer Honors c. to be held of His said Majesty His Heirs and Successors Kings of England in common Soccage as of His Majesties Honor of Windsor in the County of Berks in England yielding and paying yearly for the same to His Majesty and to His Heirs and Successors for ever two Indian Arrows of those parts at the Castle of Windsor aforesaid on Tuesday in Easter Week and the fifth part of all Gold and Silver Oar which shall happen to be found in the said Province The Bounds By the said Patent is Granted to his Lorship his Heirs and Assigns all that part of a Peninsula lying
of Springs and Rivulets The Woods are for the most part free from Underwood so that a Man may Travel or Hunt for his Recreation The ordinary entrance by Sea into this Country is between two Capes distant each from the other about seven or eight Leagues the South Cape is call'd Cape Henry the North Cape Charles within the Capes you enter into a fair Bay Navigable for at least two hundred Miles and is call'd Chesapeack Bay stretching it self Northerly through the heart of the Countrey which adds much to its Fame and Value Into this Bay fall many stately Rivers the chief whereof is Patomeck which is Navigable for at least a hundred and forty Miles The next Northward is Patuxent at its entrance distant from the other about twenty Miles a River yielding great Profit as well as Pleasure to the Inhabitants and by reason of the Islands and other places of advantage that may Command it both fit for Habitation and Defence Passing hence to the Head of the Bay you meet with several pleasant and commodious Rivers which for brevity we here omit to give any particular account of On the Eastern Shore are several commodious Rivers Harbors Creeks and Islands to the Northward whereof you enter into another fair Bay call'd Delaware Bay wide at its entrance about eight Leagues and into which falls a very fair Navigable River The natural Commodities of the Countrey This Countrey yields the Inhabitants many excellent things for Physick and Chyrurgery they have several Herbs and Roots which are great Preservatives against Poyson as Snake-Root which presently cures the bitings of the Rattle-Snake which are very Venomous and are bred in the Countrey others that cure all manner of Wounds they have Saxafras Sarsaparilla Gums and Balsoms which Experience the Mother of Art hath taught them the perfect use of An Indian seeing one of the English much troubled with the Tooth-ach setch'd a Root out of a Tree which apply'd to the Tooth gave ease immediately to the Party other Roots they have fit for Dyers wherewith the Indians Paint themselves as Pacoone a deep red c. The Timber of these parts is good and useful for Building of Houses and Ships the white Oak for Pipe-staves the red for Wainscot there is likewise black Wall-Nut Cedar Pine and Cypress Chest-nut Elme Ash and Popelar all which are for Building and Husbandry Fruit-trees as Mulberries Persimons with several kind of Plumbs and Vines in great abundance Of Strawberries there is plenty which are ripe in April Mulberries in May Rasberries in June and the Maracok which is something like a Lemon is ripe in August In Spring time there are several sorts of Herbs as Corn-sallet Violets Sorrel Purslane and others which are of great use to the English there In the upper parts of the Countrey are Buffeloes Elks Tygers Bears Wolves and great store of Deer as also Beavers Foxes Otters Flying-Squirils Racoons and many other sorts of Beasts Of Birds there is the Eagle Goshawk Falcon Lanner Sparrow-hawk and Marlin also wild Turkies in great abundance whereof many weigh fifty Pounds in weight and upwards and of Partridge great plenty There are likewise sundry sorts of singing Birds whereof one is call'd a Mock Bird because it imitates all other Birds some are red which sing like Nightingales but much louder others black and yellow which last sort excels more in Beauty than tune and is by the English there call'd the Baltemore-Bird because the Colours of his Lordships Coat of Arms are black and yellow Others there are that resemble most of the Birds in England but not of the same kind for which we have no names In Winter there are great plenty of Swans Cranes Geese Herons Duck Teal Widgeons Brants and Pidgeons with other sorts whereof there are none in England The Sea the Bays of Chesapeack and Delaware and generally all the Rivers do abound with Fish of several sorts as Whales Sturgeon Thorn-back Grampuses Porpuses Mullets Trouts Soules Plaice Mackrel Perch Eels Roach Shadd Herrings Crabs Oysters Cockles Mussels c. but above all these the Fish whereof there are none in England as Drums Sheeps-head Cat-fish c. are best except Sturgeon which are there found in great abundance not inferior to any in Europe for largeness and goodness The Minerals may in time prove of very great consequence though no rich Mines are yet discover'd there but there is Oar of several sorts viz. of Tin Iron and Copper whereof several trials have been made by curious Persons there with good success The Soyl is generally very rich the Mould in many places black and rank insomuch that it is necessary to Plant it first with Indian Corn Tobacco or Hemp before it is fit for English Grain under that is found good Loam whereof has been made as good Brick as any in Europe There are store of Marsh-grounds for Meadows great plenty of Marle both blue and white excellent Clay for Pots and Tiles To conclude there is nothing that can be reasonably expected in a place lying in the same Latitude with this but what is either there found naturally or may be procur'd by Industry as Oranges Lemons and Olives c. Commodities which are or may be procur'd by industry We need not here mention Indian Corn call'd Mayz Pease and Beans of several sorts being the peculiar products Planted by the Indians of that part of America All sorts of English Grain are now common there and yield a great encrease as Wheat Rye Barley Oats Pease Beans c. good Beer of Wheat or Barley Malt after the English Mode is made even in the meanest Families there Some drink Beer of Indian Corn others of the Stalks thereof or of the Chipps of the Pockykerry-Tree all which make a fort of fresh and pleasant Drink but the general Diet of the Country is now English as most agreeable to their Constitutions There are few able Planters there at present but what are plentifully supply'd with all sorts of Summer and Winter Fruits as also of Roots and Herbs of all sorts out of their Gardens and Orchards which they have Planted for their Profit as well as Pleasure They have Pears Apples Plumbs Peaches c. in great abundance and as good as those of Italy so are their Mellons Pumpions Apricocks Cherries Figgs Pomegranates c. In fine there is scarce any Fruit or Root that grows in England France Spain or Italy but hath been try'd there and prospers well You may have there also Hemp Flax Pitch and Tar with little labor the Soyl is apt for Hops Rape-seed Annice-seed Woad Madder Saffron c. there may be had Silk-worms the Country being stor'd with Mulberry-trees and the superfluity of the Wood will produce Pot-ashes There is a great quantity of Syder made there at present and as good as in any other Countrey good Perry and Quince-drink is there likewise made in great plenty The Ground doth naturally bring forth Vines in great quantities
the quality whereof being something corrected by Industry as there have been several trials thereof already made there may no doubt produce good Wine to the great encouragement and advantage of the Undertakers Brave Ships may be built there with little charge Clab-board Wainscot Pipe-staves and Masts for Ships the Woods will afford plentifully some small Vessels have been already built there In fine Beef Furrs Hides Butter Cheese Pork and Bacon to Transport to other Countreys are no small Commodities which by Industry are and may be had there in great plenty the English being already plentifully stock'd with all sorts of Cattel and Horses and were there no other Staple-Commodities to be hop'd for but Silk and Linnen the materials of which apparently will grow there it were sufficient to enrich the Inhabitants But the general Trade of Mary-land at present depends chiefly upon Tobacco it being the Planters greatest concern and study to store himself betimes with that Commodity wherewith he buys and sells and after which Standard all other Commodities receive their Price there they have of late vented such quantities of that and other Commodities that a hundred Sail of Ships from England Barbadoes and other English Plantations have been usually known to Trade thither in one Year insomuch that by Custom and Excize paid in England for Tobacco and other Commodities Imported from thence Mary-land alone at this present hath by his Lordships vast Expence Industry and Hazard for many years without any charge to the Crown improv'd His Majesties the King of Englands Revenues to the value of Forty thousand Pounds Sterl per annum at least The general way of Traffick and Commerce there is chiefly by Barter or Exchange of one Commodity for another yet there wants not besides English and other foraign Coyns some of his Lordships own Coyn as Groats Sixpences and Shillings which his Lordship at his own Charge caus'd to be Coyn'd and dispers'd throughout that Province 't is equal in fineness of Silver to English Sterling being of the same Standard but of somewhat less weight and hath on the one side his Lordships Coat of Arms stamp'd with this Motto circumscrib'd Crescite Maltiplicamini and on the other side his Lordships Effigies circumscrib'd thus Caecilius Dominus Terrae-Mariae c. The Government The Order of Government and settled Laws of this Province is by the Prudence and endeavor of the present Lord Proprietary brought to great Perfection and as his Dominion there is absolute as may appear by the Charter aforementioned so all Patents Warrants Writs Licenses Actions Criminal c. Issue forth there in his Name Wars Peace Courts Offices c. all in his Name made held and appointed Laws are there Enacted by him with the advice and consent of the General Assembly which consists of two Estates namely the first is made up by the Chancellor Secretary and others of his Lordships Privy-Council and such Lords of Mannors and others as shall be call'd by particular Writs for that purpose to be Issu'd by his Lordship The second Estate consists of the Deputies and Delegates of the respective Counties of the said Province elected and chosen by the free voice and approbation of the Free-men of the said respective Counties The Names of the Governor and Council in this present Year 1671. are as followeth Mr. Charles Calvert his Lordships Son and Heir Governor Mr. Philip Calvert his Lordships Brother Chancellor Sir William Talbot Baronet his Lordships Nephew Secretary Mr. William Calvert his Lordships Nephew Muster-Master-General Mr. Jerome White Surveyor-General Mr. Baker Brooke his Lordships Nephew Mr. Edward Lloyd Mr Henry Coursey Mr. Thomas Trueman Major Edward Fits-Herbert Samuel Chen Esq His Lordship or his Lieutenant there for the time being upon due occasion Convenes Prorogues and Dissolves this Assembly but whatsoever is by his Lordships Lieutenant there with the consent of both the said Estates Enacted is there of the same Force and Nature as an Act of Parliament is in England until his Lordship declares his dis-assent but such Laws as his Lordship doth assent unto are not afterwards to be Alter'd or Repeal'd but by his Lordship with the consent of both the said Estates Their chief Court of Judicature is held at St. Maries Quarterly every Year to which all Persons concern'd resort for Justice and is call'd The Provincial Court whereof the Governor and Councilare Judges To the Court there doth belong several sworn Attorneys who constantly are present there and act both as Barristers and Attorneys there are likewise chief Clerks Bayliffs and other Officers which duly attend the Court in their respective places The Province is divided at present so far as it is inhabited by English into Counties whereof there be ten viz. St. Maries Charles Calvert Anne Arandel and Baltemore Counties which first five lie on the West side of the Bay of Chesapeack on the Eastern side whereof commonly call'd The Eastern-Shore lies Sommerset Dorchester Talbot Caecil and Kent Counties which last is an Island lying near the Eastern-shore of the said Bay Besides the Provincial Court aforenam'd there are other inferior Courts appointed to be held in every one of the Counties six times in the year for the dispatch of all Causes not relating to Life or Member and not exceeding the value of three thousand weight of Tobacco the decision of all other Causes being reserv'd to the Provincial or higher Court before-mention'd and there lies Appeals from the County-Courts to the Provincial Court There are Sheriffs Justices of the Peace and other Officers appointed by the Lord and Proprietary or his Lordships Lieutenant for the time being in the said respective Counties and without four Justices of which one to be of the Quorum none of the said respective County-Courts can be held any of his Lordships Privy Council may sit as Judge in any of the said County-Courts by vertue of his place These Courts are appointed to be held at convenient Houses in the said Counties which commonly are not far distant from some Inn or other House of Entertainment for accommodation of Strangers one of the said six County Courts in each County is held for settling of Widows and Orphans Estates There are Foundations laid of Towns more or less in each County according to his Lordships Proclamation to that effect Issu'd forth in the year 1668. In Calvert County about the River of Patuxent and the adjacent Cliffs are the Bounds of three Towns laid out one over against Point Patience call'd Harvy Town another in Battel-Creek call'd Calverton and a third upon the Cliffs call'd Herrington and Houses already built in them all uniform and pleasant with Streets and Keys on the Water side In the County of St. Maries on the East side of St. Georges River is the principal and original Seat of this Province where the general Assembly and Provincial Courts are held and is call'd St. Maries being erected into a City by that Name where divers Houses are already
but all their Eyes were Painted white and some red strokes like Mutchato's along their Cheeks round about him those Fiends Danc'd a pretty while and then came in three more as ugly as the rest with red Eyes and white strokes over their black Faces at last they all sate down right against him three of them on the one hand of the chief Priest and three on the other then all with their Rattles began a Song which ended the chief Priest laid down five Wheat Corns then stretching his Arms and Hands with such violence that he sweat and his Veins swell'd he began a short Oration at the conclusion they all gave a short groan and then laid down three Grains more after that began their Song again and then another Oration ever laying down so many Corns as before till they had twice incircled the Fire that done they took a bunch of little Sticks prepared for that purpose continuing still their Devotion and at the end of every Song and Oration they laid down a Stick between the Divisions of Corn rill night neither he nor they did either eat or drink and then they feasted merrily with the best Provisions they could make Three days they us'd this Ceremony the meaning whereof they told him was to know if he intended them well or no. The Circle of Meal signifi'd their Countrey the Circles of Corn the bounds of the Sea and the Sticks his Countrey They imagin'd the World to be flat and round like a Trencher and they in the midst After this they brought him a Bag of Gun-powder which they carefully preserv'd till the next Spring to Plant as they did their Corn because they would be acquainted with the nature of that Seed Opitchapam the King's Brother invited him to his House where with as many Platters of Bread Fowl and wild Beasts as did environ him he bid him wellcome but not any of them would eat a bit with him but put up all the remainder in Baskets At his return to Opechancanoughs all the Kings Women and their Children flock'd about him for their Parts as a due by Custom to be merry with such Fragments At last they brought him to Meronocomoco where was Powhatan their Emperor Here more than two hundred of those grim Courtiers stood wondering at him as he had been a Monster till Powhatan and his Train had put themselves in their greatest Braveries Before a Fire upon a seat like a Bedsted he sat cover'd with a great Robe made of Rarowcun-Skins and all the Tails hanging by On either hand did sit a young Maid of sixteen ox eighteen years of Age and along on each side the House two rows of Men and behind them as many Women with all their Heads and Shoulders Painted red many of their Heads bedeck'd with the white Doun of Birds but every one with something and a great Chain of white Beads about their Necks At his entrance before the Emperor all the People gave a great shout The Queen of Appamatuck was appointed to bring him Water to wash his Hands and another brought him a bunch of Feathers in stead of a Towel to dry them Having Feasted him after their barbarous manner as well as they could a long consultation was held but in conclusion two great Stones being brought before Powhatan as many as could laid Hands on him dragg'd him to them and thereon laid his Head when being ready with their Clubs to beat out his Brains Pocahontas the Emperors dearest Daughter seeing no intreaty could prevail got his Head in her Arms and laid her own upon his to save him from death whereat the Emperor was contented he should live to make him Hatchets and her Bells Beads and Copper for they thought him a Man of all Occupations like themselves for the King himself will make his own Robes Shoes Bowes Arrows Pots Plant Hunt or do any thing as well as the rest Two days after Powhatan having disguis'd himself in the most fearful minner he could caus'd Captain Smith to be brought forth to a great House in the Woods and there upon a Mat by the Fire to be left alone Not long after from behind a Mat that divided the House was made the most doleful noise he ever heard then Powhatan more like a Devil than a Man with about two hundred more as black as himself came unto him and told him That now they were Friends and presently he should go to James-Town to send him two great Guns and a Grindstone for which he would give him the Countrey of Capahowosick and for ever esteem him as his Son Nantaquoud So to James-Town with twelve Guides Powhatan sent him That Night they Quarter'd in the Woods he still expecting as he had done all this long time of his Imprisonment every hour to be put to one Death or other for all their Feasting but Almighty God by his Divine Providence had mollifi'd the Hearts of those stern Barbarians with compassion The next Morning betimes they came to the Fort where Smith having us'd the Salvages with what kindness he could he shew'd Rawhunt Powhatan's trusty Servant two Demi-Culverins and a Milstone to carry to Powhatan they found them somewhat too heavy but when they saw him Discharge them they being loaded with Stones amongst the Boughs of a great Tree loaded with Isickles the Ice and Branches came so tumbling down that the poor Salvages ran away half dead with Fear But at last we regain'd some Conference with them and gave them some Toys and sent to Powhatan's Women and Children such Presents as gave them in general full content SECT V. Carolina Situation and Description of Carolina CArolina is that part of Florida which lies between twenty nine and thirty six Degrees and thirty Minutes of Northern Latitude It is wash'd on the East and South with the Atlantick Ocean on the West with Mare Pacificum or the South Sea and on the North bounds on Virginia A Countrey wherein Nature shews how bountiful she can be without the assistance of Art the Inhabitants excepting a little Maiz which their old Men and Women Plant depending meerly on the natural and spontaneous Growth of the Soil for their Provisions the Woods furnishing them with store of Fruit and Venison and the Rivers with plenty of several sorts of wholsom and savory Fish This Maintenance which without forecast or toil they receive from the natural fruitfulness of the Countrey will if we consider either the largeness of their Growth or the duration of their Lives be thought neither scanty nor unhealthy their Stature being of a larger size than that of English-men their Make strong and well proportion'd a crooked or mis-shapen Person being not to be found in the whole Countrey and where the chance of War which they are almost continually engag'd in one against another in their little Governments spares any of them they live to an incredible old age so that when the English came there they found some of their Kings
who saw descend from them the sixth Generation Production of the Soil The Soil is very rich and fertile producing naturally Walnuts Grapes of which the English who are there Planted have made very good Wine Apricocks Bullys with a multitude of others besides the Woods also are full of very good Peaches and all the Season of the Year strew'd all over with Strawberries Mulberry-Trees are the common growth of the Woods and to assure you they are the natural Offspring of the Place and grow to an incredible bigness one whereof the English who are new Planted at Albemarle Point on Ashley River made use to fasten the Gate of their Pallisado to was so large that all who came from thence say they never saw any Oak in England bigger which is but the ordinary size of the Mulberry-Trees of this Countrey which is so sure an Argument of the richness of the Soil that the Inhabitants of Virginia enquiring of the Seamen who came from thence concerning the Quality and Product of the Countrey when they were inform'd of the large Mulberry-Trees it produc'd were so well satisfi'd with it that they made no farther Enquiry There are also other Trees as Ash Poplar and Bay with several sorts unknown to us of Europe but those which make it almost all one general Forrest of large Timber-Trees are Oak both red and white and Cedar There are also here and there large Groves of Pine-Trees some a hundred Foot high which afford a better sort of Mast than are to be had either in Mary-Land or Norway These larger Trees weaving their luxuriant Branches into a close Shade suffer no Under-wood to grow between them either by their Droppings or else the Heads of Deer which loosening all the tender Shoots quite destroy it so that a great part of the Countrey is as it were a vast Forrest of fine Walks free from the heat of the Sun or the incumbrance of Shrubs and Bushes and so clear and open that a Man may easily ride a Hunting amongst the Trees yielding a Prospect very pleasant and surpassing On the Skirts of these Woods grow lesser Trees and Shrubs of several sorts amongst them are sundry Dying Materials which how well the Inhabitants know how to make use of appears in the Deer-Skins that the chief of them wear which are Painted or rather Dy'd with several lively Colours But amongst their Shrubs one of most note and use is that whose Leaves make their Casini a Drink they frequently use and affirm to be very advantageous for the preservation of Health which by the description our English give of the size colour and shape of the Leaf the sort of Tree it grows on and the taste colour and effects of the Drink which is nothing but the Decoction of the Leaf seems to be the very same with the East-India TEE and by those who have seen and tasted both affirm'd to be no other and may very probably be a spontaneous and native Plant of this Place since those who give us an account of it tell us that this so much valu'd Leaf grows most plentifully in Nanking a Province in China under the very same Latitude and very much agreeing in Soil and Situation with this of Carolina What Herbs else the Countrey produces the English Enquirers who by minding their Plantations and Settlement there have been taken off from such unprofitable Actions give us but little account onely they say that those Plats of Ground which have been formerly clear'd off by the Indians for the Planting their Corn they found thick cover'd with three-leav'd Grass and Dazies which the fertility of the Soil thrusts forth whenever the Natives remove their Tillage to some other place and leave the Earth to its own production and in other parts they found plenty of Garden Herbs growing wild The low and Moorish Grounds are for the most part overgrown with Sedge and Reeds and such other Trash which usually incumbers rich and uncultivated Lands those they call Swamsas which with a little Husbandry would prove very good Meadows There are also some large and pleasant Savanas or grassy Plains These are a part of the Trees and Plants best known to us that Nature of her self produces in a Soil which contrives and nourishes any thing The English who are now Planted in the most Northern parts of it at Albemarle bordering on Virginia have Apples Pears Cherries Apricocks Plumbs and Water-Melons equalling and if you will believe the Inhabitants both in largeness of size and goodness of taste exceeding any in Europe And they who are Setled farther South on Ashley River have found that the Oranges Lemmons Pomegranates Limes Pome-citrons c. which they Planted there have thriven beyond expectation and there is nothing which they have put into the Earth that through any defect in the Soil hath fail'd to prosper Commodines of the Countrey Besides those things which do serve to satisfie Hunger or provoke it the Land doth with great return produce Indigo Ginger Tobacco Cotton and other Commodities fit to send abroad and furnish foreign Markets and when a little time shall have brought those kind of Plants to maturity and given the Inhabitants leisure to furnish themselves with Conveniences for ordering those things aright the Trials that they have already made of the Soil and its fitness for such Plantations assure you that besides Silk enough to store Europe and a great many other considerable Commodities they shall have as great plenty of good Wine and Oyl as any part of the World The Mould is generally black mellow and upon handling feels soft and to use their Expression who have been there soapy and is generally all over the Countrey just like the fine Mould of our well order'd Gardens Under this black Earth which is of a good thickness in most places that they have try'd there lies a Bed of Marle and in some parts Clay Fish and Water-Fowl The Rivers are stor'd with plenty of excellent Fish of several sorts which are taken with great ease in abundance and are one great part of the Natives Provision who are never like to want this Recruit in a Countrey so abounding in large Rivers there being in that one small Tract between Port Rasal and Cape Carteret which are not one Degree distant five or six great Navigable Rivers that empty themselves into the Sea These Rivers are also cover'd with Flocks of Ducks and Mallard whereof millions are seen together besides Cranes Herons Geese Curlews and other Water-Fowl who are so easie to be kill'd that onely rising at the discharge and noise of a Gun they instantly light again in the same place and presently offer a fresh Mark to the Fowler At the Mouths of the Rivers and along the Sea-Coast are Beds of Oysters which are of a longer Make than those in Europe but very well tasted wherein are often found good large Pearls which though the unskilful Indians by washing the Oysters do commonly discolour and
Shoulders and sucking in their Breath and if he be a great Man whom they Salute they stroak his Thighs too as civil an Address as those Patterns of good Breeding the Hero's us'd to their Princes who in their greatest Courtships we are told embrac'd their Knees After their Salutation they sit down and it is usual with them to sit still almost a quarter of an hour before they speak which is not an effect of stupidity or sullenness but the accustom'd Gravity of their Countrey for they are in their Tempers a merry frollick gay People and so given to Jollity that they will Dance whole Nights together the Women sitting by and Singing whilest the Men Dance to their Ayrs which though not like ours are not harsh or unpleasing but are something like the Tunes of the Irish So that if we will not let our selves too fondly admire onely the Customs we have been bred up in nor think Men are to be valu'd for making Legs after our Mode or the Clothes they wear which the finer and gayer they are always the more to be suspected of Luxury and Effeminateness if we will allow but these Men to follow the Garbs of their own Countrey and think them fine enough in a shape onely to hide their Nakedness before or a Deer-skin hanging loosely on their Shoulders and their Women not ill Dress'd in Garments of Moss and Necklaces of Beads whilest the Fashion of their Courts require no other Ornaments if I say a long and pleasant Life without Distemper or Care be to be valu'd without the incumbrance of unnecessary Trinkets if Men are to be esteem'd for Valor Honesty Friendship Humanity and good Nature though Strangers to the ceremonious Troubles we are accustom'd to the Natives of Carolina will as little or perhaps less deserve the Name of Miserable or Salvage as those that give it them 'T is true the French and Spaniards who have Planted amongst them or with little Armies travell'd their Countrey have been ill handled by them but yet the Indians never did them any harm or treated them otherwise than Friends till those Europeans by their breach of Faith and several Outrages had provok'd their just Revenge and they did nothing but what most vertuous and generous sort of Men are apt to do to revenge those Affronts which did not agree with their Tempers tamely to endure That this did not proceed from treachery and inconstancy in their Natures is apparent in the contrary Correspondence they have had with the English Setled amongst them to whom they have been all along very kind as they were at first very covetous of their Company for after that some of their King's Relation had been at Barbados and had seen and admir'd the Temper Fashions and Strength of the English there and had been very civilly Treated in that Island they were so well satisfi'd with them that at the coming of the English to Settle there the several little Kingdoms strove with all the Arts and Arguments they could use each of them to draw the English to Plant in their Dominions by commending the richness of their Soil conveniency of their Rivers the healthiness of their Countrey the disparagement of their Neighbors and whatever else they judg'd might allure the English to their Neighborhood Nor was this onely the first heat of Men fond of Novelties and as soon weary of them again but ever since the English first Planted at Albemarle Point on Ashley River they have continu'd to do them all manner of friendly Offices ready on all occasions to supply them with any thing they have observ'd them to want not making use of our Mens Necessities as an opportunity to enhance the Price of their Commodities a sort of fair Dealing we could scarce have promis'd them amongst civiliz'd well bred and religious Inhabitants of any part of Europe and though they are much frighted with our Guns both small and great yet like innocent and well-meaning People they do not at all distrust our Power but freely without suspicion trust themselves both Men and Women even their Kings themselves in our Town Lodging and Dancing there frequently whole Nights together upon no other Pledges but the bare confidence of our mutual Friendship nor do our Men use any greater caution in Conversing with them stragling up and down and travelling singly and unarm'd through their Woods for many Miles about and are so far from receiving any injury or ill treatment from them that on the contrary they are kindly us'd and Entertain'd and guided by them in their Way whenever they desire it and when any of our Men meet them in their Walks the Indians all stand still till they are gone by civilly Saluting them as they pass Nor doth this Assurance of theirs bound it self within their own Homes they of their own accords venturing themselves aboard our Ships have gone voluntarily with our Men to Virginia and Barbados Nor have the English been wanting on their parts in any thing that may preserve this Amity being very cautious of doing them any injury bartering with them for those things they receive of them and buying of them even the waste Land they make no use of Besides the simplicity of the Indians Diet it is very remarkable that they have a general aversion to those two things which are most acceptable to our Palates and without which few of us either eat or drink with any delight for in their Meats they cannot endure the least mixture or rellish of Salt and for their Drink they utterly abominate all manner of strong Liquor to the latter whereof their large Growth and constant Health is perhaps not a little owing Their manner of Government Every little Town is a distinct Principality Govern'd by an Hereditary King who in some places is not Son but Sisters Son to the precedent King the Succession of the Blood-Royal being continu'd by the safer side The great Business of those Princes is to lead their Men out against their Enemies in War or against the Beasts in Hunting for unless it be to appoint them where to Hunt or else to Consult about making some Attempt upon their Enemy he hath but small trouble in the Government of his Subjects who either through their own Honesty or the few occasions they have for Controversies in their extempore way of Living need few Laws and little Severity to keep them in order but yet they Govern their People without Contract and fail not of a ready Obedience to their Commands so that when some of them have bought things of such of the English who by the Orders made amongst our selves were not to Traffick with the Indians they have upon Complaint made to their Casiques been restor'd again though in strict Rules of Law they were neither bound by nor oblig'd to take notice of the Rules which were made onely to Govern our own People and had at just Prices bought what they carry'd away such is the Honesty of Men
largest In this Province is the Rio de lo Spirito Santo The Soyl though it produces Indian Wheat twice a year yet it is never Dung'd but when the Corn which is planted in March and June is in they burn the Weeds the Ashes of which serves them in stead of Soil The King divides the Corn according to every Mans Family In the Winter they dwell four Moneths in the Woods where they build small Huts of Palm-boughs feed on Venison smoak'd Fish and Crocodiles which have pure white Flesh and are caught after this manner Their manner of taking Crocodiles On the Shore of the Rivers they build little Houses full of round Holes in which they place a Watch who is to give notice to ten or twelve Associates cover'd all over with Boughs full of little sharp Prickles which they thrust into the Crocodiles Throat who with open Mouth comes running at them and so throwing him on his Back stick his Belly full of Arrows and kill him with Clubs But with more subtilty and art they take their Deer As also their Deer viz. They hide themselves unde a Stags Skin so cunningly that it seems as if living which they place near the Rivers where the Deer generally come to drink when on a sudden they shoot them Floridans though libidinous yet live long Their Priests serve in stead of Chirurgeons wherefore they always carry a Bag full of Herbs about with them which are chiefly good against venereal Distempers for these People are exceeding libidinous nay Sodomy and defiling of young Children is accounted no sin Yet though they are much inclin'd to Women they attain to a great Age. Rene Laudoniere Landing not far from the City Augustine situate on the Banks of the River May met with the Floridan Governor Saturiona who conducted him to the French King's Court of Arms erected two years before which Saturiona as a testimony of his zeal to the French had Crown'd with Laurel and Flowers Saturiona had with him also his Son Atoreus who had begotten divers Children on his Mother whom his Father after that time no more acknowledging resign'd her up wholly to him At which time also his great Grandfather being then living was above a hundred and fifty years old and saw his Childrens Children to the fifth Generation The Religion in Florida is abominable wicked and cruel Their horrid Religion When they return Conquerors from a Battel the old Women take off the dry'd Hair from the fore-mention'd Poles hold it aloft and thank the Sun for their Victory But the Offerings of their first-born Sons are terrible for they knock out their Brains with a Club in the presence of the King Their annual worshipping of the Sun is also very ridiculous for filling the Skin of a Stag full of sweet-smelling Herbs they hang the Horns and Neck with Garlands and carry it with the noise of their kind of Vocal and Instrumental Musick to a high Trunk or hollow Body of a Tree on which they place the stuff'd Stag with his Head towards the Sun which done they falling down desire that he would please to afford them plenty of all such Fruit as they Offer to him after which taking their leave they let the fore-mention'd Skin remain there till the following Year The Spaniards since their Defeat in the Fort Carolina and their Engagement with Sir Francis Drake Anno 1585. have had little disturbance on Florida Drake's Exploit on Florida Drake having burnt and plunder'd Domingo and Carthagena steer'd along the Coast of Florida and discover'd a Beacon on the same whereupon he sent out Spies who sail'd a League up a River on whose Banks they saw a Fort and somewhat higher the Town Augustine built full of woodden Houses all which being related to him he steer'd thither fir'd his Guns twice against the Fort St. John which the Spaniards answering onely with one Volley fled with their Commander Peter Menendez when the English prepar'd to Storm a Prisoner being a French-man came in a Boat from them to Drake and inform'd him that the Spaniards had left the City Augustine and Fort St. John to which Drake going found there Pallisado's of pleited Boughs cover'd with Earth and a Chest with two thousand Pound for the payment of the Soldiers and fourteen Brass Guns with which he set Sail from thence The Mountains of this Countrey are onely the Apalatei suppos'd by the Natives to have rich Mines of Gold in them and which the Spaniards saw but had not time nor other accommodation to stay and search them by reason they were so much wearied and wasted with a long March before they gat thither and found the People so stout and obstinate thereabouts that in stead of entertaining them with their Hens and Fowl as other places had done they were welcom'd with Blows and made to return leaving not a few of their best Soldiers behind Rivers there are many and those very large and commodious as 1â— Rio Secco or The Dry River so call'd by the Spaniards as some think because they could find no Gold in it 2. Rio Grande or The Great River 3. Ligeris 4. Garunna 5. Sequana c. These last so nam'd by the French who after the Spaniards for some time had but never held any long possession of the Countrey There are also Rio de Flores Rio de Nieves and Rio de Spirito Santo lesser Streams yet all of them with the rest falling at several places into the great Lake of Mexico and some of them not a little haunted by the Caymans or West-Indian Crocodiles a Creature as hath been said before dangerous both at Sea and Land The Natives who as yet hold Possession and Command of it for the most part are themselves generally sorted into certain Tribes or great Families all which are Govern'd severally by Chiefs of their own whom they call Paracoussi and by reason thereof are almost continually in Feud and War one with another The Towns and Places most known in this Province are 1. St. Helens seated on or near unto a Promontory of the same Name where this Countrey bordereth on Virginia 2. Fort Charles or Arx Carolina built and so nam'd by the French King but afterwards ruin'd by the Spaniards 3. Port Royal a well frequented Haven at the Mouth of a River which beareth the same Name More within Land there is 1. Apalache an old Town of the Natives formerly a Place of great resort but now a poor thing of about forty or fifty Cottages and yet as poor as it is Pamphilius Narvaez as before related when he search'd the Countrey found the Natives not willing to part with it for though he took it from them it was not without some resistance and they quickly recover'd it again and at the 2. nam'd Aute another old Town of theirs nine days March from the other they overtook him and fell so resolutely upon him that he left not a few of his best Soldiers dead
upon the place and was content himself to march quietly away with the rest 3. Ochalis a Town consisting of about five or six hundred Sheds and Cottages likewise of the Natives 4 Vittacuche a Burrough of two hundred Houses There is also on the the Eastern Shore of this Peninsula St. Matthews a Place possess'd and well fortifi'd by the Spaniards and St. Augustines on the same Shore but lying somewhat more Southerly than the other at the Mouth of a River of the same Name taken and sack'd by Sir Francis Drake in the Year 1585. SECT II. Jucatan YUCATAN Conventus Iuridici Hispaniae Novae Pars Occidâ—â—talis et GUATIMALA CONVENTUS IURIDICUS St. FRANCISCO DE CAMPECHE The chief Towns of the Province are 1. Merida in the Navel of the Countrey and the Seat of the Governor twelve Leagues distant from the Sea on either side 2. Valladolidt thirty Leagues distant from Nerida 3. Campeche a great Town consisting of about three thousand Houses or more when first conquer'd by the Spaniards who found such Monuments of Art and Industry in it as did clearly argue that the Place had been once possess'd by some People that were not barbarous It is now call'd St. Francisco and was surpriz'd in the Year 1596. by Captain Parker an English-man who took the Governor himself and some other Persons of Quality with him together with a Ship richly laden with Gold and Silver besides other Commodities of good value 4. Tabasco by the Spaniard now call'd Villa de Nuestra Sennora de Victoria and commonly Victoria onely in memory as 't is thought of the first great Victory which Cortez otain'd over these People at the Battel of Potonchan as hath been said 5. Cintla 6. Potonchan 7. Salamanca All along the Coast of this Countrey there lie certain Islands some within the Bay or Gulph call'd Honduras pertaining to the next Province as 1. La Zarza 2. La Desconescida 3. Vermeia 4. Los Negrillos and some without it as 1. Zaratan 2. Pantoia 3. De Mugeres or The Island of Women so nam'd by the Spaniards who at their first Discovery of these Parts for a long time together could meet with none but Women The chief of them is call'd Acusamil commonly Cozamul and is fifteen Leagues in length and about five in breadth and was as it were the Thoro-wfare or Common Road of the Spaniards when they first discover'd the Countreys of New Spain For first here Landed Ferdinando de Corduba after him John de Grialva and others and last of all the fortunate Cortez It is now call'd St. Crux CHAP. IV. Guatimala It s Situation and Bounds GUatimala stretcheth to the Isthmus or Neck of Land which as we said joineth the Northern and Southern parts of the New World together This Countrey is bounded Northward with the Peninsula of Jucatan abovesaid and part of the Gulph or Bay of Honduras on the South with Mare del Zur on the East and South-East it hath Castella Aurea and on the West New Spain The length of it lieth upon the Coast of Mare del Zur and is said to be little less than three hundred Leagues but the breadth not half so much and in some places very narrow It is generally a fertile and good Countrey in all respects but especially abounding in Cattel and good Pastures it is subdivided into seven inferior Provinces or Countreys which are 1. Chiapa 2. Verapaz 3. Honduras 4. Nicaragua 5. Veragua 6. Costa Rica and 7. Guatimala specially so call'd all differing in Language and Customs one from another The Bishoprick as it is now call'd of Chiapa is border'd on the West with New Spain on the East with Vera Paz and on the South with Mare del Zur It is a Countrey much shaded with Woods and those replenish'd with many fair and goodly Trees of divers sorts and of the largest size as Oaks Pines Cedar Myrtle and Cypress-Trees besides others which yield them a good kind of Rozen precious Gums c. also several sorts of Balsom as white red green and black not onely pleasant to the Scent but an excellent Remedy for all manner of green Wounds the best of it drops out of the cut Bodies of the Trees and the worst is press'd out of the Wood and Leaves Trees and Plants There are also proper to this Countrey several other kinds of Trees and Plants as that whose Fruit tastes like Pepper and Cloves being of a great heighth a Tree whose Leaves cure all ulcerated Sores or the bitings of any poysonous Beast There is a sort of Cabbage call'd Ilantas which grows to the heighth of a Tree so that Birds make their Nests in them they are eaten likewise like other common Cabbages There is also an Herb with narrow Leaves which is no sooner touch'd but it shrinks up to nothing but at the going away of those which touch it it obtains its former vigour Here are likewise Quails Birds Ducks Geese Pheasants Parrots Turtle-Doves Pigeons and the like in great abundance Amongst the several sorts of Falcons which breed in this Countrey there is one sort which hath one Foot proper to its kind the other like that of a Goose it feeds on Fish along the Rivers The Bird Toto-Queztall which is somewhat smaller than a Pigeon with green Feathers and a long Tail is taken onely for its Tail which when the Indians have pull'd out they let the Bird fly again there being a Law amongst them that whosoever kills one of them is to suffer death The Cranes here are of a dark Gray the biggest of them have a tuft of Feathers like a Crown upon their Heads The Birds Guacamayes which are red and blue are like a Peruan Goose Birds Moreover the Countrey yields brave Horses Goats Sheep Rabbets and Foxes Beasts also wild Dogs Leopards Lyons and Tygers The wild Hogs which breed here have their Navels on their Backs and have no Tails they smell exceeding strong and feed together in great Companies The Taquatrin a certain Beast proper to those Parts hath a Bag under its Belly in which it generally carries seven or more young ones and hath also a bald Tail it creeps into Houses in the Night to steal Hens Here is also a certain Beast whose Name we find not about the bigness of a Rabbet and like a Rat and carries its young ones on its back whensoe're it comes abroad The Serpents which are very numerous here trouble the Inhabitants exceedingly especially near the Village Ecatepeque where there are such an abundance on two little Hills that none dares approach them some of them are very poysonous for if touch'd with a Stick the Poyson runs up the same and whoever are anointed with the Blood of a dead Serpent die a lingring Death John de Laet relates that the Indians took one which carried thirty young ones which being a Finger long crep up and down immediately and the old one being above twenty Foot long serv'd the Natives
for Venison Amongst other Beasts is also the Teuthlacokauhqui or Fortress of the Serpents it hath a Head like an Adder thick Belly glittering Scales a black Back sprinkled with white Crosses at its Tail there grows yearly a Bone with which it makes a noise when it stirs its poysonous Teeth destroy those which are bit therewith in twenty four Hours unless the part which is wounded be held in the Earth so long till the pain be over Notwithstanding the noise terrible aspect and gestures of this Animal the Indian Hunters make nothing to take the same by the Tail and wrap it up in Linnen and carrying it home make it tame It is able to live a whole Year without either Meat or Drink its Head when cut off grows to the bigness of a Man's Thigh in ten days time No less resolute are the Indians in taking the Ibitobaca which is an Ell long of a crimson Colour full of black and white Specks the Bones whereof they wear about their Necks in stead of Chains The Serpent Iquanna The Iquanna is a Serpent which doth no manner of hurt though terrible to look upon to those which know it not having a Bag under its Chin a glittering Comb on its Head and on its Back sharp Bones which stand like a Saw and a long Tail It lays fifty Eggs at a time as big as Acorns of a very good taste and fit to eat when boyl'd It also lives both in the Water and on the Land Here are also many Baboons Baboons which are big and heavy with ugly Heads short Legs like a Man and Tails standing upwards they eat all sorts of Fruit but chiefly covet after Wine and Bread and are so lascivious that they often set upon Women The Females generally bring forth two one Male and the other Female There is also another sort whose Skins being red are full of little Spots The ancient Inhabitants of Chiapa divided into the Chiapaneca's the Zeques the Zeltates and the Quelenes are very Civil and Witty also skilful in Painting Singing Breaking of Horses and many other Trades Towns and Villages of Note The Places of more principal note in this Countrey inhabited by the Spaniards are 1. Ciudad Real pleasantly seated in the midst of a round Vale or Plain and almost encompass'd with Hills representing the form of an Amphitheatre also at the Foot of one which stands in the midst of the rest the City is built It is a City specially Priviledg'd by the King of Spain having a Court of Justice Cathedral and Dominican Cloyster of a pure and temperate Air and the Countrey round about plentifully abounding both in Corn and Fruit onely somewhat too cold to produce Lemmons and Oranges but for Pears Apples Peaches Quinces Cherries and the like they grow here in great abundance 2. Chiapa which giveth Name to the Valley aforesaid It is a Bishop's See and famous if but for one of its Prelates viz. Bartholomeo de las Casas of the Order of Predicants who was Bishop of this City and his Memory justly precious amongst the poor Americans at this day for his Charity towards them and for the stout and zealous opposition which he made against the Spaniards cruel and inhumane dealings with the Natives at the beginning of their Conquests by which at last notwithstanding much difficulty and resistance made by interested Persons of the other Side he procur'd them liberty and an Edict from the Emperor in favor of them whereby they were declar'd to be a Free People and not Slaves and the Spaniards forbidden to use them any longer as such or to force them to any kind of Labour against their wills or otherwise than by agreement with them which Liberty they enjoy to this day and though the Spaniards are said to give them very small Wages in some places and for their Work in their Sugar-Mills which is no small Labor not above five Reyals or Two shillings six pence a Week for the Maintenance of themselves their Wives and Children yet by reason it is with Consent and in a Countrey where all things are plentiful and cheap their Condition is much better than it was and the favor which that good Bishop did them never to be forgotten It is at present a great and populous City and lieth almost in the mid-way betwixt the Cities of Mexico and Guatimala 3. St. Bartholomews in the Countrey of the Quelenes 4. Tecpatlan the chief of twenty five Villages said to belong to the Zoques Here the Dominicans have another Cloyster The Zeltates possess a fruitful Countrey have thirteen Villages planted with Trees that yield Cochenile being under a Common-wealth Government The chief Place of the Quelenes is Copanavatzla where there is good Cheese and store of brave Cattel The River Chiepa gliding through the midst thereof loseth it self in the Northern Ocean In this part of the Country are Beasts not unlike Apes with long Tails which they wind about the Legs of those whom they find swimming and so pull them under Water wherefore they that go to Swim take Axes along with them to cut off their Tails The Water of the River Blanco is clear and wholsom running for the most part through Rocky Grounds which nevertheless are overspread with Trees In the highest Ground of Chiapa a League and a half from the City Reall spring clear Fountains whose Water ebbs and flows every six hours Near the Village call'd Afixa is one which runs three years together though in the driest Season and is dry three years though it Rain never so much Not far from the Village Cinacatan is another Spring whose Water cures several Sicknesses but kills all Birds and Beasts which drink of the same Here are likewise divers Baths The Rivers which run out of the Valley Chiapa fall into two great Pits Near the Village Bartholomew in the Province Quelenes is a strange Cavern out of which by the throwing of a stone into the same are heard mighty noises like claps of Thunder Not far from the Village Chicomucolo appears a Cavern in which is a great Plain on one side and a standing Lake whose Water is like Sand on the other The Spaniards if they wanted not Slaves might dig good store of Gold Silver Copper Lead Tin and Quicksilver out of the Mynes on the Mountain Ecatepeck which is in nine Leagues compass The Wind blows so strong after Sun-rising that no Man is able to travel for it but in the Night SECT II. Vera Paz. VEra Paz or The Countrey of True Peace was so nam'd by the Spaniards Situation and Bounds as they say because it was never conquer'd by the Sword but reduc'd to Obedience onely by the Preaching of the Dominican Fryers It is bounded on the West and South-West with Chiapa on the East with some part of Guatimala and Honduras and on the North with Jucatan It contains about thirty Leagues in length and almost as much in breadth being a woody and mountainous
Countrey for the most part yet well distinguish'd with Valleys and lower Ground It is much subject to Rain which 't is said to have for nine Moneths of the Year almost continually by reason whereof the Countrey being otherwise hot is much annoy'd with a kind of Mosquit or great sort of Gnats which spoil the Fruit very much and are otherwise not a little trouble to the People Moreover there happen oftentimes terrible Earthquakes and Storms with Thunder and Lightning Commodities of the Countrey The chief Commodities of this Countrey are a kind of Amber which some call Liquid Amber which drops from divers of their Trees and is said to be a Commodity very precious and of much use Mastick Sanguis Draconis Gum Anime Sarsaparilla China-Wood and divers other Medicinal Drugs which it affordeth in great plenty The Woods afford a sweet smell and the Trees in the same grow a wonderful heighth The Canes which grow here being a hundred Foot long and proportionably thick serve for Timber There is also a hard Wood call'd Iron-Wood either from its hardness or colour or both which never rots The abundance of Flowers which grow here afford nutriment to innumerable swarms of Bees which are about the bigness of small Flies Their Honey which is somewhat tart they hide in the Roots of Trees or in the Earth Another sort which is made by the Wasps bereaves those that taste of their Senses The noted'st Beast in this Countrey is the Danta Beasts which resembles a Mule hath no Horns but Ash colour'd long Hair short Neck hanging Ears thin Legs with three Claws before and two behind long Head narrow Forehead little Eyes a Nose hanging over its Mouth little Tail sharp Teeth and a Skin which is six Fingers thick and scarce penetrable by any Weapon This Beast is taken in Traps Holes or else with Dogs which he often kills when hunted towards the Water They say that this Beast taught Men first to Let-blood for if it be too full of Blood it pricks it self against a sharp Cane and stops up the Orifice again very carefully The Flesh thereof is good Meat as also that of the Ross-Lyons which in the day-time sleep on a high Tree where they are shot by the Indians The Tygers are much more dangerous to be taken yet the Indians Hunting them eat them in stead of Beef and also through all New Spain The Bears which make the Ways very dangerous to travel have black frizled Hair broad Tails Feet like Mens Hands but since the Indians have made use of Guns which they learn'd from the Spaniards they have much lessen'd the number both of Bears and Tygers There are likewise many Leopards Apes and wild Goats whose Skins serve the Natives for Drums Hogs and Armadillo's Amongst their Fowls are Eagles and Parrots The Countrey is so well stor'd with Water that in three Leagues space are above thirty Rivulets and as many Fountains Medicinal Plants On the Mountains grow great quantities of Sarsaparilla Mechoacan and the China-Root which being yellowish hath several Saffron-colour'd Knobs on the top The Sarsaparilla grows with many Stalks creeping along over the Ground the Body thereof is tough and full of Prickles the Leaves broad and sharp at the ends and are of a bluish colour on one side and green on the other and bear Clusters of Flowers which close like Buds and are first green next vermilion-red and lastly blackish within are two hard Stones which inclose a white Kernel by the Indians call'd Juapecanga The Bay Golfo Dulce which pours its muddy Water into the Sea feeds the great Fish Monati and a great number of Crocodiles Several Rivers abounding with Fish fall also into the same having their Banks set all along with Trees in whose Boughs joyn'd together on the top those sort of Birds make their Nests which prey on Fish The Women in this place are much shorter Liv'd than the Men so that there are often thirty Widowers to one Widow Women with Child are Deliver'd by themselves in the High-way and from thence they go to the next River to wash themselves and the Child Places of note As for any Towns or Places of much Traffick or Note inhabited by the Spaniards we find not any nam'd save onely St. Augustines near unto which there is said to be a Cave and Fountain within Ground which converts the Water that falleth into it out of several lesser Springs into a kind of Alabaster or Stone perfectly white and fashions it likewise into Pillars Statues and other artificial Forms of very curious Workmanship as Laet reporteth SECT III. Honduras Situation and Bounds HOnduras hath on the South Guatimala abovesaid on the West a certain Bay or Arm of the Sea which they call Golfo Dulce from the abundance of fresh Waters which run into it from all Parts on the North and North-East the Atlantick Ocean and somewhat to the South-East Nicaragua It contains in length viz. from East to West Coasting along upon the Sea about a hundred and fifty Leagues and in breadth eighty The Countrey is rich both in Corn and Pasturage being said to be very much advantag'd that way by the constant overflowings of the Rivers which are very many about Michaelmass-time and which the People order so well that they water their Gardens and exceedingly fertilize the whole Champain or lower part of the Grounds by them The fruitful Valleys of this Countrey were anciently very well inhabited till vast multitudes of the Natives were destroy'd by the Spaniards Cruelties of which the Bishop Bartholomeo de las Casas in his Letter to the Emperor Charles the Fifth gives this Relation Cruelties of the Spaniards The young Children saith he they murder'd beating out their Brains against the Stones the Kings and Princes of the Countrey they either scorch'd to death or threw them to the Dogs to be torn in pieces the poor People they drove into their Houses and then set them on fire those that remain'd were condemn'd to the greatest slavery imaginable being us'd in stead of Mules and Horses and having greater Burdens laid upon them than they were able to carry insomuch that thousands of them fell down dead under them some out of despair running into the Woods were famish'd after they had kill'd and eat their Wives and Children for Hunger In this one Province onely they massacred above twenty hundred thousand Men and amongst others Persons of Quality which had civilly Entertain'd them nay they tortur'd the poor innocent Natives all the ways they could possibly invent onely to know of them where their Gold lay particularly Diego de Valasco spar'd none that ever fell into his hands insomuch that in a Moneths time above ten thousand were slain by him He hang'd thirteen Noble-men to twelve of whom he gave the Denomination of The twelve Apostles and the chiefest of them he call'd in a derision Jesus Christ Some they suffer'd to starve to death with their Heads
compress'd between the cloven Barks of wild Vines some also they buried alive and leaving onely their Heads to appear above Ground bowl'd Iron Bullets at them and forc'd them to eat one another besides infinite other hellish Cruelties too horrid and dreadful to be recounted Commodities of the Countres This Countrey produces much Maiz Wheat Honey and great Calabashes from whence the first Discoverers call'd that Sea Golfo de las Ybueras because they met with abundance of Calabashes floating on the Water which at Santo Domingo bear the Name of Ybueras This Countrey is water'd by three Rivers the first Chamalucom which glides by the City San Pedro the second Ulva inhabited on both Shores the third Haguaro the Grounds adjacent to which would prove very fruitful were the Inhabitants not too lazy In stead of a Plough they use a long Pole with two crooked Staves at the end one bent downwards and the othes upwards with which they cut and turn the Earth The Natives feed on several Roots Flesh and Vermine At their Feast they make themselves Drunk with a Drink made of Honey Noble-men heretofore onely drinking the Liquor of Cacao but of late it is common and made by all People though never so mean They speak several Languages the chiefest whereof is that of the Chontales a salvage People They divide their Year call'd Joalar that is Passing into eighteen Moneths and each Moneth into twenty Days They formerly measur'd the Year by the Nights and began the Year forty days sooner than the Europeans New Valladolid The Towns in this Province are 1. New Vallodolid by the Indians nam'd Comayagua lying in a pleasant Valley under a temperate Climate The Cattel brought hither from Spain increase exceedingly The Silver-Mynes are also so well stor'd that they keep the Melting-house in the Town always employ'd The Governor of this Place hath his Residence next to the Treasury-Chamber Anno 1588. the Bishop's See was translated hither from Truxillo Nineteen years before which Francisco de Monteio sent his Lieutenant Alphonso de Cacenes thither to build a Village half way between the Southern and Northern Ocean who accordingly erected the Town Santa Maria de Camoyagua near a River Navigable for Canoos which disembogues in Puerto de Cavallos The remaining part of the Way to the Haven Fonseca being passable for Carrs which was a means to prevent many Inconveniences which us'd to happen to Travellers on the Way between Panama and Nombre de Dios the Spanish King was so much concern'd at the first proposal hereof that he sent the famous Surveyor Baptista Antonello thither and the rather because he received information that the new Way along which they carried the Merchandise from Peru Mexico and other Countreys along the South Sea lay very pleasantly by reason of the brave Vineyards Corn-Fields Fruit-Trees Pastures Streams abounding with Fish Herds of Deer and Cony-Warrens yet Antonello meeting with many troubles would not undertake the Business New Valladolid is adorn'd with a great Church a Cloyster belonging to the Monks De la Merced and handsom Streets Gratias a Dios. 2. Thirty Leagues West ward from this City lies another call'd Gratias a Dios begun by Captain Gabriel de Royas Anno 1530 that so he might be near the Gold-Mines But because the Natives kept the new Inhabitants in continual alarm and daily Storm'd the unfinish'd Fortifications Royas was necessitated to leave off building any farther the rather because none came to his assistance from the neighboring Garrison Six years after Gonzales de Alvarado undertook this Work and built the City on a Rocky Mountain which though otherwise barren produc'd lusty Horses and strong Mules 3. San Pedro St. Pedro. though lying under a hot and unwholsom Climate us'd formerly to be a brave City of Trade but it is gone much to decay since Golfo Dolce hath been discover'd because from that Bay the Commodities are carried in Barques up into the Countrey Juan de Puerto de Cavallos 4. The Village Juan de Puerto de Cavallos inhabited by Factors and Moors It receiv'd that Denomination because not far from it several Horses were forc'd to be thrown over-board in a Storm Though it be but ill fortifi'd yet it hath an exceeding large Haven Captain Christopher Newport arriving here Anno 1591. found two hundred Houses and in them a considerable Booty left notwithstanding four Ships richly laden had lately set Sail from thence Six years after Newport Capt. Ant. Sherly re-took the Place and leaving the Haven open for Pyrats Alphonsus Coriado judg'd it convenient to remove the Trading Place to Amatique he built the Village Thomas de Castilla and fortifi'd the same against all manner of Assaults TRUâ—â—LLO Behind Cavallos lies the Valley Naco which is exceeding fruitful being situate between high Mountains where formerly was found plenty of Silver 5. Eastward from Cavallos appears the famous City Truxillo near a large Bay Truxillo secur'd from all Storms by two Cliffs full of Trees the Mouth of the Haven call'd Joan Gil is above two Leagues broad and receives two Rivers one from each side of the City The Stream Quaimarotte flows Eastward and the River Antonio Westward both abounding in Fish The Countrey round about produces abundance of all sorts of Provisions and chiefly abounds in Grapes which are gather'd twice a year Eight days after August they cut their Vines which afford them ripe Grapes again in October they have two Harvests of Corn also Lemons and Oranges are very plentiful The Cattel brought hither from Spain are exceedingly increas'd to an incredible number Truxillo it self lying on a steep Mountain is defended on that side which respects the Sea with a thick Wall of six Foot high between which and the Haven are many brambly Bushes which prevent the access to the Wall onely a narrow and steep way leading up to the City which hath a strong Gate guarded with two Brass Guns and sufficiently Fortifi'd to oppose an Enemy The Eastern Cliff which bends before the Haven is call'd Punta la Rye on which stands a House with a high Beacon Beyond the Wall Eastward near the Haven is a Ship-yard before which stands a large Woodden Cross The Castle in which the City Store is kept joyns to the Wall near unto which within the Town appears St. Francis Church but the Cathedral call'd Eglesia Major is seen above all other Buildings The Houses cover'd with Palmito-Leaves have Walls of Pleited Bushes Plaister'd over within and without Behind the City where it lies open are exceeding high Mountains Attempts upon this place by the English and Dutch Anno 1576. the English falling on this strong Place carry'd a rich Booty from thence after which Capt. Anth. Sherly and Capt. Will. Parker ventur'd once more on the same but being discover'd by the Centinel were forc'd to Retreat not without a considerable loss When not long after Captain John Van Hoorn a Hollander attempting the same had
much better success for he Weighing Anchor for Pernambuc with four Frigats three Ketches and a Sloop set Sail to Truxillo where arriving lay close before the City with his four Frigats which fired very fiercely on the Town the Inhabitants of which not being idle kill'd three Men in one Ship forc'd her to fall farther off from the Castle Whilst the Ketches and Sloop went about a Gun shot Westward beyond the City towards the River Antonio where they Landed two hundred and fifty Soldiers which march'd with all speed up the Hill where the Castle lay which they Scal'd at Noon-day the Besieged being provided with seven Guns shot and threw Stones continually amongst them yet were forc'd to Retreat from the Dutch Hand-granado's During the storm the Admiral himself Landed but before he came out of the Boat the foremention'd Soldiers had made themselves Masters of the Fort with the loss of onely eight Men and were busie Pillaging all places they came at and carrying their gotten Booty to a Watch-house near the Castle on the Shore when on a sudden a Fire happen'd in the East part of Truxillo which increas'd in such a manner that in few hours two third parts of the City lay in Ashes every one then had enough to do to save themselves yet for all the haste they made several Hollanders were kill'd at the blowing up of the Magazine and most of the Booty lost by the Fire insomuch that they carry'd but two hundred thirty nine Skins six Bales of Indigo eight hundred and twenty Pounds of Sarsaparilla seven Brass and three Iron Guns four Clocks and some few trifles with them having before made an agreement for twenty Pound of Silver with the Governor Joan de Miranda who inform'd them that they had not the least knowledge of the Hollanders Fleet till the Evening when the Beacon on Punta La Rye was fir'd Moreover that the City was inhabited by two hundred Spaniards and as many more Mulatoes and Moors and that the Trade thereof was much gone to decay because there had been no Gallies there in two years before Twenty seven Leagues from this City lies the Village Jorgo de Olancho where four thousand Spaniards force Tribute from sixteen thousand Indians who possess much Gold SECT IV. Nicaragua Situation and bounds NIcaragua is a County of this Province border'd Northward with Honduras on the East with the Atlantick Ocean and part of Veragua on the South with Mare del Zur and on the West with Guatimala being call'd by Diego Lopez de Salzado The New Kingdom of Leon and comprizing several little Territories as Nicoya Nequecheri Mabyth Deria Masaya Mandigua Cacoloaque Cepeoco Los Micos Madira and the Contales It hath few Rivers in it the want whereof is supply'd by the benefit of a great Lake in the midst of the Countrey call'd by the Spaniards Laguna de Nicaragua containing as is suppos'd above one hundred Leagues in compass It empties it self by the Port of St. Juan into the Atlantick or North-Sea but reacheth as far as the South or Mare del Zur at least within a very few Leagues and from whence some Spanish Captains are said to have made a passage though with much difficulty into the Lake and from thence to the North-Sea It is abundantly well stor'd with good Fish but withal much haunted with Crocodiles and the Countrey about it so plentiful in all things especially Cattel Cotten-Wool Sugars and all kind of Fruits Amongst which the chiefest is the Zeiba which is of so great a thickness that fifteen Men holding Hand in Hand can scarce encompass the same The Callabashes ripen here in fourteen days time The Sea along the Coast breeds Whales and other Sea-Monsters which are often seen above Water Nature of the Inhabitants The Inhabitants of this Countrey except the Chontales which live on the Mountains and maintain their old Salvage Customs have for the most part learnt the Spanish Tongue and Manners and exercise themselves in all sorts of Arts and Siences especially in Working of Silver making of Clothes Wax-Work and the like From the Mountains they gather Balsom Liquid-Amber Turpentine They also drive a great Trade in Cotton Skins and several sorts of Provisions to Panama and Nombre de Dios. The Lake Laguna de Nicaragua which hath a hundred and seventeen Leagues in Circumference and round about inhabited is by three Leagues of Land separated from the South-Sea and discharges its Waters into the River Desaguadero which falls into the Northern Ocean Alphonsus Calera and Diego Machuca de Zuaso were the first that Sail'd out of the foremention'd Lake into the Sea not without many dangers by reason of the great Water-falls call'd Rondales which fall into the River Desaguadero and forc'd them often times to draw their Barques over the Land The chief City is Cities 1. Leon which is surrounded with Woods and lies close by the Lake hath a great Church five Cloysters belonging to the Monks de la Mercede several Houses for the King's Officers and a hundred and twenty thousand Families of Indians which pay Tribute Three Leagues beyond Leon appears a high spiry Mountain from whose top both Morning and Evening rises a mighty smoke and sometimes casts out great sulphurous Stones over the neighboring Fields and on a sudden mighty Flames A Dominican Monk in hopes to get some melted Gold out of its burning Mouth went up the same with four of his Fraternity and carry'd an Iron Chain and a Kettle which were no sooner let down into the hole but they were immediately melted yet not so discourag'd they resolv'd to venture a second time with stronger Materials which nevertheless had the same or rather worse event for the Fire flew out in such a manner that the Dominicans sadly scorch'd had enough to do to escape with Life since which none durst presume to approach the same But besides the Episcopal City Leon Erected by Franciscus Fernandez 2. Granada acknowledges the same Builder and lying also on the shore of Laguna de Nicaragua is adorn'd with a Castle Church and several Sugar-Mills Not far from it lie the small Lakes Masaya and Lindiri the first which is inclos'd between exceeding high Mountains covers the Foot of the burning Mountain Masaya the other falls into Laguna de Nicaragua near which is the smoky Mountain Munbacho surrounded with Fruit-Trees 3. 4. The Towns Jean and Neuva Segovia which are not far from thence are of little consequence 5. Realeio this is as it were the Chattam of America being a place on the South-Sea where the King of Spain hath all his Ships built that are made of American Timber and inhabited by few or none but Shipwrights Mariners and Men of that kind of Profession 6. 7. Nicoya Avarines 8. Cartage forty Leagues distant from Nicoya and lying almost in the midst of the Isthmus or Streight of Darien equally distant both from the North and South Sea on both which it is
said likewise to have a convenient Port or Haven for Shipping The Spaniards when first they Landed here call'd this Countrey Mahomets Paradise because of its exceeding Fruitfulness The Cacao which they use here in stead of Money is not unlike the Stone of an Almond The Inhabitants in stead of using a Steel and Flint to strike Fire withal rub two pieces of Wood together so long till one of them is kindled and burn the Boughs of Pine-Trees in stead of Candles Amongst the several Languages which they speak the Mexican is the chiefest Amongst their Recreations Dancing is principal Strange manner of Dancing which is perform'd after a very strange manner for they meet sometimes two or three thousand together according to the bigness of the Province in a spacious Field which is made clean before for that purpose He that leads the Dance goes backward and with many strange Gestures turns himself about which the rest following four and four together in a row imitate whilst their Tambores beat on hollow Instruments and sing Songs which are first answer'd by the Ring-leader of the Dance and then seconded by the whole Company each of them waving a Fan or a Callabash and being all adorn'd with Plumes of Feathers on their Heads and Strings with Shells about their Arms and Legs they also act several antick Tricks the one the blind Man the other the Cripple one feigns himself to be deaf the other makes a wry Mouth one cries and another laughs whilest others drink healths in Chocolate which continues till-Midnight The Fish Manati A King of this Countrey in former times us'd to feed the Fish Manati with Bread in the Lake Guainabo where it would appear at its being call'd Matto Matto which signifies Noble-minded and oftentimes carry eight or ten Boys on its Back from one side of the Lake to the other but being shot by a Spaniard with an Arrow never appear'd again There is likewise a black Beast in this Countrey call'd Cascu resembling in some things a Hog it hath a hard Skin little Eyes open Ears cloven Feet short Nose and makes such a terrible noise that it affrights those which hear it No less strange and wonderful is the Fox-Ape which hath two Bellies one under another in the lowermost of which it carries its Young which are never brought into the World till they are able to shift for their own Food It hath the Body of a Fox Feet like a Man's Hands and Ears like a Batt It will not be amiss before we conclude with this Province to give you a Relation of the Discourse which hapned Anno 1527. between the Spanish Commander Francisco de Monteio and the Nicaraguan Casique Alquinotex who being a hundred and ten years old told him That before the Spaniards arrival there great numbers of his Soldiers perish'd after a strange manner for after having vomited abundance of Worms they fell down dead on a sudden those that escap'd the Contagion differing amongst themselves made two Parties which twice Engaging with one another each of them lost above a hundred and fifty thousand Men. Yet both these Plagues were no ways to be compar'd to the Slaughter which the Spaniards had made amongst them About the same time an Italian call'd Hieronymo Bonzo Lodging with a Nicaraguan Noble-man that understood the Spanish Tongue was thus set upon by him What do not Oh Christ the Christians do they no sooner get their Foot into an Indian 's Hut but they commandingly call for Maiz Honey Winter-Clothes Gold Silver and a Woman to cool their lustful desires Certainly there is nothing more vicious on Earth To which Bonzo gave him this Answer The wicked Spaniards commit oftentimes unseemly things The Indian again suddenly retorted saying Where are any such Men to be found as good Spaniards I have never known any but wicked Villains To which Bonzo said Why have you made place for them on Nicaragua Which was thus reply'd to by the Nobleman All People round about took Oath on the first News of the Christians arrival to hazard all and fight to the last Man before they would be under the insupportable Yoke with which they had heard other Countreys were oppress'd with by them To which purpose they made ready Bowes Arrows Lances Stones Clubs and other Weapons of War But when it came to the trial the Spanish Horse of which they had never seen the like struck such a terror into the Indians that they fled and sent two Agents to Monteio to desire Peace but their Design was onely to gain time that they might gather new Forces to venture a second Encounter which prov'd as fatal to them as the first Then desiring Peace once more they gather'd all that were able to bear Arms and swore one to another not to stir a Foot and withal made a Law That whosoever did shrink should be kill'd immediately But the Women being inform'd hereof begg'd that they might rather suffer under the Spanish Yoke than be torn in pieces by their Dogs or kill'd by their Bullets and Swords alledging that they were not able to resist the Spaniards and entreated them that if they were resolv'd to go on with their first Design they would first send their Wives and Children to the other World that so they might not fall into the hands of the merciless and bloody Christians Whereupon most Voices judg'd it convenient to make use of the Opportunity and to submit to Monteio But his cruel dealings made some to contradict that Determination for which they paid dearly for not onely they but their little Infants were put to the most cruel Deaths imaginable which made many of them also to lay violent hands on themselves SECT V. Costarica Bounds and Nature of the Countrey COstarica borders on the East with Veragua on the South and East with the Sea and on the North with Nicaragua The Countrey it self is barren and mountainous whose Inhabitants were valiant enough to Encounter with the Spanish Forces being unwilling to lose their former Priviledges This Coast was discover'd first by Christopher Columbus who Anno 1502. Sailing up the Rivers Belen and Veragua with Barques took much Gold out of the Mynes Urira but chiefly from between the Roots of Trees which were grown together SECT VI. Veragua Bounds and Nature of the Country VEragua is bounded on the West with Costarica on the East it hath the District or Countrey of Panama being otherwise wash'd on all sides by the Sea It hath its Name from a River of great note in this Tract by which it was first discover'd The Countrey is for the most part mountainous and the Soil outwardly barren but recompencing all defects with the abundance of its more inward Wealth that is to say in the richness of its Mynes of which it is said to afford many and so inexhaustibly rich and good that the Spaniards here know no end of their Wealth although by the stoutness and untameableness of the
Natives it was a long time and they met with many difficulties before they could make themselves Masters of the Treasure It s chief Towns The chief Towns they have here are 1. La Conception lying at the Mouth of a River so nam'd and the Seat of the Governor 2. La Trinidad upon the Banks of the same River likewise but down towards Port Beleno and about six Leagues Eastward of Conception 3. St. Foy twelve Leagues more to the South where the Spaniards melt their Gold and cast it into Bars or Ingots 4. Carlos a Town they have upon the Coast of Mare del Zur 5. Philippina another on the West of Carlos both of these seated upon a large capacious Bay before which there lie certain little Islands to the number of thirty or more which the Spaniards are said to have wholly dispeopled long since by forcing the Natives over into the Continent to work in the Mynes as usually they did before the Emperor's Prohibition but now they use Slaves or Negro's which they buy for that purpose from Guinee and other Parts SECT VII Guatimala properly so call'd Bounds of the Country GUatimala specially so call'd hath on the West the River Xicalapa which divides it from Vera Paz on the East it is bounded with the Countrey of Nicaragua on the North with Honduras and on the South with Mare del Zur This Countrey was conquer'd by Peter de Alvarado Anno 1525. It is by reason of its neighborhood with Vera Paz not altogether clear of Mountains but otherwise well water'd with Rivers and enrich'd with fair and fruitful Valleys which afford not onely good Pasturage and many great Herds of Cattel but likewise good store of Wheat Maiz and other Fruits of the Earth Great plenty of Cotton-Wool is generally both here and in the other Provinces viz. Vera Paz Chiapa c. some Medicinal Woods likewise and Liquors and absolutely the best Sulphur in America The People are generally tractable and well dispos'd both in point of Religion and civil Government Towns of note The Towns of chief note are 1. Guatimala now call'd St. Jago de Guatimala since the re-building thereof for about the Year 1586. it was almost buried in Ashes which one of the neighboring Mountains for the space of six Moneths together continually belch'd out in such fearful quantities that many People were slain the old City deserted and a new one built in another place The day before this sad Accident hapned the neighboring Mountains were observ'd to shiver and a great noise was heard from under Ground which amazing the Indians the news thereof was carried to the Bishop Franciscus Moroquin who narrowly enquiring into the Causes of these Accidents and what they might portend found that a sad Event would suddenly follow as accordingly it did for about midnight on the eighth of August Anno 1541. such a mighty store of Rain fell as if the Clouds had been all dissolv'd into Water which came rowling from the Rocky Mountains with such violence that it wash'd down great Stones which carried on by the strength of the Water against the Houses beat them down and none could have seen how they were ruin'd had not the mighty flashes of Lightning follow'd by terrible claps of Thunder lighted the Night Some instantly deserting this miserable place fled up into the Countrey and there built a new Guatimala as above-mention'd sur-nam'd St. Jago three Leagues farther towards the East in a Valley through which flow two Rivers between two Vulcans or smoaking Mountains which sometimes vomit forth terrible Flames mix'd with dreadful Thunder-claps Ashes and great Stones insomuch that the Ground all about it which is exceeding fruitful seems to move There are many of these Vulcans in several parts of America as namely at Arequipa in the Kingdom of Peru at Puebla de los Angelos in the Province of Tlascalla abovesaid a Mountain of so great heighth that they are fain to go little less than thirty Leagues turning and wind-before they can reach the top of it and others in several other places They are generally Mountains of great heighth and running sharp upwards but at the top containing some quantity of plain and level Ground in the midst whereof is a Pit or Hole out of which abundance of Smoak and fiery Sparkles are vomited almost continually and so deep that they are suppos'd for the most part to reach to the very bottom of the Mountain Some of these Vulcans cast forth neither Fire not Smoak yet are clearly seen to burn at the bottom with a quick Fire and which is so extreamly hot that it instantly melteth Iron or any other Metal that is cast into it as by experience hath been found for some conceiving that the Matter which maintains these Fires within the Bowels of the Earth so long together can be nothing else but melted Gold have endeavor'd several times to extract and draw it forth in certain Vessels of Iron and Brass which they have caus'd to be let down into the bottom of the Vulcan or Pit by long Iron Chains made on purpose but as we said the extream heat and force of the Fire below always melted them before they could be drawn up again and by that means hath rendred all such Attempts frustrate In this Town now call'd St. Jago reside above six hundred Spanish Commanders and more than twenty five thousand Indians which pay Tribute They have also a brave Church and two Cloysters one belonging to the Dominicans and another to the Order La Merced and likewise a noble Hospital Not far from thence is a place call'd Yzaleos where there are Orchards of Cacoa two Leagues in square each of them producing yearly as much as fifty thousand Men are able to carry They reckon the Cacao by Contels which is the number of four hundred by Xequipiles of eight thousand and by Carga's of twenty four thousand In this County is a Mountain whose top smoaking continually consumes by degrees and oftentimes covers the neighboring Countrey with Ashes The Water which flows from the same differs very much for some of it is wholsom and fit to drink some foul and stinking and some turns Wood if laid in the same to Stone Here is also the Beast whose Head is highly esteem'd for the Bezoar-Stone which it carries in the same Here is likewise a little Bear which in stead of a Mouth hath a long Nose with a round Hole in it and a hollow Tongue with which it sucks Honey and disturbs the Nests of Pismires The Women in this Place make curious Earthen Ware colour'd either red or black with the Mud of two several Brooks The Indians call'd the boyling Fountains in this County Hell because they bubble up a Bowes-shot high and make the River Caliente which notwithstanding it hath pass'd half a League through a wide Channel retains its exceeding heat Not far from it lies a Stone which having a Crack in the middle sends forth a thick
Damp and against bad Weather a thundering noise On the Mountains grow exceeding large Trees especially Oak Here Pismires which are of an extraordinary bigness are brought to Market amongst other Provisions 2. St. Salvador forty Leagues distant from Guatimala Eastward and seated upon the River Guacapa and having about it a small Territory which by some is accounted a distinct Countrey or Province 3. Acaputla a Town of the Natives situated at the Mouth of the River and being as it were the Port-Town to St. Salvador 4. Trinidad a Town of great resort being the greatest Empory and Place of Traffick for all sorts of Commodities betwixt the People of New Spain and those of Peru. 5. St. Michaels two or three Leagues distant from the Bay Fonseca upon the South Sea 6. Xeres de la Frontera on the Confines of this Province towards the Borders of Nicaragua besides several Villages which we shall have occasion to mention In the middle of a Lake within this Territory is an Island on which the Indians had a Tradition That a Man no sooner set his Foot but he died immediately which Opinion of theirs was chang'd when the Spaniards went thither in Boat-fulls and return'd safe again with Relation that they had seen a large Stone Image resembling a Woman before which lay the Ashes and Bones of slain People Round about the Village Guaymoco grow great Balsom-Trees which afford Timber of fifty five Foot long From this Village leads a Way to the City Salvador near which the fore-mention'd River Guachapa runs with so many windings that the Traveller is forc'd to cross the same several times before he can come to the Foot of a Mountain which formerly cast out terrible Flames but now the combustible Matter being consum'd there appears onely a great Hole on the top with Ashes in a large compass round about it At the Foot of the same are two Pits one of which smoaks continually in such a manner that it stifles all those that approach it yet the Mountain is well overspread with Cedars and Pine-Trees Three Leagues farther lies the Village Nixapa and not far from thence the Hill Elmal Pais which consists of great Stones and Ashes wonderfully mixt together No less wonderful is a Brook which flows in the Night till Morning and then sinks into the Ground And in the Countrey Choluteca is another which hides it self at Noon and appears again towards Night The Cavern which formerly produc'd Fire and Smoke now affords good Water to the Village Curcatan and City Salvador Near the Village Yztepegve are five Springs which cast up Allom and Sulphur The Natives Chontales which speak several Languages flock to the Village Mimilla to make Offerings not far from hence are two Pits one of which is full of boyling Water and the other as cold as Ice Moreover Cocori lies near a high Mountain on the top of which is a very turbulent Lake The chiefest Haven of this Countrey Havens which lies along the South-Sea is Bahia de Fonseca Discover'd by Gonsalves Davila Anno 1522. and so nam'd from Joan Rodrigas de Fonseca Bishop of Burgos In the middle thereof appears the Island Petronella with nine others of which four are inhabited by Indians The good conveniency of the Haven Fonseca induc'd some of the Spaniards to make a new Passage from the side of the Southern Ocean to the Northern viz. from Panama to Nombre de Dios designing it to reach from the said Haven Fonseca unto Puerto de Carellos which are distant one from the other forty five Leagues most of it good way except some over-grown Mountains which might be made passable with little trouble to which purpose they built the Town Buena Esperanca yet nevertheless the Work remain'd unprosecuted There are moreover reckon'd as appertaining to Guatimala the small Provinces Soconusco Suchitepec and Chilulteca the chief of them being Soconusco to which belongs the Town of Gevetlan where the Spanish Governor hath his Residence the rest seem to be onely small Territories about Towns of the same Name in like manner as St. Salvador and St. Miguel before-mention'd CHAP. V. The Kingdom of Mexico or New-Spain Bounds of New-Spain NEw Spain the chiefest part of the Northern America reckons in length from the East-Point of Yucatan to the place where Mechoacon juts against Guadalajara three hundred and sixty Leagues and in breadth from the Northern parts of Panucos to the Southern Ocean a hundred and eighty Leagues besides a great part which lies to the Northward behind inaccessable Mountains and Wildernesses inhabited by the Tepecuaenes Guachucules Cacatequas Tecaxquines and others and was before the Spaniards Conquer'd and Dismember'd it much larger than now it is for as much as it comprehended the whole Province of New-Gallicia and reach'd from the furthest Point of the Peninsula of Jucatan Southward as far as New-Biscay and the Confines of California Northward containing in length seven hundred Leagues and more and about half as much in breadth But since the Conquest by Hernando Cortez and his Followers the whole Countrey of New-Gallicia is taken from it and made a distinct Government or Audiencia as the Spaniards call it of it self â—VA HISPANI â—OVA GALICIA GVATIMALA The Original The Natives of the Countrey are of the Race of the Chichimecae a Salvage and Wilde sort of People of the Province of New-Gallicia especially in the Parts of New-Biscay living in Forests and in deep Caves under Ground whose Posterity do still at this day much trouble and annoy the Countrey thereabouts notwithstanding all the endeavors of the Spaniards and the Garrisons which they keep in those parts on purpose to destroy them About five hundred years ago or more according to the account of the Mexican Annals divers Hoards as they are call'd of these Chichimecae weary it seems of their Woods and subterraneous dwellings issu'd out into the more open Air and fell down in huge multitudes into these Southerly parts of America which are now call'd Mexico and New-Spain not all at once but at several times and under several names viz. of the Suchimilci Chalcae Tepanecae Tlascaltecae and others who subduing or driving out the People they found in those parts Seated themselves in their room And though at first every Nation or Company of them as they came seiz'd upon some Province apart by themselves and held it as it were in Soveraignty to themselves without acknowledgement of any dependance or subjection to their Neighbors or those that were there before them yet in Tract of time and by fortune of the Wars which they made one upon another they fell under the Government of one King viz. the King of Mexico which was the chief City of the Province The state of the Mexican Kingdom before the Spaniards arrival This Kingdom at the time that the Spaniards first Discover'd the Countrey was Govern'd by a Prince nam'd Motezuma one who by his Valor and good success in the Wars
ingenious in divers mechanical Arts especially in making of Feather-Pictures a piece of Curiosity wherein they are held to be incomparably or rather inimitably excellent and so industrious at it that although the Americans generally are not a People over-much addicted to any kind of Labor or Study yet at this they will sit a whole day together without either Meat or Drink onely out of a natural affection they have to the Work and a desire to be excellent in it The Countrey indeed affords them great variety of Birds and other Fowl of most rare and exquisite Colours which is a great advantage to their Skill and helps much to the accomplishment of their Work They Paint likewise very curiously upon their Cottons and are held to be generally the best Goldsmiths in the World of most perfect skill in the purging and refining of all sorts of Metals but especially of Gold and Silver And yet in other things so strangely stupid and ignorant that when the Spaniards first appeared amongst them not a few of them as 't is reported took the Horse and Man both for one Creature and when the Horse Neighed they would enquire very seriously what he said Lakes of New-Spain There are likewise many fair Lakes in this Province but the principal are those of Chapala and Mexico the former of which is in the more Northern parts of the Kingdom towards the Borders of New Gallicia and is chiefly famous for the abundance of good Salt that is yearly made and Transported thence The other of Mexico is one of the largest and goodliest in the World of circular form as some say little less than nine hundred Miles in compass environ'd with the main Land the Peninsula or Cape of Florida Jucatan and the Island Cuba having two onely Passages in and out and both of them well fortifi'd the one betwixt the Point of Jucatan and the Isle Cuba where the Tyde violently enters and the other betwixt the said Island and the Cape of Florida where it goeth as violently out upon which Gulf the King of Spain hath always some good Ships in readiness for all occasions and by them 't is suppos'd he doth more assure his Estates in those parts of America than by all the Garrisons besides The whole Kingdom of Mexico or New-Spain is subdivided into these Inferior Provinces The several Provinces 1. The Arch-bishoprick of Mexico 2. The Bishoprick Mechoacon 3. Los Angelos or Tlascale 4. Guaxaca 5. The Lordship Panuco And 6. the Province Tabasco NOVA MEXICO bound of Mixicana It is bounded on the East with the East with the Gulf of Mexico on the West with Mechoacan on the North with Panuco and some parts of New-Gallicia and on the South with Tlascalla Nature of the Countrey This Countrey is both large and rich containing not much less than one hundred and thirty Leagues both in length and breadth and if it yields any thing to Peru in the plenty of Gold and Silver 't is certain it much excels it in many other Commodities as namely in all sorts of Fruits abundance of Cattel plenty of Corn and Grain in all which the advantage this Countrey hath not only of Peru but of all the other Provinces of America beside is well known Not to speak any thing of the great plenty and variety of good Fish which both the Rivers and Lakes of this Countrey afford which is very great insomuch that the very Tribute of the one Lake of Mexico is said to yield an Income of above twenty thousand Crowns yearly one with another The People of the Countrey are generally Industrious and Active especially since the Spaniards came among them rich Merchants if they apply themselves to it and they say likewise good Soldiers when they are train'd and imploy'd that way Chief Towns of Mexicana The chief Towns and places of the Province are 1. Mexico both anciently and at present the Metropolis and Capital City being the Seat of an Archbishop and the ordinary Residence of the Vice-Roy and chief Governors of New-Spain Description of the City Mexico This City by the Indians was formerly call'd Tenustatan lies in nineteen Degrees and a half to the Northward of the Equinoctial-Line rais'd out of a brackish Lake full of muddy Water whose circumference along the Mountains is seventy Leagues This Lake swarms continually with Boats which carry the People to and again from one inhabited Island to another four Stone-bridges no less costly than artificial with Arches and Gates in several places lead from the City to the Main Continent The fresh Water which they have in the City Mexico is led into the same through Pipes that lie in the bottom of the Lake but none are to enjoy the benefit thereof before they have paid a certain Sum of Money to the King's Collectors Moreover the City divided into Islands contains above sixty thousand Houses which being built on several Isles have large Bridges which reach from one to another some that lie in the middle of the Lake they approach in little Boats round about the Lake especially where the way leads from the Continent into the City lie several Suburbs all inclos'd with Walls between which stand strong Towers cover'd on the top To keep off the force of the Water the Tenustatans have with great labor and charge made a Bank through the Lake half way along the City But the Lake Laguna from whose bottom Mexico is rais'd is divided in two parts the Sweet Lake which is higher than the Salt falls in to the same through Sluces with Bridges built on the Bank that leads from the City to the main Land The Salt-Lake which hath brackish and bitter Water ebbs and flows according as the Wind blows no Fish is able to live in the same because the Water which in the sight of Mexico falls into the same out of the Mountains hath a sulphury Ground All along the shore much Salt is made with which the Citizens drive a great Trade There are continually above a hundred thousand Boats by the Indians call'd Acales and by the Spaniards Canoos going off and on from one shore to another The fresh Water Lake which is bigger than the salt and feeds small Fishes hath above fifty Suburbs about the same of which some boast five thousand and others ten thousand Houses Nay the Suburb Tescuco in former times was no way inferior to Mexico in bigness since the Spaniards have been Masters of this City they stopt up many Moats to inlarge their narrow Streets Besides three publick Markets every open place affords all sorts of Provisions daily the Indians call the Markets Tianguystly and the Spaniards Tianguez the first and chiefest stands in Tatelulco adorn'd with Galleries on three sides in the middle of this Square which is accounted the biggest in the World stands next to the place of Execution a stately Fountain the Tents which are every Week pitch'd up here for Trade amount to above thirty
thousand The second Market call'd St. John's is in Mexico and swarms continually with People The third is call'd Hipolito from the Guardian-Saint of the City whither every Wednesday and Thursday comes such a multitude of People that this spacious Market is too little for them for the sale of every Commodity a peculiar corner is allotted but great Packs are left to be dispos'd of in Boats which lie near the shore At the four corners of the City at present call'd St. John St. Maria la Rotonda St. Pablo and St. Sebastian are above four thousand Spanish Families and thirty thousand Indians besides what inhabit Tatelulco now St. Jago The Temperature of the Air. The Air in this place is very strange in the day time the Sky is generally Serene the North Wind against the Evening brings Rain of which the Mountain Tepeaquilla lying a little League beyond the City gives certain Testimonies for when a black Cloud appears on the top thereof it is certain to be blown from thence over Mexico with Rain After a moist Evening follows a Star-light Night and a pleasant Morning From September till May it is generally dry Weather here but if it chances to Rain the Rain is attended with a Storm which occasions a sulphurous Fogg very unwholsom and so dark that one Man cannot discern another and causes a pain through all the Limbs nay sometimes Death it self wherefore when soe're it approaches every one keeps close in his House or goes into the Countrey Moreover it is worthy of observation how strangely this City is alter'd since its being Conquer'd by the Spaniards and especially when Anno 1629. it was overflow'd by a mighty Deluge which alteration by Barnabe Cabo in a Letter to the Jesuite Hernande Leon is thus set forth Baruabe Cabo his Description of Mexico Mexico says he lying in a Valley between high Mountains hath seventy Leagues in circumference The Valley being Oval is for the most part interspers'd with Lakes which the Indians and after them the Spaniards have digg'd only the Lake which washes Mexico is natural and to stop the Water-falls there are Banks and Sluces every where The Flood before Mexicalcingo flows a Fathom and a half higher than before Mexico The four other Lakes to the Northward have much more Water than the Mexicalcingo of which some have scarce four others but three Leagues in circumference when as Mexicalcingo's Lake reckons fifteen and Mexico's sixteen On the breaking of the Banks Mexico hath often suffer'd great damage wherefore the Vice-Roy de Valesco took special care to make a vent for the Water through the lowest Mountains whereupon the Countrey being Survey'd the Northern Coast near the Village Gueguenoca was found to be the most convenient But about the manner of letting the Water out the Surveyors could no ways agree most of them were of opinion to dig Channels into which the Lakes might discharge their Waters others thought best to make a Gutter under Ground which last Velasca put in hand with unhappy success because the Laborers who under-min'd the Ground were choak'd with the falling in of the Sand or stifled with the sulphurous Vapors rising out of the Earth Nevertheless they gave not over the Work though they began it quite another way for a French-Man call'd Henry Martin advis'd to deepen the River Quaiotitlan which falls into the Laguna and by that means make it a Bay into which the Laguna might pour her over-charg'd Waters Which design though contradicted by the Jesuit John Sanchez was put in practice by which means the Water fell in a short time so much that they could walk dry to the Cliff El Ponnel lying a League from the City wherefore they continually labour'd on this Work till such time as Conde de Getues came over for Vice-Roy who judg'd the Charge to be unnecessary nay Commanded the Ditches to be broken down which stopt the Water along the Silver Mines of Pachuca that he might see exactly how much it would over-flow Mexico Mexico overflow'd After which the Flood rose yearly higher and higher till at last Anno 1629. a mighty Rain falling swole the Laguna in such a manner that it over-whelm'd all Mexico wash'd down the Houses all Merchandizes which could not endure the Water were spoil'd and had not they had innumerable Boats to help them thousands of People might have perish'd in this Deluge But at last Henry Martin restor'd again the fore-mention'd Channel to its former Perfection and brought the Flood which fell down out of the Mountains within the Banks of the River Quantitlan digg'd also a Channel of eight thousand Fathom long and made an Arch'd Sewer under Ground of the same length which Sewer hath at every two hundred Fathoms distance Vent-holes and a hole of sixty Fathom deep and by this means diverting abundance of Water they dry'd Mexico in a short time When the Banks and Streets began no sooner to appear but they fell to work to raise the Ground and to lay Bridges and also to build more Boats The Citizens likewise found it convenient to make another deep Sewer for the carrying away of more Water notwithstanding it requir'd twenty years labor The River which in a manner runs through the middle of the City is curb'd by a Wall a crooked Bridge with many Arches and of a long extent leads to the City Stately Palaces in which stand many brave Palaces with pleasant Walks of Trees about them the Cloysters of several Orders of Fryers appear with high Spires and Turrets above all other Buildings And Monasteries The Franciscans have here four very sumptuous Buildings The first Consecrated to St. Francis stands in the uppermost part of Mexico within a large square Court and on each a pleasant Walk of Trees The Cloyster it self is very high and trebble Wall'd with Towers and Galleries about it In the middle of the City stands another Tower'd-Cloyster call'd St. Jago The third lies a little distance from it which being built long hath a stately Turret and is call'd Maria de Rodonda The fourth not far from the first but much smaller is nam'd San Diego these belong to the Franciscans The Augustin Monks are also no way inferior to the Franciscans for magnificent Structures with spacious Halls high Towers and rich Balconies The first is denominated from St. Augustine just behind which appears San Pabla less stately than the rest St. Sebastian near the Laguna is built in manner like a Church whose Tower ends like a Pyramid The Cloyster San Cruz belonging also to the Augustines built square stands near the Market in the middle of which stands a stately Fountain The Court within inviron'd with thick Walls amazes the beholders by the pleasantness of its situation Moreover the Dominicans inhabit two brave Cloysters the chiefest Dedicated to St. Dominic is eight square to which is adjoyning a pretty large Church with a Steeple The second which stands on one side of St. Jago
after a miserable manner evacuated their Seed that so they might curb all fleshly Desires and met every Night in a spacious place where sitting down they wounded themselves with Lances in their Legs and Arms so long till the Blood gush'd out of the same which gathering in a Cup they anointed their Temples therewith and dipt the Lances in the same and then hung them up before the Temple in Bundles of Straw Of these were a great number and the more because they never us'd their Lances but once But on these Days which were Consecrated to the Idol Tezcatlipuca every one besides the Priests wore a new Rope made of the Hemp Mangey of a Fathom long and a thick Knot at the end with which they beat themselves so miserably on their Backs as if they intended to have broken them After which the Priests stay'd five days in the Temple in which they us'd the like cruelty eating scarce once in twenty four hours Their Prisoners they us'd after a most horrid manner viz. in their Temples stood a round Stage of Stone to the top of which they ascended by a Square Scaffold supported by twenty eight Pillars behind which appear'd thousands of Mens Heads and amongst them the Prisoners that were to be Offer'd sat stark naked and guarded by several Armed Men three Foot from the Steps which led up to the top of the Scaffold stood a pyramidical Stone by the Indians call'd Quauxi-calli and behind it two round Chappels cover'd on the top like Mitres each had four Holes in a large Gate in which sat a horrid Representation worshipp'd by six Priests call'd Chackalmua whereof one call'd Papas or Topilzin whose Office was to pluck out the Hearts of the Prisoners being in greatest esteem wore a red Mantle about his Body not unlike a long Coat with broad Fringe which trail'd after him upon the Ground and also a Crown of green and yellow Plumes on his Head his Ears and under Lip were likewise adorn'd with Precious Stones The other five appear'd in like manner with their Hands and Faces painted red but having Leathern Fascia's about their Heads and white Coats stitch'd with Black on their Bodies they might easily be distinguish'd from the Topilzin who on a sudden ran down the Stairs to the Prisoners and shew'd each of them an Image saying This is your God made of Bledo Paste Maiz and Honey green Beads for Eyes and Grains of Maiz for Teeth whereupon the Prisoners were led up and laid with their Backs on the sharp Stone Quauxicalli then the five Priests took hold of their Leggs Arms and Head put woodden Collars about the Sufferer's Necks whilst the Topilzin shew'd Reverence to the Idol which done with a sharp Stone he cut open the Breasts of the Prisoners who in a deplorable condition lay on the pyramidical Stone and pulling their Hearts out of their Bodies shew'd the same reeking to the Sun and at last threw them toward the Idol and the dead Bodies down the Stairs where some appointed for that purpose carried the same away but every one taking his own Prisoner and roasting and boyling him serv'd him up to his Friends as a great Dainty This kind of Murdering was not onely us'd amongst the Mexicans but also by all the other neighboring Indians and especially in the City Chulula which as we have said before signifies The Sanctity of all the Gods for in this Town six thousand Children were yearly Offer'd The Citizens hereof us'd to drive a great Trade especially in Cochinele Their Habits were several for Persons of Note wore Cotton Coats about the Edges of which hung Feathers and pieces of Cony-skins the meaner sort went in Nequons or a sort of Linnen Coats made of the hairy Leaves of the Tree Maguey 3. The City Tezuco full of handsom Streets and fair Houses is built near the salt Mexican Lake yet hath no want of fresh Water with which it is supply'd by Gutters from the Mountains under Ground according to Anthony Herrera it twice exceedeth in bigness the famous City Sivill in Spain 4. Quitlavaca by the Spaniards call'd Venezuela because it is like Venice surrounded with Water and divided into several Isles boasted formerly above two thousand Families From the Town a Cawsey of twenty Foot broad and half a League long leads through the Lake to the Main Continent 5. Yztacpalapa a very populous Place and lying part of it in the salt Lake and partly on the Main Land where several fresh-water Pools afford store of Fish two Leagues distant from Mexico to which leads a broad Way in the middle of which stands a Fountain surrounded with high Trees which produces excellent Water 6. Mexicaltzingo situate upon the Lake Laguna a Town consisting of four thousand stately Houses 7. Cayocan in a fruitful Plain containing six thousand being but a League and a half from Yztacpalapa to which the neighboring Village Houcilopucho was not much inferior These three Places before they were subdu'd by the Spaniards boasted many brave Temples and high Towers whose lustre appear'd at a great distance but now being turn'd into Cloysters they are inhabited by Monks and Nuns The Salt made here of Earth though not white and onely fit to make Pickle of is Transported to many Places Towns and pleasant Villages about Mexico About Mexico there are also several Villages the chiefest of which are 1. Mastitlan a Town pleasantly seated upon the top of an huge Mountain in the midst of most delicate Groves and shady Woods and reckon'd to contain no less than thirty thousand Inhabitants in all dwelling either in the City or upon the sides of the Mountain 2. Antepecque this is a Town belonging to the Marquess de Valle who is of the Posterity of Cortez and said to be seated in the most delicious place of all New Spain 3. Acapulco a Town seated upon the South-Sea or Mare del Zur yet belonging to this Province It is a haven-Town and one of the most frequented upon the South-Sea situate upon a large and capacious Bay of about a League broad at the Entrance and affording many convenient Stations and Docks for Shipping At the bottom of the Bay Westward lieth the Town with a strong Castle very opportunely built both for the command and security of the Port well wall'd and fortifi'd with Bulwarks and having a constant Garrison of four hundred Soldiers in it or thereabouts The reason whereof I supposâ— may be chiefly this viz. that from this Port there is the greatest Traffick and Entercourse held betwixt the East and West-Indies together with the Philippine Islands Silver Mynes The Countrey hath many rich Mynes of Silver in it and some of Gold the chief of which are by Herera reported to be these viz. 1. Those of Puchuca fourteen Leagues distant from Mexico 2. Of Tasco 3. Talpuiana 4. Cultepeque 5. Zacualpa 6. Zupanguo and divers others The rest of the Villages are Guatitlan Tenyauca Escapusalco Tacuba and Suchimilco Strange
Enemy by Water whilst himself falling upon them by Land put the Lord of Tlatellulco with his whole Army to flight which was so closely pursu'd that they forc'd their way into the City with them put the Governor to Death and laid the Town in Ashes those which went by Water having had no less success Autzol succeeds him Axayaca after eleven years Reign Deceasing bequeath'd his Crown to Autzol who sought to promote his Election by ingaging with the mighty Province Quaxutatlan whose Inhabitants though but a little before they had been so bold as to demand Tribute of the Mexicans yet terrifi'd at the approach of Autzol's Army fled over an Arm of the Sea where they had been secure had not Autzol invented a floating Isle of Planks by which he got over his whole Army upon which the amaz'd Quaxututlans immediately submitted themselves to the Mexicans who pursuing their Victory extended their Dominions to Guatimala over a Tract of three hundred Leagues Autzol's Generosity and Mrgnificence The new King having now subdu'd all his Enemies and made himself glorious by his Victories was also ambitious to be as much extoll'd for his Generosity and Magnificence to which purpose he distributed all the Wealth which was brought unto him from the neighboring Countreys amongst the Poor and the Nobility to the first he gave Clothes and Provisions to the last Plumes of Feathers and Arms. Moreover he caus'd all mean Houses to be pull'd down and new ones to be built in their places Lastly he consulted how to bring fresh Water into Mexico which was plac'd in a brackish Soil Upon this Design he was so bent that when one of his Sages disswaded him from it alledging That the Water would drown the City he in stead of following his Advice banish'd him his Presence and upon his flying to Cuyaocun caus'd him to be fetch'd from thence and Executed Then prosecuting his Design he cut the Ditch before Cuyaocun by which means great store of fresh Water came flowing into the Lake Laguna which the Priests welcom'd with strange Ceremonies for some perfum'd the Water others Offer'd Quails Blood whilst others play'd on several Musical Instruments with many other Ceremonies which are at large describ'd in the ancient Mexican Chronicles kept in the Vatican Library at Rome But the Prophecy of the Executed Sorcerer was in a manner fulfill'd for the Water overwhelm'd a great part of Mexico and divided the City into Isles But to prevent farther Mischief Autzoll caus'd Banks to be rais'd and Channels digg'd and not long after in the eleventh Year of his Reign he deceas'd After which the Mexican Kingdom tended towards its period as the ensuing Story will declare Amongst the Mexican Nobility Mutexuma a melancholy Man yet very prudent who resided in a stately Apartment near the great Temple Cu that there he might the better converse with Viztlipuztli was elected King which he no sooner heard but fled from hence but being found out he was against his will led to the Grand Assembly and from thence to the holy Hearth where for an Offering he drew Blood out of his Cheeks Ears and Legs and according to an ancient Custom the Council of State boring a Hole in his Nose hung an Emerauld in the same after which the Lord of Tescuco saluted him with a Speech which since it is mention'd by Joseph d' Acosta together with several other Speeches of Congratulation to their Kings which were taught to Schollars to make them expert in their Language it will not be amiss to be annexed here that of many this one may serve for a pattern of the Mexicans Eloquence which is as followeth The Lord of Tescuco his Speech to Muteczuma THe great happiness most noble Muteczuma which is befall'n this Realm by your Election may easily be conjectur'd from the general joy none besides your self being able to undergo an Office in the management whereof so much Prudence is requir'd It is a most certain testimony that God loves Mexico that he hath given its Inhabitants understanding to make such a Choice Who can doubt but that you who have expatiated through the Heavens and convers'd with Viztlipuztli may easily Govern us Mortals on Earth Who can despair but that the Vertue inclos'd within your Breast will extend to the Widows and Orphans Therefore rejoyce O Mexico the Heavens have granted us a Prince without Vice Merciful and not a Violator of the Laws Affable not despising common Conversation And you O King let not this great Preferment occasion any alteration in your so long known Vertues The Crown breeds care for the publick good the troubles thereof must extend over the whole Realm and every one in the Realm Preparationâ— for the Coronation of Muteczuma Muteczuma having heard out the Speech would willingly have answer'd the same but could not utter a word for Tears which gush'd from his Eyes Before he went out to fetch Prisoners for Offerings at his Coronation he first setled his Houshold Affairs And whereas till this time the Kings had been serv'd in their Palaces by ordinary Citizens he took Knights and the chiefest of the Nobility intending thereby to make a distinction between the Nobility and the common People and add more Majesty to the Royal Dignity This done Muteczuma marching against a certain rebellious Province fetch'd a considerable number of People to be Offer'd to Viztupuztli At his Return the Coronation Day was appointed against which thousands of People came to Mexico even their very Enemies of Tlascala Mechoacan and Tepeaca which were never conquer'd by the Mexicans flock'd thither in great numbers All those Countreys which were under Tribute bringing unvaluable Treasures came in vast Multitudes which so throng'd the City that the very tops of the Houses were fill'd with Spectators no King in Mexico ever going to the Throne in such splendor His Grandeur nor was ever any King so much fear'd by his Subjects none of the common People daring to look in his Face neither did he ever set Foot on the Ground but was always carried in a Chair on the Shoulders of his prime Nobility he never wore a Suit of Clothes but once nor ever us'd a Cup or Dish after it was once foul'd he strictly maintain'd the Laws which he had made and often went himself in a Disguise to make a strict enquiry after all Affairs whatsoever by which means the Mexican Power was now arriv'd to the highest top but as other Realms grown top-heavy with good Fortune turn at last topsie-turvy just such a Misfortune befell Mexico but not without several fore-running signs of its destruction The ruine of the Mexican Empire prognosticated for in the City Cholola their God Quezalcoalt inform'd them that a strange People were coming to take possession of the Mexican Dominions and their Soothsayers prognosticated the same for which Muteczuma committed them all to Prison and doubtless had put them all to death had not they escap'd with
the help of the Master of their diabolical Art and though they escap'd themselves yet their Wives and Children were all put to death upon the King's Command Soon after which appear'd a mighty Comet or blazing Starfor a whole year together the great Temple Cu was set on Fire and burnt to the Ground none knew how the Water which was thrown on the same to quench it burnt like Brimstone in the Skie appear'd three fiery Heads at noon-day and out of a long Tail shot Sparks on the Earth the Laguna between Mexico and Texcuco began to swell into a Tide which turn'd some Houses topsie-turvy a shrill Voice was heard in the Night crying on the Water Children your ruine is at hand whither shall I carry you that you may not be lost A miraculous Story of a Bird. No less strange is what d' Acosta relates of a Bird presented to Muteczuma not unlike a Crane which the Fishermen had taken on the Laguna on the shining Forehead of which there appear'd the resemblance of two Armies Engag'd and one defeated by the other and that whilst the Sages call'd to interpret the meaning hereof sat in Consultation the Bird vanish'd Another of a Country-man Moreover there goes a Tradition That a Countrey-man being at his Labor was taken up by an Eagle and carried through the Air into a gloomy Cave where a Man lay fast asleep snoaring when on a sudden he heard a Voice afar off saying Do you know that Man whereupon the Countrey-man taking special notice of the dormant Man knew him by the Royal Apparel to be Mutexuma after which the Voice was heard again saying How soundly doth he sleep the time is coming which provides Punishments for many Crimes burn the Snoarer with the Torch which he holds in his Hands he will feel no pain Not long after he being inform'd hereof and looking on his Thigh found the same burnt to his no small amazement News of the arrival of the the Spanish Fleet. Having now possess'd the Throne fourteen years he receiv'd news of a Fleet and therewith a Draught of the Men and Vessels painted on Cloth This startling him he immediately advis'd with his Council who judg'd it convenient to secure the Coast along the Southern Ocean with strong Watches yet nevertheless Ferdinand Cortesius Landed with five hundred Foot and sixty Horse took the City Potanchanum march'd through the Countrey Sicuchimalar to Tascalleca where they had a sharp Conflict in which the Spaniards were in great danger and had not they had six Field-Pieces with them which did as much affright as hurt the Indians they had without doubt been cut off there In Chiurutecal they were in as much danger for certainly the Spanish Army had been set upon in the Night had not a Woman inform'd them of it Mean while Muteczuma consulted with his Sorcerers to destroy Cortesius by Charms who then was marching through Chalco whereupon a considerable number of Sorcerers went thither to the top of a high Mountain where as they were beginning their Incantations and Charms their Idol Tezcalipuca appear'd to them and in an angry manner told them That Monteczuma should lose his Crown and Life and to confirm his words he shew'd them a dreadful spectacle for looking about they saw the City in a light flame This being told to Muteczuma he resolv'd to make himself as secure as he could and went to meet Cortesius with costly Presents delivering him the Crown in the presence of all his Council to which purpose he took one Marina experienc'd in the Castilian Tongue with him for his Interpreter all things then seeming to end in Friendship But they continu'd not long in that state for Cortesius whose whole Design was to bring Mexico under the Spaniards Subjection not long after accus'd Muteczuma that Coalcopoca had on his Commands storm'd the new Spanish City Vera Crux which he could no way excuse and notwithstanding Muteczuma deliver'd him Coalcopoca Muteczuma committed to Prison by Cortesius with fifteen of his Nobles Prisoners who were all burnt with green Wood yet he was committed Prisoner to the great discontent of the Mexicans who said That they were now come to a fine pass to be thus fool'd by a few Strangers who had imprison'd their King trampled upon their ancient Images endeavor'd to murther them all and in despite of them brought their mortal Enemies the Tascaltecans and Guazuzingans into Mexico Cortesius marches against Velasquez's Party About this time there were certain Ships come to Vera Crux which was a new Port-Town of this Countrey that the Spaniards had built since their coming thither and had Landed near upon a thousand Men which was an Accident that had like to have spoil'd the Design of Cortesius and all his Company at Mexico these Men being sent by James Velasquez Governor of Cuba expressly against Cortesius and his Men upon pretence that they had acted not conformably to the Commission which they had receiv'd from him and gave him no account of their proceedings which in a great measure was true for it must be confess'd that Cortesius and his Men finding themselves to have fall'n upon an Adventure that was certainly rich and good and having got such footing and interest in the Countrey already by their Success and Victories and chiefly by their Confederacy with so many of the Natives and People of the Countrey revolted to them did almost at first by a general consent renounce their Commission and dependency upon Velasquez and profess'd to act immediately from and for the King of Spain What pretences they had for such a Resolution seemingly at least irregular is not so well known Whatever they were they proceed in it and the whole Company excepting onely some few who yet went along with the rest chuse Cortesius anew for their Commander in chief and appoint likewise by common consent all other Officers of Justice both Civil and Military among themselves and to give the better colour at Court to their Proceedings they send Portocorrero and Monteio two of their Principals into Spain with a rich and noble Present to the Emperor both to make report of the State of the Countrey and to procure immediate Commission from his Majesty to proceed after which they advance towards Mexico as hath been said Velasquez being at Cuba and understanding their Proceedings labor'd to intercept both their Messengers and Present but could not and therefore sent Pamphilius Narvaez with eleven Ships and about nine hundred or a thousand Men to apprehend Cortesius and oppose his Proceedings This hapned about the time that the Differences were but newly calm'd betwixt the Spaniards and the People of Mexico and though it oblig'd Cortesius to leave the City in a wavering and unsetled condition yet he took such order that Muteczuma still remain'd under the Guard of the Spaniards as before assisted with thousands of their Friends of Tlascalla and he himself taking the rest and some few Spaniards
Spilbergen's Expedition A Dutch Admiral one Joris Spilbergen after he had done the Spaniards all the mischief he could along the South Sea ran with five Sail under the Fort Acapulco which fir'd ten Guns at him whereupon the Dutch Admiral Manning a Boat with a white Flag they agreed upon a Cessation and the Spaniards went aboard of the Admiral to whom Pedro Alvares and Francisco Menendus having been a considerable time in Holland and speaking the Language of that Countrey very perfect promis'd that all his Demands should be satisfi'd yet Spilbergen was suspicious that the Spaniards had a design upon him wherefore he came and lay close under the Castle with his five Sail and made ready his Guns But this suspicion was soon clear'd when Alvares and Menendus proffer'd to stay as Hostages till the Governor of the Town sent the Admiral thirty Oxen fifty Sheep some hundreds of Poultry Coals Oranges Cittrons and the like fresh Provisions as also Wood and Water during which time the Prisoners being set at liberty several Persons of Quality came to visit the Admiral amongst whom was Captain Castilio one that had serv'd twenty years in the Low-Countrey Wars and Melchior Hernando Nephew to the Vice-Roy of New-Spain who desirous to see the Ships that durst set twice upon Rodrigo de Mendose Admiral of the King of Spain's mighty Fleet stood amaz'd that such little Frigats durst Ingage with so many great Spanish Ships and carry'd the Admiral 's Son to the Governor of the City call'd Georgius Perro who civilly entertain'd him Eight days Spilbergen spent here at Acapulco admiring the courteous Entertainment of the Spaniards and the more because that having News but eight Moneths before of the Dutch Fleet setting out they had in that short time made all things ready for resistance the Fort having seventeen Brass Guns and four hundred Soldiers besides many Noblemen and Reformades whereas at other times there us'd not to be above forty Men and four Guns in the same SECT II. Mechoacan Bounds and Description of Mechoacan THe next Province of New Spain is the Bishoprick of Mechoacan which hath on the North-East Panuco on the East Mexicana properly so call'd on the South part Tlascalla on the West the Main Ocean or Mare del Zur and last of all more directly Northward Xalisco which is a Province of New Gallicia The Name signifieth in the American Language as much as A Fish Countrey and so it is having many fair Lakes and Rivers in it abundantly well stor'd with Fish The Countrey so exceedingly pleasant and healthful that 't is usual for sick Persons of other Provinces to come hither to recover their health only by the benefit of a good Air. The Soil so abundantly fertile of all sorts of Grain that of four measures of Seed it hath been often observ'd they have reap'd the next Harvest more than so many hundred measures of the same Grain Very well Wooded and by reason of its many Rivers and fresh Springs equally rich in good Pasture and besides great plenty of Medicinal Herbs and Plants it affordeth good store of Amber nigh the Sea Coasts Mulberry-trees and consequently Silks much Honey Wax and divers other Commodities both for necessity and pleasure The People of the Countrey are generally tall of a strong active Body and a good Wit especially in comparison of other Natives not unskilful in divers curious Manufactures the most excellent Feather-Pictures afore-mention'd being said to be found in this Province They seem more generally inclin'd to the Humors and Customs of the Spaniards than any other Americans and receiv'd the Preaching of Christian Religion when time was with much willingness so that the Countrey is now entirely Christian and divided into several Parishes Languages belonging to the Mechoacans The Languages which are spoken in Mechoacan are several as the Otomian Chihcimian and the Mexicans which is common through all New Spain and the Tarascan a neat and brief Language which properly belongs to this Countrey The Lions and Wilde Dogs of this Countrey devour great numbers of Cattel yearly Tygers yet the greatest mischiefs happen from the Tygers which often fetch People out of their Houses notwithstanding the Doors are lock'd for they break in thorow the Walls and Roofs with much eagerness and strength Of the greatness whereof Jacob Bontius tells us this story That the Governor Peter Carpentier set a Trap without the Walls of Batavia of great Timber Pleited with Iron Baiting it with a Goat which taking effect the Tyger that was caught therein impatient of such close Imprisonment rent the Timber and getting out left the Goat untouch'd Hugo Linschot relates That the Tygers in the West-Indies hurt no Spaniards exercising their cruelty onely on Indians and that finding a Black and a White Man sleeping together they devour the Black and not the White How far these assertions deserve to be credited may appear by an evident contradiction of the first for it is well known many Spaniards in the West-Indies have been eaten by the Tygers General Fedreman marching in this Countrey at the Head of his Army was assaulted by a Tyger which in despight of them all killing a Spaniard and three Indians escap'd from them no Trees serve for a refuge against their fury for they climb up to the top thereof and fetch down their Prey their Claws are so exceeding Venomous that whoever is scratch'd with the same is never to be cur'd there is no Beast but they will venture upon wherefore they lie in the Bushes from whence they rush out upon them but this disadvantage they have that most other Beasts are too nimble Footed for them for they are a very heavy Creature whatever hath been deliver'd by the Ancients concerning the Tygers swiftness As to the difference which they make in Humane Flesh it is thus far true That they find more sweetness in Womens Breasts than other parts and chose a Black Man before a White Concerning the first France gives a sufficient testimony when two Tygers in the time of King Lewis the Twelfth breaking loose left a great number of Women lying Breastless in the Road. The second is confirm'd by John Johnston's Relation of a strange accident that happen'd in Bengale viz. A Moor dreaming that a Tyger fetch'd him out of the Ship hid himself the next Night between Decks of which the Master asking the reason was inform'd concerning his Dream which prov'd prophetick for about Mid-night a Tyger leapt into the Ship and devouring the Moor went away without touching any one of the Hollanders of which there were thirty But a Sea-man walking on the shore escap'd more wonderfully for a Tyger setting upon him behind and a Crocrodile before he leaping from betwixt them discover'd to the Tyger the Crocodile to whom the Tyger directly running and ingaging with the Crocodile spar'd the Sea-mans life Notwithstanding the cruelty and mischief of these Tygers the Indians are led by their sottish Superstition to
worship them because as they say the Devil often appears to them in that shape Besides the Tygers Squerrils the Inhabitants of Mechaocan are exceedingly molested with Squerrils which not only carry much Fruit into their Holes but also under-mine the Houses so that they often sink or fall on one side the mischief being the worse because they increase daily Most of them bear four young at a time which on the third day run about for Prey and can scarce be taken because of their exceeding swiftness leaping a great distance from one Tree to another their Tails serve them on divers occasions for leaping they use it like a Wing and at their crossing over a River for a Sail in tempestuous Weather they stop their holes therewith to keep out the Wind. Several kinds of them There are six several sorts of these Squerrils the first call'd Tlilic cover themselves with their Tails the second Quapatchli is as big again and can never be made tame the third Techallotl with a bald Tail and great Eyes the fourth Talmototly hath a thick Head and a Tail full of black and white streaks the fifth Quimitchpatlan hath a little Head and long Legs and leaping from one Tree to another seems to flie the last sort call'd Yztactechalotl is whitish The Foxes do also great mischief here their Urine smells so horribly Foxes that forty days after none are able to abide near the place where they have urin'd and on whatsoever Stuff or Cloth a drop thereof chanceth to light the stink can never be wash'd away The Bird Auras Here breeds also a sort of Birds call'd Auras which are not unlike Moore-Hens they flie exceeding high in the Air feed on nought but stinking Carrion which they scent at a great distance they have a hairy Head and Neck and ugly Face Some of the Fowls of this Countrey stay here all the year long others go away and return at certain times Ingenuity of the Natives The Natives since the Spaniards coming thither have gotten their Habits and Language learn'd all sorts of Trades their Tables Chests and Cupboards made of Brasile-Wood are no way inferior to the best that are made in Europe Painting is also in great esteem amongst them They make handsom Clothes Shooes and strange Copper Locks They have a peculiar Art in Tilling their Ground They teach the Spanish Dogs several tricks but not feeding them well they cause them to run from them and turn wilde whence they are call'd Cimarrones because they do much hurt to the Cattel The Inhabitants when a Feaver or Ague is upon them at the highest leap into cold Water against other Sicknesses they use Herbs whose soveraign Power Experience hath long since taught them Since the Spaniards made Mechoacan a Bishoprick they have built ninety four Schools fifty Churches several Hospitals and Cloysters inhabited by Franciscan and Augustin Monks There are said to be in this Bishoprick a hundred and fifty Towns or Burroughs besides many scatter'd Villages most of which have Free-Schools erected in them for the Training up of Youth in the Christian Religion good Literature and Arts and few of them without an Hospital for the Sick of which Towns the principal are as followeth Principal Towns 1. Zinzoutza the Seat of the ancient Kings of Mechoacan 2. Pascuar a City forty seven Leagues distant from Mexico once a Bishop's See 3. Valladolid the Metropolis or chief City of the Province since the Episcopal Chair was remov'd from Pascuar thither It lieth upon a great Lake equal amost for bigness to that of Mexico and is about seven Leagues distant from Pascuar towards the East 4. St. Michaels a good Town forty Leagues Westward of Mexico and in the Way to the Zacatecas but lying in a Road that is somewhat dangerous being not a little infested with Salvages on both sides of it 5. St. Philips 6. La Conception de Salaya seventeen Leagues distant from Valladolid and a convenient Stage for Travellers being indeed with the two last mention'd built chiefly for the defence and securing of the Countrey against the Salvages 7. Guaxanata a Town on the Borders of Panuco where there are very rich Mynes of Silver 8. Leon another Town likewise of very rich Mynes twenty four Leagues distant from Valladolid and threescore from Mexico 9. Zamorra 10. Villa de los Lagos and others Towards the Sea there is 1. Acatlan but two Miles distant from the Sea-Coast and a small Town yet by reason of a safe and very good Harbor which it hath for Shipping a Place of no little Trading 2. Natividad another well known and convenient Haven upon Mare del Zur pertaining to this Province and from whence they usually set Sail for the Philippine Islands 3. St. Jago de buena Speranza so call'd by the Spaniards perhaps from the abundance of good Pearls they found upon this Coast 4. Colyma 5. Zacatula and some others This Province as we said was at first a distinct Kingdom of it self yet subordinate and Tributary to that of Mexico the King whereof nam'd Tamgaiva or Bimbicha as Laet reporteth at the first coming of the Spaniards thither after the Conquest of Mexico voluntarily submitted himself to them and was Baptiz'd Nevertheless afterwards upon a pretence of I know not what Treason intended by him against them and which the Spanish Writers themselves professedly think to have been feigned by command of Nunnez de Gusman President of the Chancery of Mexico he was most inhumanely burnt alive and his Kingdom seiz'd upon by the Spaniards SECT III. Tlascalla Situation and Descriptian of Tlascalla THe Bishoprick of Tlascalla formerly call'd Tlascalteca Tlaxcala and Tlascalan is a Province of New Spain which extendeth it self entirely from one Sea to another from the Atlantick to Mare del Zur with which it is bounded on the East and West Parts lying otherwise and for the most part betwixt the Provinces of Mexicana last spoken of and that of Guaxata which followeth containing in length from one Sea to the other not much less than an hundred Leagues and in some places fourscore in breadth but towards the South Sea growing much narrower It is a Countrey exceedingly plentiful both in Corn and Cattel full of rich Pasturage and so plentifully stor'd with Maiz Wheat and other Grain that it is accounted as it were the Granary of America besides Deer all manner of Venison and great store of Fowl There is likewise Copperess Allom Silver-Mynes Manna Anime and Liquid Amber with a sweet smelling Gum which drops out of a Tree The Rivers feed no Fish because they fall with exceeding force from the Mountains onely near Topoyanco is a deep Lake of fresh Water inhabited round about by Indians enjoying the pleasure and profit of the many Cumbeba-Trees which yield Cochinele producing yearly above two hundred thousand Dupkets worth of that Commodity In this Lake swim black Hedge-hogs whose Flesh is good and wholsom to eat The
ancient State of the Tlascallans The People of this Countrey when the Spaniards came first amongst them liv'd in the form of a Common-wealth or Free-State refusing to be subject to the King of Mexico with whom they had almost continual War and upon that account as hath been said assisted Cortesius in the Conquest of the Kingdom without whose help 't is most certain he had never been able to do any thing They enjoy therefore many special Priviledges and Immunities more than other Americans do They pay no Tribute but onely a handful of Wheat yearly for every Person by way of acknowledgment otherwise living under the Protection of the Spaniards wholly in the Form of their ancient Government In former times they were great Man-eaters and not onely eat the Flesh of their Enemies but also of one anotther insomuch that Man's-flesh hung in publick to be sold River Zahuatl The River Zahuatl which rushes out of the Mountain Xicoleucalt oftentimes overflows all the Countrey near it and washes away divers Houses Zahuatl signifies Scabby Water because all those especially Children that wash in the same are sure to be Scabby On its Banks the Spaniards have built many Houses the fashion whereof is now also imitated by the Indians of this Province who formerly built quite after another manner for they made low Houses of Earth Wood and Stone with large and strange Chambers some a Stones-cast one from another others close together had narrow crooked Streets that ran betwixt them Tlascallans Language In this Province are two sorts of Languages spoken viz. the Mexican and that of the Ottomons who formerly deserting Mexico chose the Tlascallans for their Protectors They are a toilsom and painful People To the Northward of Tlascalla are Mountains which all the year long except three Moneths are cover'd with Mist and the Woods on the tops of them are a great shelter to Lyons Tygers Wolves and wild Dogs call'd Adives and other wild Beasts which do much hurt to the small Cattel Here are also many Serpents and Adders The whole Province is said to contain two hundred good Towns and Burroughs and more than one thousand Villages all of them exceedingly populous and suppos'd to contain in the whole above a Million and half of Natives besides Spaniards who have some few Colonies in the Countrey for securing of it Towns and Villages The chief Towns of the Province are 1. Tlascalla it self which denominates the whole Countrey as the Metropolis and where the Bishop's See was at first till in the Year 1550. it was remov'd to Puebla de los Angelos It is a fair Town and commodiously seated in the midst of a large and fertile Champain of threescore Miles in compass It consisteth of four large and beautiful Streets or Quarters and in the midst of them where they all meet hath a Piazza or Market-place equal to that of Mexico and able to receive twenty or thirty thousand Persons conveniently to Buy and Sell in it and whose Shambles seldom shew less than fifteen thousand Sheep four thousand Oxen and two thousand Hogs 2. Puebla de los Angelos or The City of Angels a Town built by Sebastian Ramirez a Church-man and he that was the first President or chief Governor of Mexico under the Crown of Castile It was built in the Year 1531. almost in the Road-way from Vera Crux to Mexico and seated in a very delicate and fertile Countrey and of a good Air. It is a Bishop's See and valu'd at twenty thousand Ducats of yearly Rent the City it self suppos'd to contain about fifteen hundred Families where there is abundance of excellent Cloth made and for fineness not yielding to the best of Spain It s chief Edifices are the Cathedral and four stately Cloysters belonging to the Dominicans Franciscans Augustines and Capuchins as also a Free-School for five hundred Indian Children endow'd by Ramirez with a yearly Revenue 3. Zempoallan seated upon a River of the same Name 4. Napalaca in the Valley Ocumba ows its original to an Indian call'd Juan who at first had onely one House and a Herd of Hogs there till upon his invitation all the neighboring People came from the tops of the Hills insomuch that in a short time the place was Peopled by thousands of Families 5. Guaxacingo all hitherto great and ancient Towns of the Natives 6. Segura de la Frontera a Spanish Town built by Cortez presently upon the Conquest of Mexico for the securing of the Confines as the Name importeth 7. Vera Crux a Town built by Cortez and his Companions at their first Landing and where afterwards by a Stratagem and out of a resolution either to Conquer or Die in the Countrey he caus'd all his Ships to be burnt that his Soldiers might not so much as think of returning back from whence they came The Town was at first built five or six Leagues up within Land but the place being found not to be so healthful the Inhabitants in a short time deserted it and seated themselves upon a Bay of the Sea right over against St. John D' Ullua 8. Medellin another Spanish Town built likewise by Cortez in memory of his own Birth-place which was Medellin a small Town of Estramadura a Province of Spain but was afterwards destroy'd by some Spanish Commanders out of malice to Cortez Lastly St. John D' Ullua a noted and the most usual Port to all this Province and likewise to the City of Mexico it self from the North Sea but of difficult entrance especially to such as are not well acquainted with the Passage or want Guides by reason of certain Rocks and Quicksands wherewith the Mouth of the Haven is said to be bar'd but within the station is more safe It hath likewise two strong Bulwarks or Forts rais'd on either side of the Entrance one to defend the Passage besides a strong Castle built since Captain John Hawkins surpris'd twelve Ships richly Laden within the Haven and thirteen others that arriv'd with a new Vice-Roy from Spain valu'd at near sixty Tun of Gold of which he might easily have made Prize had he not trusted to the Vice-Roys Promise to give him all satisfaction he should require by which being deceiv'd he lost all his Fleet but two Ships Between Tlascala and Los Angelos are the Fountains out of which the River hath its Original which gliding by Machaocan and Zacatula falls into the South Sea This River is so exceeding full of Crocodiles Great increase of Grocodiles that they have made several places which formerly were Inhabited on its Banks utterly desolate for the Females laying generally Eggs as big as those of a Goose increase prodigiously and were it not that the Indian Mice call'd Ichneumones destroy'd them they would grow still to greater numbers But this Animal creeping in at the Crocodiles Mouth eats his way out of the Belly again Water-Serpents Hawks Buffeloes and especially Tygers are also their mortal Enemies for they throwing the
Crocodiles on their Backs rend open their Bellies They are more desirous of Mans flesh here than in any other place because the River of Tlascala hath but small store of Fish in the day time they lie cover'd in the Mud from whence they rush forth and set upon those that happen to pass by them they pursue the Canoos in the Water and strike down the Rowers with their Tails Burning Mountain Popatepeck Eight Leagues beyond Tlascala appears the Mountain Popatepeck which for ten years ceas'd smoaking till Anno 1540. it broke forth in such a manner that the Countrey all about was terrifi'd therewith for it vomited not onely a black Smoak but also horrible Flames which sometimes being blow'd downward burnt the Corn in the Fields and the Ashes thereof flying as far as Guaxocingo and Chulula burnt a great deal of the Town to the Ground every one endeavor'd by flight to secure themselves with intention never to return thither again but the Flame and Smoak abating Captain Diego de Ordas went up to view the place whence the Fire was cast forth which curiosity and presumption of his had like to have cost him his Life for the sulphury Smoak breaking forth on a sudden had almost stifled him Rivers of Mexicana Moreover the Bishoprick of Tlascala is on the North Coast wash'd by the River Papoloava since call'd Alvarado from a Spanish Commander who first Steer'd his Course thither The next Stream nam'd Banderas is so call'd because the Natives held white Clothes on Poles to invite the Spaniards ashore The third is Almeria on which Cortesius a year after the taking of Mexico built the Town Medellin as aforemention'd Along the Tlascallan shore wash'd by the Northern Ocean lie the Isles Blanca Verde and Sacrificios The first receiv'd its denomination from White Land the other from Green Trees and the third because Joan de Greyalve who first Discover'd New Spain Landing on this Island found a Bloody Altar there with Sacrific'd People with open'd Brests chopt off Arms and Legs The River Almeria falling into the Ocean opposite to the Sacrificios the Spanish Ships came often to an Anchor there but in these latter times they have forsaken the same because the Northern Winds us'd to blow very hard against the shore and spoil'd many Vessels But Henry Hawks gives this reason That a dreadful apparition of Spirits frighted the Spaniards from thence The Province Tepeaca In the Bishoprick Tlascala is also compriz'd the Province Tepeaca whose Metropolis was built by Cortez when with great Loss he was sent from Almeria The Soil thereabouts is barren and stony the Water which they have in the City is brought in Pipes from a River which flows out of the Mountains into the Market place The plain Countrey hath many good Pastures The Inhabitants thereof speak four sorts of Languages of which the commonest is the Mexican others use the Popolucan or Otoman Tongues The Village Alyoxucan appears afar off on a high Mountain Alyonan on whose top is a Lake of a hundred and fifty Fathom in circumference the Water whereof is very cold and of a bluish Colour and neither Ebbs nor Flows to which the Villagers climb along a narrow Path. Not far from thence in the Plain are two other very deep Lakes The first call'd Tlacae is a League in circumference and breeds delicate white Fish not above a Fingers length The second nam'd Alchichican about the same bigness which in stormy Weather is very turbulent Strange sort of Bird. Amongst the Fowls of this Countrey the most noted is a little Summer Bird with a long crooked Tail speckled Feathers feeds on nothing but Flowers and the Dew about Harvest time when the Rain ceases it hangs fast with its Bill on a Tree and as soon as the first Rain falls it revives again In this Countrey Tepeaca are five Villages in each of which is a Franciscan Cloyster and convenient Hospital In this Countrey they gather the Water in the time of the Rainy Moneths in a digg'd Pool which every Morning produces little Toads with long Tails which in few days fall off but these little ones growing to be great make a most dreadful noise in the Night From October till March not one drop of Rain falls in this Countrey during which time the Northern Winds make a dry and wholsome Air yet oftentimes a tempestuous Sea to the loss of many Ships Farther up into the Countrey between Vera Crux and Los Angelos lies the Village Rinconanda and also Xalapa and Perota built of Straw Houses in the middle of a Wood of Cedar and Pirte-Trees inhabited by the Spaniards for the accommodating of Travellers To which purpose there are likewise Inns built near the Spring Fuente de Otzumba which gushes out of a high Rock Not far from hence is the Populous Village Chetula where a small number of Spaniards dwell amongst thousands of Indians who chiefly make use of Mules to carry their Loads SECT IV. Guaxata Situation and Description of Guaxata BEtween Los Angelos and Guatemala lies the Bishoprick of Antiquera or Guaxata largely taken it hath on the North the Bay of Mexico on the South Mare del Zur on the East Jucatan and Chiapa which is one of the Provinces of Guatimala on the West Tlascalla The Countrey extendeth it self upon the South Sea about an hundred Leagues in length but from the Sea to the Borders of Tlascalla one hundred and twenty Eastward not above half so much having a good Air and a Soil no less fruitful especially in Mulberry-Trees and abundance of Silks which the Countrey affordeth more than any other Province of America besides nor is it less rich in Mines of Gold and Silver there being scarce a River in the whole Countrey but the Sands of it are said to be Tinctur'd more or less with that yellow Metal also Crystal and Copperess It yieldeth likewise great plenty of Cassia and Cochinele two rich Commodities and the People generally if they would take pains might be the wealthiest 't is thought of any other in America But whether it be through any voluntary contempt of Riches or through any natural sloathfulness as yet they seem to Pine in the midst of plenty living for the most part of them little better than from Hand to Mouth nevertheless exceeding liberal of what they have especially to such as bear the Habit of Religion and attend the service of their Souls maintaining in a plentiful and good manner as 't is said no less than one hundred and twenty Convents of Religious Men of several Orders in this onely Province besides Hospitals Schools for the training up of Youth and other places of publick Charity it is said also to have three hundred and fifty Villages and near as many brave Countrey Houses Division It is sub-divided into many particular Provinces which because they are many and but small in comparison of some other we may call Wapentakes or Hundreds
rather than Provinces The principal whereof are these that follow viz. Misteca 2. Tutepecque 3. Zapoteca 4. Guazacoalco 5. Gueztaxatla and 6. the Valley of Guaxata from whence Cortez after the Conquest of Mexico had his Title given him by the Emperor Marquess of the Valley It is the richest and most pleasant part of the whole Province extended in a continu'd Tract together full sixteen Leagues or more lying about fourscore Southward of Mexico and wanting neither Mines of Gold and Silver nor any other of the prime and best Commodities of the New-World In this Countrey they speak thirteen sorts of Languages Languages of which the Mexican is most us'd Poisonous Herb. Amongst the Plants which grow here is an exceeding Poysonous Herb which kills those whosoe're pluck it though a long time after that is to say if it be of a Years growth it kills not before the Years end if a Moneth old at the Moneths end if a Day on the same This Countrey formerly suffer'd also many inconveniencies by Earthquakes but of late they are somewhat abated which the Spaniards ascribe to Martialis Protector of the Cathedral at Antequera Misteca is divided into Alta and Baxa both of which have Rivers and Brooks that afford Gold whither the Indian Women taking Provisions go for several days and gather Gold in Troughs which they exchange at the Spanish Markets for Provisions Strange Cave Not far from the Village Cuertlavaca lies a high Mountain remarkable for a strange Cave whose Entrance is very narrow at the end whereof appears a square Place of fifty Foot upon one side whereof stand Pits with Steps near which begins a crooked Way of a League long at the end of which is a spacious Place with a Fountain of good Water from the Foot of which flows a small Brook But because none have made any farther discovery of this Cave the other parts of it remain yet unknown On the top of St. Antonio the Indians live with their Families in Caves between the Rocks Not far from hence appear two Mountains whose tops though they lie at a great distance from one another at the bottom they are so near that a Man may step from one to the other The six Rocks Pennoles formerly Garrison'd by the Kings of Mexico have Gold Lead-Mynes and a Root which is us'd in stead of Soap In the Village Totomachiapo is a Cave of half a Mile long at the end whereof the Water prevents a farther discovery The Rocky Countrey Zapotecas formerly bred very salvage Inhabitants Mantled in Furrs but now Civiliz'd clad after the common manner Americans whether Extracted from the ten Tribes of Israel The People spread over Guaxacualco Yluta and Cueztxatla observe Circumcision according to an ancient Custom from whence some have in vain sought for a testimony that these Americans should be originally extracted from the scatter'd Tribes of Israel but the Tartars more immediately who at last crossing the Straits of Anian furnish'd the desolate Countrey of America with Inhabitants But this Opinion is without any probability of truth for it will never follow from their Circumcision that the Tartars the greatest People on Earth must owe their original to a few Israelites Prisoners since that Ceremony was never thought on by them till they embrac'd the Mahumetan Religion And though they had been Circumcis'd before Mahomet's time this would be no testimony that they were extracted from the Israelites for how many People embrac'd Circumcision which were never extracted from Abraham's Seed It is affirm'd by Diodorus Siculus that the Cholchians by Philo Judaeus the Egyptians by Herodotus the Moors by Strabo the Troglodytes by Cyprian the Phoenicians and Arabians Circumcis'd themselves from all Antiquity which is to this day observ'd by some of them It also plainly appears by the Prophet Jeremiah that the Egyptians Edomites Ammonites Moabites and Ishmaelites had the same Custom anciently amongst them Towns and chief Villages of Guaxaca The Towns of principal note inhabited by the Spaniards in this Province are 1. Antequera in the Valley aforesaid a stately City and beautifi'd with a fair Cathedral Church built with Pillars of the finest Marble of great heighth and bigness The River which glides by the Walls springing out of the Ground runs to the Mountain Coatlan Not far from thence lies the Village Herrera which boasts four hundred Spanish Families though some say that the greatest part of them are Indians who pay the Spaniards Cotton Cloaks and Nuts for Tribute 2. Illephonso de los Zapotecas lies on a Mountain belonging to the Mixes anciently a salvage strong and long-bearded People who speak a gross Language and in former times went naked onely a white Deer-skin Tann'd in Man's Brains about their Middle They maintain'd continual War against the Zapoteca's and could never have been subdu'd by the Spaniards had it not been for their Dogs which kept them in such awe that thirty Spanish Soldiers ventur'd to live in Illephonso amongst thirty thousand Mixes who now drive a Trade in Cotton Maize and Gold 3. San Jago de Nexapa appears at a great distance on a high Mountain where also twenty Soldiers with their Dogs were wont to awe the cruel Natives 4. The last Place built by Gonzales de Sandovall Anno 1522. is Villa del Espiritu Santo Commands fifty Indian Villages which with great difficulty were brought to submit to the Spaniards The River Aquivicolco affords a convenient Harbor the Mouth thereof being a hundred and ninety Paces broad Upon the Southern Ocean is the Haven Guatulco where the Ships that Sail to Honduras and Peru take in their Lading The Custom-house belonging to this Place was first plunder'd by Sir Francis Drake and nine years after burnt by Candish The River Ometipu which springing out of the Mountain Cacatepec falls into Tepoanteque abounds with divers sorts of good Fish especially Cra-Fish There are also reckon'd of the Natives of this Province no less than fifteen thousand Persons that pay Tribute to the Spaniards besides Women and Children and also a great number of Spaniards Sect. V. Panuco Bounds and Description of Panuco PAnuco is the most Northerly Province of Hew Spain by some call'd Guasteca bounded on the East with the Gulf of Mexico on the West with Uxitipa a Countrey of New Gallicia on the North with some undiscover'd Countreys of Florida from which it is divided by the River of Palms on the South with Mechoacan and Mexicana It is call'd Panuco from a River of that Name which turning from the Mountains Tepecsuan in New Gallicia and dividing New Biscay from the Province of Zacatecas passeth through the midst of this Countrey also and at last empties it self into the Gulf. This Countrey is reckon'd to be about fifty Leagues in length and not much less in breadth of a fruitful Soil having some Mynes of Gold in it and once very populous till the Spaniards about the Year 1522. dispeopled it by their
insatiable cruelty Conquest of it difficult Before Ferdinand Cortesius Francis de Garay attempted to Conquer this Province but after much pains to no purpose he return'd with but a small remnant of those he carried with him and though Cortesius subdu'd the Countreys Ayotetextetlatan and Chila yet it was not without many considerable Losses for the Inhabitants being valiant and cruel not fearing the Spanish Bullets ran in amongst them and made great slaughter and according to an old Custom in New Spain drank their Blood Strange usage of Prisoners They also dealt strangely with Persons that were yearly to be Offer'd to their Idols for after having wash'd them they put on them the Clothes of the Idol and gave them the same Name every one honouring them as a God were permitted to walk up and down but guarded by twelve Men that they might not escape for then the chiefest of the Guard was to supply the others place Moreover they resided in the chiefest Apartments of the Temple eat of the best were serv'd like Princes and attended through the Towns by Persons of the greatest Quality who led them through the Streets where they no sooner play'd on a little Pipe but all People came running to them fell at their Feet and worship'd them In the Night they lock'd them up in a Cage secur'd with Iron Bars and at the appointed time flay'd them alive Towns and Villages The chief Towns now remaining and inhabited by the Spaniards are 1. St. Lewis de Tampice a Colony of Spaniards situate on the Northern Bank of the River Panuco at the very Mouth of it where it hath a very large Haven but so barr'd with Sands that no Ship of any great Burden can enter or abide in it with safety and yet the River otherwise so deep that Vessels of five hundred Tun might Sail up threescore Leagues at least within Land and thereby visit the rich Mynes of Zatatecas on the one side of it and of New Biscay on the other at pleasure and without fear of much opposition 2. St. Stevan del Puerto on the South side of the same River eight Leagues distant from the Sea or Gulf of Mexico at present the Metropolis or chief Town of the Province built by Cortesius in the place where stood old Panuco which was likewise the Metropolis or Head Town of the Natives before the Spaniards burnt and destroy'd it 3. St. Jago de las Valles which is a Fronteer Place and enjoyeth certain special Immunities and some fair Possessions also for defence of the Countrey against the Salvages It is twenty five Leagues distant from St. Stevan del Puerto lying in an open or Champain Countrey and is fenc'd about with a Wall of Earth Miles Philips his Voyage Miles Philips an Englishman put ashore by Captain John Hawkins in the Bay of New Spain Anno 1568. suffer'd great hardship before he came to Panuco from whence returning he made mention of a City lying along a River of the same denomination which is there not above two Bowe shoots-broad in a pleasant Countrey containing two hundred Spanish Families beside the antient Inhabitants and Negro's which all drive a great Trade in Salt which is made in Pans Westward from the River Philips travelling from Panuco to Mexico saw by the way the Villages Nohete by the Spaniards call'd Santa Maria and a Cloyster of white Monks Next he view'd Mestitlan where some grey Monks had a House and the Town Puchuen Chilton's Journal Another account of this Province is taken from a Journal kept by John Chilton four years after Philips's Voyage he having a Spaniard for his Convoy left Mexico to find out Panuco in three days time they reach'd the City Mestitlan where he observ'd that twelve Spanish Families liv'd amongst thirty thousand Indians The City built on a high Mountain full of Woods is surrounded with Villages through which run many brave Springs and the Air about them is no less wholsom than the Ground fruitful the High-ways are shaded with all sorts of Fruit-Trees The Village Clanchinoltepec four times more Populous than Mestitlan belongs to a Spanish Nobleman who built a Cloyster there for nine Augustin Monks of which Order there also reside twelve in the City Guaxutla Moreover they travel'd over the plain Countrey Guastecan to the Village Tancuylabo inhabited by a tall People with blue Painted Bodies and Pleited Hair hanging down to their Knees going stark naked but never without a Bowe and Arrow They esteem nothing more than Salt as being the onely Cure against certain Worms that grow between their Lips From hence they travel'd to Tampice in which Journey they spent nine days and coming thither were inform'd that of forty Christians which dwelt in the same the Indians had slain twelve whilst they were gathering of Salt From hence they came to Panuco then in a manner deserted because of the Indians oppressing the Spaniards of which at that time there were but ten and one Priest Chilton falling sick here resolv'd nevertheless to change that unwholsom Air and barren place for a better to which purpose getting a Horse he took an Indian behind him for his Guide but loosing his way in a thick Wood happen'd amongst a Company of wild People which dwelt in Straw Huts twenty of them immediately surrounding him brought him some clear sweet Water to drink out of a Gilt Venice Glass which having drunk two naked Men led him into the high-way which ended at the Gate of the Wall'd City Santo Jago de las Valles inhabited by twenty five Spanish Families who inform'd Chilton of the great danger which he had been in for the People which gave him the Water were Man-eaters who not long since had burnt an Augustine Cloyster built on a Mountain had taken away and eat the People of which they had in all likelyhood gotten the Venice Glass and had they not observ'd Chilton to be sickly he had without doubt been eaten by them and his Skin with some of his Hair that being a great Ornament amongst them been hung about their middle During Chilton's stay in St. Jago Frans de Page came thither with forty Soldiers from the Vice-Roy Henry Manriques and took five hundred Indians good Bowe Men out of the Neighboring Villages Tanehipa and Tameclipa with which he design'd to go to the Silver Mines at Zacatecas Chilton joyning with this Company came to the great Rives De las Palmas which separates New Spain from Florida where they spent three days in vain seeking to find a passage over wherefore they at last took pieces of Timber which joyning together and standing upon they were Tow'd over by Swimming Indians being gotten on the other side they March'd over steep Mountains and thick Wildernesses and came at last to Zacatecas on whose Silver Mines the richest in all America work'd above three hundred Spaniards daily SECT VI. Tabasco Bounds and Description of Tabasco THe last Countrey belonging to New Spain
is Tabasco bounded on the North by the Northern Ocean and on the East with Jucatan and however some account it a distinct Province yet others make no mention of it letting it pass for that part of Jucatan which lies about the City Tabasco from which it seems to be denominated The Ground level and without Mountains hath many great Woods of Cedar-Trees Brasile and others Here are also many good Indian Fruits as the Manmeyes Zapotes Aguacates and Guajabos For three Moneths they have continually dry Weather the rest of the year being for the most part rainy which vicissitude of Moisture and Heat makes the Countrey exceeding fruitful insomuch that they have three or four Harvests of Maiz in a year Vines Figs Lemmons Oranges Rice Barley and all sorts of Garden-Herbs grow here also in great plenty The Pools Brooks and Lakes abound likewise with all manner of Fish and for Sea-Fish besides the Tortugas and Yguanras the Manae or Sea-Cow is of principal note The Fish Manate This Fish is terrible to behold having a Head like an Ox little Eyes two Feet near the Head in stead of Fins two round Holes in stead of Ears round bones like Balls in its Brains a short Tail and bristly Skin The Females have two Dugs with which they suckle their Young Peacocks Pheasants Parrots Quales Hens Pigeons Birds with several sorts of Birds altogether unknown to the Europeans are here in great abundance The Woods also abound with Tygers and Lyons Beasts which do no little hurt to the Inhabitants Wild Hogs Deer and Rabbets are likewise here in great plenty and Turtles of an exceeding bigness Likewise Apes Polecats and Squerrils which do very much hurt to the Fruit-Trees especially the Cacao The Musticho's are a great annoyance to the People and disturb their rest at Night Languages of the Natives Since the Spaniards have conquer'd Tabasco they have forc'd the Inhabitants to observe their Laws and Customs They speak three sorts of Languages amongst which that most us'd call'd Chontal is copious of Words The second Zoques is spoken on the Mountains which divide Chiapa and Tabasco The Mexican Tongue was first brought thither by the Garrisons which Muteczuma plac'd there in the Forts Zimatlan and Xicalango and is the most spoken in regard it hath not onely its Accents but is also of great use partly because it is understood in most places of America and partly because the Priests have made Songs in that Tongue with which the Tabascans are much delighted The chief City Nostra Sennora de la Vittoria already mention'd in Jucatan was so call'd by Ferdinand Cortesius from the great Victory which he obtain'd over the Indians when he march'd first towards Mexico The Idols in New Spain are represented in terrible Figures to which they Offer humane Sacrifices The Priests divided into higher or lower Orders acknowledge a supream Head which they call Papas Each Idol had a peculiar sort of Priests Those that serv'd Viztlipuzli obtain'd their Places by Inheritance but others were chose by the Commonalty unless they had been bred Priests from their Inâ—ancy Cloysters dedicated to the ancient Mexican Religion The Mexican Cloysters in the time of Heathenism were generally built in the chiefest Temples in a great Piazza or square Court where for the most part two Monastical Houses stood one against another the one inhabited by a Fraternity of Recluses and the other by a Sisterhood which last being Maids of twelve or thirteen years of age call'd The Penitential Daughters swept the Temple prepar'd Meat for the Idols and Priests which was plentifully supply'd from the Alms and Offerings that were daily brought in to the Priests consisting of little Cakes made like Hands and Feet besides other strange Meats which being set before the Idols was soon after taken away again and eaten up by the were under a Governess who employ'd them in making Embroideries to adorn the Temple and sometimes rose up with the Priests at Mid-night and play'd on Pipes perfum'd the Temple and scourg'd themselves till the Blood ran down their Backs besmearing their Faces therewith and leaving it on a whole year then going into a large Chamber where a Cistern stood for that purpose they wash'd it off again after which if they committed the least uncleanness they were put to a most miserable Death which was judg'd upon seeing a Rat run through the Nuns Chamber or a Batt flying by it or finding any piece of Cloth gnaw'n by a Mouse or Rat for they suppose that the fore-mention'd Creatures dare not come into a hallow'd place unless defil'd In this recluse manner they were onely confin'd to live a year which being expir'd they had free leave to Marry The House opposite to the Nuns in the same square place of the Temple was inhabited by Youths of eighteen and twenty years of age whose Heads were shaven like Monks and pleited Tufts hung from the Crown down to their Backs they liv'd also mean and chaste kept the Priests Clothes and Perfuming-Vessels carried Wood for Offerings and kept always burning Lamps before Viztlipuztli's Altar Amongst them were also Boys of a less Age whose Office was to gather Flowers and Herbs to strow the Temple with to sharpen the Priests Lances which they Let themselves Blood with every Night in the Legs and carry them Water These Youths Cloth'd in Nets fell on their Faces on the Ground when they met with a Woman and went four and four or six and six together to beg Alms and by turns watch'd the fore-mention'd Fire in the Morning they drew Blood out of their Thighs with which they anointed their Temples down to their Ears and when the Blood look'd black wash'd it off again in a consecrated Bath which their strict and severe Life endur'd a whole Year Mexican Religion abhorr'd by the neighboring People The particular Religion of the Mexicans compos'd of cruel slaughters and butcheries of Men reign'd a long time against the minds of the other Indians that were under their Dominion every one beginning more to abhor the cruel flaying of living People and tearing out the Hearts of Men for Offerings and the rather because they were forc'd to fetch them out of their Enemies Countrey with the hazard of their own Lives insomuch that they were ready long before to have embraced another Doctrine if any other Teacher had but appear'd amongst them which was the chief reason why they so easily receiv'd the Roman Religion for when Cortesius had conquer'd the City Mexico the Mechoacan Agents entreated him to send them Teachers to prescribe them Laws according to which they might live because their Idolatry which had long oppress'd them was not to be suffer'd any longer because of the Cruelties which were requir'd of them in the performance thereof Their Processions Their Processions were stately and after this manner The chiefest Nuns raising a Paste of Bledoi-Seed and parched Maiz kneaded it with Honey of
Masters forcing their Scholars to Fast and Watch carry great Burthens of Provisions to the Army and be in the midst of Engagements Others whose Fancy led them to a holy Life willingly embrac'd the Services of the Temple Their manner of Dancing Their manner of Dancing in New Spain was very strange and differing they us'd pretty Instruments and Songs which contain'd antique Passages according to the Times they in their Motions imitated Shepherds Fisher-men Plowmen Hunters and the like Sometimes they Danc'd in Mascarades with a Man on their Shoulders making the same Motion with his Hands in the Air as the other with his Feet on the Ground They had also Tumblers and Dancers on the Ropes which shew'd strange Tricks on an erected Pole But above all Dances the Mitotes was the chief which was generally Danc'd in the King's Palace or inner Court of the Temple in the middle of which they plac'd a great Drum and a hollow Tub on a large Image round about which the most eminent Persons made a Ring Sang sweetly and Danc'd leisurely when on a sudden two that are more nimble with divers Motions came into the midst of them and Danc'd exactly after the sound of the Drum and hollow Tub which was seconded with the noise of Flutes and Pipes CHAP. VI. New Gallicia Bounds and Extent of New Gallicia NEw Gallicia by some call'd Guadalajara from the chief City This whole Province is the most Northern Countrey of all America that is inhabited to any purpose by the Spaniards Here 't is true they are scatter'd up and down in all the parts of it but it is at a huge distance and for the most part onely where the Mines are It is bounded on the East and to the South with the Kingdom of Mexico or New Spain on the West with the Gulf or Bay of California Northward for so much as is yet discover'd with Quivira and Cibola lying between eighteen and twenty eight Degrees of Northern Latitude that is from La Natividad a Port so nam'd by the Spaniards in the Confines of New Spain to the most Northerly Borders of Cinoloa a part of this Province containing as is suppos'd not much less than three hundred Leagues in length and in breadth much more and whereof not a tenth part is either us'd or frequented by the Spaniards Temperature and Nature of the Countrey The Air is generally here very temperate inclining rather to Heat than Cold and subject now and then to sudden Storms of Rain and great Claps of Thunder which yet do not hinder but that the Countrey is held to be reasonably healthful and the People observ'd to live generally to a good old Age. The Soil by reason of the Climate would be a little inclining to Drought but that besides the frequent Rains which it hath it is constantly moistned with fresh Morning Dews which make it for the most part wonderfully fruitful almost beyond belief yielding for every Pushel of Wheat that is sown threescore and of Maiz two hundred for one besides great plenty of Sugar-Canes and Cochinele both which nevertheless the Spaniards are said to neglect in some sort employing themselves wholly about richer Commodities for the Countrey affords them good store of Mines of Silver and Brass but of Gold or Iron not many as yet have been found The Rivers abound plentifully with Fish and the Woods with Wenison and some other wild Beasts The Countrey is generally more mountainous than plain frequently shaded with Woods and whole Forrests of the stateliest Pine-Trees and Oaks that are to be seen amongst which breed abundance of Wolves which do great mischief to the People as also Scorpions and Mustiecho's The Hurts receiv'd from Scorpions are heal'd with the Juice of the Fruit call'd Queon those from the Mustiecho's by Vinegar and the Juice of Lemmon Here is likewise a green Stone accounted a soveraign Medicine against the Gravel Several sorts of Tunas-Trees The Trees peculiar to this Countrey are the tunas already spoken of in Guatimala and thought to be the same we vulgarly call Indian Fig-Trees and are distinguish'd into six sorts The first by the Portuguese call'd Cardon hath sharp Prickles thick Leaves full of slimy Juice an odoriferous Flower oval Fruit cover'd with an Orange-colour'd Rind and small Roots The Fruit within consists of a white juicy and well tasted Pulp full of black Seed The second hath a round Body full of Boughs with Star-like Prickles hanging downwards the Flower white and the Fruit very like that of the Cardon onely smaller The third is the Caxabra which shoots up to a great Tree full of prickly Cods at the utmost end grows a large white Flower the Fruit which is as big again as an Egg is pleasant and cooling The fourth sort hath a straight Body full of Prickles runs lesser and lesser to the top at the end of the small Boughs each thick Leaf produces another the Wood if kindled burns like a Candle The fifth nam'd Cumbeba grows out of small Roots with three or four corner'd thick Leaves full of Prickles the Flower somewhat less than the former the Fruit oval hard and red having a white and juicy Pulp The Prickles of this Cumbeba-Tree are so sharp and stick in so deep that they can scarce be pull'd out This is that sort of Tunas that produces Cochinele which is a Worm that grows under the Leaves and is cover'd with a Skin which being neatly taken off and dry'd in the Sun as formerly mention'd becomes a rich Commodity Joseph de Acosta tells us that the Spanish Fleet Anno 1578. carried so much Cochinele to Spain as amounted to two hundred eighty three thousand seven hundred and fifty Ryals But the last sort of the Tunas is the Unirumbeba which hath a straight Body full of Prickles on the top whereof grow divers prickly Leaves not unlike those of the Palm-Tree It is onely found in barren places remote from the Sea Moreover all kind of Fruits transplanted hither from Spain thrive very well as Apples Pears Granats Figs Peaches Apricocks Muskmelons c. The Root Castanuela The Root Castanuela affords a much better Feeding for Swine than Acorns But amongst many other Roots which are found here as the Xiquimas Yaca Cochuco Cari Totora and Mani The Batata the chief is the Batata which is fat sweet and windy it runs over the Ground with a tough green Sprig the new Fibres taking Root dispersedly up and down being yellow without and within full of milky Juice the Leaf resembling a Heart is of a pale yellow colour on the top and donuy underneath roasted in Ashes it eats better than a Turnip It is divided into three sorts The first call'd Omenapo-yeima when boyl'd shews like red Betel but Dyes of a Skye-colour the innermost Skin which is of a dark Red yields an Ink-like Juice The second sort call'd Parro differs little from the first onely the Body Root and Veins of the
Countrey against the Chichemecae which are a barbarous and unreduc'd People of the North-East parts of this Countrey who harbouring themselves in Caves under Ground in the thickest of huge Woods and Forrests do oftentimes issue out and make foul spoil in the Countrey where they come having first intoxicated themselves with a Liquor made of certain Roots and would do much more harm if it were not for this Garrison 3. Del Spiritu Santo built by the Founder of the other two viz. Nunnez de Gusman aforesaid in a part of the Countrey which they call Tepecque SECT III. Xalisco Bounds and Description of Xalisco Xalisco or Galesco as some call it is bounded on the North with Couliacan on the South with some parts of New Spain on the East with the Province of Guadalajara and on the West with the Gulf or Bay of California The Countrey is chiefly fertile in Maiz and Mines of Silver not altogether so apt for Herbage and Pasture as some other Countreys about it The People were Cannibals before the Spaniards came amongst them eating Man's-flesh were much given to quarrelling and Contentions amongst themselves but by this time 't is suppos'd they are reasonably well reclaim'd both from the one and the other Towns of chief note In this Countrey besides many other goodly Streams is the great and famous River Barania on the Banks whereof are seated most of their principal Towns as 1. Xalisco which gives Name to the whole Province and to a large Promontory or Foreland on the Western Coasts which shoots it self out into the Bay of California right over against certain Islands which the Spaniards call The Three Maries This was an ancient City or Town of the Natives but sack'd and taken by Nunnez de Gusman in the Year 1530. 2. Compostella built by the aforesaid Gusman and so nam'd from the City in Spain so famous for the Grave of James the Apostle who according to the Roman Writers was buried there lies near the South Sea on a barren Soil within the Torrid Zone yet the Ground breeds many sorts of Vermine besides other noxious Creatures amongst which the Capybara roots up whole Trees and other Plants in the Night This Beast resembling an indifferent large Hog hath short Legs and Claws thick Head with a Beard wide Ears and on each Jaw-bone twenty four Teeth besides two Tusks but no Tail it goes slow but swims exceeding fast and dives under Water for aconsiderable time together they often feed together in great Herds and make a terrible noise 3. La Purification a small Town on the Sea side towards the Confines of New Spain SECT IV. Chiametla Situation of Chiametla AGainst Xalisco juts Chiametla along the South Sea where the Inhabitants wear short Cloaks and Deer-skin Shoes and in the Wars use Shields made of strong Twigs twisted together The Women which are indifferent handsom are clad down to their Feet Towns of principal note The chief Town of this Province is Sant Sebastian so call'd from the River upon which it stands it was built by Captain Franciscus de Yvarra Anno 1554. who discovering many Silver Mines hath made several Melting-houses in which the Silver being melted swims upon the Lead SECT V. Couliacan Bounds of Couliacan NExt to Chiametla Westward and Southward of Cinoloa lies Couliacan Coasting all along the Bay of California which it hath on the West on the East it hath New Biscay and on the South Xalisco The Countrey is not defective in any kind of necessary Provision but more especially it aboundeth with Fruits of all sorts But the Spaniards look onely at the Mines of which they have some few in this Countrey The People were generally Cloth'd with Cotton-Wooll when the Spaniards came first amongst them but yet never a whit the more modest being exceedingly given to Venery and that in a more shameless and beastly manner than many other Americans who went naked The Spanish Towns are these Towns 1. Hiustula seated on the Banks of a fair River distant about a days Journey from the Sea 2. Quinola 3. Quatrobarrios an old Town of the Natives but new nam'd by the Spaniards 4. El Leon an old Burrough 5. Couliacan the chief Town of the Province 6. St. Michael in the Valley of Arroba two Leagues distant from the Sea in a rich and plentiful Countrey both for Corn and Fruit whither it was remov'd from the Banks of the River Orala where it first stood it was built by Nunnez de Gusman in the Year 1531. after he had burnt the Towns and destroy'd a great number of the Natives Inhabitants of the Countrey Nunnez de Gusman first Discoverer 〈◊〉 of this Countrey This Countrey was first discover'd by the aforesaid Nunnez de Gusman after he had built Guadalajara after this manner Marching from Chiametla to Piatzala he ruin'd this Province with Fire and Sword he likewise conquer'd the Countreys of Zapuatun and Piaztla the first being a Plain lay inclos'd within high Mountains where the Spaniards met none but Women till they came to a great River call'd De la Sall whose Banks on each side were well inhabited the second juts against the Ocean and is water'd by a River of the same Denomination Here within the Houses which are built after a strange manner lay thousands of Serpents mingled together with their Heads sticking out on the top and at the sides and hissing with open Mouth at those which approached them The Inhabitants shew'd great Revence to these Serpents because as they said the Devil often appear'd to them in that form And this seems to be a Custome amongst them from the Tradition of Eves being tempted by the Devil in the shape of a Serpent Serpents worshipp'd by the Natives Nor was this Superstition peculiar onely to these Indians forasmuch as divers Nations of the ancient Heathens of other parts of the World worshipp'd the Likeness of a Serpent And even amongst the Greeks according to Plutarch Hesychius Clemens Alexandrinus and others it was no unusual thing in their religious Worship to call on Eva and at the same time to shew a Serpent Plutarchus and Aelianus say That the Egyptians honour'd a Serpent for their God The same saith Erasmus Stella of the old Prussians Sigismund Baro of the Liflanders and Alexander Guaginus of the Sarmatians and Samogethes Moreover some write that in the Province of Calecut are Serpents with exceeding great Heads and weighing as much as a great Hog to which the King shews great Reverence so that it seems the Devil takes delight to be worship'd in that shape wherein he work'd the Fall of Man-kind The Fish Guarapucu The Flood which comes out of the Sea up to the City St. Michael through the River Cignatlan abounds with Fish and especially the Guarapucu which is seven Foot long when it comes to its full growth it hath no Scales but a smooth Skin of a Silver colour mix'd with Green from the
follow fled to the Mountains from whence they could not be enticed whilst the Spaniards found their Houses full of Provisions and some Minerals Now those being dead whom they sought for some though it convenient to return but Espejus and Beltran perswaded the contrary alledging That farther up according to the Indians information lay several Provinces which were worth the discovery and advis'd that the chiefest part of their Forces might stay there whilst they and some few resolute Men went farther upon the Discovery which accordingly was perform'd Espejus having travell'd two days came into a fruitful Province jutting against Cibola in which he found eleven Villages inhabited by above fourteen thousand People who were clad in Skins and Cotton worshipp'd many Idols and receiv'd the Spaniards with great Civility The like Entertainment they met withall in the Countrey Los Quires wash'd by the River Del Norte near which stood five Villages inhabited by about fifteen thousand People Thirteen Leagues farther they found De los Cunames having also five Villages the chiefest of which being Cia boasted as above mention'd eight Market-places The Houses made of Lime were neatly Painted and compris'd in all above twenty thousand Persons and civil People who presented Espejus and his Company with handsom Cloaks set good boyl'd Meat before them and shew'd them rich Minerals and the Mountains out of which they got the same Of the like Constitution were the Inhabitants De los Amires which being thirty thousand in number resided in seven well built Villages lying North-West from Cunames After this they march'd Westward and found the eminent Village Acoma mention'd before built on an exceeding high Rock to which led onely a narrow Path up a pair of Stairs cut in the Rock as also many Wells to receive Rain besides what they have out of a River led by moats round about their Plough'd Lands The Spaniards staying here three days were Entertain'd with all sorts of good Meat Dances and Drolls From hence travelling twenty four Leagues more Westerly they entred the Province of Zuny where the erected Crosses which had remain'd there till that time were sufficient testimonies of Cornaro's having been there after he was deserted by Andreas de Cuyocan Casper de Mexico and Antonius de Guadalajara being setled on Zuny otherwise call'd Cibola and speaking the Indian Tongue better than their Native Language inform'd Espejus that sixty days Journey farther lay a great Lake whose Shores were crown'd with many brave Villages inhabited by a People which wore Golden Armlets and Ear-rings whither Franciscus Vasquez had gone a second time had not Death prevented him This Information so encourag'd Espejus that notwithstanding it was so great a Journey yet he resolv'd to venture thither though the Monk Beltran and most of his Company perswaded him to the contrary whereupon Beltran return'd After which Espejus went on to the said Lake wither he was accompanied with a hundred and fifty Indians Having gone twenty six Leagues he found a populous Province whose Borders he no sooner approach'd but he was told That if he was willing to lose his Life he and his Party might enter into a forbidden Dominion yet notwithstanding this threatnign Message he wrought so much upon the Casique by the Presents which he sent him that he was permitted to come in freely nay the Inhabitants of Zaguato strow'd Meal on the Earth for the Spaniards to go over and presented Espejus at his departure with forty thousand Cotton Cloaks and a considerable quantity of Plate which he sent with five of his Soldiers and all the Cibolan Indians back to Cibola keeping onely four Companions and one Guide with whom he travell'd forty one Leagues Westward where he found a Mountain to the top whereof led a broad Path which ascending he took up Silver Oar with his own Hand The several sorts of People that inhabited here were all civil and courteous living in good fashion in pretty large Houses built on the Banks of a pleasant River shaded with Vines and Nut-Trees and thick planted with Flax They inform'd Espejus that near a River which runs eight Miles towards the North Sea were such stately Places as could not be beheld without great admiration But Espejus going back a plain Road to Cibola found not onely those whom he had sent from Zaguato but also Beltran with the other Soldiers who having been detained where by the Civilities and kind Entertainments of the Indians were now upon returning home so that Espejus was left alone with eight Soldiers who resolv'd to venture their Lives and Fortunes with him They travell'd along the River Del Norte through the Provinces De los Guires and Habutas whose Mountains over-spread with Pine-Trees and Cedars have many rich Mines The Natives wore painted Cotton Cloaks and dwelt in stately Houses five Stories high At the Borders of the Realm Los Tamos they were stopt and not permitted to come on farther wherefore being but few in number and several of them sick they judg'd it convenient to cross the River De las Vaccas so call'd from the abundance of Cows that were thereabouts to the River Conchos and the Village Bartholomew where Espejus was inform'd that Beltran was long before his arrival gone to Guadiana And now that we may have the better Account of New Mexico which Ruyz Espejus and Beltran endeavor'd to discover it will be necessary to begin with the first original thereof according as several ancient Histories make mention First original of the New Mexicans The most ancient Possessors of that part of Northern America call'd New Spain were for their fierce and salvage Nature call'd Chichimecae who dwelling in Caves fed on Moles Rabbets Hedghogs Serpents Roots and Herbs Whilst the Women accompanied their Husbands in their Travels the Children were put into Baskets and hang'd in a Tree No manner of Government was to be found amongst them They never Till'd their Ground till the Navatlacans came from New Mexico which was anciently divided into two Countreys Aztlan and Teuculhuacan to New Spain after which they Sow'd their Lands The Navatlacans who us'd to dwell in Houses worship Images plough their Lands and obey their Governors were divided into six Tribes each Tribe possessing their limited Bounds and there goes a Tradition That out of six Pits that are to be seen in New Mexico the Navatlacans had their original The time when they deserted New Mexico as their most authentick Histories or Records declare was according to our computation Anno 940. and they farther affirm that they spent forty years in a Journey which might have been travell'd in a Moneth The reason of which tediousness was because they rested in all places where they found a fruitful Countrey but as they had advice from their diabolical Spirits which as they say appear'd visibly to them they still went on farther and farther yet left behind those that were aged sick and decrepid building convenient Houses for them and appointing Overseers to look after
part of California largely taken for besides that California properly so call'd hath formerly been taken rather for a Peninsula than an Island and still affords to some an Argument of question whether it be one or the other The whole extent of the Province generally so term'd hath been reputed to comprehend the suppos'd Peninsula it self Cibola Quivira and Nova Albion but since according to the best Maps and Discoveries there seems little doubt to be made that California strictly taken is a perfect Island and since upon that Consideration we have reserved it to be describ'd amongst the Islands of Northern America we also consequently judge it most requisite to consider those Countreys apart that were included in the extended California Situation Temperature and Productions of Cibola Cibola lieth Southward of Quivira betwixt it and New Gallicia to the North and East on the West it hath Mar Vermiglio or the Bay of California The Air of the Province is indifferently temperate especially if compar'd to the sharp Frosts and Colds of Quivira The Countrey is for the most part level and plain as Quivira is having but few Trees in it except here and there some Woods of Cedars which yet do abundantly supply the Natives both with Timber and Fewel The Ground affords plenty of Maiz and some small white Pease of both which they usually make Bread There is great store of Venison and a kind of Sheep as they say and as it should seem by their Fleece as big as some little Horses or Oxen some of their Horns weighing forty or fifty Pound But perhaps by some mistake of Authors this Beast may be no other than Taurus Mexicans elsewhere describ'd whose Hair is extreamly thick and shaggy and of which they make Cloth as of Wool as hath been said There are also Lyons Bears and Tygers in this Province in such numbers that the People of the Countrey are not a little troubled with them and would gladly destroy them if they knew how The People are generally well Limb'd tall of Stature and seem to be a little more Ingenious than their Neighbors of Quivira yet they go naked many of them onely cover'd with Mantles made of Skins which are many times painted and that with such Curiosity and Art as do sufficiently argue that neither themselves nor their Neighbors of Quivira from whom they have them in Traffick do make them but that they are the Merchandise and Commodity of some other Nations perhaps of Cathay or China who by the North-West Seas do Trade with the Maritime Parts and People of Quivira This part of the Countrey hath been reasonably well search'd by the Spaniards but as yet nothing discover'd so considerable as to perswade them to stay in it That which seems most observable is the great Lake Tonteac situate almost in the midst of the Province upon which or near unto it they found seven or eight old Towns of the Natives some whereof contain'd four or five hundred of their Cottages or little Houses and were fortifi'd also with Ramparts and other Works of Defence so as the Spaniards could not become Masters of them but by Force and Storming In the attempt whereof Vasquez Coronado their Commander in chief was twice beaten down with Stones by the Natives yet at last carrying the Place he found in it good plenty of Maiz indeed which was some refreshment to his Army but nothing else whereupon having nam'd the Place Granada in memory of the Vice-Roy of New Spain who sent him upon that Expedition he departed In his return homeward he fell upon a certain Countrey which he nam'd Tucayan of which his Companions report great matters as first of a certain River call'd Huex on the Banks whereof in the space of twenty Leagues or thereabouts there stand no less than fifteen good Burroughs well built and furnish'd likewise with Stoves or Hot-houses against the Cold as in other Countreys of Europe as also of a very fruitful and pleasant Valley which they therefore call'd Aroba de Corazones of another great Town and Territory call'd Chichilticala and lastly of the Valley of Nuestra Sennora or Our Ladies Dale in the South parts of the said Territory all of them describ'd for such rich and delicious Places that some take them for the Campi Elisii of America especially seeing the Spaniards were never known to visit them a second time the Discoveries that have been made since being onely of the North-West Parts of the Countrey along the Coasts of Mar Vermiglio and this no farther than onely to give Name to certain Capes or Promontories which they met with as namely 1. Porto de St. Clara near to the Mouth of the River which they call Rio del Nordt 2. Las Playas 3. St. Michael 4. Lago del Oro which bordereth on Quivira and lastly El Rey Coronado Eastward of that TOntonteac is mention'd by so few Tontonteac and by those few so obscurely that it cannot well be determin'd to be any other than that Countrey which lies about the great Lake Tonteac above spoken of in Cibola and which being made Habitable by six or seven Towns not inconsiderable for Habitations of native Indians might haply pass for a distinct Province And perhaps the reason why this Province hath been so obscure and little taken notice of might be from the ruine of these Towns by War or some other Accident and to this purpose are the words of a late Writer The Province of Tontonteac saith he hath five Houses onely left which stand on the Shore of a salt Lake Nova Granada a Province of Northern America NOva Granada besides that it is a generally known and describ'd Province of Southern America is also nam'd amongst the Provinces of Northern America particularly by Bertius Cluverius and Golnitzius and in some late Maps of America so conspicuously specifi'd that it might appear to be all that Tract of Land which contains both New Mexico and the several Provinces adjoyning to it but since we find it not describ'd by any at large it will with most verisimility pass for that part of New Mexico where stands the City of St. Foy and this is most plainly express'd by Monsieur Martini though there are who confound Cibola with New Granada Waving which Decision we shall onely insert a short Description of the Place according to Cornato who seems to have been one of the first Discoverers of these Parts and whose Credit is preferr'd before that of Marcus de Niza Nova Granada saith he consists of seven Villages It s Description built in the circumference of four Leagues the chiefest whereof boasts two hundred Houses which for the most part are four or five Stories high and built of Stone the Cellars thereto belonging being neatly Pav'd serve for Stoves against the Cold they ascend to their upper Rooms by Ladders The Inhabitants go naked onely some Covering about their Middle and over their Shoulders Cotton Cloaks painted with divers Colours They
Seas to Sail to it there being not any Islands Rocks or Sands between the Lands-End in England and New-found Land and for the most part it is not above three or four Weeks Sail thither and less coming back and is the most commodiously situated for the discovering of the North-West Passage and other Inlets into the South Sea whereby the ordinary Voyages to China Japan and the East-Indies are much eas'd in the expence of Time and Charge and the most open to Trade to all Parts of any Island of the West-Indies On the East side of the Land are the Bays of Trinity and Conception which stretch themselves towards the South-West Tor-Bay and Capelin-Bay lying also on the East stretch themselves towards the West The Bays of Trespassey St. Mary Borrel and Plaisance on the South part of the Land extend their Arms towards the North. The great Bay of St. Peters lying on the South-West side of the Land and Southerly from the great River of Canada being about twenty Leagues distant the same stretcheth toward the East Trinity Harbour lies in near forty nine Degrees of North Latitude being very commodiously seated to receive Shipping in seasonable Weather both to Anchor in and from thence to Sail towards either the East West or South It hath three Arms or Rivers long and large enough for many hundred Sail of Ships to moare fast at Anchor near a Mile from the Harbours Mouth Close adjoyning to the Rivers side and within the Harbour is much open Land well stor'd with Grass sufficient Winter and Summer to maintain great store of ordinary Cattel besides Hogs and Goats if such Beasts were carried thither and it standeth North most of any Harbor in the Land where our Nation practiseth Fishing It is near unto a great Bay lying on the North side of it call'd The Bay of Flowers to which Place no Ships repair to Fish in regard of sundry Rocks and Ledges lying even with the Water and full of danger The bottom of the Bay of Trinity lieth within four Leagues through the Land South-West Southerly from Trinity as by experience is found and it comes near unto the Bay of Trespassey and the bottom of some other Bays Trespassey in like manner is as commodious a Harbour lying in a more temperate Climate almost in forty six Degrees of North Latitude and is both fair and pleasant and a wholsom Coast free from Rocks and Shelves so that of all other Harbours it lies the most South of any in the Land and most conveniently to receive our Shipping passing to and from Virginia and the Bermuda Islands and also any other Shipping that shall pass to and from the River of Canada and the Coast thereof because they usually pass and so return in the sight of the Land of Trespassey and also for some other purposes as shall be partly declar'd in the following Discourse The Soil of this Countrey in the Valleys and sides of the Mountains is so fruitful Fruitful Soil as that in divers places the Summer naturally produceth without Tillage great plenty of green Pease and Fitches fair round full and as wholsom as ours in England Berries and Fruits Of Berries and Fruits there grows Strawberries red and white and as fair Raspice-berries and Goose-berries as there be in England as also Bilberries which are call'd by some Whortes and many other delicate Berries peculiar to the Countrey in great abundance Likewise small Pears Cherries Filberds c. Herbs and Flowers There are also Herbs for Sallets and Broth as Parsly Alexander Sorrel c. and also Flowers as the red and white Damask Rose with other kinds which are most beautiful and delightful both to the sight and smell And questionless the Countrey is stor'd with many Physical Herbs though their Vertues are not known When Corn was first Sow'n here it was observ'd to grow very fair the increase was great and the Grain very good and several sorts of Kitchin Plants that have been Set here have prov'd very well In divers parts of the Countrey there is great store of Deer Beasts and some Hares many Foxes Squerrils Beavers Martins and Otters yielding excellent Furrs Wolves and Bears with other sorts of Beasts serving as well for Necessity as for Profit and Delight Variety both of Land and Water-Fowl is in this Countrey infinite Birds The chief Land-Fowl besides a great number of small Birds that live by scraping their Food from the Earth in the hardest Winter are Hawks great and small Partridges Thrush and Thrussels abundance very fat as also Filladies Nightingales and such like which sing most pleasantly There are also Birds that live by prey as Ravens Gripes Crows c. For Water-Fowl there is certainly so good and as much variety as in any part of the World as Geese Ducks Pigeons Gulls Penguins and many other sorts These Penguins are as big as Geese but do not flye for they have but a little short Wing and they multiply so infinitely upon a certain flat Island that men drive them from thence upon a Board into their Boats by hundreds at a time as if God had made the innocency of so poor a Creature to become such an admirable Instrument for the sustentation of Man And also Godwits Curlews and such like which Fowl do not onely serve those that Trade thither for Food but also they are a great furthering to divers Ships Voyages because the abundance of them is such that the Fisher-men do bait their Hooks with the quarters of Sea-Fowl on them and therewith some Ships do yearly take a great part of their Fishing Voyages with such Bait before they can get others The fresh Waters and Springs of that Countrey are many in number Springs and withall so very pleasant delightful and wholsom that no Countrey in the World hath better And Fewel for Fireing no where more plentiful In like manner there is great abundance of Trees fit to be employ'd in other serviceable uses Trees There are Fir and Spruce-Trees sound good and fit to Mast Ships with and as commodious for Boards and Buildings as those of Norway and out of these come abundance of Turpentine Moreover the Pine and Birch-Trees here are scarce to be compar'd for heighth and greatness The Rivers also and Harbours are generally stor'd with delicate Fish as Salmons Peals Eels Herrings Mackrel Flounders Launce Capelin Cod and Trouts the fairest fattest and sweetest that ever were seen in these Parts The like for Lobsters Cra-fish Mussles and other variety of Shell-fish The Seas likewise all along the Coast do plentifully abound in other sorts of Fish as Whales Spanish Mackrel Dorrel Pales Herrings Hogs Porposes Seals and such like Royal Fish c. But the chief Commodity of New found Land yet known and which is grown to be a setled Trade and that it may be much better'd by an ordinary Plantation there if the Traders thither will take some better course than formerly they have
himself to Avalon to inspect his Concerns there in Person from whence returning the same year he Embarqu'd himself again together with his Lady and all his Family except his eldest Son for Avalon the year following at which time there being then War between England and France he redeem'd above twenty Sail of English Ships which had been taken there that year by French Men of War whereof one Monsieur De la Rade had the chief Command and shortly after took six French Fishing Ships upon that Coast and sent them the same year with a great many French-men Prisoners into England Coming thence he left a Deputy there and continu'd the Plantation till his Death which was in April 1632. After whose Decease it descended of right to his Son and Heir Cecil now Lord Baltemore who thereupon sent one Captain William Hill as his Deputy thither to take possession thereof and to manage his Interest there for him Captain Hill according to his Commission shortly after repair'd thither and liv'd some years at the Lord Baltemore's House at Ferryland above mention'd In the thirteenth Year of King Charles the First of England c. about the Year of our Lord 1638. Marquess Hamilton Earl of Pembroke Sir David Kirk and others under pretence that the Lord Baltemore had deserted that Plantation obtain'd a Patent of all New-found Land wherein Avalon was included and shortly after dispossess'd the Lord Baltemore of his Mansion House in Ferryland and other Rights there and during the late Rebellion in England kept possession but His now Majesty King Charles the Second immediately after his most happy Restauration in the Year 1660 upon the now Lord Baltemore's Petition thought fit to refer the whole Matter to be Examin'd by Sir Orlando Bridgeman then Lord-Chief Justice now Lord-Keeper of the Great Seal of England and others to report the true state thereof to His Majesty together with their Opinions thereupon The Referrees accordingly upon full hearing of Council on both sides certifi'd That they conceiv'd the said Patent to Sir George Calvert to be a good Patent in force and not avoided by the later to Sir David Kirk and others and that the Title and Interest to the said Province did therefore belong to the Lord Baltemore Whereupon His Majesty on the twentieth of March in the same Year Order'd the Possession thereof to be re-deliver'd to his Lordship which was accordingly executed Since which time his Lordship has peaceably enjoy'd the possession thereof and continues the Plantation to this day by deputing Lieutenants there from time to time for the better Government of that Province the rest of New found Land remaining still to the aforesaid Proprietors claiming by the Patent of 13 Car. 1. The Commodities that are either by Art or Nature produc'd there are the same with those of the remainder of New-found Land The Winter there is extream cold the Summer very hot but withal pleasant and during that Season there is great plenty of Pasture for Cattel The Coast of this Province is very safe and as well furnish'd with variety of bold and pleasant Harbors as any other part of New-found Land where the English likewise Fish for Cod the lesser sort whereof is call'd Poor-John which is there caught in great abundance especially at Ferryland and in the Bay of Bulls Besides these two there are divers other excellent Harbors on the Eastern Shore of Avalon as Capling Bay Cape Broyle Brittus Isle of Spears Barrom Cove Whitburns Bay and Petit Harbour above mention'd On the West are the Bay of Placentia and several other good Harbors There are no Indians in Avalon and but few English by reason of the excessive Cold in Winter though Sir David Kirk and his Lady and also his Family liv'd in the Lord Baltemore's House at Ferryland for the space of ten years and upwards The Soil seems to promise great store of Mines which probably may in time be disover'd The late Lord Baltemore took accidentally a piece of Oar up that lay there upon the surface of the Earth and brought it with him into England which was found upon trial to yield a greater proportion of Silver than the Oar of Potosi in the West-Indies but hitherto no Mine of it hath been discover'd there The Trade of Fishing being of so great concernment to the Nation of England the same if it be well manag'd in this Island of Terra Nova will employ every year above two hundred Sail of English Ships and ten thousand Mariners besides the great benefit which may accrue unto the Nation by Imposition upon Strangers there which would amount to several thousands of Pounds per Annum with which those Coasts may be Guarded and Ships Trading thither secur'd besides the great Customs by the Ships call'd The Sacks being commonly in great numbers every year who carry Fish from New-found Land into the Straights France Portugal and Spain and who bring their Returns into England as Bullion and all other native Commodities of those Countreys If the Island were well fortifi'd we might Command all those of other Nations that come to Fish in New-found Land to pay Contribution in Fish or otherwise for their Priviledge to Fish there the said Island being first Planted by English and pertaining to the Kingdom of England or if occasion should require they might be utterly debarr'd of Fishing there The Trade of Fishing is of so great concernment to France Spain Portugal the Straights and other Parts that they cannot well be without that yearly Supply in Fish which comes from that Island Neither can the Hollanders Spaniards or Portuguese well set any Ships to the West-Indies without New-found Land Fish there being none that will endure to pass the Line sound and untainted but the Fish of that Countrey salted and dry'd there And so long as the Act continues still in force That no Fish be Transported from the said Island but in English Bottoms it will contribute very much to our encrease of Shipping there and by consequence of the employment of Mariners and the Fishing of that part of the Island will be solely appropriated to the English Nation to whom of right it belongs which will prove the greatest Ballance of Trade in that part of the World and that whereas above two hundred Sail do Trade thither yearly to Fish if a thousand Sail come if there be but Fisher-men enow they may all have Fraughtage there The French if once the Island be fortifi'd will be depriv'd of their Nursery of Mariners this being the onely place besides Canada and one or two adjacent Coasts where they come for supply of Fish with which that Nation cannot be furnish'd so well from other Parts By well Planting and Fortifying New-found Land the Trading to Virginia New England and those Parts would be much encourag'd New England having had of late great Traffick with New-found Land where they vend the Growth of their Plantation Besides New-found Land is a Key to the Gulf of
clad as it were in their Summer Livery the Meadows and Pastures always green and of such an excellent Herbage that Cattel both breed and thrive there beyond belief both great Cattel and small as Kine Sheep Hogs c. brought thither out of Spain having multiply'd to such numbers that they live wild now in Herds in several places and are both hunted and kill'd like Stags or other Venison onely for their Hides which they send yearly into Spain and other parts of Europe as a great Merchandize and Commodity of huge profit to them Wild Hogs also have been formerly seen to feed in the Woods in great multitudes but the Dogs since they were brought over hither have made great havock amongst them Beasts peculiar to Hispaniola The Animals peculiar to this Island are 1. A little Beast call'd Hutias not much unlike our Coneys 2. Chemi almost of the same form but a little bigger 3. Mohui A Beast somewhat less than the Hutias 4. A Beast call'd Coxi The Fly Cuyero Likewise amongst other strange sorts of Creatures here the Cuyero is very observable being about an Inch big and having four Wings of which two are larger than the other when they flie they shine after such a manner that in the Night they make a Room as light as day insomuch that some have made use of them in stead of Candles to Read by The Fish Manate No less wonderful is the Fish Manate whose shape hath been describ'd elsewhere It breeds for the most part in the Sea yet sometimes swimming up the Rivers comes ashore and eats Grass The Casique Caramatexi kept one in the Lake Guaynato which was so tame that when call'd by the Name Maton it us'd to come out of the Water and go directly to the Casique's House where being fed it return'd to the Lake accompanied with Men and Boys who with their Singing seem'd to delight the Fish which sometimes carried ten Children on its Back over the Water but at last a Spaniard striking at it with a Pike it would never come forth again when it espy'd a Cloth'd Man It liv'd twenty six years in the fore-mention'd Lake till by accident the River Hayboaic over-flowing into the said Lake the Fish return'd to the Sea The Fish Abacatuia Besides this great Fish here is also a sort of small Fish call'd Abacatuaia with a little Mouth black Eyes encompass'd with Silver-colour'd Circles four black Fins two long ones under its Belly one on the Back and one on each side of the Head the Tail slit and cover'd with a glittering Skin It is as big as a Flounder and not ill Meat but thick and round The Insect Nigua When the Spaniards first setled on Hispaniola they were exceedingly tormented with a sort of leaping Insects call'd Nigua which us'd to eat through their Skin into the Flesh in such a nature that many of them lost their Arms and Legs but at last they found out a Remedy against this Evil viz. the searing the Wounds with hot Irons Besides the aforesaid plenty of Flesh they have many excellent Fruits all the year long as Banana's Fruits Pine-Apples Custud-Apples Plantens Papans Musk-melons Water-melons and many other peculiar Plants as 1. the Auzuba a fair large Tree the Fruit whereof is call'd Pinnas resembling a Malecotoon Of this Tree there are three sorts Jaima Boniama and Jaiqua 2. Quauconex 3. Axi of which there are also several sorts as Carive Huarahuac Axiblanco Acafran-Axi and Axi-Coral 4. Yuca the Root of which serves in stead of Corn 5. Certain Trees call'd Guaibes besides plenty of Mint and Potato's The Provinces of this Island The Island of Hispaniola was formerly divided into several Provinces amongst which the Mountainous Countrey Hyguey lies towards the Isle of Porto Rico. On the Mountains which are flat on the top are great variety of sharp-pointed Stones The Soil is a sort of colour'd Earth which produces all sorts of Fruit especially the Root Casabi and Melons Hyguey also conterminates with Ycayagua Northward lies Samana Southward Yaquimo where there is store of Brasile Wood And between the City Domingo and Yaquimo is the Countrey Baoruco which with its Mountains extends sixty Leagues in length and above twenty in breadth without any Water Pasture or Food for Cattel or Mankind Next follows the Countrey Xaragua lying at the great Inlet which divides Hispaniola for one side extends to the Promontory of St. Nicholas and the other to the Point Tiburon This Countrey produces abundance of Cotton Lastly the Provinâ—â—s Guahaba Haniguagya and Cahay are very eminent as also Cibao which is full of Gold-Mines and Lavega Real with Magnana which lie between the two great Rivers Neyba and Yagui the stony Countrey Ciguayos and the low Coast Darica where Christopher Columbus built the City Navidad which he afterwards deserted Ginger was formerly brought hither from the East-Indies but now grows here in such great abundance that above two and twenty thousand Kintalls are yearly Transported from thence to Spain With as good success grow here also the Sugar-Canes and Maiz. Peter Martyr a Councellor to the Emperor Charles the Fifth relates That Hispaniola produc'd in his time besides Silver Copper and Iron five hundred thousand Ducats in Gold Nevertheless the rich Mines lay undisturb'd because they wanted People to work in them insomuch that had they not planted their Royal Seat in Domingo the Island had long since been deserted notwithstanding the exceeding fruitfulness of the Soil because the Spaniards exercis'd their Cruelty in such a nature that of sixty thousand Inhabitants from the Year 1508. to Anno 1514. scarce fourteen thousand of them were left alive all which is affirm'd by the Bishop De las Casas Nay the fore-mention'd Peter Martyr relates That the Men wearied with working in the Mines kill'd themselves despairing of ever being releas'd from their Slavery and Women with Child destroy'd the Infants in their Wombs that they might not bear Slaves for the Spaniards He adds hereunto That of a hundred and twenty thousand Persons few were left in a short time Ports and Havens On the Coast are first the Point of Nisao ten Leagues to the West of Santo Domingo Eighteen Leagues farther is the Port Ocoa which is a Bay where the Fleets of Nova Hispania take refreshing when they do not Anchor in the Nook of Sepesepin which is near unto it or in another call'd The Fair Haven two Leagues before you come to Ocoa Twenty Leagues beyond Ocoa is the Port of Asua Thirty Leagues more Westwardly is a large Point right against the Island of Bola which lieth five Leagues from the Coast The most Westerly Point is call'd Cape Tiburon It hath an Island three Leagues from it Westward call'd Caprio and Sailing along the Coast you will see an Island call'd Camito and farther in the Nook of Yaguana another call'd Guanabo of eight Leagues long On the North side of the Island the most Westerly
Ground The Men dying of their hard Labour in the Gold-Mines and those which endur'd stoutly the cruel Labour under Ground were never suffer'd to go to their Wives from whence proceeded a great decrease of People the Spaniards seeming purposely to design the destruction of the Natives of Hispaniola though they receiv'd great benefit by their Service for Gold in former times was found between the Cracks and split Stones of the Mountains whose Veins the Mine-workers digg'd for not without great and dangerous Labour First original of the People of Hispaniola The first Planters of Hispaniola are according to the common opinion deriv'd from Matinio a high and Mountainous Isle from whence the most eminent Inhabitants were driven by certain Rebels as formerly the Syrians under the Government of Dido were driven from Tyre to Lybia and the Batavians from Hessen to the Countrey between Rhyne and Wall at present inhabited by the Gelders and Hollanders These Matininoensians thus expell'd from their native Countrey setled themselves on Cahonao near the River Bahaboni The first House they call'd Camoteia and afterwards turn'd it into a Temple to which they shew'd Reverence and made great Presents In like manner the Tyema which stood on a high Rock belonging to one of the Canary Islands was by the antient Inhabitants of the Place had in great veneration insomuch that many leap'd down from the same being perswaded by the Priests That the Souls of those which threw themselves off this sacred Break-neck should immediately be translated into a place of everlasting happiness The antient Name of this Island This Island was as we said before first call'd Haity which signifies Wild because in many places it swells with wondrous high Mountains and in other places is over-grown with great Woods it was afterwards by the antient Inhabitants nam'd Xusqueia that is Unmeasurably great because they suppos'd it to be the whole World and that the Sun shin'd in no other place Indian Songs or Ballads call'd Areitos The Natives of this Island though wholly rude of acquir'd Knowledge or Literature like the generality of the Americans yet they took care to instruct their Children in the Original and Antiquities of their Countrey and the Wars and Exploits of their Predecessors both which they contain'd in Songs call'd Areitos which they us'd to Sing to the sound of Drums and Trumpets but especially their Persons of chiefest Quality study'd most these Areitos and exercis'd themselves in Dancing Strange Prediction of the Spaniards Arrival The most remarkable of these antient Areitos were such as pretended to prophesie of things to come which if of sad consequence were Sung very mournfully and with many Sighs nor were they always however inspir'd without effect as appear'd at last by woful event for long before the Spaniards Landed on Hispaniola it was foretold by one of them that Maguacochios signifying Clothed People should Land on Hispaniola who with sharp Weapons should cut off Heads and Arms and under whose insupportable Yoke their Successors must spend their days without hope of ever being releas'd It might be disputed whether these Predictions were dictated by good or evil Spirits but it is generally believ'd that all their Oracles whether hapning true or false were suggested by diabolical Spirits to the Priests who commonly convers'd with them and that these Spirits knew the Design of several People to discover new Countreys The Images of their Zemes. Their Images Zemes stuff'd full of Cotton were fashion'd into very frightful Shapes and might pass for those things which we call Terricula or Bugbears of which some were made very small and those they ty'd on their Foreheads when they went to the Wars Every Governor had a peculiar Zemes to whom he shew'd Reverence in return whereof he expected Rain fair Weather and to conquer his Enemies supposing him to be a Messenger of a perpetual and endless Being by them call'd Jocauna Guamaonocon whom nevertheless they suppos'd to have a Mother to whom they gave five Names viz. Attbeir Mamona Guacarapita Liella and Guimazoa The Islanders Opinion of the Creation Their opinion of Man's Creation was thus They say that out from a Mountain in the Province Cuanana out of certain small and great Caverns therein came little and great People The biggest Hole call'd Cazibaragua and the little one nam'd Amaiauna were said to be lock'd up every Night that none might pass the Sentinel Machchael who out of curiosity leaving the Mountain Cuata and going up into the Countrey was discover'd by the Sun whose Beams he not being able to endure was turn'd into a Rock The like Mischance hapned to many others who in the dark Night going to Fish in the Morning at their Return were chang'd into Oaken Trees onely one of the Fishermen Was sent away by the chief Commander Vaguoniana who moved at the Complaint of a Nightingale's Singing suffer'd all the Men to go into the Hole and the Women and Children he Transported to Matinino But to make short of these non-sensical Stories in conclusion the Men being let out of their Caves saw many strange Beasts amongst the Woods which being turn'd into Women Were entertain'd by them and brought forth a numerous Progeny which spread over all Hispaniola Their foolish Opinion of the Original of the Sea No less ridiculous an Account do the Priests give concerning the Original of the Sea Viz. That Jaia a mighty Man buried the Body of his deceased Son in a Pumpion which some Moneths after out of meer affection to the Deceased he cutting open abundance of Whales sprung out of it This Wonder being every where known amongst others entic'd four Brothers born at one Birth whose Mother died in Childbed to get the Pumpion into their possession which their Design prov'd successful but afterwards struck with a pannick fear of Jaia's coming thithither who oftentimes came to mourn over the Bones of his dead Son they fled and threw away the Pumpion which breaking with the fall the Sea gush'd out of all places thereof and cover'd the Plains in such a manner that nothing of them was seen onely the tops of the highest Mountains appear'd at which the four Brothers terribly afrighted rang'd through barren Desarts in which they had died of Hunger had they not come to a Baker's House which one of them entring ask'd for Cazabi but the Baker denying them Bread spit on them which caus'd a mortal Dropsie which the Brothers upon consultation found no way to cure but by cutting a hole in the Skin with a sharp Stone and to let out the Water but out of each running Wound sprung a Woman who bare them four Sons and four Daughters The Cave Jovana-beina There is a certain Cave call'd Jovana-beina which is adorn'd with a thousand Pictures in great esteem amongst them at the Entrance on each side whereof stands a Zemes that on the right side is call'd Binthaitelles the other Marobur to which they come from
with their Legs in salt Water which they drink Manner of taking Parrots The Parrots which breed here us'd to be taken by the Natives after a strange manner A Boy having a Bundle of Herbs about his Head climbs up to the top of a Tree holding a Parrot over his Head which by griping he forces to make a noise and thereby draws others to come flying about him upon which being expert in this Art he throws a String with a Noose made fast to a Stick about them and pulls them to him There are a sort of four-footed Serpents by the Natives call'd Yguanas of which they us'd to eat The Flesh of Tortoises or Turtles was accounted a great Dainty amongst them especially those of the biggest size of which some have been known to weigh a hundred and thirty Pound The Feet of them are said to cure the Leprosie and Scabs Amongst the peculiar Trees of this Countrey are the Zagua and the Caninga The Cotton which is of the natural Growth of this Place is exceeding fine Here is also the Bird Flamingo and another sort of Bird call'd Bambayas In former times Cuba was Govern'd by several Lords each Commanding over his own Province Chief Provinces of Cuba The chiefest of these Provinces are Mayzi Bayamo Cueyba Camguey Macaca Xagua Habana and Uhima some of them are plain others mountainous and being more or less fruitful were very populous before the Spaniards came thither but since their cruel Massacres scarce any of the antient Natives are left Nor are the Spaniards here at present very populous considering the largeness of the Island In the Province of Camaguey is a Valley three Leagues in bigness where Nature produces a great number of large Stones so exactly round that no Man with a Compass can make a more exact Circle Though the Gold which is digg'd out of the Mines and found in Rivers is none of the purest yet the Copper which this Countrey affords is accounted excellent HAVANA The Serpents here are about the bigness of a Hare having Heads like Weezles Serpents they prey on little Beasts call'd Guabiniquinazes and have been accounted delicious and wholsom Meat Antient Customs of the Natives The antient Natives went formerly naked The Men made it a Custom to forsake their Wives when they pleas'd yet the Women were still oblig'd to be faithful to them though from the very first day of their Marriage they were taught to Cuckold them by a certain wicked Ceremony in use amongst them for the Bridegroom lay not with his Bride the first Night but suffer'd her to be enjoy'd by one of his Friends of equal Quality with himself whether he were Lord Merchant Laboring-man or what Estate soever The Spaniard at first beaten by the Natives This Island was reduc'd under the Spanish Government not without great effusion of Blood for the Natives having had continual Wars with the Cannibals as hath been said were not ignorant in the Exercise of Arms. The first Spanish Commander sent against them was Valdivia whom they slew with all his Men and hew'd his Ship in pieces Little better escap'd Fogeda whose Men were all cut off and he himself escaping very miraculously died not long after of his Wounds in St. Domingo St. Jago built by Valasquez Within two years after viz. Anno 1514. Diego Valasquez with better success set forth for Cuba where the first thing he did was to build a City which he call'd St. Jago lying near a Southern Bay full of Fish and defended with several small Isles behind which the Ships in the greatest Storm may Ride very secure by reason whereof the new City increas'd so much that in a short time it could shew two thousand Inhabitants a brave Church a Cloyster and was made a Bishop's See but subordinate to that of St. Domingo The Copper Mountains Three or four Leagues from the City are those famous Mountains by the Spaniards call'd Sierra de Cobre or The Copper Mountains from the abundance of that Metal which the Mines in them afforded and do yet afford but the City was afterwards almost left desolate divers Houses in the same standing empty having in it scarce two hundred Inhabitants St. Jago taken by the English which made it the easier to be taken by a hundred and sixty English-men led by Captain Cliff Anno 1601. who carried from thence a hundred thousand Pieces of Eight and a Ships Lading of Hides and Sugar 2. Besides St. Jago Valasquez built the Town Baracoa on the Eastern Shore of Cuba Baracoa wash'd by the River Mares which falls into the Ocean between two Mountains on one side and a flat Point on the other and is a most excellent Harbor Not far from which grows the best Ebony Wood. 3. He also built the Town St. Salvador St. Salvador one of the most healthful Promontories of all Cuba near the River Bayamo which produces round Stones us'd there in stead of Bullets 4. He likewise built Trinidad Trinidad before which hardly accessible Harbor many a Ship hath been cast away But this Fort was by a mighty Storm levell'd even with the Ground Puerto del Principe 5. Near the Haven before the Town Puerto del Principe is a Fountain out of which at certain times flows liquid Pitch Villa Sancti Spiritus 6. The Town call'd Villa Sancti Spiritus six Leagues from the Ocean boasts fifty brave Houses and is wash'd by the River Saaz 7. The chiefest City which the Spaniards possess in the West-Indies Havana and the present Seat of their Governor is Christovall de Havana which stood first on the South side of Cuba but was afterwards built on the North opposite to Florida The Harbor before it is large and safe for it is able to contain a thousand Ships without the least endangering of one another and yet the Entrance so narrow between a Promontory and a square Fort that two Ships cannot Sail in together the shallowest part thereof hath six Fathom Water On each side the Mouth of the Harbor is a Fort the one call'd Mesa de Maria which stands built on a Champain Ground the other call'd Morro which lies at the Foot of two Hills on whose tops several Guns are planted which Command the Town and Haven Betwixt these two Forts is a Tower cover'd on the top whereof is a round Lantern wherein stands continually a Watch-man who puts forth as many Flags as he discovers Ships at Sea to give notice thereof to the City which is a Mile from thence Before Havana stands a third Castle well stor'd with Guns as likewise the rest are in all to the number of two hundred and forty and strongly Garrison'd of which great care was taken by the General Jean de Texeda and Baptista Antonelli an Architect sent thither by Philip the Second King of Spain to secure the Place from all foreign Assaults because the Plate-Fleet and other Ships that
come out of the West-Indies have their place of Rendezvouz here and from hence set Sail altogether for Spain The City stands along the Haven and hath two Churches with spiry Steeples The Houses are now built after the Spanish manner Havana several times Assaulted and taken But Havana was not so strongly fortifi'd in former times for Anno 1536. it could not resist a mean French Pyrate who losing the rest of his Fleet was driven hither by Storm and conquering Havana had burnt the same consisting at that time of woodden Houses cover'd with Thatch had not the Spaniards redeem'd them from the Fire for seven hundred Ducats with which Money the French set Sail when the day following three Ships arriv'd from New Spain before Havana and having unladed their Goods and preparing themselves for Battel pursu'd the Pyrate whom getting sight of the Admiral who Sail'd before durst not venture to Engage him alone but staid for the other two Ships from which cowardly Action the French Pyrate taking Courage fell on the Spanish Admiral who without firing a Gun ran his Ship ashore and deserted the same the next Ship thereby discourag'd Tacking about made away from the Enemy on which the third also follow'd insomuch that at last they were all three taken by the French who encourag'd with this unexpected Victory steer'd their Course a second time to Havana where they got as much more Money from the Inhabitants as before After this the Spaniards built all their Houses of Stone and a Fort at the Mouth of the Harbor yet nevertheless the City lay open on the Land side of which the English Fleet Cruising about in those Seas being inform'd Landed not far from Havana and enter'd the City before Day-break the Spaniards thus suddenly surpriz'd fled into the Woods whilest the English plunder'd and ransack'd the City without any resistance But this was not the last Blow which Havana receiv'd for during the Wars between the Emperor Charles the Fifth and the French King Henry the Second a Ship set Sail with ninety Soldiers from Diep to Cuba where they made themselves Masters of St. Jago and carried great Treasure away with them Thus enrich'd they set in the Night on Havana but found their Expectations frustrated for all the Houses were empty the Spaniards being so often Plunder'd having remov'd all their Goods to their Countrey Houses which lay scattering about the Island Whilest the French were searching the Houses two Spaniards came under pretence of agreeing with them but their Design was chiefly to take an Account of their Enemies Forces The French demanded six thousand Ducats of them to which the two Spaniards reply'd That all their Goods would not raise so much then going to their Party inform'd them of the number of the Enemies and their Demands whereupon Consulting some judg'd it best to comply with a forc'd Necessity and if they could not get any thing abated to pay the demanded Sum but most of them were of another opinion alledging That the number of the French was not equivalent to their Demands and that it would not be for their Credit to yield up their Estates so tamely without trying their Title by the Sword This being judg'd fittest they march'd to Engage them with a hundred and fifty Men which about Midnight fell on the French and at the first Onset slew four of them but upon the firing of the Gun they were all alarm'd and after a small Skirmish put the Spaniards to flight The Conquerors enrag'd at this treacherous Plot of the Spaniards set fire on Havana in which at that time was a good quantity of Pitch and Tarr with which the Gates Windows Roofs and Pent-houses being all bedaub'd over were in few hours all in a light Flame after which the Churches in order for their firing were also going to be over-laid with the same combustible Matter at which a Spaniard boldly desir'd that the Temples erected for Gods Service might be spar'd to which he was answer'd That People who keep not their Promise nor had any Faith had no need of Churches to profess their Faith in The French not satisfi'd with burning pull'd down the Walls and utterly demolish'd the Fort. The Haven Xagua The Haven Xagua also is not inferior to any the Mouth thereof being a Bowe-shot wide and within ten Leagues The Ships are securely shelter'd behind three Islands and also the Mountains which rise along the Shore Moreover the Inlet Matanca is not onely eminent by reason of the round Mountain Elan de Matancas which rises from a low Ground The Success of Admiral Peter Hein but chiefly for the Expeditions of Admiral Peter Peterson Hein who being sent out by the West-India Company to Cruse up and down before Havana with one and thirty Sail was from thence by a strong Current driven down to Matanca where he stood from the Shore when ten Ships came just running amidst his Fleet and were all taken but one About Noon they discover'd nine Ships more which Sailing along the Shore got into the Inlet Matanca where they ran aground whither Hein following came up to them the next Morning by Break-of-day and after a small Resistance took them being valu'd to be worth above a hundred and fifteen Tun of Gold besides the Musk Ambergreece and Bezoar with which two other Ships were laden and another rich Prize This large Island Cuba as we have before observ'd formerly divided into so many populous Territories is now in a manner desolate for according to the Spaniards Relation to the Admiral Henry Jacobson Lucifer when he was before Havana Cuba had upon it not above sixty thousand Persons in all in Anno 1627. But who-ever Reads that which Bishop Bartholomeo de las Casas hath written in his Book Printed first in Sivill in the Spanish Tongue and afterwards with the King of Spain's leave in French at Antwerp will easily find the reason why Cuba and many other Indian Countreys lie so desolate and how sensible the Indians were of the Spaniards usage appears by this following Story related by the said Bishop of a Casique call'd Hathuey who before the Spaniards approach'd his Countrey Anno 1511. fled from Hispaniola to Cuba where afterwards he was taken by the Spaniards and condemn'd to be burnt alive with green Wood whilest he was tying to a Stake a Franciscan Monk Preach'd to him the Mysteries of the Christian Religion of which he had never heard and likewise that he should ascend up to Heaven if he dy'd in that Belief but if not burn perpetually in Hell Whereupon Hathuey asking the Franciscan If there were any Spaniards in Heaven and being told there were answer'd I will rather converse amongst the Devils in Hell than amongst the Spaniards whose Cruelty is such that none can be more miserable than where Spaniards are Before we conclude the Description of Cuba it will be material to add some Passages of a Letter from Major Smith Governor of the Isle of Providence
who was taken there in the Year 1665. which will give light to the knowledge of the present State not onely of Cuba but of some other parts of America belonging to the Spaniards which is as followeth Maj. Smith's Letter concerning Cuba and other Parts CUba is a very good Island and in it is generally the best Land for so large a Countrey as I have seen in America although I have travell'd the main Continent in several places and have cross'd from the North Sea to the South Sea as also the North side of Hispaniola and most parts of Jamaica Novissima et Accuratissima JAMAICAE DESCRIPTIO per JOHANNEM OGIâ—UIUM Cosmographum Regum I have seen other parts of the West-Indies where the Spaniards might be fleec'd of considerable quantities of Riches as at Panama where their Silver Bars lie pyl'd up in Heaps in the open Streets Day and Night without Guard for five or six Moneths together waiting the arrival of the Armado which when arriv'd in Puerto Bello they Transport it thither with so slender a Guard for so great a Treasure as would be an easie Prey to a thousand resolv'd Men although of extraordinary value for so small a Charge but here is no resting nor long remaining they being so numerous as in all other places of the main Land though of great Wealth and easily gotten with a Catch and away But to my purpose This Island of Cuba hath adjacent to it great Conveniences of Salt and Fishing and in it are very great plenty of Horses Neat Sheep and Hogs both wild and tame of a far larger and better breed than any other parts of America It hath also many very rich Mines of Copper already open and is the onely Place that supplies all the West-Indies with Metal for the infinite number of Ordnance they have in all their Ports and Castles both in the North and South Seas but whether it hath any Mines of Silver or Gold I know not but if there were any such they would not adventure their opening and discovery fearing the Invasion of that Island whereunto is so easie access by Sea and of so great import to their whole Interest in America for which reason also they refuse to work any Mines in Florida that are nigh the North Sea although they have there very many but do rather employ themselves about others farther up in the Countrey although with greater Labor and Cost for conveyance of the Product by Land to Mexico And lastly for its full praise this Island hath many very good Ports and Harbors of great advantage to Ships for safe passing the Gulf and should the Spaniards keep three or four Frigats always plying between the Western end of Cuba and that of Havana off and on it were impossible for any Ships of ours that came from Jamaica to escape them the Scales turn'd would be their Case to all America Neither wants it great Sugar-works which have Water-mills and Horse-mills and very many large Cocoa Walks the most and best Tobacco and in short it produceth all other Commodities that any of our American Islands have knowledge of CHAP. XVI Jamaica Situation and Extent of Jamaica THe Island of Jamaica lieth North from the Southern Continent of America in the Sea call'd Mare del Nort and South from the Isle of Cuba about twelve Leagues and West from Hispaniola twenty in eighteen Degrees of Northern Latitude and beareth from Rio de Hacha North-West a hundred and fifty Leagues from Santa Martha North North-West a hundred and thirty five from Rio Grande North-West a hundred and thirty from Carthagena North fourteen from Porto Bello North-East and by North a hundred and ninety from the Bay of Darien North and by East a hundred and seventy from the Bay of Mexico a hundred and fifty It is of Form something nearly resembling oval being in length from East to West about fifty four Leagues or a hundred and seventy Miles from North to South in the broadest and middlemost part about three and twenty Leagues or seventy Miles over and so groweth narrower and narrower towards each Extream in circumference about one hundred and fifty Leagues or four hundred and fifty English Miles Nature of the Countrey This Island is well water'd with Springs and Rivers and is all over especially in the Western parts full of high Hills and Mountains It is also well Wooded for the North and South parts chiefly abound with tall and large Woods Nor are there wanting every where Savanas or Pastures which are thought to have been Fields of Indian Maiz till the Spaniards arriving here brought in Horses Cows Hogs and Asinego 's to feed Temperature of the Air. The Air in this Place is more temperate and the Heat more tolerable than in any of the rest of the Barloventi by reason of the cool Breezes which constantly blow from the East and the frequency of Showers of Rain and refreshing Dews which fall in the Night This is also the onely Island of the Barloventi which is not subject to violent Storms and Hurricanes and the Diseases which are predominant here are onely bred by Intemperance as Surfets Feavers and Agues or occasion'd by ill Diet or Slothfulness Commodities of the Island The Commodities of this Island are very many and first for Vegetables the Sugars are so good that they now out-sell those of Barbado's 5 s. per Cent. Cocoa of which there are many large Walks and greater plenty by improvement may easily be produc'd Tobacco so good that the Merchants give Six pence a Pound for it and buy it faster than the Planters can make it Indigo is producible in great abundance if there were Hands sufficient employ'd about it The Cotton of this Place is accounted very firm and substantial and preferr'd before any that grows in the neighboring Islands Of Tortoise-shell there is also good store by reason that much of that sort of Tortoise is taken on this Coast Here are also great variety of Dye-woods as Brasiletto Fustwick Red-wood a kind of Log-wood and several others besides divers of those that are accounted the most curious and rich sorts of Woods as Cedar Mohogeney Lignum-vitae Ebony Granadilla and others which are frequently Exported Moreover there are very probable testimonies that there are Mines of Copper here since both there have been those who affirm to have seen the Oar wrought out of one of them and the Spaniards report the Bells that hang in the great Church to have been Cast out of this Island Copper As for Silver the English are said to have been shew'd a Silver-Mine behind the Mountains West of Cagway Ambergreece the Spaniards report to have been often found on this Coast Salt might be made here in great abundance there being three good Salt-pans and Salt-petre hath been found in many Parts Ginger is reported to grow better here than in most of the Caribbee Islands and Cod-pepper very plentifully and also a certain kind of
Spice call'd Piemete being in the form of East-India Pepper of a very aromatical and curious taste partaking as it were of divers species together it grows wild in the Mountains and is very highly valu'd amongst the Spaniards Of Drugs and medicinal Plants there is here a very great abundance as Guaiacum China-Root Cassia-Fistula Veuillard Achiotes Tamarinds Contrayerva Ciperas Adiantum Nigrum Aloes Cucumis Agrestis Sumach Acacia Misselto with several others both Drugs Balsoms and Gums Cochinele is produc'd by a Plant that grows in this Countrey but it is not made without much care and curiosity and the English are not yet well experienc'd in the Husbanding thereof besides that the Growth of the Plant is much obstructed by Easterly Winds There is here greater store of Cattel than in any of the rest of the English Plantations in America Beasts as Horses which by reason of the great number of them are bought very cheap Cow's of a large size and of which vast numbers are yearly kill'd Asinego 's and Mules both wild and tame being a very serviceable sort of Cattel in those Countreys Sheep large and tall and whose Flesh is counted exceeding good but the Fleece worth little Goats in great abundance being a sort of Cattel very peculiar to that Countrey But of all other Cattel Hogs are here in the greatest plenty both wild in the Mountains and tame in the Plantations and they are more in request for Food than any of the rest their Flesh being counted both of a better rellish and more easily digestible than the Hogs-flesh of our Parts The Fish that is very plentifully caught in these Coasts is of infinite variety Fish and quite of another kind from what we have in this part of the World the principal whereof is the Tortoise which is taken in great abundance both on these Coasts and in the Islands Camavas The tame Fowl in this Place are chiefly Hens Turkies and Ducks Birds but of wild Fowl infinite store as of Guinee Hens Flamingo's Teal Ducks Wigeon Geese Pigeons Snipes Plovers Parrots Turtles Parachites Machaw's with divers others Fruit-Trees and other Plants Choice and excellent sorts of Fruits are here in great abundance as Cocao-Nuts Mannes Maumees Supatas Suppotillias Avocatas Cashuds Prickle-Apples Prickle-Pears Sower-Sops Custud-Apples and many others For Timber-Trees Platanes and Pines And for Garden-Herbs Radish Lettice Parsley Cucumbers Melons c. The antient Inhabitants us'd two sorts of Bread the one made of stamp'd Roots and the other of Corn which is Reap'd thrice every year and grows with such success that one Pint sow'n yields two hundred They had a strange way to make their Cazari Cakes of the Root Juca which keep good a year They first press'd out the Juice with great Weights which if drunk raw occasions sudden Death but boyl'd is pallatable and good Potato's are here in great abundance and grow like Artichokes in a moist Soil and shoot forth Leaves of a dark-green Colour like Spinage they spread upon the Earth by Stalks and bear a Flower like a Bell at the end of which grows the Seed the Roots are generally White but sometimes Red Marble-colour'd Yellow and Violet they are not onely pleasing to the Pallat but accounted very wholsom when stew'd in a close cover'd Pot with a little Water But much daintier are the Ananas which grow on a Stalk of a Foot long surrounded with sixteen large sharp Leaves between which grows a Fruit like a Pine-Apple but much bigger with an uneven Rind of a pale Green and inclining to a Carnation on a yellow Ground on the top shoots out a red Bunch of Leaves and Flowers the innermost Pulp melts on the Tongue and is of so delicious a taste that it exceeds all other Dainties the Seed produces Fruit once Of this Fruit there are several sorts the chief whereof is accounted a special Remedy against a bad Stomach Gravel Poyson and Melancholy The Drink made of Ananas is no way inferior to Malvasia Wine A sort of sensitive Plant. Here you may observe a remarkable Secret of Nature in a certain ever-green Plant which grows either on the Bodies of old Trees on the Rocks or in the Woods the Stalk whereof surrounded with Leaves full of dark red Spots bears a sweet-smelling Violet-colour'd Flower the Leaves whereof as soon as touch'd close up together and die and according as they are held in the Hand a shorter or longer time this strange alteration continues Since the Spaniards planted Ginger on Jamaica Ginger it hath grown there in great abundance the Male Plant for it is divided into Male and Female hath generally bigger Leaves than the Female the Stalks which are without Knots have more Leaves upwards than downwards and spreads along the Earth still take Root anew when the Leaves wither then the Ginger is commonly ripe but it hath not that poinancy whilest green as when dry'd The Cotton of this Island of which the Clothes and Hammocks that are made Cotton are vended in most parts of the Western World grows on a Tree of equal heighth with a Peach-Tree with a straight Stem or Body out of which shoot Boughs of an equal length and at equal distance between the Leaves which are narrow and long grow red Flowers and from them oval Gods which when ripe inclose the Cotton and a Seed like Pepper Description of the Alligator Of hurtful Creatures here besides the Manchonele and a sort of Snakes call'd Guaana's wherein 't is thought there is little or nothing of a poysonous quality the most observable is the Alligator with which many Rivers and Ponds abound it is a very voracious Creature but is seldom known to prey upon a Man it moves swiftly and strongly forward but turns slow the biggest of them are about twenty Foot long their Backs scaly and impenetrable so that they are hardly kill'd but in the Belly or Eye they have four Feet or Fins with which they go or swim indifferently are observ'd to make no kind of noise their usual course for getting their Prey is to lie on their Backs as dead then with a sudden onset to surprize what-ever Fowl or Beast comes fearlesly near them the best caution other Creatures have of them is from the strong smell that flows from their Bodies to requite the harm done by them they have something of vertue for the Fat or Oyl of their Bodies hath been experienc'd to be an admirable Ointment for all kinds of Pains and Aches they Lay Eggs no bigger than a Turkies by the Water side still covering them with Sand which heated by the Sun-beams hatcheth the young ones who naturally creep into the Water Muschilli and Merrywings In some parts of the Countrey there are also a sort of stinging Flies call'd Muschilli and Merrywings but the English Quarters are little infested by them Hugh Linschot writes That the antient Natives of this Place were a subtile and sharp-witted People skilful
lies in Basse-Terre and which is also built full of Store-houses and Dwelling-houses two Stones high The Castle which lies near the City hath four Bulwarks with great Guns The next neighboring Mountain is also crown'd with Garrison'd Fort. The Moubane-Tree The Countrey hereabouts bears Moubane-Trees which produce yellow oval Plumbs with great Stones wherewith the Hogs are exceedingly fatned The Corbary The Corbary which grows higher than the Moubane hath a hard shelly Fruit in which lies a douny Pulp of a Saffron colour The Gum which drops out of the Tree is hardned by the Sun and becomes very clear wherefore the Caribbeeans make use of it for Arm-rings and other Ornaments SECT XVI Deseado Situation of Deseado TEn Leagues to the North-West of Guadalupe and at sixteen Degrees and ten Minutes appears Deseado or Desirado like a Galley of which the North-East end hath a low Point to the Northward lie Sand-Hills full of red Veins It was so call'd by Christopher Columbus in his second Voyage from obtaining of his Desire it being the first of the Caribbees which he discover'd as St. Salvador the first Land in all America The Guano The Soil is wholly barren and destitute of Trees and breeds the amphibious Creatures call'd Guano's which in stead of Fins to swim withal have four Feet the biggest of them are fifteen Inches long their Skin full of little Scales shines like Silver and in the Night they make a loud and shrill noise from the Holes in the Rocks The Frigates On this desolate Island are an innumerable company of Fowls call'd Frigates which have a Body like a Duck but larger Wings and flye swifter so soon as they perceive a Fish in the Water they falling upon the same catch them in their Claws and especially devour abundance of flying Fish The Fauves But the Fauves which are much leaner are no way so swift they resemble a Moor-Hen have Feet like Ducks Bills like a Snipe and in rainy Nights rest on the Ships in stead of Rocks so that many times they become an easie prey to the Mariners SECT XVII Marigalante Situation of Marigalante NOt far from hence at fifteen Degrees and forty Minutes appears Marigalante like a Wood in the Water On the South-East side about half a League from the Shore lie black 〈…〉 full of white Specks Westerly the Shore is very plain whither the Governor Monsieur De Howell sent some People from that Island of which twenty were kill'd by the Caribbeeans who had Gardens and Fish-ponds thereon Not long after which Howell built a Fort here and Garrison'd the same with French-men The Woods afford a delightful sight to the Eye as also the Cinamon-Trees whose Leaves never wither a sweet smell to the Nose The Fish Lamantin The Ocean hereabouts produces plenty of Lamantins which are dry'd like Haberdine This Fish grows eighteen Foot long and seven thick the Head thereof is like a Cows with little Eyes and a thick brown Skin rough and speckled in some places and hath two little Feet in stead of Fins it feeds on Weeds which grow on the Rocks and Banks the Females bring two young ones at a time which suck for some days their Flesh palatable and wholsom is streak'd with Fat which when melted never putrifies they are oftner taken in the Mouthes of Rivers than in the Ocean The Sea-Devils About this Isle as well as the rest of the Caribbees are Fishes call'd Sea-Devils four Foot long and proportionably thick their Skins rough their Heads flat their Backs arm'd with Prickles little black Eyes wide Mouthes full of Teeth and two Tusks that stick out of the same four Fins a long slit Tail with which they swim exceeding swift above their Eyes stick broad sharp Horns turn'd towards the Back the Flesh is deadly poyson The Becune The Becune which is eight Foot long falls upon a Fish like a mad Dog biting great pieces of the Flesh out of the Body which occasions present Death its Flesh is likewise poyson SECT XVIII Todos Sanctos Situation of Todos Sanctos SOuthward from Guadalupe and at the same Latitude with Marigalante lie four desolate Isles call'd Todos Sanctos and on their Shores a sort of Shell-fish call'd Lambis from the resemblance of a Tongue Curious sorts of Shells the Shells whereof the Indians Sound in stead of Horns when they give an Alarm as also another sort call'd Porcelenes of which the most esteem'd are without of a Carnation and within of a Silver or Skye-colour mix'd with Golden Beams The next are the Black mix'd with a pale Blue and little Veins But the most remarkable Shells are those whose Back Nature hath mark'd in such a manner with Musical Notes that one might almost express a Tune by them Mother-of-Pearl Oysters Moreover it would amaze the Beholder to see the Mother-of-Pearl Oyster moving at the Foot of a Rock for at the Rising of the Sun they appear above the Water and gape for the Dew of which they have no sooner receiv'd a Drop but they close their Shells and fall to the Ground again SECT XIX De Aves Situation of De Aves VVEstward from Todos Sanctos at fifteen Degrees and forty five Minutes lies the Isle De Aves Besides Ducks Pluvers Moor-hens Geese and the like Fowls that suffer themselves to be catch'd by the Hands of Men which are very strange to them there are here also many rare sorts of Birds as the white Birds call'd Aigrettos Aigrettos which are somewhat bigger than Crows with red Bills and Feet and curious Plumes on their Heads they often flye a great way off at Sea The large Bird call'd The Craw-fowl Craw-fowl which feeds on Fish hath a thick Head a long flat Bill hollow Eyes and a short Neck under which hangs the Maw big enough to contain a Pail full of Water On the Trees along the Sea-side they watch for Fish which swim near the top of the Water and by their attentiveness on their Prey are easily shot themselves Here is likewise the Bird Arras Arras of the bigness of a Pheasant but more resembling a Parraquito their long Tail consists of divers colour'd Feathers some have shining skye-colour'd Heads Backs and Necks their Bellies and Wings of a pale Yellow they are so stout or rather so simple that if they are not hit with the first Shot they will stay for a second They also learn to talk but not so distinctly as the Canides which are no way inferior in beauty to the Arras nay exceed them very much Monsieur du Montell above mention'd seeing one at Corassao describes it after this manner Description of the Canides It deserves to be numbred saith he amongst the most beautiful Birds in the World I took so particular notice of it having had of them in my Hands many times that I have the Idea's of it still fresh in my Memory Under the
besides Brandy and English Spirits but of these latter now no great quantities Imported or spent by reason of the general use of the Spirit of Sugar-Cane call'd Rum which the meaner sort as Servants and Slaves do not onely drink in great abundance but much also is hence Transported into Virginia Bermudas and New-England Here is also Imported great store of Provisions of all sorts viz. Beef Pork Fish c. from Ireland New-England Virginia Bermudas New-found Land c. also Pease Flour Butter Cheese and Bisquet likewise Timber Boards Pipe and Hogshead Staves c. also Negro-Slaves from Guinee and live Cattel as Bulls Cows Asinego 's and Horses from the Cape de Verd Island New-England and from England Servants and all other Commodities for Plantations and for Apparel of all which great quantities are hither brought and sold The Shipping that comes to Trade to this Island belongs generally to England some few Vessels are here built and pass to and fro to the Leeward Islands and some belong to New-England Bermudas c. The number of Vessels which come hither to Trade in one year is found upon search to be about two hundred of all sorts some years more some less as Ketches Sloops Barques c. containing in Burthen fifteen thousand five hundred and five Tun according as they were here Entred which is at the least a third part less than their true Burthen by reason every Ship pays one pound of Powder per Tun the means ordain'd by this Country for storing the Magazine the greatest part of which Ships re-load with Sugars for England and many go for New-England Bermudas Virginia Tangier c. not always full loaden with this Countreys Growth The usual Rate for Tunnage from hence to London is from 4 l. to 5 l. per Tun sometime when Ships are very plentiful it is at 3 l. and less and at other times when scarce from 6 l. to 7 l. in the late War with the Dutch it was at 10. 11. and 12 l. per Tun. The Government is Constituted by the Laws of England and Laws not repugnant to them onely some particular Laws are here made proper for this Place by the Governor or Deputy and his Council which usually are from seven to twelve in number and an Assembly that consists of twenty two Persons chosen by the Free-holders two out of every Parish SECT XXIV St. Vincent Situation of St. Vincent THe Island of St. Vincent South-West from St. Lucia and having sixteen Degrees of North-Latitude was so call'd by the Spaniards as having discover'd it on that Saint's Day being the fifth of April It is accounted eight Leagues long and six broad and rises round about with high Grounds and several Mountains which are seen at a great distance This Island hath a very fruitful Soil and for the bigness of it hath been long since well peopled with Caribbeeans before the arrival of the Spaniards possessing here several Villages to whom they are still sworn Enemies but Truck'd with the Hollanders for Provisions Horns Axes Knives and other Trifles At the West and South sides are convenient Bays to lie at Anchor and take Water in The Fruit Momen The Inhabitants highly esteem the Momen growing to the bigness of an Apple-Tree the Fruit which it bears resembles a green Cucumber and is of a pleasant Juice the Skin always green and prickly the Seed which is in the same about the bigness of a French Bean is generally black and streak'd with Golden-colour'd Veins The Granadilla Here is also that Plant mention'd elsewhere by the Spaniard call'd Granadilla by the Dutch Rhang-Apple and La Fleur de la Passion by the French and it is so call'd as being fancied to represent the thorny Crown of our Saviour together with the Cross Nails Hammer and Pillar the Plant runs along the Ground unless it meet with a Pole by which it runs up SECT XXV Bekia Situation of Bekia NOt far from St. Vincent lies the Island Bekia which reckons twelves Leagues in circumference and lies at twelve Degrees and twelve Scruples of Northern Latitude It hath a secure Harbor against all Winds but because it is without fresh Water is is onely frequented by the Caribbeeans that dwell on St. Vincent who come hither to Fish and visit certain little Gardens which they have there for their pleasure The Soil produces store of Water-melons whose red juicy Pulp yields when squeez'd a great quantity of sweet Liquor which is very refreshing and good to create an Appetite their white Flowers notch'd at the end of the Leaves afford a delightful smell Anno 1633. Captain John Johnson Van Hoorn putting in to Bekia to catch Tortoises found a fine Inlet on the West and Eastward a Ridge of Rocks Cotton growing wild in the Fields and upon the Shore a kind of Snails call'd Burgun under whose first Shell appear'd another of a Silver colour with black Specks SECT XXVI Granada Situation of Granada GRanada lying at twelve Degrees and sixteen Scruples like a Half-moon from the North to the South is full of Woods Towards the South-West runs a fresh River into the Sea The Shore very low affords good Anchorage at twelve Leagues distance The Current grows exceeding strong here and the Water also ebbs and flows in a few hours Dirick Simonszoon Witgeest Sailing from Tobago was amaz'd to see with what force the Current drove him to Granada The French possess it Hither Du Parquet at his own Charge sent three hundred Men from Martinico who scuffled with the Inhabitants six Moneths before they could possess the same in Peace and scarce had they obtain'd it at last but by telling them that the French Assistance would be very advantageous unto them against the Arovages The Duke Seryllac in Paris inform'd of the Fertility of this Island bought it of Du Parquet for a considerable Sum of Money And inded Granada is none of the meanest of the Caribbees the Soil producing very good both Fruit and Timber-Trees amongst which is the Latine-Tree of a tall Body but ordinary thickness and in stead of Boughs hang Leaves like Fans in long Stalks which being ty'd together serve for Roofs of Houses There is also the Tree Cocoa which yet grows not so high here as in other parts of the West-Indies SECT XXVII Tabago Situation of Tabago THe next which comes in view is Tabago so call'd as some think from the quantity of that Drug there Planted eight Leagues long and four broad lying in the eleventh Degree and sixteen Minutes of Northern Latitude and hath many high Mountains full of Wood out of which glide eighteen Streams which watering the Plains fall into the Sea Captain Vitgeest coming to an Anchor here found a convenient Inlet on the East and fresh Water to fill his Casks Half a League from the Shore rise five Rocks through which he Sail'd with his Ships Within the Cliff opens a Bay into which runs a River well stor'd
which opens to the West stand great Stone Cisterns into which they receive the Water through Pipes laid under Ground the Chambers 〈…〉 Halls are very lightsom and high and the Walls of them adorn'd with Cedar a flat Terrace on the top yields a pleasant Prospect all over the Countrey the Windows in the Front look open not onely upon the Orange Walk but also upon several delightful Plantations of Sugar-Canes and Ginger Westward appear several Mountains whose high Heads are invested with ever-flourishing Trees and between the Palace and those Mountains a very large and stately Garden full of all manner of Flowers and other delightful Plants as well those commonly known amongst us as those peculiar to that part of the World in the middle thereof stands a Fountain deriving its Source from the Foot of a neighboring Hill The Winds which blow from the Hills and especially those cool Blasts daily coming out of the East so tempers the hot Climate that it becomes very tolerable When any News arrives here of the French Conquests in Europe they sound the Trumpets on the top of the Castle and the Standards and Ensigns formerly taken by the Governor in the Field are hung out of the Windows On one side of the Castle stands a Chappel and somewhat farther on a rising Plain a row of Houses inhabited by certain Retainers to the Governor and is call'd Angola The Offices and Lodgings for the Governor's Servants are built of Brick about the Castle which is fortifi'd with five Sconces whereon are planted several Guns The Governor keeps nine hundred Slaves and a hundred French-men to work in his three Sugar-Mills to till his Ground and for his Houshold-Service Several French Gentlemen have also built many fair Houses here amongst which the chiefest are those on which Poucy Treval Benevent Girand Auber de la Roziere de St. Andant de l' Esperance and de la Loche spent great sums of Money The English also are not much inferior to them in their Counties The English Plantations in this Island Their Churches are five in all first on the Point of the Palm-Tree stands a fair Church a second near the great Road below the English Governor's House a third at the Sandy Point which are all well built and large enough for a considerable Congregation the other two at the Inlet Cayoune are short of the three first The Ministers thereof receiv'd formerly their Benefices from the Bishop of Canterbury in Cromwell's time from the Tryers as they were call'd but of late since the King's Restauration from the Bishop of Canterbury again The best Houses belonging to the English were built by Mr. Warner Mr. Rich Mr. Evrard and Col. Geffreyson all successively Governors of the Place Their success at their first Landing It was in the Year 1625. that the English and French jointly Desnambuc Commanding the French and Thomas Warner the English Landed on this Island of St. Christophers at a certain time when the Caribbeeans perswaded by their Boyez to destroy all Strangers were ready up in Arms but they met with such Entertainment that they soon lost their Courage and yielded possession to the Assailants Not long after which Desnambuc and Warner went the one to Paris and the other to London to inform their Kings of the Condition of St. Christophers and to raise a Company which might promote the Planting of it Both attain'd their Desires and had fresh Assistance given them for both Kings favor'd the Design in regard of the good Conditions that were propos'd to those that should go Undertakers thither And to prevent all Contentions between the English and French they made Boundaries on each side but Hunting Harbors Fishing Mines Trees for Wainscoting and the like were to remain in common and each was to assist the other The English Plantation increased daily more than the French having constant Supplies from the Company in London when as on the contrary the Merchants at Paris grew weary being desirous first to have a Return for what they had already spent though the Countrey was not yet Manur'd wherefore Desnambuc going thither himself made the Company understand that they could not possibly expect to receive a Return unless the Countrey were Planted with Tobacco Indigo Ginger and Sugar which requir'd both Time and People But whilst the Business seem'd to go on prosperously a great Accident hapned which threw down the Work to nothing for the Spanish King set out a Fleet within the fore-mention'd Year of one and thirty Gallions three Galeasses and four Pinnaces with seventy five hundred Men under the Command of Frederick de Toledo Emanuel de Mineses and John Fajardo from Cadiz when before the Island St. Jago there lay at the same time twenty two Portuguese Galleys fourteen Carvils carrying four thousand Men Commanded by Antonio Nunnez Barreio and Francisco de Almeida who joyning with the Spaniards took the City St. Salvador and went about wholly to chase out of the Caribbee Isles all the English and French in which Attempt nine English Ships lying before Nevis were all taken by Toledo who Sail'd within Cannon-shot of St. Christophers Commanded at that time by the French Captain Rossey the Forts cast up by the English and French not being stor'd with Provisions nor Ammunition and consequently no way able to endure a Siege and the less because the Works were not quite finish'd nevertheless Desnambuc immediately drew up his Soldiers to the Low-land where he lay Intrench'd along the Coast to prevent the Enemies Landing but Rossey suffer'd the Spaniards to Land without the least Resistance whereupon young Du Parquet Sallying out of the Sconces fell valiantly upon the first Company but being forsaken by his Men was run down by the Multitude and kill'd In the mean time all their Sloops full of Men Landed insomuch that Rossey fearing to be surrounded left his Trench and went up into the High-lands whereby the Spaniards became Masters of the Fort but did not pursue their Victory as suspecting that the French might lie in Ambuscade in the next Wood and indeed they suspected not in vain for the French having undermin'd their Forts had laid Gun-powder in some of the Cellars which firing blew up very many of the Spaniards whilst Desnambuc Embarquing himself sav'd those which were not slain by the Enemy's Sword Mean while the English relying on the League between the King of England and the Spaniard made no Resistance notwithstanding they were inform'd that Frederick Toledo had quite ruin'd the French Plantation and put them all to the Sword but sent Agents to Toledo to put him in mind of the League between Spain and England which he not taking notice of alledg'd That Pope Alexander the Sixth when a Controversie arose concerning the new Discoveries in the East and West between the Crowns of Castile and Portugal had determin'd that Castile had sole Right to the Western World and therefore that St. Christophers being a part of the Western World
Pearl-fishing than the other two SECT III. Trinidado Situation of Trinidado THe Island of Trinidado was first discover'd by Columbus Anno 1447. in his third Voyage and by him so call'd as some guess from its three Points or Promontories but that seems not so probable in regard it is otherwise call'd La Trinidad or Insula Sanctae Trinitatis and therefore is likely to have been denominated upon a religious Account It lieth nine Degrees or thereabouts distant from the Line at the Mouth of the River Orenoque and is separated from the Coast of Paria over against which it lies by a Straight that is three Miles over and which for the dangerousness of passing it Columbus the first Discoverer of it call'd Bocca del Draco the length thereof from the most Southern Angle call'd Punta del Andrada to the North-East call'd Punta del Galera is reckon'd twenty five Leagues those that reckon fifty may be suppos'd to mistake Leagues for Miles and the breadth about eighteen Chief Commodities of the Island The Air of this Place is so impure that it is accounted the unwholsomest Island of all the Indies nevertheless the Soil is not unfertile as bringing forth Sugar-Canes Cotton Maize Tobacco of the best kind with other Commodities of the general growth of the West-Indies besides store of good Fruit and Cattel and one part of the Island call'd Terra de Bea produceth great plenty of Pitch but not of the best kind and there have been discover'd several Veins of Gold and other Metals The Natives some say were antiently call'd Cairi or Carai and were distinguish'd into several Clans or Tribes each under the Government of a Casique or petty Prince but most of them dreading the Spaniards Cruelty deserted the Island and Setled themselves in Guiana and at present both this Place Guiana and El Dorado have of Custom one and the same Governor whose Place of Residence here is St. Josephs the chief if not onely Town of the Island it stands Southward upon the Carone Here most of that Tobacco is made which is sold amongst us for Spanish In the Year 1595. Sir Walter Raleigh possess'd himself of it being then but a petty Village of about forty Houses and took Prisoner the then Governor Antonio Berreo who in all probability to ingratiate himself with him gave him some light towards the discovery of Guiana On the North-East of Trinidado and not above eight Miles distant from it Tabago lies the Island of Tabago which hath been already treated of as one of the Caribbees though some will have it one of the Sotavento it is otherwise call'd New Walcheren from a Town of that Name in Zealand from whence a Colony of Netherlanders was sent to Plant it Amongst others of the small obscure Islands hereabouts is Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda which is sometimes reckon'd amongst the Caribbee Islands but since there is nothing considerable to be spoken of it it is sufficient that it hath been mention'd though not punctually in its proper place CHAP. XX. California California how distinguish'd HAving before made mention of California as it is by some taken for that large portion of Northern America which lies most Southward and also utmost West of all that is known of the New World and having treated of those several Provinces which are generally reckon'd to be comprehended in it excepting California strictly taken as it is generally granted to be an Island viz. Quivira Cibola and Nova Albion lying on the Continent though there want not those who make Nova Albion onely the North part of California we shall close up our Discourse of these Islands that lie Northward of the Equinoctial Line with the aforesaid California specially so call'd which was by many thought and describ'd to be but a Peninsula or half Island by reason that the Bay which divides it from Quivira and New Gallicia towards the North runneth much narrower than it doth Southerly 〈…〉 that some where or other at the North it waâ— joyn'd to the 〈…〉 been â—aid have â—â—und it to bâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—aâ—e from the Continent for about the Yâ—◠〈…〉 upon those Coasts Northward accidentally 〈…〉 fell upon a Straight the Waters whereof ran with such 〈…〉 â—hat they brought them into Mar Vermiglio whether they 〈…〉 no and before they knew it and by that means discover'd that California was an Island and that the Waters which were observ'd to fall so violently unto that Sea towards the North were not the Waters of any River emptying it self into the Bay from the Main Land as was formerly thought but the Waters of the North-West Sea it self violently breaking into the Bay and dividing it wholly from the Continent It lieth North and South extending it self in a vast length full twenty Degrees of Latitude viz. from twenty two to forty two but the breadth nothing answerable The most Northern Point of it is call'd Cape Blanche that to the South Cape St. Lucas memorable for that rich and gallant Prize which Captain Cavendish in the Year 1587. being then in his Voyage about the World took from the Spaniards near to this Place As for the Island it self it is at present little if at all inhabited by the Spaniards whether it be that they want Men to furnish new Plantations or that they find no matter of invitation and encouragement from the Countrey or perhaps that the access thither be not so easie for 't is reported to be wonderfully well peopled by the Natives and that there were found onely upon the Coasts and along the Shore of Mar Vermiglio twenty or twenty three Nations all of different Languages though from the particular Narrations that have been made of the Voyages of several eminent Persons into these Parts it appears that the Spaniards have taken great pains in the discovery thereof and also from the several Spanish Names of Places that they have had Plantations here formerly however neglected at present The Customs and Manners of the Natives The Countrey is abundantly well stor'd with Fish and Fowl as appears partly by the Natives who take a huge pride in making themselves gay with the Bones of the one with which they load their Ears and sometimes their Noses also and with the Feathers of the other which ordinary People wear onely sticking about their Wastes but Great Persons and such as will be fine indeed beset their Heads strangely with them and have commonly one Bunch of them bigger than ordinary hanging down behind them like a Tail Having no knowledge of the true God they worship what the Devil will have them that is the Sun attributing to it onely the increase of their Plants healthful Seasons and most of the other good things they enjoy or are sensible of Their Government is said to be onely Oeconomical Their Government each Father ordering the Affairs of his Family apart without subjection to any other Superior yet so well manag'd that they live in good
a Pyramid revers'd the Basis whereof that is to say the more Southerly parts of it towards Magellanica and the Straights extend themselves largely both East and West becoming more sharp and streight towards the North and those parts by which it is joyn'd to Mexicana in the whole it is suppos'd to contain a Circuit of seventeen thousand Miles at least and is water'd with four of the greatest Rivers of the World besides abundance of lesser Streams which issuing from the Andes and other Mountains of the Countrey do run from all Parts both into the North and South Sea much fertilizing the Countreys through which they pass the four principal are these following The chief Rivers thereof 1. Orellana so call'd from the first Discovery thereof by Franciscus de Orellana otherwise the River of Amazons from a Generation of warlike Women who as the Tradition goes inhabited certain Countreys lying upon the Banks thereof This riseth in the Province of Peru and runneth a Course of little less than five thousand Miles discharging it self at last into the North Sea through a Channel as some say of threescore Leagues broad and yet with such a violent Current or Stream that it is said to keep its natural colour and taste almost thirty Miles in the Sea 2. Orenoque by some call'd Raliana from Sir Walter Raleigh who endeavor'd to discover it a River of the Province of Guiana whose Head or Spring is not yet discover'd It is said to be Navigable a thousand Miles together by the tallest Ships and no less than two thousand by Pinnaces and smaller Vessels and dischargeth it self likewise into the North Sea by sixteen several Channels or Mouths making thereby several Islands some whereof are said to be of good bigness and to lie at a distance of a hundred Miles or more one from the other 3. Maragnon a River of a yet larger Course than any of the former being as 't is said no less than six thousand Miles from its Head which is out of the Andes in Peru to its Fall which is likewise into the North Sea about Cape Blanco by a Channel of seventy Leagues in breadth 4. Rio de la Plata otherwise call'd Paraguay a River of two thousand Miles Course and falling as the rest into the North Sea by a Channel of threescore Miles over and about thirty Degrees Southward of the Line towards the Straights of Magellane The Mountains Andes The Andes or Mountains before mention'd being the most noted and biggest of all America and indeed of the whole World and thought by Cortesius to be the same with Sephar spoken of in the tenth Chapter of Genesis run above a thousand Leagues in length from Timama a Town of New Granada in the Province of Popayan and are in the narrowest place about twenty Leagues broad and also of equal heighth with if not higher than Caucasus it self the Ascent to them is unpassable except in very few places by reason of craggy Precipices and wild overgrown pathless Woods serving onely for a shelter to Serpents and other poysonous Animals which are there so numerous that a whole Army of one of the Kings of Peru is reported to have been destroy'd by them and what-ever People there are inhabiting in any of these Woods and Fastnesses must needs be in the very utmost degree of rude and brutish salvageness Some divide Southern America into Peruviana and Brasiliana Peruviana they subdivide into Terra Firma and Peru Brasiliana into Brasile and Paraguay But the most receiv'd and commodious Division is into these particular Provinces following all of them wealthy and large viz. 1. Castella Aurea or Golden Castile 2. Nova Granada or The New Kingdom as they call it 3. Peru specially so call'd 4. Chile 5. Paraguay 6. Brasile 7. Guiana 8. Lastly Paria with some lesser Islands adjoyning to all or most of these Provinces and commonly reckon'd as part of them CHAP. II. Castella Aurea otherwise call'd Terra Firma Description of Castella Aurea CAstella del Oro as the Spaniards call it or Golden Castile taketh up all the rest of the Isthmus or Straight of Darien which hath not been yet spoken of being bounded Eastward and to the North-East with the Atlantick Ocean and on the West with Mare del Zur and some part of Veragua Southward it hath the new Kingdom of Granada It is call'd sometimes Terra Firma because it was one of the first parts of firm Land which the Spaniards touch'd upon after they had pass'd so many Islands as seem'd for some time to block up and bar them from the Continent of America It is subdivided into these inferior Provinces or Countreys viz. 1. Panama 2. Darien 3. Nova Andaluzia 4. St. Martha 5. Lastly the little Province De la Hacha The chief Rivers of the Province of Panama are 1. Chagre as it was antiently call'd Rivers but afterwards from the great number of Crocodiles that harbor in it Rio de Lagartos falling into the North Sea between Nombre de Dios and Porto Bellano 2. Sardinilla 3. Sardina 4. Rio de Colubros so call'd from the abundance of Snakes breeding thereabouts 5. Rio de Comagre which falls into the same Sea 6. Chepo famous in times past for its Gold-Sands 7. Rio de Balsas whose Banks are shaded with good Timber-Trees 8. Rio de Congo which falls into St. Michaels Bay SECT II. Panama Description of Panama PAnama commonly call'd The District or Circle of Panama is bounded Eastward with the Gulf or Bay of Urraba by which it is separated from the rest of the Continent of this Southern part of America on the West it hath Veragua one of the Provinces of Guatimala being on both the other sides wash'd with the Sea It is suppos'd to contain in length from Carthagena and Popayan to the Confines of Veragua about eighty or ninety Leagues in breadth not above threescore in any part and where it is narrowest viz. betwixt the City of Panama and Nombre de Dios if measur'd by a right Line not above six or seven over from Sea to Sea It lieth almost under the Equinoctial Line but a few Degrees Northward of it and therefore somewhat hot and by the neighborhood of both Seas subject to a foggy and gross Air in comparison of some other parts so that it is not counted generally so healthful a Countrey especially for Strangers and in Summer-time The antient Division of Panama The antient Division of Panama according to the Lordships of the Casiques that then Govern'd were these following Careta Aila Comagre Chiam Coyba Chame Chiru Nata Tobre Trota Haylia Burica and Escotia where the South Sea with the Spring-Tides flowing over the Plains at its return being hardned by the Sea is turn'd into Salt but as it hath always hapned in all other Countreys of the World that with the alteration of Government the Division of the Countrey and the Names of Places have totally chang'd so also here the antient
Panama whereupon very many were taken who were all miserably slain except a few Youths SECT III. Darien Description of Darien DArien which by some Authors not being thought considerable enough to make a distinct Province is reckon'd one and the same with or at least part of Panama hath on the North the District or Circle of Panama on the South the new Kingdom of Granada Eastward it is bounded with the Gulf of Urraba abovesaid and some part of the River Darien which giveth Name to the Province and to the West with the South Sea of a more temperate Air by far than that of Panama and a Soil so admirably fruitful and lusty that they say Melons Cucumbers and generally all other Fruits of the Garden are ripe and fit to gather within twenty days or less after their first sowing but very much infested by noxious Creatures as Lyons Leopards wild Cats Crocodiles Serpents and Bats after whose Bitings a Man bleeds to death unless he washes the Wound well with Sea-water or stop it with hot Ashes and no less by the unwholsomness of the Air which is infested by the many stinking Damps that arise from the muddy Pools The Inhabitants are sickly and seeming generally to be troubled with the Yellow Jaundice never attain to a great Age they go naked the Men onely covering their Privities with a Shell or Cotton-Cloth The Women wear a Cloth which reaches from the Middle down to their Knees but if Women of Quality to their Feet Sebastian and Antiqua by whom built The Spaniards have many years ago made themselves Masters of this Province of Darien in which Alphonsus Fogeda built the City Sebastian which was inhabited till a Spanish Knight call'd Ancisius Anno 1510. built Antiqua and made it a Bishop's See which by reason of the unwholsomness of the Place was remov'd to Panama when Vasquez Nunnez discover'd the Southern Ocean Anno 1590. because Antiqua lay on a low Ground between high Mountains where the Sun burnt exceedingly and the Way to the South Sea being three Leagues from thence it was very troublesom to convey Merchandise thither But a worse Accident befell the Town St. Cruiz which being built by the Spanish Captain Peter de Arias was ruin'd by the Indians The chief Rivers are 1. Darien Rivers which gives Name both to the Province and the Provincial Town and falls into the Gulf of Urraba being a large Arm of the Sea eight Leagues over at the Mouth thereof 2. Rio de las Redas which runs in like manner through the Province of Nova Andaluzia and falls also into the same Gulf. So likewise doth 3. Rio de la Trepadera 4. Corobaci 5. Beru chiefly remarkable upon this Consideration that some curious Etymologists have endeavor'd to derive the Name of Peru from this River by the alteration onely of the initial Letter Places of chief note The chief and indeed the onely Town of this Tract is Darien built as aforesaid by Encisus a Spanish Adventurer and by him call'd St. Maria Antiqua and by others The Antique of Darien being one of the first Towns that were built by the Spaniards on the firm Land though there are who make mention of two other small Towns or Villages the one nam'd at least if not built by the Spaniards viz. Los Angelos scarce inhabited at present by any but the Salvages the other an antient Town of the Natives call'd Bizu SECT IV. New Andaluzia Description of New Andaluzia EAstward of Darien and the Gulf of Urraba lieth the Countrey of New Andaluzia otherwise call'd Carthagena from the Name of its principal City On the East it hath the Countrey call'd St. Martha on the North the Main Ocean and New Granada towards the South It is for the most part a Mountainous Countrey and full of Woods which they say yield abundance of Rozen Gums and some very good Balsams also a sort of Long-pepper much sharper than that of East-India But the Plains by reason of much Rain to which the Countrey is subject especially for some times of the year of but a spewy and cold Soil The Spaniards at their first coming found it a rich Countrey not so much from the Nature and Profits of the Soil though it be said to have some Mines in it and those of Gold but by reason of a certain Opinion and Respect which the Americans of these Parts are generally said to have born towards this Countrey insomuch that they would be brought and buried there from other Places very remote and accordding to the Custom of the Countrey not without good store of Gold and other Jewels according to the Quality and Condition of the Person that was buried of which the Spaniards soon gain'd Intelligence and in ransacking the Graves and Monuments of the Dead are suppos'd to have found an infinite Mass of Treasure but those Mines are long since exhausted Nature and Customs of the antient Inhabitians The Inhabitants of old suffer'd great prejudice by Tygers and Serpents yet nevertheless this Countrey was very populous before the Spaniards arrival here the Natives wore Cotton Aprons before and Golden Rings about their Arms and Legs as also Strings of Pearl and the like The Women here as in the rest of these Parts went with their Husbands into the Wars and behav'd themselves valiantly shooting poyson'd Arrows insomuch that Martin Ambesus took a Maid Anno 1509. who had kill'd twenty eight Spaniards The Countrey Vrraba To the Province Carthagena belongs also the Countrey Urraba which is so fruitful that all kind of Spanish Trees and Seeds grow better here than in Spain Besides which it hath its own Fruit as also abundance of Pine and Palm-Trees whose Leaves serve for Brooms The Guaiana-Tree bears a sharp kind of Fruit like a Lemmon the Guaravana a kind of Cittrons the Mameisa a Fruit not unlike an Orange but tasting like a Melon and the Hovos a great Plum CARTAGENA A strange Beast Moreover Urraba abounds in Venison Fish and all sorts of ravenous Creatures as Tygers Lyons and a particular strange Beast as big as an Ox having an Elephants Nose Horses Feet and hanging Ears The Trees likewise swarm with Birds and especially near Lakes or Pools breed Pheasants and Parrots of which some are bigger than Capons others no bigger than Chickens The Mountain Abibe Against Urraba juts the Mountain Abibe whose length Westward remains unknown the breadth thereof in some places is about twenty Leagues it hath many Ways which cannot be travell'd with Horses The top of this Mountain is uninhabited but along the Valleys which are many and large dwelt formerly a People that possess'd great Riches in Gold which they gather'd out of Rivulets that fell Westward from the tops of the Mountains It Rains here almost all the year long which makes the Ways very bad for Travellers to pass At the Foot of this Mountain towards the South lie two small antient Casiquedoms if we may
occasion great Cold and in Harvest and October it Rains exceedingly whereas at other times it is very dry Weather and the Winds blow generally out of the East or North-East yet the Land-Breezes coming out of the West bring sometimes Rains with them From the Mountains which are stony and barren fall many Brooks and Rivers which water divers Plains the Grass and other Plants of which are often blasted by violent Storms nevertheless Oranges Lemmons Granates and all sorts of Spanish Garden Fruits grow here in great plenty The Woods afford likewise Pigeons Partridges Venison and the like the Rivers all manner of Fish which are seen to swim in great numbers twenty Yards under the Water especially in the Haven St. Martha near which formerly liv'd many Fisher men who with Nets made of tough Twigs pleited together caught such plenty of Fish that they furnish'd all their Neighbors The High-ways are made dangerous by Lyons Tygers and Bears Great plenty of Precious Stones in these Parts The Countrey Buritaca affords the Inhabitants Gold Tairona excellent Stones against Bleeding and the Gravel Jasper Porphyr and Gold the Valley Tunia many rich Emeraulds which Stones us'd to be in great esteem before America produc'd such great numbers of them Acosta relates That a Spaniard desiring to know the Price of an Emerauld shew'd two to an Italian Jeweller who valu'd the one at a hundred the other at three hundred Ducats but soon after seeing a Chest full of them said they were scare worth a Ducat apiece and that the Sute which the Roman Lady wore being beset with Emeraulds and valu'd at four hundred thousand Ducats would not sell now for half so much This Stone or Jewel exceedingly fortifies the Sight wherefore the Emperor Nero represented the bloody Encounters of Fencers in an Emerauld It is also judg'd to be good against the Falling-sickness wherefore the Indians hang them in their Noses to this day and adorn their Idols with them they grow in stony Rocks along Veins not unlike Crystal and in time obtain a glittering Greenness the biggest of them that are found in this Age are most esteem'd of in Genua The Emerauld Pillar which as a wonderful Ornament stood in Hercules's Temple in the City of Tyrus being very famous amongst the Antients was without doubt no more than a green Stone and perhaps of the same Material was the Pillar erected by the Arabian King Miramamolines in the Cathedral at Corduba But the great fame of these Emeraulds incited Gonzalvez Zimenes Governor of St. Martha to leave his Place and seek for them to which end he Sail'd up the Rivulet Gayra with two Ketches and forty five Spaniards who meeting with the Casique Bagotta got much Gold of him and afterwards went to the Valley Tessuca of which Simandoca being Governor conducted Ximenez twenty three Leagues farther to an Emerauld Rock from whence he return'd exceedingly enriched the rumor of which spreading up and down made several travel thither amongst whom was Peter di Lugo Governor of Terra Firma who sending for Aid from Carthagena fought his way to Bagotta who resisted him for some time till at last being defeated he made Peace with them for a considerable quantity of Gold Peter di Lugo his Treachery to the Natives which when Peter di Lugo had receiv'd not regarding his Word he plunder'd all the Countrey and having committed all imaginable Cruelties on the Natives return'd home with an invaluable Mass of Gold and Emeraulds to St. Martha The Welsares Journey Not long after the Welsares German Knights came from Venezuela which City the Emperor Charles the Fifth Morgag'd to them Anno 1518. and travell'd through the snowy Mountains of St. Martha with Indian Guides whose Instructions following they digg'd many Emeraulds out of the Valley Funia the Inhabitants of which affrighted at the sight of the Strangers hang'd themselves out of despair though naturally valiant and ingenious in working in Tapestry the shapes of Tygers Lyons and other Beasts and painting on the Walls of their Houses variety of Figures of divers colours covering their Floors with Mats neatly pleited of Rushes They fed on Fish Venison and Mans-flesh and also on the Roots Agies tasting like Chesnuts Yuca Maiz Batata and Cassada Chief Cities and Places of note The chief Cities and Places of principal note in this Province are 1. St. Martha which gives Denomination to the whole Province it stands built at the North Sea which makes a large and convenient Harbor being defended from the Winds by high Mountains and two Isles is a Bishop's See and hath a large Cathedral The Houses built of Canes are cover'd with Palmito-Trees and some with woodden Shingles The Haven hath neither Fort nor Castle to defend it because there is no Trade but with the Indians which bring Earthen Ware and Cotton Clothes to sell and because the Spanish Ships seldom come hither the Place is much gone to decay and the more because it is no way defended against any Assault of an Enemy which the French and afterwards the English under the Command of Sir Francis Drake and the following Year under Captain Anthony Shirley took advantage of and plunder'd and burnt the City 2. Teneriff built on the Banks of the River Magdalena forty Leagues from St. Martha 3. Tamalameque otherwise call'd Villa de las Palmas twenty Leagues South of Teneriff lying on a high stony Ground between which are plain Pastures for Cattel surrounded with high Woods as also Pools made by the over-flowing of the Rivers whose Banks are inhabited by the Indians who are much addicted to Sleep and Drinking The Pools before mention'd produce abundance of Fish as also Crocodiles and the terrible Manati before describ'd 4. Ocanna which hath an Inland Haven 5. Ramada formerly call'd New Salamanca standing at the Foot of the Mountain call'd Sierras Nevadas This Town is famous for its Copper and Brass Mines 6. Cividad de los Reyes which built in the Valley Upari stands on the Shore of the mighty River Guataporeya where from the beginning of January till May the Eastern Breezes moderate the Heat otherwise intolerable But the continual Rains thereabout occasions the Quartan Ague and many such like Distempers The Natives hereabouts salvage and valiant would never submit to the Spaniards The peculiar 〈…〉 The Tree Xagua The peculiar Plants of this Place are the Tree Xagua which bears a Fruit like a Raisin which dry'd and ground yields exceeding good Meal for Bread The Root Scorzonera The Root Scorzonera which cures the Bitings of Serpents The Indians also use the Tail of a Serpent for a Remedy against the same Evil as they take Tobacco against the Falling-sickness and snuff the Powder in at their Nostrils and drink the Juice thereof to cause Loosness Chief Rivers The chief Rivers of this Province are 1. Polomino so call'd from a Spanish Captain that was drown'd there with his Horse falling from the Sierras Nevadas 2. Guatupori
in hot and moist Ground one Bushel Sow'n generally produces three hundred But the Maiz is distinguish'd into a courser or finer sort which last is call'd Moroche the Leaves and Canes whereof afford a wholsom Provender for Horses and the Corn Bread for the Inhabitants who make it several ways for sometimes they boyl it in Water and at other times parch it in Ashes or grind it to Meal which kneading into Dough they make into Cakes Biskets and the like Moreover Maiz steep'd in Water and after being boyl'd and set a working makes a very strong Liquor They also use Cassada which they make of the Root Yuca which being large and thick is cut in pieces grated and all its Juice which is deadly poyson being press'd out is Bak'd in thin Cakes There is likewise another sort of Yuca which hath not so poysonous a Juice keeping good a long time and is both wholsom and of a good taste The Natives of old liv'd much upon the Roots Yomus and Cubias all sorts of Venison Fowls and Fish which the Rivers and Lakes afford in great abundance Those that are left of the Natives are a deceitful crafty and ingenious sort of People very apt to learn Art and to Trade with Salt to Rio Grande and the Mountain Opou Besides Copper and Steel-Mines this Countrey hath also several of Gold and the Fields produce all manner of Plants The Nature of the Panchas The Panchas which remain are yet a salvage People but their Countrey is an indifferent fertile Soil though not in all places alike for those which border upon Tunia fed much heretofore on Pismires of which some being long have double Wings others lesser and without Wings which last sort being roasted are accounted a great Dainty and a speedy Remedy against the Distemper of the Gravel There are also a sort of venomous Pismires which stinging a Man cause a swelling and great itching and these are call'd Tayoques whose Stings are cur'd by a Plaister of bruis'd Pismires The Bounds and Dimensions of Nova Granada The Countrey is bounded on the North with Castella Aurea aforesaid on the West with Mare del Zur on the East with Venezuela the Southern parts of it being not well discover'd by reason of certain huge and unpassable Mountains which block it up wholly on that side save onely where a Passage is kept open into the Province of Peru specially so call'd It containeth in length about a hundred and thirty Leagues and not much less in breadth being for the most part a very healthful Countrey and abounding in Mines of the best sort of Metal besides others of Brass and Iron It is subdivided into these two Provinces viz. Granada and Popayana SECT II. Granada Description of Granada GRanada specially so call'd is a Countrey of a very temperate and good Air as hath been before observ'd neither subject to over-much Cold nor to extremity of Heat which is the more to be admir'd by reason of its nearness to the Line from which it is distant Northward but a very few Degrees Towns of chief note The Towns and Places of chief importance are 1. St. Foy commonly call'd St. Foy de Bogota which was the old Name of this Province and to distinguish it from another St. Foy in the Countrey of New Mexico above mention'd It is the Metropolis and Capital City of this Province an Arch-bishop's See and the ordinary Residence of the Governor built by the above-mention'd Gonsalvo Ximenes upon the Lake call'd Guatavita and hath been long since inhabited by above six hundred Families of Spaniards 2. St. Michael twelve Leagues Northward of St. Foy and a well Traded Town The Indians that dwell about this Place being above five thousand pay great Tribute yearly Not far from hence lies the Lake Guatavita where the Inhabitants in former times Offer'd much Gold to their Idols TERRA FIRMA et NOVUM REGNUM GRANATENSE et POPâ—AYAN 4. La Palma built Anno 1572. in a certain Territory the People whereof were antiently call'd Musi and Colymae 5. Trinidad which is indeed the antient Tudela renew'd or a City sprung out of the Ruines thereof This Tudela stood on the Shore of the River Zarbi which running between high Mountains makes the Rivulet Turatena and in the same Territory as La Palma above mention'd viz. of the Musi Colymae by whom the Spaniards who had here a Colony were so exceedingly molested that they deserted the same together with their Governor Peter de Orsua yet not long after the forsaken Place was again re-built by the Name of Trinidad but that Place proving incommodious was again abandon'd and a new Trinidad built where now it is to be seen on a convenient place Eastward from the high and cold Mountain Paramo From several rich Gemmaries thereabouts are digg'd store of Emeraulds Crystal like Diamonds white Marble and the Beryl especially on the Mountains Ytoco and Abipi 6. Tunia having a Territory about it to which it gives Denomination It lies on a high Hill from whence the Church and two Cloysters of the Dominican Fryers are seen at a great distance Here also is kept the greatest Market in New Granada 7. Pampelona sixty Leagues distant from St. Foy to the North-East abounding with Cattel and Gold 8. Merida surrounded with Corn-Fields the farthest Town of this Province North-Eastward towards Venezuela 9. Belez which though it suffers great prejudice by a burning a Mountain that vomits Fire and Stones and also Thunder and Lightning is the greatest Residence of several Orders of Fryers 10. Marequita otherwise call'd St. Sebastian del Oro which lies under a hot Climate and hath much Pasture 11. Ybague the Habitation chiefly of Dominicans 12. La Vittoria de los Remedios and 13. Juan de los Lanos or St. John of the Plains seated in a rich Nook of the Countrey where there are good Silver and Gold-Mines The Merchandise that come to these Towns are brought up the River Magdalena in Canoos of sixty Foot long SECT III. Popayana Situation and Description of Popayana POpayana the other part of this new Kingdom is border'd on the West with part of Granada last spoken of from which the River St. Martha divides it for the most part On the North it hath Nova Andaluzia or Carthagena on the West Mare del Zur and on the South Quito or rather some unreduc'd Countreys lying betwixt them both It extends in length above a hundred Leagues from North to South but in breadth betwixt the River and the South Sea not much above forty or fifty The Countrey is said to be a little too much subject to Rain yet not so but that the fertility of the Soil answers the industry of the Inhabitants in most places very well Sebastian de Bevalcazar Governor of Quito marching Anno 1536. with a Company of Spaniards to Otabalo where the Countrey Papayan begins was often set upon by the Natives from their Ambuscades and the many
also Inlay'd with Emeraulds Both the Palace and Temple adorn'd with Gold and costly Images of great Touch-stone and Jasper contain'd within their Walls an unvaluable Treasure These magnificent Structures are at this day fall'n quite to decay The People of this Countrey who wear long Hair pleited on the top of their Heads like a Coronet go Cloth'd in Cotton Coats and Buskins of Hair-cloth The Women indifferent fair and great admirers of the Spaniards Plough Sowe and gather in the Harvest whilest the Men stay at home Spinning Weaving and doing of other Female-Offices Anno 1544. they discover'd Mines here which produc'd as much Gold as Earth 5. Tacunga where was formerly another stately Palace about fifteen Leagues from Cusco not far from the Mountain which some years since vomited Ashes and Stones into the adjacent Fields Hereabouts was formerly a Cloyster inhabited by the Nuns call'd Namaconas the Ruines whereof are yet to be seen with several Houses of Stone but cover'd with Thatch The Natives in this Place are of a brown Complexion and of a very affable Nature 5. Mulambato 7. Mocha 8. Rhiobamba three small Villages but each of them credited with a stately Palace Opposite to Rhiobamba lies the Province Chumbo from which a troublesom Way leads to Guaynacapa over the River Chongo 9. St. Jago de Puerto Viejo giving Denomination to the Territory about it which produces abundance of Potatoe Roots Maiz Juca three sorts of Guayavas Cerezillas and the Tree Tunas which bears wild Figs. The Spanish Fruits grow here likewise in great plenty The fore-mention'd Beasts like Hogs whose Navels grow on their Backs are also very common here The Woods abound with Deer and all sorts of Fowls amongst which one resembling a Goose and call'd Xuta and another nam'd Maca somewhat lesser than a Cock and which feeding about the House may be reckon'd amongst the Poultrey of this Countrey The Sea along the Coast affords them abundance of Bonito's which eaten in some Seasons cause Agues The People along the Sea-Coast are generally troubled with Pimples and Sores in their Faces especially on their Foreheads and Noses few of them living long by reason of the unhealthfulness of the Place through excessive Moisture for the Rain continues eight Moneths together 10. Manta lying upon the Southern Ocean the chief of the Villages formerly possess'd by the Caranes betwixt the Promontory Passao and the River Dable These People are said to this day to carve and cut their Faces from their Ears to their Chins about their Necks and Arms they wear Chains of Gold and little red Corals call'd Chaquina highly esteem'd by the Peruvians This Town was formerly famous for a great Emerauld which was religiously worshipp'd there 11. Guayaquil otherwise call'd Culata built at a deep Inlet of the Sea near the River Anebato which with great swiftness falls down from the Mountains Quito is surrounded with a fertile Soyl and in the hollow Trees is found plenty of Honey The Water of the fore-mention'd River being of great virtue in curing the Morbus Gallicus hath great resort of People from all places who likewise gather the Sarsaparilla that grows along the Banks The Bridge which the Inga Guaynacava began to lay cross this River is also very remarkable but he dying it was left unfinish'd The Guancabilcas were heretofore under the Jurisdiction of this City Guayaquil 12. Castro so call'd from a strong Fort built there by a Spanish Captain and situate in the Valley Vili not far from Guayaquil 13. The City Loxa built in the Countrey of the Paltas a People that went naked between two Arms of the River Catamayo under a wholsom Climate â—ar the High-way that leads to Cusco in the Valley Curibamba where no poysonous Beast was ever found The Soil bears abundance of Oaks Hazles Ash Willow and Cedar-Trees Maiz Barley and Wheat Not far from the City springs a hot and sulphurous Fountain which cures all sorts of Sores and Wounds The Countrey hereabouts is likewise stor'd with Fowls Venison Cattel and Fish Moreover the City receives no small lustre from two Dominican and one Franciscan Cloyster Eastward from which lie desolate Mountains whose tops are continually cover'd with Snow Not far from hence were formerly two noble Palaces Piedras and Tamboblanco besides several Villages 14. Cuenca wherein are also large Structures for the Monks and Priests The Countrey about the same hath rich Mines of Gold Silver Quicksilver Copper Iron and Sulphur 16. The City Yaen situate in the Countrey Chuiquimayo it is so call'd from a swift River cross which the Peruvian Women and Children swim to the great amazement of the Spaniards They paint their Bodies black with the Juice of the Root Yaguas and feed for the most part on the stamp'd Plant Yaca On the other side of the Mountain which rises on the Banks of Chuquimayo lies the Countrey Perico fruitful and well inhabited against which juts the Golden Countrey Cherinos Peru hath also several delightful Valleys amongst which on the North the chiefest are the Tumbez Solana Poechos and Piura all of them very fertile full of stately Buildings and water'd by several Rivers 17. San Miguel the first City that was built by the Spaniards in Peru situate in a sandy and dry Soyl being extraordinary dusty in Summer and very slabby in the Winter because the hard Ground cannot soak up the Rain The Ingas made a Way through this Valley fifteen Foot broad between two Walls and Planted Trees on each side 18. Westward from Miguel appears Payta near a convenient Haven in the South-Sea which Anno 1547. was burnt by Thomas Candish since which it had been rebuilt twenty eight years when Joris Spilbergen Spilbergen's Attempt upon Payta after a hard Engagement with the Spanish Admiral Rodrigo Mendoza arriving in the large Haven before Payta sent eight Sail with three hundred Armed Men up to the City where finding the Enemy Encamp'd along the Shore he return'd without any effect but two of his Frigats the Eolus and the Morning-Star running close to Payta fir'd whole Broad-sides at the same whilest Captain De Wit took a Peruvian Fisher-man who had been two Moneths out at Sea and taken abundance of Fish The Guns which the Ships fir'd upon the Town struck such a terror into the Citizens that they fled with Bag and Baggage into the Mountains and left the City for a Prize to Spilbergen who setting fire on the same in few hours burnt down two Churches a Dominican Cloyster and several Alms-houses But had not the Citizens been cowardly they might easily have kept off the Hollander for the Vice-Roy Ludovico Velasco inform'd of Spilbergen's Arrival had stor'd the Place with Ammunition and Men whose Courage failing prov'd successful for the Hollanders who whilest they Rid here at an Anchor took a very strange Bird on the Island Lobos lying before Payta being two Yards high and three thick in its Bill Wings and Claws resembling an Eagle and having a large Crest on
for Ruminagua guarded the Way with twelve hundred Indians digg'd Pits in the same and filling them with sharp Poles cover'd them slightly over with Canes and Earth all which Bevalcazar shunning went about fell in upon the Rere of the Enemy and after a small Resistance conquer'd the City Quito Mean while Ferdinand Cortesio sent Petro Alvarado from New Spain who taking Guatimala receiv'd a Commission from the Spanish Court to subdue the Northern parts of Peru. Soon after which Garcias Holgua being sent with two Ships to enquire concerning the State of Peru brought News back That Francisco Pizarro had gotten an unvaluable Treasure at Caxamalca which so stirr'd up Alvarado that he Landed five hundred Men at Puerto Viejo march'd in great want of Provisions over the Mountains Acabucos and had he not accidentally found a Pond of sweet Water in a Thicket of Canes both Men and Horses had all perish'd at last upon his approaching Quito the Governor thereof being Bevalcazar not enduing to suffer an Equal drew up all his Men in Battel array but some Persons interceding between them He comes to an Agreement with Alvarado they were soon reconcil'd and Alvarado being bought out with a great sum of Money deserted Quito where after Gonsalvo Pizarro had remaind'd a considerable time he march'd Eastward of the Province which produces abundance of Cinamon whither he was accompanied by two hundred Spaniards and four thousand Peruvians against whom the Natives dwelling on the Borders of Los Quixos fought very valiantly till Night approaching when they all ran away after which resting a while there arose a mighty Tempest of Thunder and Lightning accompanied with a dreadful Earthquake which swallow'd above five hundred Houses whole Woods and Fields whilest an unknown River burst out of the Earth and overflow'd all the Countrey insomuch that Pizarro expected nothing but a speedy Ruine Pizarro and his Army driven to great Straights in regard no Provisions were to be found in all the Countrey at last getting on the top of the nearest Mountain he lost many of his Men who were frozen to death with excessive Cold. From thence marching to the County Zumaque he got plenty of Provision and Cinamon which grows on great Trees in the Woods the Leaves thereof resemble the Laurel the Fruit grows in little Berries the Root and Bark have a strong odoriferous smell Thence travelling to the Town Coca he found a mighty Cataract of Water falling from a Rock above fifteen hundred Ells high insomuch that the noise in calm Weather was heard six Leagues off Pizarro leaving his sick People in Zumaque went onely with a few Eastward from Coca to the Plain Countrey Guema full of Moorish Grounds the Inhabitants whereof went naked at last he came to the great River Maranon which falls from the Mountains near Quito and extends with several windings above eight hundred Leagues in length and at the Mouth thereof is fifteen Leagues broad which at that time overflowing all the Countrey he judg'd it convenient to build a Brigantine making the Shoes of the dead Horses serve for Iron-work his Mens Shirts for Sails and a Gum which was to be had there for Tar and having Lanch'd their Vessel and put all their Baggage and sick People into the same they Sail'd close along the Shore on which Pizarro made his Way through Brambles and Canes or went over in the Brigantine whensoe're he espy'd a better Path on the other side in which manner they were gone two hundred Leagues down the River with no other Food but wild Fruit and Roots when Captain Franciscus Orellana was order'd to Sail away before with five Men and seek out for Provisions and at every Stream which fell cross-ways out of the Countrey into the great River Orellana corss'd in his Designs dies for grief he was to leave a Mann'd Boat but Orellana in few days drove down so far with the swift River that he saw no likelihood or getting up again in a whole year neither could he find any Provisions but fought daily with the Indians who came stoutly to Board him in little Boats amongst whom he was inform'd also that thereabouts liv'd the Amazon Women that Warr'd continually against their Neighbors and at last he came into the Northern Ocean But Orellana Sailing to Spain obtain'd a Commission to be Governor of the Amazons Countrey whither he steer'd his Course with five hundred Men in three Ships but Landing at the Canaries they all ran away from him which so incens'd Orelland that he soon after dy'd with Grief Mean while Pizarro inform'd by a Spaniard whom Orellana had put ashore that the Brigantine was by the strong Current carried into the Ocean knew not what to do his People since their departure from Quito having travell'd above four hundred Leagues had eaten most of their Horses Many dy'd by feeding on unwholsom Herbs others fell down dead for Hunger or tir'd out with toilsom Travel their Clothes rotted by the Rain hung upon them like Rags their Shoes were worn out their Feet full of Blisters their Bodies sadly mangled with Brambles and Thorns for no place afforded them a Boat Pizarro leaving the River Maranon The miserable Condition of Pizarro's Men. went another Way no less troublesom for steep Rocks and inaccessible Mountains The Valleys through which they went began now to be strew'd with dead and sick Bodies who were not able to follow the Army which march'd very fast every one judging to be so much nearer his preservation the farther he could get Those that fainted call'd continually on their Friends for help but the Horses were grown too weak to carry them Every one saw nothing but Death before his Eyes wherefore though call'd by their dearest and most intimate Friends that lay a dying they never look'd back their compassion towards others being turn'd into fear and care of themselves The Forsaken implor'd their Saints and besought Pizarro for aid but finding their Complaints to be in vain and raging through despair they wish'd all the rest the same success and the like Friends whenever they should be in the like Condition Pizarro extreamly griev'd and troubled that he had brought the People into this Misery sent a few Horsemen before to Quito to carry the sad News of his deplorable Condition that they might immediately send Provisions to him which he receiving when he was within fifty Leagues from the said City Quito distributed amongst those that were left alive who being also almost starv'd eat so greedily that several of them were chok'd the remainder were kept a considerable time in Garrison under the Command of Pizarro in Quito Which City built in a pleasant place grew very populous in the Year 1544. there being several Gold-Mines found about the same in that time But this lasted not long for Quito siding with the Vice-Roy Blasco Nunnez Vela against Gonsalvo Pizarro Quito very much defac'd by siding with Vela against Gonsalvo Pizarro most of
the Citizens were destroy'd by him and their Houses burnt to Ashes The like Destruction and upon the same occasion befel the three Villages in the Province Bracomoros discover'd by Juan Parzel and Captain Vergara together with the Countrey Chichiapoios where Alphonso Alvarado built the Town Levanto surrounded with deep Caverns through which to the great strengthning of the City flow several Rivers Round about Puerto Viejo the Natives dwelt in Trees whom the Spaniards had much ado to bring under their subjection for their Countrey being barren and mountainous was not onely wanting in Provisions to feed an Army but the Peruvians also threw great Stones out of their Huts built in Trees and likewise Javelins and Pots full of boyling Water with which they did much mischief to their Enemies that Storm'd them who at last covering themselves with Boards cut down the Trees with which they falling were torn in pieces by the Spanish Dogs SECT IV. Lima. Situation and Description of the Province of Lima. LIma call'd also Los Reyos hath on the East Collao and some part of Cusco on the North Los Quixos and on the South Charcas The Countrey extendeth it self in length upon the Coasts of the South Sea two hundred and fifty some say full three hundred Leagues in length viz. from Cape del Aguia Northward on the Borders of Quito as far as Arequipa towards the South and runs Eastward to Brasile and Rio de la Palma The several Valleys of this Province In this Province are several very pleasant Valleys the first whereof is Motupe to which a sandy Way leads from St. Miguel de Valverde between barren Wilds from whence several Streams falling are immediately drunk up by the Sand wherefore all Travellers that go that way carry Water and Wine with them in Calabashes for twenty Leagues together which they Walk or Ride by Night because of the excessive heat of the Sun In the Valley Motupe grow abundance of Trees which receive nourishment from a River that springs up near the same Here is also much Cotton Not far from hence are the Valleys Xayanca formerly very populous and full of Palaces The River which flows through the middle is led in Trenches amongst the neighboring Fields The Valley Tuqueme is also very pleasant and the decay'd Palaces sufficiently testifie its former splendor The next being Cinto is no way inferior to Tuqueme and between both lie sandy Hills and barren Rocks on which grow neither Trees nor Herbs nor is any living Creature to be found upon them the Way through which being a whole days Journey cannot be travell'd without sure Guides The Valley Collique water'd by a River of the same Denomination and very thick set with Trees was formerly very populous but since the Spanish Wars it is become quite desolate for not onely a considerable number of them were slain by the Spaniards but also many destroy'd themselves Wives and Children of which Peter Martyr Councellor to the Emperor Charles the Fifth sets down several terrible Examples of which two were remarkable above the rest the first was after this manner The Spanish Captain Olandus Lying with the Daughter of an Indian Casique question'd when she grew big with Child Whether she was with Child by him and that he might know the real truth by Torture he caus'd her to be ty'd naked to a woodden Spit and laid to roast against a Fire made of green Wood so that she died in a most miserable manner upon which her Father ran in a rage with thirty of his Companions to Olandus's House where he kill'd his whole Family and locking all the Doors about the House set fire on the same into which when it was at its greatest heighth he and his Associates leap'd into the middle thereof Two tragical Passages The second Accident is also very terrible viz. An Indian Maid being Got with Child by a Spanish Ass driver acquainted her Father and Mother with it withal telling them that she was ready to suffer Death for her Offence and notwithstanding they freely pardoning and perswading her to the contrary she eat raw Juca which when boyl'd is a wholsom Food but if eaten raw certain though languishing Death which she perceiving ran to the next River where after having wash'd her self she broke off from a large Tree a Bough of five Foot long and making the end thereof very sharp fell upon the same and so kill'd her self Several other Ravish'd Maids taking example hereby hang'd themselves upon the Boughs of the same Tree But to proceed in our Description next to Collique lies the Valley Zana of the like bigness and famous for the City Miraflores The next is Pascayamo which exceeds all the former in fruitfulness and populousness of Inhabitants who before they were destroy'd by the Ingas were much fear'd by their Neighbors This Valley also was adorn'd with several fair Temples which are now turn'd into Cloysters Cattel Hogs and Goats breed here in very great numbers The chief Trade of this Place consists in Cotton and Linnen The Valley Chacama in which the Dominican Monks inhabit a brave Cloyster produces abundance of Sugar Four Leagues farther lies the spacious Valley Chimo so call'd from an old Peruvian Heroe which affords a pleasant Prospect by reason of the many Banquetting-houses built there by the Ingas No place in Peru is able to stand in competition with this for plenty of Provisions the Ocean and Rivers producing store of Fish the Countrey affording Cattel and all manner of Fruit. The Cotton which grows here is Shipp'd to the South Sea Chanca is a Valley chiefly considerable for the Town Arnedo which is situate therein of which more hereafter But the Valley Guanape not far from Chanca yields the best Peruvian Liquor Chica and hath a convenient Harbor for Ships The Plain Santa being overflow'd in the Winter is all overgrown for want of Inhabitants who were all destroy'd by the Spaniards The Woods hereabouts swarm with a sort of venomous Bug which exceedingly torments the Traveller Next follow in order the Valleys Guambaico very fruitful and Guarney abounding with Horses Hogs and other Cattel Spilbergen's Attempt Joris Spilbergen Landing here Anno 1615. found the Haven secure against all Winds and between the Shore and the Village Guarmey a Creek and somewhat farther a fresh-Water Pool on one side of which stood a decay'd Castle built of square Stone whereon the Hollanders set the States Flag and Garrison'd the same to secure those that fetch'd Water out of the fore-mention'd Pool In the aforesaid Village stood a Church with a spiry Steeple behind which rose high Mountains and at the Foot thereof a great Wood into which the Inhabitants fled with all their Goods so that Spilbergen found nothing but a little Meal a few Hens Hogs and Oranges in their Houses which whilest he was sending Aboard a small Body of Horse appear'd but immediately fled into the Woods The Hollanders staying here seven days were
inform'd that the Galley Jesu Maria Commanded by the Admiral Rodrigo Mendoza and the Santa Anna by the Vice-Admiral Peter Alvares Piger were both lost not one Man being sav'd Not far from hence lie the Valleys Gaura and Lima which last exceeds all others in bigness and was formerly exceeding populous but since the Marquess Pizarro built the City Los Reyos here the Citizens have taken the Lands from the Peruvians The Mines hereabouts produce Gold and Silver Amongst other things time Inhabitants highly esteem an Herb bearing yellow Flowers which in a short time cures a putrifi'd Wound whereas if laid on sound Flesh it eats the same to the Bone The Natives heretofore us'd to spend their time in Hunting Strange manner of Hunting and caught their Game after this manner viz. three or four thousand of them would meet together and by taking Hands make a Ring of three or four Miles in circumference and at a certain Note or Tune Sung or loudly Exclaim'd they drew nearer and nearer till at last they were within Shot of the inclosed Game whatsoever it were The Countrey of Collao hath a low Point from which a long Cliff runs into the Sea towards the small Island call'd Isla de Collao On each side of the Point the Coast runs sloaping in the one side extending North-West from Collao to the Cliffs Piscadores the other South-East to the second Promontory behind which is a large Bay where the Valley Pachacama appears famous for its exceeding fruitfulness and a stately Temple built by the Ingas A vast Treasure found by Ferdinando Pizarro where Ferdinando Pizarro found above nine hundred thousand Ducats besides what the Soldiers and Commanders took and what the Priests had hid which none though miserably tortur'd would confess Opposite to Pachacama lies the Valley Chilca where it never Rains nor any Brook or Spring moistens the dry Soil which nevertheless produces Maiz and Fruit-Trees The Natives us'd to dig large and deep Pits in which they Sow'd and Planted and at every Root laid the Head of a Fish call'd a Sardin which they caught in Nets on the Sea-shore wherein nevertheless nothing would have grown but for the Morning Dews which fell The Ingas also had curious Banquetting-houses here In these Parts there grows a sort Tree call'd Mala of which Acosta relates a strange Wonder of Nature very remarkable viz. That it flourishes and bears Fruit on that side which beholds the South in that Season when it is Summer on the Mountains the other which views the Sea Blossoming and bearing Fruit when it is Summer on the Plains The Valley Guarco spacious and full of Trees produces especially the pleasant Fruit Guayaves and Guavas as also the best Wheat in Peru wherefore it is vended all over the Countrey Here are also the Ruines of another stately Castle built by the Ingas the former lustre whereof is testifi'd by its remaining Walls which consist of exceeding great Stones so neatly joyn'd together without Mortar that it appears like one entire Stone and by the decay'd Structures of several Halls much of the curious Painting whereof is yet to be soch from the Castle a large pair of Stairs led down to the Sea-shore Two Leagues farther the River Lunagun runs through the fertile Valley of the same Denomination The fatness of this Soil is chiefly ascrib'd to the Dung of a Fowl call'd Guana which the Natives fetch in great abundance from the Isles near the Main Next follows the Valley Chinca one of the biggest in all Peru and before the Spaniards Arrival very populous In the time of the Ingas it also shew'd a magnificent Temple Dedicated to the Sun built by Tepaja Jupangue yet the Inhabitants still remain'd constant in the worshipping of their old Idol Cinciapema Hither the Ingas sent their conquer'd Princes who on a certain time were to appear in Cusco The Dominicans at present possess here a neat Cloyster from whence leads a plain Road to the Dale Ica water'd by the River Pisco which is dry in Summer wherefore the Natives brought a Ditch from the Mountains which since the Spaniards destroying the Inhabitants is choak'd up with Sand. Next the Valley Nasca comes in view famous for the Castle Caxamalca where the Ingas kept all manner of Ammunition for War besides several Tombs out of which the Spaniards took great Riches This Valley is divided into several others which for the most part produce Sugar-Canes and through them all runs the Royal High-way which is Wall'd in on both sides Beyond Nasca lie one behind another the Valleys Hacari Oconna Camana and Quilca all of them affording good Pasture for Cattel and Fruit yet are most of them desolate The County Los Motilonos thinly inhabited for want of Provisions and divided by two Rivers separates Moyobamba from the Countrey Charasmal Southward beyond Caxamalca appear the Countreys Guamachuco and a little farther Conchucos and Piscobamba all fruitful and pleasant and adorn'd with several Structures built by the Ingas On the side of Piscobamba the County Guaraz extends it self over barren Mountains through which the Ingas cut a Royal High-way and built a strong Castle at the Entrance into the Countrey the Inhabitants whereof being very laborious work very diligently in the Gold-Mines The Territory Pincos water'd by a River and famous for one of the stateliest of the Peruvian Structures is surrounded by the Countreys Guayalcas Turama Bomba and Conchucos The Mountains though dangerous to Travellers by Lyons great Bears and other ravenous Beasts afford abundance of Silver and the fruitful Soil produces Wheat Maiz Grapes Figs Oranges Quinces Cittrons Cedars and likewise feeds Goats Horses and other Cattel The Countrey Viticos being within the Jurisdiction of Guanuco lies amongst the Mountains Andes whether Inga Mango fled when the Spaniards made themselves Masters of Peru. Chief Towns and Places of note Towns and Places most observable and important in it belonging to the Spaniards are 1. Miraflores as the Spaniards call it a well seated and wealthy Town in the Valley of Zanu as above mention'd five Leagues distant from the Sea where it hath likewise a good Haven or Port. 2. Truxillo two or three Leagues distant from the Sea the Haven whereof is said to be large but not safe The Town it self is seated in the Valley Chinco upon the Banks of a pleasant River whose Water doth not onely run through several Channels to moisten the Fields but also to accommodate every House in the City It hath broad Streets a great Market-place four Cloysters two for the Dominicans one for the Augustines and the other for the Franciscans one great Church five hundred Houses and a Palace inhabited by the King's Collectors and many Banquetting-houses about it The good situation and fruitfulness of the Soil mov'd the Marquess Francisco Pizarro to build this City here Anno 1533. but the Haven belonging to the same lies open to all manner of Winds so that the Ships Ride here in great danger
3. La Parilla otherwise call'd Santa fourteen Leagues beyond Truxillo Southward wash'd by the Southern Ocean and one side by a fresh-water Stream which being inclos'd between stony Cliffs makes a secure Harbor 4. Arnedo seated ten Leagues Northward from Lima amongst the Vineyards of the Valley Chancas otherwise having no great matter in it remarkable but a fair Dominican Cloyster 5. Lima by the Spaniards commonly call'd La Cividad de los Reyes or The City of Kings so nam'd because Pizarro who built it laid the first Stone on Twelfth-day Anno 1553. which they call The Feast of the Kings It is seated in the Valley of Lima from whence the City is also so denominated one of the fruitfullest Parts of all Peru and so neatly built that all the chief Streets of the City open upon a fair Market-place or Piazza of such a large Square that upon the sides thereof are built in a stately and convenient manner the Cathedral the Palace of the Archbishop the Vice-Roy's Palace and Courts of Justice with the Exchequer or Publick Treasury the Town-house or place where the City Magistrates meet and hold their Courts the Publick Armory or Magazine and a Free-School wherein are taught by the Jesuits all Arts and Sciences and also the Indian Language and divers other fair Buildings of the Nobility and better sort of Citizens No Countrey under the Heavens affords a more fruitful or pleasanter Place than this the temperate Climate neither troubling the Inhabitants with excessive Heats or great Colds nor terrifying them with Thunder or Lightning but having almost perpetual Sun-shine and fair Weather onely the three Winter Moneths wherein there falls a sweet-smelling Dew which cures the Head-ache and there die but very few of pestilential Distempers The Countrey about the City is pleasant without exception The Pigeons which are kept here in curious Houses built on purpose flie a thousand in a Flight The Fields abound also with Cattel The Orchards and Gardens flourish with all sorts of Trees and Plants whereof those that are brought hither from Spain grow better than in their natural Countrey The West side of the City is wash'd by a pure clear Stream which stores the Market with great plenty of good Fish it being distant but a Musquet shot especially when the Water rises This River is of great consequence for it not onely waters the whole Valley of Lima with its several Branches but also runs under every House in the City being built on Stone Arches they are onely one Story high because there is no Wood to be had in the Valley of Lima but what in three years becomes all Woorm-eaten nevertheless the Houses are very beautiful both within and without the Walls being very thick and strong have curious Arbors of green Boughs on the top in which the Owners shade themselves from the Sun Most of the Houses built in the high Streets have pleasant Turrets which face the Market-place where all sorts of Provisions are brought to Sale as Oxen Sheep Venison Sugar Oranges Cittrons Grapes and Wheat which is ground in Water-Mills built near the River This City is inhabited by many able Merchants which often load Ships to Panama that are valu'd at above two hundred thousand Ducats To the Arch-bishop's See of this Place belongs the Bishopricks of Chili Charcas Quito Cusco Truxillo Guanuco Popaian San Francisco Panama Nicaragua and Rio de la Plata The City is also adorn'd with two fair Churches besides the Cathedral and also other lesser Churches four stately Cloysters two Nunneries and the Jesuits Palace which is very magnificent The Haven two Leagues distant from it and call'd Callao de Lima is large and secure for Ships Anno 1579. Sir Francis Drake took twelve Ships from hence Prizes taken here by Sir Fran. Drake one whereof was laden with Linnen and Silk besides a great Chest full of Silver Which Inconvenience to prevent for the future the Spaniards have built two strong Forts and fortifi'd them with Brass Guns Thirty years after Sir Francis Drake's Exploit Joris Spilbergen coming to Anchor here found the Place all inhabited Spilbergen attempts the Place in vain a Fort well stor'd with Guns and a strong Castle before the Mouth of the Harbor from whence they shot Bullets of thirty six Pound weight at the Hollanders and so shatter'd their Frigat call'd The Hunter that she could scarce-keep above Water Fourteen Spanish Merchant-men lying near the Shore receiv'd little damage Spilbergen not being able for Shelves to get to them neither did he judge it convenient to Land the Vice-Roy having at that time above four thousand Men in Arms besides several Troops of Horse wherefore after having fir'd several Guns on the Fort and against the Church he set Sail to Guarmey 6. Cannete otherwise call'd Guarco from the Valley wherein it is situate It was built by the Spaniards out of the Treasure which they found in the Castle afore spoken of in the same Valley 7. Valverde situate in a Valley of the same Name where excellent Fruit may be had for a small Price it is a well Traded and rich Town about sixteen Leagues distant from the Sea 8. Pachacama situate in a Territory of the same Name four Leagues Southward of Lima memorable chiefly for Pizarro's good fortune here who is reported to have found in one onely old Temple of the Natives the quantity of nine hundred thousand Ducats of Gold and Silver besides what his Soldiers are suppos'd to have seiz'd on and convey'd away before he came 9. Castro Verreina threescore Leagues distant from Lima to the South-East It lieth in the Valley of Chocolocha and is a rich Place by reason of the good Mines of Silver which are about it and abundance of the best sort of Tobacco 10. Miguel de la Ribera in the Valley of Camana The Inhabitants whereof drive a great Trade in Wine Figs and Raisins 11. The City Arequipa which extends up towards the Mountains is built in the Dale Quilca which runs eleven Leagues from the Sea under a healthful Climate but in the Year 1582. it was wholly ruin'd by an Earthquake the reason whereof is ascrib'd to the wet sulphurous Mountains which burns continually and sometimes vomits out Flames and Ashes The Marquess Pizarro built this City forty six years before the fore-mention'd Earthquake since which being re-built again soon attain'd to three hundred Houses besides a Church and Cloyster and though it be but a small Town yet it is of a great resort because the Gold and Silver is brought hither from the Mines Chancos Porco and Potosi and from thence sent down the River Quilca which washing the City Walls runs into the South Sea to Los Reyos and from thence to Panama Nombre de Dios and New Spain The Jurisdiction of this City Arequipa extends it self a vast way viz. over the spacious Valleys between Hacari and Tampaca and up in the Countrey beyond the County Condesuyo full of Hamlets and
Villages the Inhabitants whereof heretofore worshipp'd the Sun By the Way from Arequipa to Collao lie two great Lakes but of one of which the River Aparima takes its original 12. Caxamalca rather a Fort than a Town in a Territory of the same Denomination built at the Foot of a Mountain wash'd with two Rivulets over which lead several Bridges near which also were formerly a stately Temple Consecrated to the Sun wonderful Palaces and Baths for the Ingas besides other magnificent Structures of Noble-men which were the more famous for Attabaliba's Imprisonment and Death The Soil round about may compare with any part of the World for fertility The Inhabitants are a peaceable ingenious People and make curious woollen Hangings 13. St. Juan de la Frontera built by the Spaniards North-East and by East from Caxamalca in the County Chiachinpoyas full of Gold-Mines and Cattel to which belongs not onely Chiachinpoyas but also the Countreys Guiancas and Cascainga out of which above twenty thousand Peruvians pay Tribute to the Spanish King These People especially the Women are very comely and beautiful for which reason the Ingas fetch'd their Wives and Concubines from thence Eastward from Frontera rise the high Mountains Andes behind which flows the great River Mayobamba by several poor Villages inhabited by a sottish kind of People 14. San Jago de las Valles built in an ill place amongst the Shrubs and overflowing Rivers In this Countrey grows a Tree which bears a juicy Fruit not unlike an Almond in prickly Rinds but resembling those which cover a Chesnut concerning which Physicians have deliver'd their Opinions That there is not a wholsomer Fruit in the whole World 15. Leon de Guanuco which receiv'd that Denomination from its Builder Vacca de Castro who call'd it Leon because he was born in the Spanish City Leon and Guanuco from the stately Palace of the Ingas which was built here The Houses are built of Free-stone and cover'd with Thatch The Citizens of Los Reyos were much against the building of this Town because several Lands belonging to them were taken away and given to Guanuco where the temperate Air grants long Life and Health to the Inhabitants The High-way in which stand several Store-houses formerly full of Ammunition runs through the middle of this Countrey where in the time of the Ingas dwelt Astronomers who by looking on the Stars pretended to tell future Events Here the Women also us'd to be burnt alive with their Husbands SECT V. Cusco CUSCO The several Valleys and other Territories belonging to Collao In this Province also there are some lesser Divisions of Countreys necessary to be describ'd viz. the cold and barren Countrey Bambon jutting against Guanuco inhabited antiently by a valiant People especially near the Lake Chincacocha which is ten Leagues in circumference in the middle of it are several Cliffs and little Isles And out of this Lake also the famous River De la Plata hath its original and runs through the Valley Xauxa receiving by the way the Streams Parcos Bilcas Abancay Apurima Yucay and others The next Countreys in order towards the South are Tarana abounding with Wheat and the eminent Valley Xauxa surrounded with snowy Mountains The Inhabitants by a general Name call'd Guancas were antiently divided into three sorts viz. the Maracabilca Laxapalanga and Xauxa Here were also several stately Houses built by the Ingas Upon this Valley borders the Village Acos near a Moorish place full of Canes but before you approach the Village you come near a high Plain where the Ruines of an antient Structure appear and somewhat farther the Palace Pico from whence the High-way directs to the Bridge Angoyaca which leads cross the River Xauxa near which the Ingas had several magnificent Structures and Baths of warm Springs Not far from hence is the Village Picoy between which and Angoyaca the Arm of the River Xauxa is cut with a Bridge because in the Winter it glides so swift that they cannot Ferry over it From Picoy you go to the Wild in whole Center stands the antient Castle Pucara which in the Peruvian Tongue signifies Invincible Fort where the Ingas receiv'd their Tribute from the neighboring People that live amongst the snowy Mountains The Banks of the great River Vinaque are crown'd with the Ruines of antient Structures which as the Natives relate were built by foreign People which Assertion of theirs seems to be confirm'd by the form and manner of Building differing from the Ingas Structures which us'd to be long and narrow Moreover several sweet Streams abounding with Fish especially Crabs glide through the Plain-Countrey out of the Mountains Andes Not far from hence appears the Plain Chapas and the Palaces Pilcas of which now nothing remains but a heap of Rubbish which lies in the Center of Peru. A fresh-water River which gives the fore-mention'd Palaces their Denomination glides out of Soras and washes the High-way and stately Temple of the Sun The Countrey Soras exceeding fertile and stock'd with Gold and Silver Mines is inhabited by a People which go Cloth'd in woollen Cloth and for their Valor formerly much esteem'd by the Ingas Those that inhabit the Countrey Uramar are call'd Chancas whose Neighbors possess a long Tract of Land abounding with Cattel and Fruit but of late are most of them destroy'd by the Spaniards The River Abanca which takes its original in the Mountainous County Parinacocha washes several Royal Buildings and at last discharges its Waters into the River Xauxa On each side of the great River Apurima are erected two wonderful Stone Pillars over which lies a most artificial Bridge built by the Ingas from whence the High-way being cut through hard Rocks leads up into the Countrey where the stately Buildings of Limatambo shew themselves and beyond the Mountain Bilcaconga the Valley Xaquixaguana inclos'd between high Rocks comes in view where the Ingas us'd to recreate themselves in their Banquetting-houses from whence the High-way which is Wall'd in on both sides runs directly through deep Moorish Grounds to Cusco Eastward from Cusco behind the Andes are many large Countreys which to discover the Spaniards spar'd neither trouble danger nor charge between both they found vast Wildernesses inaccessible Mountains and overgrown Countreys yet at last they opened four ways thither the first whereof runs through the Valley Paquil to Tono a Village in the middle of the Mountains from thence to the River Opotazi along which it is very troublesom travelling because of the thick Woods and steep Rocks lastly to the hot and fruitful Valley Abisca and so to vast Wildernesses overgrown with Brambles and Bushes which prevented any farther Discovery The second Way runs thirty Leagues farther to the Southward through the Countreys Sandia Camata and Caravaya to Zama Through this Way Anno 1538. Peter Anzurez travell'd Peter Anzurez his Journey setting out from Zama he found many desolate Mountains barren Wilds and close Woods through which he entred into the County Tacana
mention'd which part at the East end of the City are pass'd over with divers Bridges The narrow Streets are full of Stone Houses built in good Order In several places are Vaulted Cellars under Ground in some of which are buried great Treasures they had been formerly the Habitations for Necromancers and Soothsayers for this sort of People were once in great esteem amongst the Inhabitants who coming from Chili Pasto Bocamores Topona Bombon Charcas Collao Chiachiapoias Conchucos and other Peruvian Countreys receive great benefit from the fresh Water and from the Corn-Mills built on the Streets through the City The ancient Places and other stately Structures in Cusco The stately Palaces which the Peruvian Nobility have at several times built in Oren-Cusco being one part of the City are very wonderful the Owners whereof were forc'd by the Ingas to appear at Court at Set-times that so he might prevent all Insurrections Also he caus'd the Children of the prime Lords to be brought up in Cusco under pretence that they might learn the Cuscoan Tongue perfectly in which the Ingas would always be spoken to whenas their Design was to keep them as Hostages in their own Jurisdictions that their Fathers might not rebel by which means it hapned that in most places of Peru which amongst the several Tribes and Principalities had several Languages the Cuscoan Tongue was understood and spoken But the Spaniards who are the present Possessors thereof have alter'd and repair'd most of the ordinary Houses which are now neatly built of Stone Above all the old Structures the Palace of the Ingas and the Temple of the Sun are the most magnificent the Palace lies inclos'd within a square quadruple Wall each corner whereof is adorn'd and strengthned with a Tower The Palace it self is built round and with Arches but that which chiefly amazes the Beholder is to see how the Stones which are so big that forty Horses are notable to stir one of them out of its place were brought thither by the Labor of the Builders from the neighboring Mountains for the Peruvians never made use of any laboring Beast except their Sheep Pacos not knowing the use of Horses Camels Oxen Elephants or the like before the Spaniards coming thither The Halls within the Palace were Wainscoted with Golden Plates yet the Inga's Apparel was not answerable to the rest of his Pomp for in stead of a Crown they bound their Heads about with a red woollen Sash with which they almost cover'd their Eyes at the end of the Sash hung certain Ribbands which they gave the Governor as occasion offer'd that by this Sign as by a Commission they might exercise their Offices the sight of which String caus'd such Obedience that if the Inga had commanded the Inhabitants of a Town or Countrey to murder themselves none durst deny The Inga was generally carried by a hundred of his Noble-men of whom if any one had accidentally chanc'd to stumble he was immediately put to death No man durst presume to look him in the Face or speak to him without a Present The Temple Curicanche The Temple Curicanche Dedicated to the Sun was certainly the most rich and sumptuous that ever the World boasted it being Govern'd by the Chief Priest Villanoa The Inga Guainacava spent an invaluable Treasure in the building of this Structure for he cover'd the Roof and Walls with thick Plates of massie Gold and Silver At his return home from the Conquest of the Province of Quito from whence the Inhabitants according to an antient Custom of the Ingas were carried to one of the remotest Countreys in Peru. But Guainacava enamor'd of a Quitoan Maid staid a considerable time in the City Quito and kept a splendid Wedding at the Marriage of his Bride who bare unto him the famous Attabaliba whom he lov'd beyond all his other Children and a little before his death made him King of Quito But Huascar after Guainacava's Decease would not suffer his Brother to live in the late conquer'd Kingdom of Quito A cruel Battel between two Brothers but gave him Battel in the Plain of Tomebamba which lasted three days and three Nights and after much Blood-shed Attabaliba being defeated was taken Prisoner and not long after making his Escape by the help of an antient Woman whilest Huascar's Commanders and Soldiers rejoyc'd with Cups full of Chica for their gotten Victory he made his Subjects in Quito believe that he being transform'd into a Serpent crept through a little Hole out of the Prison and that he had a Promise from Heaven to obtain Conquest over Huascar which being believ'd stirr'd up all his Subjects to take up Arms and valiantly to go and meet the Enemy whom they not onely defeated but took Huascar Prisoner Huscar being destroy'd by Attabaliba and Attabaliba by Pizarro Mango Inga their youngest Brother took the Government upon him made continual Sallies upon the Spaniards from inaccessible Mountains and at his Decease left the remaining part of Peru to his Son Zaires Topa Zaires the Son of Mango Inga submitâ— to the Spaniards who seeing no good to be done by force of Arms submitted himself freely to the King of Spain's Jurisdiction in the Year 1557. since which the Spaniards have been sole Masters There are at this day four great Churches in Cusco Also the Dominicans Franciscans Augustines and the Monks De la Merced have each of them stately Cloysters here but the Jesuits Structure exceeds all the other Above forty thousand Peruvians pay annual Tribute to this City In the Valley about the City feed abundance of Cattel also Wheat and all manner of Herbs grow here in great plenty The Gold and Silver-Mines have not that resort which they had formerly most of the Workmen being remov'd to Potosi Concerning the Service which they perform'd in the fore-mention'd Temple of the Sun and their superstitious Opinions about their Idol Con they are much of the same ridiculous nature with what hath been already Discours'd of in other places Five Leagues Southwardly from Cusco lies the Valley Yucay between high snowy Mountains under a temperate Climate and pleasant Soil Not far from hence the Ingas built a most invincible Castle on a Rock which was surrounded with many cliffy Walls one above another these Walls were also Carv'd with Images of Lyons Tygers and other wild Beasts which held Lances in their Paws the â—op of the Rock was crown'd with a Royal Structure built of Stone through which ran Golden Veins joyn'd together with a certain Gum by some call'd Jews-Lime To the Province of Condesuyo belong the valiant People Chumbibalcas and Ubinas In the County Pomatambo they make Carpets of fine Wooll curiously Painted 8. The City Francisco de Vittoria which lies in the rough Valley Vilcabamba and is inclos'd by the Mountains Andes belonging to the Jurisdiction of the Province Andesuyo 9. The Village Juan del Oro which is the chief Place of the Countrey Caravaya and so call'd by the Spaniards
now make their Apparel of the same and upon the account of Barter drive a great Trade in it They Dye their Cotton with the boyl'd Roots and Leaves of a little Tree Eastward beyond Santa Cruiz lies the Countrey Paicanos eminent for the great Calabashes which grow there exceeding good to keep both wet and dry Meats in The Countrey receives a vicissitude of excessive Cold and intolerable Heat the hard Winters taking beginning in May and continuing till the beginning of August In the middle of our Summer a South-wind blows seven Weeks together here to the great prejudice of all Plants which are during that time often wash'd away by continual Rains About Christmas they Sowe and gather in their Harvest in March. During the rainy Season the Ways cannot be travell'd being all overflow'd by the Rivers neither doth the Palm-Wood which is four days Journey in length permit any access to the said City Santa Cruiz because the conflux of Waters makes it a Moor all over besides which the Tygers Bears and Serpents make the Ways dangerous especially at that time Through this Countrey the Spanish Captain Nusco de Chavas travell'd when he discover'd the Taguamacis a numerous People which dwell along the great River De la Plata The Countrey about Santa Cruiz produces all manner of Fruit but few Trees because of the want of Rain but Corn Maiz Wine Granadillas Luiumas and Tucumay as also the Plant Hachalindi in the Latine Tongue call'd Mirabile Peruanum grow here in great abundance which 〈◊〉 shoots up to the bigness of a pretty large Body full of Juice and of a yellowish colour out of which shoot knotty Boughs and about each Knot two Leaves resembling the Herb Nightshade the Flowers which hang at the ends of the Boughs are long and pleasant to the Eye by reason of their mixture of Purple White and Yellow and also of a sweet smell It is a strange Secret in Nature that this Flower opens at Midnight if any Light come near the same The Root also is accounted an effectual Medicine against the Dropsie SECT VII Collao Situation and Description of Collao COllao lieth Southward of those Countries which go under the general Name of the Province of Cusco having on the West Lima on the South Charcas but Eastward and to the North-East it is shut up by a Ridge of Mountains running in one Body or continu'd Tract from the Confines of Collao as far as the City of Cusco where they divide The Countrey is generally plain commodiously water'd in all Parts with fresh Rivers and consequently affording rich Pasturage and good Herds of Cattel Chief Towns and Places of note The Chief Towns and Places of note are 1. Chuquinga a great Town and held to be naturally almost impregnable as being environ'd round about either with deep unfordable Waters or with Mountains unpassable and having one onely Cawsey leading to it reported to be for two or three Leagues together no broader than to permit one single Person to march conveniently upon it 2. The City Pucara which was formerly well inhabited but at present nothing remains of it except the ruin'd Walls of great Houses and large Images of Stone 3. Ayavire by the Spaniards call'd Las Sepulturas being a Place especially enobled by the stately Monuments of the Peruvian Nobility which were found there 4. Hatuncolla the Metropolis or chief Town of this Province seated upon the Banks of the River Caravaya whose Streams are very much fam'd for Gold CALLAO de LIMA The River Caravaya which glides from the Andes Eastward to the City Juan del Oro produces much fine Gold but not without the loss of many People which are kill'd by the unwholsom Air and Damps that arise here The Lake Titicaca The Lake Titicaca which washes the Countrey Collao on the North the Province of Omasuy on the East Chaquito on the West and Chuquiabo on the South is one of the greatest Lakes of America being eighty Leagues in circumference and in several places as many Fathom deep wherefore it is exceeding rough in windy Weather Into this Lake ten great Rivers discharge their Waters which run away again through a narrow but very deep Channel in which the Stream runs so strong that no Boats are able to abide in it 5. Chinquita a Colony of Spaniards upon the Banks of Titiaca having many small Islands in it of a good and fruitful Soil abounding in Fish and variety of Sea-Fowl it is suppos'd to be fourscore Leagues distant likewise from the South Sea haying onely one Estuary or Mouth which is something strait but of such a deep Water and violent Stream that as Acosta testifieth of it it is not possible to build a Bridge of Stone or Timber over it but the Natives in stead thereof have laid a Bridge of Straw upon it which serves as well viz. so many great Bundles of Straw Sedge or such like matter well and surely made up and fastned together as will reach from one side or Bank of the Estuary to another at which likewise having made them sure they cast some good quantity of more Straw and Sedge upon them and have a Bridge very convenient upon which they both securely pass themselves and also drive Cattel and do other necessary Business The Water is neither bitter nor brackish yet is not drinkable because of its muddiness Several Islands that lie in the Lake serv'd formerly for Store-houses of the chiefest Goods which the People thereabouts living near the High-way would not trust in their Villages The Plant Totara Here grows a certain Broom-Plant call'd Totara good for many uses and is also wholsom Food both for Man and Beast moreover they cover their Houses with the same burn it on their Hearths and make Boats The Uros a salvage People made Floats of Totara which they ty'd together and built Villages on the same which drove to and again according as the Wind blew The Lake also breeds abundance of Fish and especially two sorts viz. Suches which are very pleasing to the Palate but unwholsom and the Bogas which though less and full of Bones are a much better Food There likewise breed plenty of Fowls about the same especially wild Geese and Ducks When the Peruvians intend to Entertain any Person they go to catching of Fowls by them call'd Chaco after this manner They make a Circle with the Floats nam'd Balsas and Rowing close to one another take up the inclos'd Fowl with their Hands Moreover the fore-mention'd Channel through which the Lake Titicaca discharges its Water ends in a little Lake call'd Aulagas likewise full of desolate Isles but hath no visible place into which to empty its Water therefore it must needs according to the course of Nature fall under Ground where it commixes with a Stream whose original is unknown though it be seen to fall into the South Sea The Town is a Place of extraordinary Wealth and Trading and so considerable that
the Governor thereof is always nam'd by the King of Spain himself and his Place estimated at fifty thousand Ducats per Annum 6. Tiaguanaco at the Estuary or Mouth of the Lake memorable onely for the Ruines of certain great and stupendious Buildings which antiently have stood there some of the Stones whereof are said to have been of thirty Foot length apiece fifteen Foot broad and six or seven Foot thick There were likewise found the Statues of certain Men excellently Carv'd and Wrought of a Gigantick stature or bigness and likewise vested in foreign and strange Habits not at all us'd nor ever known to have been us'd by the Peruvians themselves or by any other of the Natives of America 7. Nuestra Sennora de la Paz or Our Lady of Peace otherwise call'd Pueblo Nuevo It is but a small Town yet pleasantly seated upon the Banks of a River in a fair and fruitful Plain full of Springs Fruit-Trees Savanas and Fields of Maiz having Mountains on either side It lieth almost in the middle of the Province Chuquinabo fourteen Leagues distant from Cusco and as many from Potosi The Province Chuquinabo it self which in the Peruvian Tongue signifies Inheritance of Gold hath many rich Gold-Mines good Salt-pits and a temperate Climate except from the beginning of December till March in which time the continual Rains cause Feavers and Agues The Inhabitants being very poor People us'd to go naked in the Summer Season 8. Copavana two and twenty Leagues beyond Lopoz It is onely inhabited by Peruvians amongst whom an Image of the Virgin Mary long since erected there hath been ever in great veneration especially by reason of a Tradition of a great Miracle there perform'd for the Spaniards affirm That Johannes Anachoreta going a Journey of several Weeks from home plac'd a lighted Candle before the Image which during the time of his absence did not at all diminish A strange Earthquake at Angoanga An Accident which fell out in this Countrey is very remarkable viz. The Ground of an old Village call'd Angoanga then inhabited by eminent Necromancers began on a sudden to swell and the Earth to run like a broken Wave two Leagues overwhelming the Houses in Sand and filling up a neighboring Lake The like in Herefordshire in England Eight years before this terrible Earthquake here there hapned in the County of Hereford in England almost the same kind of prodigious Motion for not far from the Town Ledborough arose Marcely Hill to an exceeding heighth and moving along bury'd all whate're it met with after which manner it continu'd for the space of three days to the great terror of all that beheld it 9. Chilane 10. Acos 11. Pomata and some others all of them good Towns but not so considerable as those other Roads and High-ways made by the Ingas Concerning the Roads or High-ways it may well be said That none of the seven Wonders of the World can compare with any one of them neither was the Way that Appius Claudius made from Rome to Brundusium upon the repairing of which the Emperors Julius and Augustus spent great sums of Money fit to stand in competition with the Roads made by the Ingas in Peru for who cannot but admire at the consideration of so many Valleys fill'd with Mountains the hardest Rocks cut asunder Moors damm'd up great Stone Bridges laid over swift gliding Streams and through vast Wildernesses a Way made of twenty Foot broad inclos'd in high Walls extending from Quito to Chilo a thousand Leagues and at the end of every ten Leagues brave Houses or Magazines stor'd with Bowes Arrows Halberds Axes Clubs Clothes and Provision for twenty or thirty thousand Men. Some relate that Guainacava when he return'd Victor from the conquer'd Countrey Quito suffer'd great Inconveniences on the pathless Mountains and thereupon commanded his Subjects to make the fore-mention'd Way But it is more probable that this Master-piece was not the work of one Inga especially since besides the Way from Chili to Quito there leads another through the Mountains over the Plains from Cusco to Quito forty Foot broad and five hundred Leagues long inclos'd within two Walls The manner of the Peruvian Registers The Peruvians relate from the testimony of the Quipos much more concerning these High-Ways and other Buildings on them made by Guainacava These Quipos are Rowls of divers colour'd Strings full of all manner of Knots which serve in stead of Characters to keep their Chronicles in which were employ'd the Quipo-Camayos who being in the nature of our Secretaries Registred all Transactions performing the same with the several Strings and Buttons with which they gave Obligations Discharges and the like but besides the Quipos they also us'd Rings full of little Stones for the same purpose and knew with Maiz-Seed how to cast up an Account as well as the best Arithmetician with Figures Their Account of Time hung on the twelve Pillars Succanga erected on a Mountain beyond Cusco by the Inga Pachacuma that is The Regulator of the Year to shew the Course of the Sun and according to that their appointed Feast-days times of Sowing and Harvest Their Year begins in December The present State of Peru under the Spanish Government The Spanish Government in the Kingdom of Peru is setled at present in great tranquility and splendor The Vice-Roy who keeps a splendid Court in Lima otherwise call'd Los Reyos Commands over Chili and Terra Firma and never comes abroad without a Guard of forty Halberdeers when he travels by Land he is accompanied by the Arch-bishop and guarded by his forty Halberdeers a hundred Pike-men and fifty Musquetteers His Reign is generally not above six or eight years during which time he receives forty thousand Ducats per Annum out of the King's Exchequer The present flourishing Condition of the City Los Reyos The City Los Reyos hath been of late years very much enlarg'd and brought to a most flourishing Condition being exceeding populous and extending four Miles in length and half as much in breadth In the biggest Market-place is the City Hall and the Exchange where all things are brought to be sold Of the other three Markets two have their Denominations from St. Anne and St. Jacob the fourth is call'd El Santo de los Cavallos because nothing but Mules Asses and Horses are sold there The chief Church is Consecrated to St. John the Evangelist the other Three to Marcellus Sebastian and Anna. The Franciscans inhabit three Cloysters the Dominicans Augustines and Monks De la Merced each of them two besides two costly Structures for the Jesuits Other Orders have also five Cloysters here viz. the Creation Conception the Holy Trinity St. Joseph and St. Clara the three first have each of them a Church built hard by the several Cloysters Dedicated to the Santas Virgines del Montserratto Del Prado and De Loretto Each Cloyster contains above two hundred and fifty either Monks or Nuns Here are also
four large Hospitals the chiefest whereof call'd Andrias hath seldom less than four hundred Sick which are kept and cur'd on Charity The second is for Peruvians onely call'd The Hospital of St. Anna. The third built in honor of the Apostle St. Peter is for poor old Clergy-men The fourth nam'd The House of Love is for sick Women Besides these there stands another Structure near the Walls of the City Consecrated to Lazarus where those that have the Leprosie are cur'd The House call'd The Holy-Ghost receives all sick and wounded Sea-men The King maintains twenty four Students at his own Charge in the Royal Colledge and the Arch-bishop as many in the Colledge call'd St. Toronius but in the Colledge of St. Martin reside above six hundred which are brought up in all manner of Arts and Sciences Two hundred Students are also taught in the high School where they chuse a new Governor every year Here also is kept the King's Treasure and the Court of Inquisition The River which washes the City Walls runs so exceeding swift that not long since it carried away a new Stone Bridge with nine great Arches The Dominican Monks were the first that Landed on Peru the first which came thither with Francisco Pizarro being Vincent de Valle Verde who was follow'd by Sancio Martino Martino de Esquivele Dominico de Sancto Thoma Pedro Ulloa Alphonso de Montenegro Reynaldo Pedraza and many others who were stirr'd up by the report of the Peruvian Riches amongst whom were four Franciscans viz. Pedro Portuguese Jodoco de los Angelos De la Cruiz and De Sant Anna who were soon after follow'd by twelve Monks of the Augustine Order Anno 1552. Landed also at Los Reyos Colonel Andreas Salazar accompanied with Antonio Lozano Juan de Sancto Petro Hieronymo Melendez Didaco Palamino Pedro de Espeda Andreas Ortega Juan Canto Juan Chamorro Miracles reported to have been done by Ramirez Francisco de Treyas Juan Ramirez and Balthazar Melgarego Salazar soon after his Arrival sent the Priest Juan Ramirez and Balthazar Melganego to Guamachuco where he Baptiz'd and Instructed the Inhabitants in great numbers Afterwards travelling to Moyabamba he got a great esteem amongst those Idolaters and as it goes for currant amongst them wrought many Miracles amongst which this is reported for one He being inform'd by an old Peruvian that his Daughter nam'd Curi had hid several Idols enquiring after it he tax'd her with what her Father had told him which she denying and being rebuk'd by Ramirez is said to have become immediately dumb to have foam'd at the Mouth at last falling down dead like a second Saphira in the presence of many which caus'd many to forsake their Idolatry But the Necromancers endeavor'd by all means possible to raise a disesteem on Ramirez and with the assistance of their Master the Devil so wrought their Inchantments that the Tygers came in great Herds out of the Wildernesses to Moyabamba and devour'd not onely Men Women and Children in the High-ways but also tore them out of their Houses yet did not the least hurt to any Spaniard whereupon Ramirez valiantly went with a Company of his Proselytes to a Herd of Tygers which when he approached held the Cross to them which it seems so affrighted the Devil-Tygers that they climb'd up the Trees They farther relate if you will believe them to make the Miracle the greater That Ramirez call'd to the Multitude saying Go and revenge the Deaths of your devour'd Parents Children and Relations whereupon he throwing a Stone and all the rest following his Example the Tygers leap'd out of the Trees stood still and suffer'd themselves to be kill'd like Lambs Six years after the fore-mention'd twelve Augustine Monks follow'd eleven others who set Sail out of the Spanish Haven St. Lucar and arriving at Peru went to the Village Tauca where they broke the Image of the Goddess Huarella being as it were the Peruvian Venus or Patroness of amorous Delights reported to have given Responses from the Wood in which she was worshipp'd They also destroy'd the Idol Chanca in the Countrey Conchucos which being worshipp'd by the Indians in the shape of a Man had yearly a fair Maid aged fourteen years given to him in Marriage a solemn Wedding being kept and several Sheep kill'd The Miracle of an Augustine Monk The Augustine Monks are believ'd to have wrought also another Miracle in the Province Conchucos upon this occasion A Conjurer call'd Chaumango boasted himself to be God deny'd our Saviour in testimony whereof he gave out that he would kick a Mountain to pieces with his Foot which Report spreading all over the Countrey all the adjacent People flock'd to see this strange Wonder on an appointed Day on which Charimango being it seems as good as his word and kicking the Mountain caus'd it to rent from the top to the bottom and the pieces to flie all about the People who were exceedingly amaz'd but the Sorcerer upon the Augustine Monk's rebuking him was as they affirm immediately eaten up with Worms CHILI 1. P. â— de Talcaguana 2. I. Quiriquina 3. R. Biobio 4. R. Ilandalien 5. R. de la Laxa To conclude our Description of this famous Kingdom of Peru the People thereof at the Spaniards first Arrival viewing their Shipping their Guns and other Accoutrements unknown to them before had them in great admiration as Men descended from Heaven but when they began to be oppress'd by their Tyranny and to be tortur'd by them they look'd upon them as the Spawn of Hell and curs'd the Sea that had brought so wicked a People to them CHAP. V. Chile Situation and Description of Chile FOllowing the Coast of Mare del Zur or the South Sea the next great Province pertaining formerly to the Kingdom of Peru is that of Chile This is the most Southerly Province of the whole Countrey of America reaching up as far as the Magellane Straights with which to the Southward it is bounded Northward it hath a Desart and an undiscover'd Countrey lying betwixt it and the Confines of Peru call'd Atacama on the West it hath Mare del Zur and on the East up to Rio de la Plata the Atlantick or North Sea with some Countreys undiscover'd which interpose betwixt it and Paraguay to the North-East It lieth all of it beyond the Tropick of Capricorn in a temperate Zone and extendeth it self in length from the Borders of Peru to the Mouth of the Straights five hundred Leagues or more but the breadth of it neither equal nor certain They say 't is call'd Chile from the word I hil which signifies Cold it seems in their Language as well as ours it being generally a cold and bleak Countrey the Air in many parts of it so extreamly sharp and piercing that both Horse and Rider sometimes in travelling are frozen to death as the Spaniards found by experience in their first Search and Discovery of the Countrey under the Conduct of Diego Almagro who
is said to have left the greatest part of his Men dead behind him But this is chiefly towards the Andes and on the Sea-Coast the more Inland parts of it though mountainous also in some parts yet are more temperate and being also well water'd with Rivers are much more fruitfull than the other affording both Wheat and Maiz and likewise other Grain excellent Pasturage in many places and great store of Cattel Wine Honey and not without many and rich Mines both of Gold and Silver The Natives of this Countrey were found to be the most stout and warlike of all the Americans that the Spaniards had hitherto met withal fighting with them and oftentimes defeating them in the open Field surprizing and sacking their Towns and last of all taking their Captain and Commander in Chief Prisoner This was Pedro Baldivia one of those good Men that consented to the death of Attabaliba the last King of Peru after a greater Ransom accepted and paid then perhaps the King of Spain could well raise on a sudden if he had occasion to use it for himself Pedro Baldivia taken Prisoner and put to death by the Arucans The Arucans for so are the People call'd that had him Prisoner are said to have Entertain'd him for a while with great Jollity and Feasting but for his last Draught gave him a Cup of melted Gold which the poor Man was forc'd to take down and so died a cruel though costly Death The whole Province generally is divided first into Chile specially so call'd and secondly Magellanica or that part which lieth more Southward down to the Straights of Magellan SECT II. Chile properly so call'd The Bounds of Chile specially so call'd CHile specially so call'd is border'd Northward with the Desart and barren Countrey of Acatama above mention'd on the South with Magellanica on the West with Mare del Zur Eastward and to the North-East with some parts of Paraguay or rather with some undiscover'd Countreys lying betwixt them both The length of it from North to South is reckon'd to be little less than three hundred Leagues and generally of a fruitful Soil affording besides abundance of Gold and Silver both Corn Cattel Vineyards and divers sorts of Fruits equal both for kind and plenty to Spain it self and sundry other parts of Europe The Air likewise temperate and the People in their Manners and Conditions come much nearer to the Civility and likewise subtilty of the Europeans than other Americans did which doubtless may be attributed to the conformity of the Climates under which they lie agreeable to those of Europe though otherwise in respect of the Sphere and Seasons of the Year there be a diametrical difference betwixt us As for Example their Spring beginning in September which is our Autumn and their Autumn in March which is our Spring their longest Day being that of St. Lucy on the eleventh of December which is our shortest and their shortest being St. Barnabas viz. the eleventh of June which is our longest c. Towns and Places of Importance The Towns of chiefest note and importance in this Province are 1. Gopiapo an old Town in the most Northerly parts of this Province towards the Sea where it hath a very commodious Haven belonging to it 2. La Serena a Town situate on the Banks of Coquimbo a pleasant River a little above its Influx into the Sea built by Baldivia in the Year 1544. the Countrey about very rich in Mines of Gold and the Town it self so well Garrison'd for fear of the Natives that when the English under Sir Francis Drake about fourscore years since attempted the gaining of the Place they found hot Service of it being stoutly resisted and beaten back again to their Ships by a Sally of no less than three hundred good Horse and two hundred Foot 3. St. Jago the principal Town of the Province a Bishop's See and the ordinary Residence of the Governor lying on the Banks of the River Tapocalma in the thirty fourth Degree of Southern Latitude fifteen Leagues distant from the South Sea at which it hath a very commodious and much frequented Haven which they call Valparayso and where the English met with better fortune as hath been said already in the report of Sir Francis Drake's Voyage TABULE MEGELLANICA QUA TIERRAE DEL FUEGO 〈…〉 5. Los Confines a Fronteer Town built by the aforesaid Baldivia for defence of the rich Mines of Gold at Angol a Place near adjoyning 6. La Imperiale another strong Garrison of this Place on the Banks of the River Cauten near to which that great Battel was fought where Baldivia with divers other Soldiers were taken Prisoners who were no otherwise overcome but by being over-wearied with killing of their Enemies and by that means not able to make their Retreat 7. Villarica another Colony of the Spaniards in these Parts sixteen Leagues distant from Imperiale and twenty five from the Sea 8. Baldivia so nam'd from the Commander Pedro Baldivia who built it in the Valley of Guadallanquen two or three Leagues distant from the Sea where it hath a good and capacious Port but nearer to it the best Mines of Peru so rich that 't is said they yielded Baldivia every day so long as he could enjoy them twenty five thousand Crowns 9. Osorno a Town lying in the Bay of Chilue in a barren Soil but otherwise neither less rich nor less populous than Baldivia it self These three last mention'd Towns viz. Baldivia Imperiale and Osorno were in the Years 1596 1699 and 1604 surpriz'd by the Araucanes and other Salvages confederate with them sack'd and burnt and though the Spaniards be said to have recover'd and Garrison'd some of them with fresh Soldiers yet how long they were able to hold them or whether they be Masters of them at this day we cannot say 10. Castro the most Southerly Town of the whole Province built on a certain Island within the Bay of Chilue 11. Mondoza and 12. St. Juan de la Frontera both which lie towards Paraguay and Rio de la Plata but on the other side of the Andes forty Leagues distant from any of those we have spoken of and perhaps more not above a hundred from Buenos Ayres and the Atlantick Ocean SECT III. Magellanica Situation and Description of Magellanica MAgellanica the other part of this Province is bounded Northward with Chile abovesaid and some parts of the Countrey De la Plata on the South with the narrow Sea call'd Magellans Straights having Mare del Zur on the West and on the East the Atlantick Ocean It contains in length from the Borders of Chile to the Mouth of the Straights a hundred Leagues and in breadth from the North to the South Sea somewhat more viz. towards Chile and the North-West parts of it for towards the South and South-West it straitens still more and more insomuch that they who resemble the Southern part of America to the form of a
Pyramid revers'd make this part of the Countrey to be the Spire or top thereof It beareth the Name from Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese who first discover'd that narrow Sea so famously known by the Name of Magellans Straights It is a large Countrey and suppos'd not to be altogether barren of Metals but as yet no great Discovery hath been made of it partly by reason of the excessive Cold to which 't is thought to be subject and partly perhaps by reason of the difficulty of the Enterprize it being so far remote and very hardly passable in many places by reason of the huge Mountains the Andes which bar it as it were against all Adventurers but chiefly by reason of the stoutness and untameableness of the Araucanes and other Natives of Chile through whose Countrey the March lieth and who must first be conquer'd so that very little can be said more of this Countrey than onely to name the Ports and Places upon the Sea-Coasts 〈…〉 and â—â—â—â—ghts at which the Spaniards and likewise some other Nations at several times have touched the chief whereof upon the South Sea are 1. Cabo de las Islas a Promontory or Foreland twenty six Leagues distant from that of St. Felix on the Confines of Chile 2. Puerto de San Stephano fifty Leagues from that towards the South 3. La Villa de Nuestra Sennora or Our Ladies Dale a large and secure Bay eighteen Leagues Southward of St. Stephens 4. La Punta Deglada 5. Puerto de los Reyos and 6. Ancona Sin Salida all of them opening towards the Straights There is also at the opening of the Straights Cabo de la Vittoria Cabo Desseado and some others Upon the North Sea and up towards Rio de la Plata the chief Places observable are 1. Rio de la Crux and the Cape which they call De las Rameras about thirty Leagues distant from the Straights Mouth 2. The Bay of St. Julian forty Leagues Northward of the former 3. El Puerto Desseado 4. Puerto de los Leones 5. The Bay of Anegada all of them good and capacious Havens for the security of Shipping upon these Coasts and lying at a distance of thirty or forty Leagues one from another up towards Rio de la Plata and the Countrey of Paraguay of which we are next to speak Description or the Magellan Straights As for the Straights themselves so much spoken of and likewise so necessary to be known by those who frequent these parts of the World they are a narrow Sea or Frith by which the Atlantick Ocean or rather some parts of it doth fall into Mare del Zur or the South Sea the Passage is long running as 't is commonly suppos'd well nigh a hundred Leagues together almost in a paralel Line or in the same Degree of Latitude from one end to the other and likewise extreamly difficult by reason of the many windings and turnings of the Sea which force them to be ever and anon altering of their Course and a mountainous high Countrey on both sides of it from whence it is almost continually beaten with Storms both dangerous and terrible They were first discover'd by Ferdinand Magellan by Nation a Portuguese but in the Service of the King of Spain and by him nam'd Magellan's Straights who although himself liv'd not to return into Spain being slain in the Conquest of the Molucca Islands yet his Companions did in the Ship call'd Vittoria from whence the Cape De la Vittoria abovesaid took its Name The Mouth or Entrance of them by the Atlantick Ocean lies in fifty two Degrees of Southern Latitude and hath not above fifty three and some Minutes at the Exit or opening into the South Sea The Straights of Le Maire There is likewise since this and but of late times viz. about the Year 1615. another Straight discover'd by the Dutch and call'd from the Discoverer Fretum Mairi or The Straights of le Maire four or five Degrees more to the Southward than those of Magellan and suppos'd to be a much easier and safer Passage The Intention by the discovery of these Straights was to have found a shorter Way to the East-Indies and the Kingdoms of Cathay and China than that which was then onely us'd viz. by the Cape de Buena Speranza and the Coast of Africk but by reason of the great difficulty as 't is to be suppos'd and uncertainty of the Passage neither the one nor the other is much frequented the Spaniards for the most part serving themselves of their American Ports upon the South Sea from whence they make their Voyages and Returns to and from the other Indies and from thence home to Spain and the English with other Nations of Europe Trading still by the Coast of Africk and Cape of Good Hope or else by the way of Alexandria and the Persian Gulf as heretofore PARAQVARIA Vulgo PARAGVAY Cum adjacentibus CHAP. VI. Paraguay or Rio de la Plata VVE have seen in Magellanica the farthest that is the most Southerly part of the New World and before it in order all the Western Coasts of America that lie either upon or towards Mare del Zur viz. from Panama the first Province of this Southern part down as far as the Straights We are now to return and take a view of the Eastern Coasts and those Countreys which lie upon the Atlantick Ocean steering our Course henceforth Northward not directly but as the Coast leads us for a while Eastward and by North forasmuch as the Land of America from the Straights of Magellan up as far as Brasile and almost to the AEquator runneth out with a long Point little less than three thousand Leagues together Situation and Description of Paraguay or Rio de la Plata The first Province we meet with on this side next to Magellanica is the Countrey of Paraguay oftentimes call'd Rio de la Plata from the Name of an huge River which runneth for the most part through the midst of it It is border'd as we said to the South and towards the Straights with Magellanica on the East with the Atlantick Ocean more Northward or to the North-East it hath Brasile and on the West those undiscover'd Countreys of the Province of Chile of which we have spoken The Countrey on both sides the River is reported to be a very lusty and fruitful Soil bearing besides those which are proper and native all sorts of European Fruits and Grain in great abundance with Sugar-Canes both large and good as any other Province of the New World Nor is it excell'd by any other for good Pasturage and great Herds of Cattel Sheep and Swine in particular Horses are said to have multiply'd so here that of thirty Mares and about six or seven Stallions which the Spaniards left there in forty years the whole Countrey thereabouts was fill'd with the Breed of them running wild in great Companies together through all the Woods and Forrests of the Countrey and
being of excellent Mettle and Service if they could be tam'd It affordeth likewise great store of wild Deer and Stags some Lyons Tygers c. nor is it without good Mines some both of Gold and Silver but chiefly as to what is yet discover'd of Brass and Iron and the People altogether salvage The River De la Plata The River De la Plata which as we said before divides this Countrey is one of the largest of the whole World rising as 't is suppos'd out of the Lake call'd De los Xarayes three hundred Leagues or more within Land and falling into the Atlantick Ocean or North Sea in thirty four Degrees of Southern Latitude with an Estuary or Mouth of thirty or two and thirty Leagues over The whole Countrey is usually subdivided into three inferior Provinces which 1. Rio de la Plata properly so call'd 2. Tucuman 3. La Crux de Sierra SECT II. Rio de la Plata properly so call'd Situation of Rio de la Plata properly so call'd RIo de la Plata properly so call'd is that part of the Countrey which extendeth it self on both sides the River in length many Leagues together but not answerable in breadth Towns and Places of note The chiefest Towns of note in this Province are 1. Buenos Ayres by some call'd La Trinidad on the Southern Banks of the River De la Plata sixty four Leagues as they say from the Mouth of it It is seated commodiously at the foot of a little Mountain and fortifi'd with a Mud-Wall a little Castle and some Pieces of Ordnance 2. San Fe in English St. Faiths fifty Leagues above Buenos Ayres upon the same River and a richer Place chiefly by reason of their Cloth of which there is here one of the greatest Manufactures of all these parts of Peru. 3. Nuestra Sennora de la Assumption commonly call'd Assumption onely lying yet higher up the River almost a hundred Leagues a well built and well frequented Town long since inhabited by two hundred Families at least of natural Spaniards besides Mestizos as they call them which are the Breed of Spaniards by the American People Men or Women and Mulattos which are likewise their Race but begotten upon Negro's of both which there are reckon'd to be here some thousands 4. La Cividad Real or more commonly call'd Ontiveros fourscore Leagues Northward from Assumption seated on the Banks of the River Parana in a fruitful Soil as the Countrey generally is about all these Places but the Air hereabouts is not so healthful 5. St. Anne upon the same River and 6. St. Salvador SECT III. Tucuman Situation of Tucuman VVEstward of La Plata lieth the Countrey of Tucuman extending it self as far as the Borders of Chile a Countrey not yet well discover'd either to the North or the South That part of it which lieth towards Chile is well Manur'd and Husbanded and likewise very fruitful but that towards Magellanica neither the one nor the other remaining altogether untill'd and barren The chief Towns and Places of note are 1. St. Jago de Esteco the principal Town of the Province and a Bishop's See seated upon the River Esteco a hundred and fourscore Leagues distant from Buenos Ayres Towns and Places of note 2. St. Michael de Tucuman seated at the foot of a huge rocky Mountain but otherwise in a Soil the fruitfullest and best both for Corn and Pasturage in all this Countrey twenty eight Leagues distant from St. Jago 3. Talavera or Neustra Sennora de Talavera as the Spaniards call it situate upon the Banks of Salado in a good Soil and inhabited by an industrious People grown exceeding rich and wealthy chiefly by their Manufactures of Cotton-Wooll whereof they have great plenty and by which they drive a Trade as far as the Mines at Potosi and other parts of Peru. BRASILIA 5. Chocinoca 6. Sococha 7. Calebinda 8. Morata and others but belonging for the most part to the reduced Natives SECT IV. La Crux de Sierra Situation of La Crux de Sierra LA Crux de Sierra is a little Territory at least in comparison to some others lying towards Peru and reckon'd by some for one of the Provinces of Peru It lieth betwixt the two great Rivers Paraguay and Guapay a hundred Leagues distant as 't is said from Charcas to which yet in some Causes it is subordinate The Soil of this Countrey is abundantly fertile in all sorts of American Fruits besides good plenty both of Wheat and Maiz and scarsity of nothing useful for Man's Life unless it be fresh Water in some places Chief Towns of this Province The chief Towns of this Province are 1. San Crux situate at the foot of a great Mountain or Hill but opeing upon a large Plain whose thirsty driness is well refresh'd by a certain Brook or Torrent which issueth out of a neighboring Mountain and a few Leagues distant from the Town maketh a pretty Lake which supplieth the Countrey thereabouts both with fresh Water and Fish in good plenty 2. Barranea a Town suppos'd to be not above threescore Leagues distant from Potosi 3. Nova Rioia once a Colony of Spaniards buâ—â—sack'd and spoil'd by the Salvages of these Parts about the Year 1548. and the first Discoveror of the Countrey namely Nunno de Chaves treacherously murder'd by a Native since which time 't is said to have been deserted CHAP. VII Brasile Anno 1549. King John the Third fitted out a great Fleet which set Sail from Lisbon under the Command of Thomas de Sosa Jesuits â—â—â—t to Brasiâ—â— by Pope Paulus the Third and Ignatius Also the Jesuits Aspilcueta Antonio Pireo Leonardo Nonno Didaco Jacobo Vincent Roderico and Emanuel Robrega were sent thither by Pope Paulus the Third and Ignatius Loyola whose Fleet came to an Anchor in the Bay afterwards call'd Bahia de Todos Sanctos where Sosa built the City Salvador since which the Portuguese have spread themselves farther and farther over Brasile The United Netherlands also sent Colonies thither with good success for they took several vast Countreys from the Portuguese by force of Arms and built new Forts and Towns in several places But we will first give you a general Description of it Temperature of Climate that so we may the better render a Relation in particular of every Province thereof it being a considerable part of the New World and both pleasant and fruitful and the Sea-Coasts refresh'd by Easterly Winds which begin before Day-break when the North Sea ebbs or flows for then the Wind rises with the Sun and continues till Mid-night Towards the West where the Mountains divide Brasile from Peru it is made temperate by Westerly Winds which though judg'd unwholsom because they seem to arise out of the Moorish Grounds yet they hurt not the Inhabitants along that Coast because they either break against the high Mountains or are driven by the strong Wind which blows from
the Sea The difference between Summer and Winter shorter and longer Days in the main part of Brasile is scarce discernable warm Weather lasting all the year round and for the length of the Day and Night the Sun being hid under the Horizon twelve hours shines for the most part just as long the greatest difference never being above an hour Three hours before Day-break the Dew makes it exceeding cold till Sun-rising wherefore the Brasilians make Fires in the Night near their Hammocks not onely to keep wild Beasts from them but also against the Cold. After the coldest Nights follow the fairest Days and the contrary after sultry Nights nevertheless except in the rainy Season which begins with March and ends about August the Skye is generally clear yet it Lightens much towards the Evening Rainbowes often appear in the Skye and bout the Mooon Halos The Rain generally falls in great Drops and with a mighty noise before which it is generally very sultry hot or else soon after The Dew which is fruitfuller than in Europe is saltish which makes it oft to rot things that lie in the open Air. During the rainy Moneths a South-East Winds blows from a cloudy Skye much stronger than the Northern in Summer The South-East Wind drives the Stream to the North as the North Wind drives it to the South And more than this there is little to be discern'd of the Seas ebbing and flowing hereabouts At the highest Tides the Brasilians go several Leagues from the Shore to Fish upon Planks made of the spungy Wood call'd Jangada fastned together The Sea which seems to burn in the Night is so clear in the Day that the Fish may be seen to swim above twenty Fathom deep A calm Ocean when the Days and Nights are of an exact length and especially when dark Clouds appear is a certain sign of a dreadful Storm At Full or New-Moon the Sea rises twelve Foot and continues either a longer or shorter time according as it is more or less turbulent and the Rivers fall stronger or more gently into the same Before most part of the Coast of Brasile lies a Stone Cliff of above twenty or thirty Paces broad which is never cover'd with Water though in the time of Spring-floods In this Cliff Nature in several places hath made a Gap through which the Ships sail near the Shore and ride safe at an Anchor The whole Countrey of Brasile is divided into thirteen Praefectures or Lordships and hath about as many Rivers which more or less empty themselves into every one of these Countreys The Eastern part hath several Brooks and Fountains which afford good Water both for Man and Beast In some parts the Water is so strong that the wild Beasts making themselves Drunk therewith are easily taken During the Winter Season the Rivers glide with great force and swell on a sudden overflowing all the neighboring Countrey onely the River San Francisco runs strongest and rises highest in the Summer Season whenas in the Winter it flows low and poures but little Water into the Ocean The original of this River is as yet unknown yet is by most believ'd to come out of a great Lake lying near the Peruvian Mountains The Hollanders who sail'd forty Leagues up the same found it every where broad and deep and scatter'd full of Isles and Rocks The Portuguese sailing ten Leagues farther discover'd the great Rocks Cocoeras from which the said River falls down with great violence and extends it self North-West In the other Brasilian Streams though wide at the Mouthes which generally are not above two or three hours walking from their Fountains or Springs no Barque is able to Row up they being exceeding shallow although much Rain falls into them the reason whereof is because the barren Mountains lying between Brasile and Peru discharge abundance of Water through the Rivers of Amazones Maranon Francisco La Plata and the Juaeiro with such force into the Ocean that they keep their sweetness for thirty Leagues Near the Sea side are several Lakes and Pits which are drinkable and others up in the Countrey that are brackish The Nature of the Soil The Countrey differs exceedingly for where it extends in Plains the Soil is fat and clayie and produces all sorts of Fruit but especially Sugar-Canes During the rainy Seasons the Trees flourish most after which the heat of the Sun and fertility of the Soil speedily ripen the Fruit wherefore they Dung not their Land but on the contrary endeavor to make it lean with Sand that the Plants might not have too many Leaves and wither before the Fruit can be ripened They Sowe in the beginning of the rainy Moneths and especially take care that the Seed lie not too deep in the Ground because then the Sun-beams being not able to come at it suffer it to perish in the cold Ground The high Cocoa and Palmito-Trees are transplanted all the year round the Roots being onely cover'd with a little Earth because they can endure no cold Several Trees here bear a cooling Fruit as if kind Nature took care to provide against excessive heat All manner of Plants and Herbs brought hither from Angola Portugal the Netherlands and the East-Indies grow here very plentifully But the Countrey generally would be much better if some way could be found out to destroy the innumerable company of Pismires which though three times bigger than the European resemble them very much and cover the Paths in Woods and Fields for three or four Miles together and raising Hillocks make them hollow and fill them with Corn in the Full of the Moon they gather an incredible quantity of Grain which they bite at each end because it should not sprout against the rainy Moneths they stop up their Holes Description of the Tamanda that the Water may not damnifie their Store But these Animals have a mortal Enemy of the Tamanda of which there are two sorts the bigger call'd Guaca the lesser Miri the Guaca notwithstanding it is no bigger than an ordinary Dog yet it destroys Tygers and other wild Beasts with such a raging fury that it never le ts go what once it hath got hold of but holds it fast so long till sometimes it dies of Hunger The Guaca differing from the Miri onely in bigness hath a broad Tail full of grey and black Bristles which sticks up when he is vex'd but when he goes to sleep covers himself with the same The Miri winds his long smooth Tail about the Boughs by which hanging he searches the Holes in the Trees with his Tongue which being thin and round hath a Gutter in the middle in which when it feels any Pismires it suddenly swallows them down If he perceives them to have their Nests under Ground then he scratches up the Earth and puts his Tongue in at the Holes Both the Guacu and Miri have a thick Skin and a broad black Streak from their Breasts on each side up half way their
The Pories The Mountains along the Ocean which inclose much Gold are inhabited by the Pories a peaceable People molesting none of their Neighbors they sleep in Nets of Flags and have no other Houses than three Poles plac'd triangular and cover'd with Palm-Leaves they feed on Pine-Nuts and Eyrires Apples that have Shells like a Walnut and have also the precious Balsam-Oyl in great abundance The Molopaques Along the River Paradiva inhabit the Molopaques the Men strong and well timber'd have Beards long enough to cover their Privities The Women also fair modest prudent and never laughing tie their Hair painted with several colours round about their Middle with a Cord so that it serves in stead of an Apron They observe a set-hour for Dinner and Supper which is not us'd by any other Brasilians The Mountains in these Parts consisting of a black Mold have plenty of Gold but it is of no esteem or regard amongst them onely that which is wash'd down by the Rain they gather up but put to no other use than to make Hooks to hang their Nets on The Motayas The Motayas being of a low Stature and brown Complexion shave off the Hair of their Heads or else pluck it up by the Roots they are eaters of Man's-flesh Not far from whose Dominions appear the Mountains Pinos up in the Countrey which abounding with Gold and Precious Stones are inhabited by the Biheros otherwise call'd Lopos which live under the Trees like Beasts The Waianawasons The Waianawasons have little Villages built along a nameless River they are a Gigantick People but very ignorant Thirteen Portuguese undertaking some years ago to travel through this Countrey to the South Sea found on some Mountains abundance of Gold and Precious Stones and amongst many strange things they saw a Crystal Mountain ten days before they came near it over which they could not travel because of its steepness at the foot thereof sprung a broad Stream making a great noise From thence travelling forward The Tamoyes they came to the Tamoyes Countrey the Men whereof being well proportion'd wore great Bunches of Feathers on their Heads The Women exceeding fair had carv'd Breasts The said Portuguese being taken here were put into Prison and all slain and eaten excepting one who escap'd after this manner Thirty thousand Tamoyes falling into the Countrey of the Amazons by the Americans call'd Mandiocuysyams made a great Feast with three hundred of them whilest the rest fled to the River La Plata where they got help from the Portuguese who kill'd ten thousand of the Tamoyes made the rest Slaves and releas'd their imprison'd Countreyman The Tocomans Caryogs and Maraquites The Tocomans a little People dwell between La Plata and St. Vincent The Caryogs possess much Gold and Precious Stones The Maraquites by the Western Indians sur-named Tapuiyers that is Wild People are divided into seventy six sorts all differing in their Languages amongst which the chiefest are the Arodera Cajau Maquaru and Poyme which all live without Law Religion setled Abodes or Friendship with any Neighbors and the Women Fight as well as the Men. Jacob Rabbi who dwelt a considerable time and convers'd amongst these People describes their Customs thus Their Customs describ'd Their King Jandui sir-named Otshicayayna from the River which flows through the Countrey of the Tapuyans causes if he thinks fit to be publish'd through the the whole Camp of the Enemy whither he will go the next Morning and what he will do ill the Day following having first consulted with his Council of Sorcerers Before they march they wash their Bodies in the River rub themselves all over with Sand and afterwards wash it off again then stretch themselves till all their Joynts crack run to the Fire and when throughly warm scratch their Bodies with certain Fish-Teeth insomuch that the Blood gushes out of several places all which they judge to be good against wearisomness About a Stones-cast from the King's Tent lie two thick Logs a large Stride one from the other against which the whole Multitude stand divided into two Parties each of whom chuse the strongest Man accounted amongst them to carry the Log for a Wager and when these two are tir'd they are releas'd by others and he that comes last to the appointed place with the Log is laugh'd at by the Party to which he belong'd that was there first where they all stay for the Youths that bring their Arms which when they have deliver'd they all fall to work cutting down Trees breaking off the Boughs sticking them in the Ground and tying them together on the top for Tents which are built in rows one against another leaving a broad Path between Mean while the Women and Children coming with their Baggage the Men run to Fish and Hunt or to seek Honey The old Women dig up Roots which stamp'd serve them for Bread whilest the young Women help one another to prepare the Meat in the Huts Moreover the Men spend their time in several Exercises as Wrestling and Running of which two Women appointed for that purpose are the Judges When the Evening draws on upon them then the Youths dividing themselves into Companies go Singing from one Tent to another and are follow'd by the Maids Dancing and Leaping every one standing behind him whom she loves best and this is look'd upon as a singular sign of affection When a young Man is inclin'd to Marry he carries Honey and Venison to his Mistresses Father who if he hath more than one Daughter acquaints the Soothsayers with it who inform the King concerning it he then causes all the young Men and Maids to be call'd together out of the Camp sends them into the Woods to Hunt out a wild Beast which they no sooner see but they return and acquaint the Multitude therewith who immediately surrounding the Place soon catch the Beast whose Entrails they pull out and throw to the Dogs and give the Flesh to the Women to roast which when ready they make merry with Singing and Dancing after they have eaten then if the Youth hath behav'd himself well in pursuing of the wild Beast the King grants him the Maid which he desires for his Wife Four days before the Wedding they bore a Hole through each of the Bridegrooms Cheeks with a sharp piece of Wood which done they solemnize the Marriage at which the King himself distributes the Meat to every Guest as he thinks fit after Dinner they extol the Mothers Care in preserving her Daughters Virginity for the Bridegroom in strange Songs If a Maid be Marriageable and no Suitor comes to her then the Mother draws red Strokes under her Eyes and conducts her to the King who sets the Maid down by him on a Mat warms his Hands against the Fire then stroaks himself and the Maid and also blows Tobacco-Smoak on her and himself which done he performs the part of a Husband with her But their making Holes
nothing they met with for they murther and destroy all things where e're they come Brasile by whom possess'd at present The several Nations that now possess Brasile besides its native Inhabitants are Portuguese English Hollanders Germans and French which the Brasilians by a general Name call Ajuru-juba otherwise they call all Strangers Caraiba or Pero But from the commixing of several Nations proceeds a fifth sort for one that is born of European Parents in Brasile is call'd Mozombo of an European Father and Brasilian Mother Mameluc of an European Father and a Moor Mulatto of a Brasilian and Moor Curiboca or Cabocles of two Negro's Criolo But above all others the Portuguese are the strongest along the Sea-Coast who when first they began to settle on Brasile found great resistance and had not the Natives been at Wars amongst themselves they could never have got so much footing but now they are sufficiently Masters for they have either slain all the old Inhabitants or driven them up into the Inland however the Brasilians are so valiant that they will Encounter a great Army being brought up in the Wars from their Cradle When they Engage one with another they shoot their Arrows exceeding thick Hooting Hollowing and Leaping from one side to the other to shun the Arrows with a wonderful dexterity The Conquerors spare none but kill all and Feast on the slain Bodies but some they hale away Prisoners with a Rope about their Necks to each of whom they allot a young Maid who cherishes and fattens them up for five Moneths at the end of which they make a great Feast and drink to a pitch beyond Sense or Reason having first fill'd their Bellies with the Flesh of the slain Prisoners roasted If the Woman be got with Child by the Slain they imagine that they can take no greater revenge of their Enemy than to devour the Child as soon as it comes into the World but it often happens that the Woman really loving her Husband the Prisoner runs away with him and so bereaves her Friends of a Banquet SECT II. St. Vincent THe continual Wars which the Portuguese have maintain'd against the Brasilians have hindred them from Setling any where but along the Sea-side where their Residences are divided into thirteen Praefectures or Lordships by them call'd Capitanias the Southermost whereof being 1. St. Vincent Places of note in the Praefecture of St. Vincent hath a City of the same Denomination which lies near a River that coming out of the Ocean runs round in the Countrey and so returns into the Sea 2. Sanctos los Leyes which reckons four hundred Houses and three Sugar-Mills Here great Ships take in their Lading in the middle of the City 3. Hitauhacin the most Southern is inhabited by the Portuguese Twelve Leagues from thence up into the Countrey the Jesuits have built the Village St. Paulo near the Gold-Mines that lie in the Mountains extending from East to West thirty Leagues This Village long since containing eighty Houses is inhabited by Brasilians and a mix'd People the Way thither is troublesom over rough Mountains and Ways overgrown with Brambles On the Island Britioga at a sandy Inlet which makes a good Harbor lies a Fort for defence of the Haven St. Vincent and since the English Anno 1582. sunk a Ship there a second Fort hath been built to prevent the coming in up the River yet notwithstanding Captain Thomas Candish ran by both the Forts and burnt St. Vincent but spar'd Sanctos Before the River which washes St. Vincent appears the Island Sebastian pretty large wooddy and well stor'd with Venison It hath wholsom Water good Herbage and a secure Road for Ships against all Winds Farther into the Sea appears the high and rocky Isles Alcatraces as also Victorio des Busires Porto des Castellanos Monte de Frigo Muella and Queimadas The Nature of the Tupinikinsi Natives of St. Vincent The Natives of St. Vincent which are in League with the Portuguese are call'd Tupinikinsi inhabiting the Mountains which extend above twenty eight Leagues up into the Countrey They maintain continual Wars against the Carioes a civiliz'd People and white of Complexion as also against the Cupin-Imbas on the North and a nameless People bordering on Peru. Moreover the Miramumins a very wild People range all the Countrey over but are much lessen'd since the Portugueses Arrival SECT III. Rio de Janeiro First Discovery and Possesion of Rio de Janeiro THe second Lordship Rio de Janeiro formerly by the French call'd Ganabara was discover'd Anno 1515. by Juan Dias de Solis but the French first Setled themselves here forty years after Dias de Solis for setting Sail from Havre de Grace with three well Mann'd Ships Commanded by Nicholas Durandus Villegagnon they arriv'd at Rio Janeiro in November and at the Entrance into the River which is about half a League broad built a woodden Fort of a hundred Foot long and sixty broad and giving it the Name of the French Admiral Coligni put several Guns into the same to secure the Entrance inclos'd on each side by two steep Mountains In the River which is very broad lie several wooddy Isles on one of which near the Fort Coligni Villegagnon Setling himself suffer'd great Inconveniences for want of Water because he durst not Land on the Main for fear of being surpris'd by the Natives Here he stay'd a year and a half in a deplorable Condition when Philip Corguileray and Du Pont set Sail with three Ships from the Haven Honfleurs but they also though they had many Men yet were ill stor'd with Provisions insomuch that Hunger increas'd amongst them daily wherefore Villegagnon return'd home without any farther Exploits Jean Leri who went with Corguileray describes Rio Janeiro after this manner Jean Leri his Description thereof The River saith he lies twenty three Degrees Southward of the Equinoctial Line the Inlet of the Sea twenty fourthousand Paces broad and in some places broader is hemm'd in by hills the Mouth of the Inlet is somewhat dangerous by reason of three rocky Isles beyond the large Bay is a narrow Channel on the left-hand whereof there rises a high Mountain which the French call'd Le Pot de Beure because it resembles a Butter-pot Somewhat farther lies the Rock Ratier where Villegagnon thought to build a Fort but the Water in stormy Weather washing over the Rock he was forc'd to give over his Design Half a League farther is an Island a thousand Paces in length and a hundred and fifty in breadth surrounded with Rocks on which the French resided at each end of the Isle rises a Hill and from the middle a Rock sixty Foot high on the Hill Villegagnon pitcht his Tent till he had built him a handsom House on a Rock the other Houses were built in the Valley Three Leagues and a half farther lies a fruitful Isle nine Miles in circumference inhabited by a salvage People call'd Touoebinambauti there
are several other Isles on which breed good Oysters with little Pearls which stick so fast to great Stones that they can scarce be pluckt off The River Janeiro abounds with Fish Towns and Places of chief note The French once possess'd this Island but were dispossess'd by Emanuel de Sa Governor of Brasile for the Portuguese The City Sebastian which contains three hundred Houses is built on the Southern Point of Janeiro opposite to which on the Northern Point lies the Fort a large Church the Jesuits Cloyster and two Sugar-Mills give no small lustre to the City where the chief Trade consists in Brasile Wood and Cotton The French Storm'd this Town Anno 1581. but march'd off without any success Dirk Ruiters an Eye-witness gives us this Description of Sebastian The Town says he lies two Leagues up the River Janeiro in a Bay about which it is built like a Semi-Circle in a sandy Soil along the Water and is about a Mile long at each end rise steep Mountains besides which it hath neither Walls nor Gates but its strength consists of four Forts the chiefest whereof stands towards the East on a Rock in the Mouth of the River the second towards the West an Isle which on the South-East rises with a Mountain resembling a Sugar-Loaf the third crowns a Rock South-East from the Town and the fourth in the North-West a high Mountain The Natives call'd Tououpinambauti are very serviceable to the Portuguese Besides the fore-mention'd Towns Coligni and St. Sebastian some make mention of another in this Praefecture call'd Angra de los Reyes twelve Leagues distant from St. Sebastian Westward The Burroughs of the Natives are populous but neither strong by Nature nor fortifi'd and so not by any one thought worthy the naming SECT IV. De Spirito Sancto Description of the Lordship De Spirito Santo NExt to Rio Janeiro lies the Lordship or County De Spirito Sancto exceeding fruitful having divers Woods abounding with Venison The Rivers Parayva Manangea Itapemeri Iritibi and Guarapari Several strange sorts of Fish are stor'd with all sorts of Fish and amongst others the Fish Piratiapua which in the Winter Moneths lives in the Rivers and against the Summer returns to the Rocks wash'd by the Ocean This Fish hath a wide Mouth full of Teeth a reddish Tongue little Fins except those on their Backs divers colour'd Scales yet most of a dark Red and generally weighs fifty Pound Here is also the Fish Paru full of yellow Scales like Half-Moons over a black Skin it hath long Fins near the Tail and a little Head No less remarkable is the Guebucu which hath a long Body a sharp bonie Snout the upper Jaw reaching over the other no Teeth a Tail divided in the middle sharp Fins on the Back and a Skin full of Silver-colour'd Prickles This Monster not onely devours great Fishes but also Men when it is hungry it often runs its Snout through the side of a Ship But there is no Fish more deform'd than the Abacatuaja which being oval and flat hath two long Fins underneath and one on the top a divided Tail green Fins a smooth Skin and fiery Eyes as soon as it is taken it cries like a Hog In this County stands a Town of the same Denomination which contains two hundred Houses a Sugar-Mill and a Cloyster of Jesuits and drives a great Trade in Cotton and Brasile Wood. Before the City lies an Inlet full of Isles the Mouth of which is guarded by a Castle The Natives call'd Maigaias are in League with the Portuguese but the Tapuyans and Apiapetangas do them all the mischief they can possibly so that the Portuguese travel in great danger of their lives when any Business calls them through the Countrey of these salvage People But besides these People the Way is pester'd with strange wild Beasts especially on the Mountain Mestre Alvaro which is seen at a great distance off at Sea on which amongst other Creatures breeds the terrible Serpent Boiguacu The Serpent Boiguacu whose length is generally twenty four Foot it is of an Ash colour with great and small black Spots with a little white Speck in the middle when hungry it leaps out of the Hedges or from the tops of Trees raises it self upright on its Tail and winding about either Man Beast or whate're it be squeezes it to death or puts its Tail which ends in a sharp Point or Sting in at the Fundament in such a manner that it kills the Creature on which it seizeth in a moment and then swallows it up This Serpent hath strong Ribs inwardly and more than seventy bonie Joynts wherefore it turns it self with great ease the Joynt-bones near the Head are the biggest and grow smaller and smaller towards the Tail It also feeds on Pismires The Bird Jabicu-guacu This County also breeds the Bird Jabicu-guacu which exceeds the Crane in bigness and hath a long thick Bill but no Tongue on his Head appears a white grifly Crest or Mitre the Wings and Tail are short and the Feathers most of them white except the Pinions which shine like Rubies their Flesh is of a good rellish but somewhat dry Near the River which washes the City Spirito Sancto the Paraibes dwell in Huts not unlike Ovens SECT V. Porto Seguro Description of Porto Seguro NExt to the fore-mention'd County borders Porto Seguro discover'd by Pedro Alvares Capralis who gave this Countrey the Name of Terra de Santa Cruiz but afterwards chang'd it to Porto Seguro because he found a secure Harbor there The Town built on the top of a white Rock gives its Denomination to the whole Countrey and harbor'd long since two hundred and twenty Families and hath five Sugar-Mills The Land on the North side of the Rock rises high but South wardly a smooth Coast runs along the Ocean from which two Leagues off at Sea lie several Cliffs against which the Waves break with a great force The Towns Santa Cruiz and Amaro are left desolate because the Portuguese were continually Invaded by the salvage Aymures whom they were not able by any means to repress Southward from Porto Seguro appear the Shoals Abrolhos twenty six Leagues from the Coast they are of one breadth but one is longer than the other Opposite to the Abrolhos on the Main Coast a plain Countrey extends it self thirty Leagues in length inhabited by the Ouetacates a cruel People who continually either destroy one another or else make sad slaughters amongst their Neighbors The County Porto Seguro belongs to the Spanish Duke of Avero but is very much decay'd The Beast Capybara The Rivers Moucuripe Caruvelas and Lucura breed abundance of Water-Hogs call'd Capybara which have short Feet Bristles and Ears a thick Body and Head with a bearded Snout besides two Tusks and twenty four lesser Teeth in each Jaw but no Tail they feed on Grass and Bushes in whole Herds on the Shore and make a terrible
whilest Fouke Honx Storm'd the Battlements towards the South but Stein Callenfels and Eltz being already Masters of Olinda the Defendants surrendred all Mean while the Colonel 's Skiff brought five hundred Men more ashore with which he march'd without any hinderance into the City where the Conquerors faint with excessive Heat and want of Water found but little Booty because the Inhabitants having notice of the Hollanders coming had convey'd all their Goods and Wealth to Reciffa which the Governor Matthias Albuquerque Brother to the Lord Duarte Albuquerque to whom Pernambuco properly belong'd burnt with all the Store-houses partly out of revenge to the Inhabitants who fled contrary to his Commands and partly because he would not enrich the Hollanders The Portuguese Captain Correa de Castel Blanco in his Letter to the King of Spain values the loss at twenty hundred thousand Ducats But still the Portuguese had possession of several Forts about the Countrey whereof the most considerable was St. George whither Stein Callenfels march'd in the Night with six hundred Men but his Ladders being too short and the Hand-Granado's not easily taking fire he was for'd to Retreat whereupon judging it most convenient to besiege the Castle he digg'd Trenches about the same nor was it long ere the Besieged desir'd Quarter The Fort St. George taken which being granted they march'd from thence with ninety Men. The Water Castle surrendring in like manner they found fifteen Brass Guns therein and in that of St. George four thousand pound of Gun-powder and twenty four Iron Guns When the Netherland Forces Landed on Pernambuco the Portuguese inhabited eleven Towns the chiefest whereof being Olinda was generally Garrison'd by four Companies of Armed Citizens each containing a hundred Men and three Companies of Soldiers Amongst the Citizens were two hundred Merchants some of whom were judg'd to be worth fifty thousand Crusados Southward from Olinda between the River Biberibe and the Ocean was a narrow Cawsey at the end of which lay the populous Village Reciffa where the Ships lade and unlade About the middle of the Cliff being a League long is the Anchoring place for great Ships call'd Pozo At the end of the fore-mention'd Cawsey against Pozo appear'd a round Tower of Fre-stone The memorable Exploits of the English under Captain James Lancaster The Journal kept by the English Fleet that came hither under the Command of Captain James Lancaster Anno 1595. makes mention of a Fort which lay at the Mouth of the Haven before Reciffa which the English valiantly Storm'd notwithstanding six hundred Men and seven Brass Guns might easily have made it invincible But they conquering the same march'd up to Olinda took the Suburb consisting of a hundred Houses without any resistance as also a great Booty and the greater because the Goods of a rich Carak which had some few days before suffer'd Shipwrack were kept there they also took fifteen laden Ships and for thirty days kept the whole Countrey about Olinda restless with continual Alarms Since this Invasion the Portuguese built a third Fort on Reciffa so that the Ships must pass in in between two Forts where the Channel is also full of Rocks and consequently the more dangerous From Reciffa the Goods are sent in Barques or Lighters to Olinda between which and St. Salvador run the two great Rivers Francisco and Real the first whereof retains its freshness twenty Leagues into the Ocean Along the River Popitinga stand many Sugar-Mills and five Leagues farther Northward beyond Olinda the Portuguese inhabit these Villages viz. Garasu Reciffa Moribeca Antonio de Cabo Miguel de Poyuca Gonsalvo de Una Povacon de Porto Calvo Alagoa del Nort and Alagoa del Zur besides other Brasilian Hamlets and above seventy Sugar-Mills The nature of the Soil in Pernambuco The County of Pernambuco hath for the most part a good Soil several Plains low Hills and fruitful Valleys abounding with fair Canes which also grow on the Mountains Masurepe Zebaatan Poyuca and Moribeque The Wilds of El Gran Matto afford the best Wood with which they drive the greatest Trade in the Village Laurenzo Whilest Matthias Albuquerque Intrench'd himself a League and a half Westward from Olinda by the Sugar-Mills belonging to Francisco Montero with a hundred Portuguese and three times as many Armed Brasilians Loncque finding that he could not long keep the City Olinda against the Enemy caus'd the same to be pull'd down and burnt Sergippo del Rey. Between the Rivers Francisco and Real lies the Town Sergippo del Rey up in the Countrey near a small Rivulet which at Spring-Tydes hath fourteen Foot Water The Woods round about feed wild Cattel and the Mountains contain Mines of Gold and Silver The first Plantation in Brasile was in the Island Itamaraca three Leagues long and two broad but extends its Jurisdiction along the Main Coast from which it is separated by a narrow River which runs betwixt both thirty five Leagues The Countrey is eminent for twenty Sugar-Mills and abundance of Brasile Wood. Villa de Conception The chief Town of this Island is call'd Villa de Conception near the Sea which round about the Island is full of Rocks The French settling themselves here at first were driven from thence by the Portuguese The Town it self built on a Rock hath a strong Castle on the one side erected near a shrubby Moor to the Northward of which Stein Callenfels found a little Isle scarce a Musquet-shot long which at High-water is overflown and being full of small Trees makes a Receptacle for Sea-Fowl which flock thither about six a Clock in the Evening to Roost on the Boughs from which when once setled to take their repose they will not stir till six of the Clock the next Morning though you discharge Guns at them all Night but since Stein Callenfels cut down the Wood to make Pallisado's for the new Fort against the Town Conception they were never seen afterwards SECT IX Parayba Description of Parayba NOrthward from Itamaraca borders the County of Parayba whence the French Ships carry'd yearly several Ladings of Brasile Wood till Anno 1585. the Portuguese General Martin Leytam drove them from all places since when they never recover'd any part thereof OSTISâ—â—â—NES The Silver-Mine Copaoba The French under the Command of Captain Dourmigas discover'd ninety years ago the Silver-Mine Copaoba and for a considerable time carry'd Silver and Brasile Wood from hence till the Portuguese made themselves absolute Masters Moreover on the North-side of Parayba the Salvages call'd Petiguars inhabit sixteen Villages Strange Birds Amongst the Birds of prey which breed here are the Ouyaourassou twice as big as a Crane with curious Feathers and so bold and strong that it devours not onely Sheep but Deer and Men. The Bird Mayton is no way inferior in beauty to the Peacock his whole Body being cover'd with white and black Feathers on his Head grows a Tuft the Flesh is also very pleasant
to the taste The Toucan another Bird resembles a Turtle-Dove in all parts except the Bill and Breast for the Belly is ten Inches long and three broad the Breast of an Orange colour mix'd with Crimson Spots the remaining part is white the Back red and the Tail and Wings Coal-black The Plant Yarammacarou The Plant call'd Yarammacarou deserves also a peculiar observation viz. It is thicker than a Man's Thigh grows twelve Foot high with three Branches of equal length and thickness which you may easily break it is green without white within and without Leaves leaving red Blossoms streak'd with blue from whence grows a Fruit about the bigness of an Apple crimson without and white within and tasting like a Mulberry The Guara-tereba with other strange Fish The River Parayba produces amongst many other Fishes the Guara-tereba which hath a thick Body flat Head crooked Back split Tail and triangular Scales which laid in the Sun shine like polish'd Gold The Sea also hereabouts affords a strange Fish with a very long and thin Tail the Females whereof Lay every day Eggs like Hens they are full of poysonous Prickles and divided into several sorts amongst which the chiefest are accounted the Naainari and Jabebara Description of the Sea Coast of Brasile THe Sea-Coast of Brasile from St. Vincent to Spirito Santo appears as followeth Before the Coast of St. Vincent lie the four little Isles Queimadas and on one side the Alcatraces and Busios East North-East from which bears the Island Sebastian Before the Inlet Ubatuba lies the Isle Dos Porcos close under a high Shore where the Haven runs far up in the Countrey Fourteen Leagues farther the Island Grande stor'd with fresh Water with Fish-ponds Woods and two good Havens Before the Road of Garatuba appear several broken Isles the chiefest whereof is Morambaya The Ships Sailing along the Brasilian Coast view next the Mouth of the wide River Jenero without fear of Rocks or Shoals Moreover a sandy Ground exâ—ends from the Western Point to Cape Frio which rises out of the Sea like a Rock with white Streaks and crack'd on the top between both which the high Island before Frio makes a safe Harbor Nine Leagues beyond Frio to the Northward St. Salvador opens a large Bay hemm'd in on the South by divers nameless Isles Lastly the several Salt-pans along this Coast are very remarkable as also the Promontory St. Thoma and Parayva the Inlets Manangea and Itapemeri and the River Guarapari famous for the Mountain Pero Cam towards the North and Guapel to the South The Island Salvago round and mountainous lies before the Mouth of the River Guarapari where the Main Coast grows uneven and Hilly On the North-East Point of Spirito Santo a long ridge of Rocks appears above the Sea and near the Inlet rises three black Hills on the South and two Leagues up in the Countrey the broken Mountain Mestre Alvaro which extends along the Sea-Coast The River Des Reyos Magos encompasses three Mountains severally and makes three Isles The Coast on each side of the River Dolce is very plain and even but Cricare hath a mixture of high and low Lands In the Mouth of the River Maranipe lies a great company of white Shelves near together appearing afar off as if all one Parairepe is remarkable by the high Trees growing on it The Mouth of the River Caruvelas lies full of Sand-plats Near the Beacon Tauhaen rises a red Cliff from which a sandy Point reaches to the River Curubabo Before Porto Seguro lie several dangerous Rocks in the Sea to the Southward of which rises the High-land Cape Pasqual Not far from hence Santa Cruiz a good Haven for small Vessels from whence the Coast extends North North-East and South South-West to Rio Grande where the Shoals call'd Baxos de St. Antonio making a dangerous Entry force the Ships for the most part to keep three Leagues from the Shore Beyond the Arm of Rio Grande appear three high Mountains cover'd with Trees from whence to Ilheos is a safe Passage free from Shelves Eight Leagues farther the River Dos Contas runs between two broken Cliffs into the Sea in the Mouth of it rises a Rock resembling a high Island Between Ilheos and Contas the Coast rises also but falls low again in a Bay where white Sugar-Mills formerly belonging to Lucas Giraldes are seen at a great distance The Countrey on each side of the River Camanu is plain the Stream it self hath a wide Mouth and respects with its Northern Shore the Isle Cayepa dangerous for the many Shelves which are about the same The River Tinhare is known by the Mountain Morro de Santo Paulo which rises like a Galley on the Southern Shore Twelve Leagues farther opens the Bay of Todos los Sanctos on whose Eaststern Point stands the Castle Antonio and before the Northern Shore the Island Topoam to the East and South-East low and strong The River Das Pedras falls with a wide Mouth into the Ocean Next you pass by the Streams Tapicuru Real Vasabaris and Francisco known by a low Promontory The Rivers Miguel Antonio Camaragili Porto Calvo Formoso and Serinhaem disembogue also into the Sea Next the Stream Das Pedras rises the Promontory St. Augustine all overgrown with Bushes and Brambles Five Leagues Southward lies the small Isle Alexo The Coast from St. Augustine to Pernambuco extends North and by East and South and by West The Island Tamaraca lies in the Mouth of the Stream Gajana and fifteen Leagues farther appears Parayba between which two the Shelf Pedra Furada extends three Leagues along the Coast and another from the Shore of the Promontory Blanco where the Road Porto de Franeses affords Seamen secure Anchorage for Shipping Next to Parayba follow the Havens Treicaon Pipa and Busios the Stream Siara and Maragnan which washes the Western part of Brasile and is taken for the Boundary between the Spanish Indies and the Portuguese according to the Division by Pope Alexander the Sixth Anno 1502. Lastly there belongs to Brasile the Island Fernando de Noronho in three Degrees of Southern Latitude The Capuchin Claude de Abbeville going thither found the same to be six Leagues in circumference and extraordinary fruitful besides good fresh Water Pease Beans Maiz Potato's Melons Cotton Cattel wild Goats and all sorts of Poultrey which this Island affords but it chiefly abounds with great variety of a sort of Birds which suffer themselves to be caught with the Hand There grows likewise a nameless Tree Strange Tree not unlike the Laurel being of a strange Nature for who e're touches the Leaves and afterwards rubs his Eyes loses his Sight for four hours with exceeding pain which pain nevertheless another Tree growing in the same Island cures immediately The French who Landed on Noronho Anno 1613. found a Portuguese there with eighteen Brasilians Men Women and Children banish'd thither from Pernambuco whom Baptizing they carry'd to Maragnan Near Noronho lies the Isle De
are exceeding dainty and tender yet so stubborn and sullen that they take pet at the least affront and often pine themselves away and die with hunger The Boyete and other sorts of Serpents The Serpent Boy-ete two Fathoms long without Legs having a bright speckled Skin and four sharp Teeth wounds also mortally with its Tail but is the less dangerous because at the end of the Tail grows a Bladder which moving rattles as if there were Pease in it which gives notice to the Traveller though unwary by which means he makes his escape The other Serpents call'd Jouboy Tara-gouyboy and Tarehuboy serve the Natives for a great Delicacy as also the great Toads or Frogs call'd Tourourou They have also a sort of Flies call'd Ton which exceedingly molest them against which their chiefest Medicine is Palm-tree Oyl and the Roucou with which they colour their Skins The Natives of this Island of Maragnan driven out of the pleasant Countrey Cayete by the Portuguese are a sort of the Toupinambas who Setled here about a hundred and fifty years ago The time of their first coming hither us'd formerly to be solemniz'd with the great Feast call'd Caoven but because a Woman boldly set upon a Commander in his Cups there arose a great Tumult amongst them and ever since the Island hath been divided one Party calling the other Tobaiares that is We are Enemies They are so inveterate against one another that who e're they take Prisoners they unmercifully devour Both are of a middle Stature have flat Noses which the Midwive make at the Birth of the Child they are generally a strong People and many of them living a hundred years without being grey bald or sick they live temperate and under a wholsom Climate Some of their Women bear Children as they say till they are eighty years of age which being born white turn to be of a Tawny colour by being anointed with Suet call'd Roucou and Oyl otherwise they are well proportion'd The Men pluck out all the Hair of their Foreheads but suffer it to hang pretty long over their Ears and behind The Women let their Hair hang down to their Middle and wear woodden Ear-rings but the Men hang green Beads in their Lips and thrust little Bones through their Noses They go all stark naked their Legs are colour'd black with the Juice of the Herb Junipap and upon the other parts of their Body appear Figures of several Representations Those that will manifest their Valor and be accounted hardy gash their Bodies all over with Wounds which they heal in such a manner that the Scars may more plainly appear They never come to their usual Feasts but dress'd up in various colour'd Feathers upon the Crown of their Heads they wear Caps stuck with Plumes which they call Acangoap or Coronets call'd Acangerar about their Necks the Necklaces Aiouacava over their Shoulders the Mantles Assoyave their Garters they call Tabacoura at which they hang hollow Nut-shells full of little Stones which gingle and rattle as they go and about their Arms Armlets call'd Mapouyh-couaychovare all which are curiously checker'd with various colour'd Feathers The Maragnans live not much up in the Countrey but rather on the Sea-Coast because of their Fishing removing every sixth year calling the Village where they Settle by the former Name They take every Man as many Wives as he pleaseth but the Women must stick each to one Man unless she be Divorc'd from him which often happens upon small occasions Their Cotton Hammocks call'd Yu on which they sleep hang between two Stakes in which they lie Singular Friends and Relations Feast one another daily but they are cruel and revengeful against their neighboring Enemies whom when they take any of them they fatten kill and eat The least affront done them or injurious word spoken to them or against their Predecessorss makes them take up Arms which consist of Bowes and Arrows which they call Ouyrapar and Oune Here the French have built the Fort St. Lovis on an Island from whence Westward may be seen the Cape Tapouytapere which at High-water seems like an Island and lies four Leagues from thence at Low-water they can walk over the Sands from the same to the Main Land This fruitful Countrey hath twenty populous Villages Westward lies Comma which gives Denomination to the chief Village the River and the rest of that Countrey wherein are sixteen more handsom Villages better built and more populous than Maragnan or Tapouytapere Concerning the building of the fore-mention'd Fort on Maragnan it hapned as followeth I. TAMAâ—CA A. Castrum Auriaci B. Ostium fluminis ad AustruÌ„ C. Castrum in monte D. Oppidum Scoppiâ— E. Sacâ—llum F. Via quibus ascenditur G. Fluvius qui versus Garasu abit UVIUS GRANDIS A. 〈…〉 B. 〈…〉 C. 〈…〉 D. 〈◊〉 SIARA A. Castrum B. Fluvius C. Via litâ—us versus D. Sylva E. Campestria SECT XI The Lordships Tamarica Rio Grande Siara and Para. Description of the Lordship of Tamarica THe Praefecture of Tamarica not above three Leagues in length and two in breadth so call'd from a little Island lying before it and part of its Precinct is counted the first that is the most ancient Lordship of Brasile having otherwise nothing in it that is very considerable save onely a good Haven or Port with a Castle for the Security or Command of it held to be impregnable and so found by the Dutch who under Peter Heyn and Stein Callenfels in vain attempted the taking of it as shall be mention'd hereafter more particularly but made it useless to the Portuguese by making a Bulwark at the Mouth of the Haven and so blocking it up This Capatania yielded formerly a Rent of thirty thousand Ducats to the Earls of Montesanto whose Right it was Description of the Lordship of Rio Grande THe Praefecture of Rio Grande a small Precinct so denominated as lying on the South-side of that great River which the Portuguese call Rio Grande and the Natives Potingi where it falls into the Sea was once possess'd by the French about the Year 1597. who were outed by the Portuguese and the Place fortifi'd both against them and the Salvages of whom they slew and took Prisoners very great numbers with a Castle which the Dutch in the Year 1631. found an impregnable piece and too hard for them to take Description of the Lordship of Siara THe Praefecture of Siara so denominated from the Haven it hath long been in the possession of the Portuguese but they have therein no Towns of note onely a Castle and some few Houses for those that attend the gathering of Cotton-Wool and Manuring of the Sugar-Canes which are here in great abundance also the Countrey is said to afford some Crystal and other Precious Stones Description of the Lordship of Para. LAstly the Praefecture of Para is the most Northerly part of Brasile bordering upon Guiana so call'd from the River Para which runneth through the
midst of it upon which in a convenient place and upon rais'd Ground the Portuguese have built a very strong Castle well Wall'd on all sides save onely towards the River where it is planted with Ordnance It is built in a quadrangular form and hath at least three hundred Persons of the Portuguese Nation besides the Garrison Soldiers belonging to it who have all Employment enough about the Cotton-Wool Sugar-Canes and Tobacco which the Countrey is said to afford in great plenty A Relation of the Proceedings of the Netherland West-India Company in Brasile to the Year 1658. THe chief Disturbers of the Portuguese in the possession of the Countrey of Brasile were the United Netherlanders for they having had good success with their first Fleet under the Command of John Molenaer John Dignumszoon John Schelinger Simon Mau and the Merchants Cornelis Woddman Gerard Beveningen and Heinier van Heb Anno 1595. in the East-Indies where they got such footing that they took whole Kingdoms to the great enriching of the Eastern World where they spread their Trade over the whole Country were thereupon emboldned to venture also to the West that thereby they might cut off the Sinews of the King of Spain's Wars he being continually supply'd with Treasures from America Urbs SALVADOR A. Coenobium de Carmo B. Portude Carmo C. Collegium Jesuitarum D. Coenobium S. Francisci E. Basilica F. Carcer G. Aula Marctionis et Vice-regis Brasiliae H. Porta S. Benti I. Suburbium K. Coenobium S. Benti L. Repositorium M. Castellum maritimâ—m N. Aguae mediterranca O. Castellum S. Alberti This Victory was scarce obtain'd when Colonel Dorth who had lost the Fleet at Point Vincent arriv'd here after all was done and caus'd Edicts to be publish'd in which the fled Citizens were promis'd greater Priviledges under the Netherlanders Protection than ever they had under the King of Spain Whereupon a few Portuguese return'd to the City but the greatest part of them and those the most considerable were partly kept back by Command of the Bishop Teixera who laid the fault concerning the loss of the City on the Governor Furtado and partly because they judg'd the Netherlanders unable to defend them against the Spanish Power About the same time several rich laden Vessels arriv'd there from Lisbon Janeiro Spirito Santo Angola and other Places all ignorant of the Conquest of St. Salvador Whilest Dorth and Willekens were ordering all things within the City the out-staying Portuguese at last taking courage Storm'd the City from Midnight till the next day in the Afternoon but fearing they should be set upon behind unawares Retreated after which Dorth thinking he had been free from all fear of Enemies and with a small Guard riding out of the City to take a view of the adjacent Countrey was scarce got a Bowe-shot from the Walls Col. Dorth kill'd by an Ambuscade when a great Body of Brasilians rush'd forth unexpectedly from an Ambuscade and wounded him so mortally that he fell dead from his Horse and had his Head suddenly chopt off and his Body mangled very terribly Allart Schouten being chosen Governor in Dorth's stead took no care to fortifie the City and after his Decease his Brother William Schouten succeeding him regarded it less so that all things went to ruine every one striving onely to enrich themselves Amongst other Booties they took the rich laden Vessel which Francisco de Sarmiento Governor of Chili brought to St. Salvador with fifty eight thousand Guilders and a much greater sum of Gold and Pearls all which was imbezled away Description of St. Salvador This City St. Salvador built by Thomas de Sosa along the Sea-side runs up broad at the Suburb Carmo hath four Market-places into the biggest whereof being of a long square run nine Streets the chief of which being very broad hath many stately Houses The second Market-place is of like form onely it winds a little towards the Right and at the Entrance stands a strong Prison The Cloyster St. Francis inhabited by Jesuits stands in a Park near the Wall by which the Moat runs Towards the Sea-side they have a second Structure much statelier than the Franciscan Cloyster Near the Prison stands the Armory and somewhat farther the great Church which Anno 1624. was not quite finish'd The Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary appears with a high Spire near the Gate Bento without which the great Cloyster Bento is built but the chief Church is St. Salvador On the utmost Point towards the South-West of the City lies the Fort Antonio between which and the City stands a very neat Pleasure-house belonging to the Bishop Besides Antonio there are four other considerable Forts viz. Diego St. Maria De Gracia and Vittoria About half way between Vittoria and the Cloyster Bento stands the Castle with four Bulwarks but on the North-side the City is guarded by the Forts St. Peter Philippo and Tapecipe A great Fleet set out by the King of Spain for the recovery the recovery of St. Salvador The Spanish King seeming exceedingly concern'd at the loss of so eminent a Place fitted out a great Fleet for the recovery of what had been taken from him but the Netherland West-India Company having notice of it put themselves into a posture of Defence and in a short time made ready eighteen Men of War and seven Ketches Mann'd with a thousand six hundred and ninety Seamen and a thousand three hundred and fifty Land-Soldiers John Dirkszoon Lam being Admiral But news coming day after day of the extraordinary Preparations in Spain it was judg'd convenient to strengthen the Fleet with fourteen Ships and two Ketches more carrying a thousand four hundred and thirty Seamen and five hundred eighty Soldiers under the Command of General Boudewyn Henrickszoon and Admiral Andries Veron Moreover the West-India Company fitted out a third Fleet consisting of four Frigats and three Ketches Commanded by Henry Kat with Orders to Cruise along the Spanish Coast In the beginning of the Year 1625. Frederick de Toledo weighed Anchor from Cales with one and thirty Gallions four Pinnaces three Tartans and a Carvel all carrying seventy five hundred Men. The Soldiers were divided into three Regiments Commanded by the Colonels Pedro Osorio Juan Orellana and the Marquess De Torreclusa Near St. Jago at the African Cape Verde Toledo joyn'd with the Portuguese Fleet consisting of twenty one Gallions and fourteen Carvels and Barques Mann'd with four thousand Seamen two Regiments of Soldiers Commanded by Antonio Nunnez Barreio and Francisco de Almeida but the chief Commander of this Fleet was Emanuel Meneses Which great Fleet being arriv'd at St. Salvador Toledo himself Landed at the Fort Antonio leaving the Command of the Fleet to Juan Fajardo The first thing he did was to set upon the Cloyster Bento which having gain'd he left Serjeant Troppani with two Regiments in the same whilest he went and Storm'd the Carmelites Minster and at last took it but in the mean
time four hundred Hollanders Sallying out made a furious Onset upon the two Regiments who had possession of the Cloyster Bento where the Spaniards sustain'd considerable damage for besides the wounding of three Captains and the loss of a great number of Soldiers there were slain the Commanders Emanuel Aquitara Alonso de Gana Pedro San Stevan Diego Espinosa and Colonel Pedro Osorio But Toledo no whit dismay'd hereat but taking fresh courage brought twenty nine Demi-Culverins ashore which fir'd so vehemently out of the Carmelites and Bento's Cloysters on the seventeen Dutch Ships that lay near the Shore that several of them were sunk and others shatter'd beyond hopes of ever being repair'd After this the Spanish Army was divided into three several Parties which continually fir'd on the City from three new rais'd Works the chiefest Party which was in the Carmelites Minster had twenty three Brass Guns the secon'd plac'd on the great Wall of the Cloyster Bento fir'd Night and Day with eight Demy-Cannons on the City in which all things were in a confusion whilest the Governor William Schouten went unconcern'd from one Tavern to another railing at the Soldiers who thereupon mutinying and deposing him chose Serjeant Hans Ernst Kyf in his room who as he was calling a Council of War receiv'd a Summons from Toledo to deliver up the City at which Kyf being much surpris'd sent a Drummer with a Letter to Toledo desiring him to grant the Besieged three Weeks time to repair and make fit their batter'd Vessels to carry them back for Holland and also that they might according to Martial Custom march out with lighted Matches flying Colours Bullets in their Mouths and with Bag and Baggage To which Toledo return'd Answer That he was now in his own Countrey and had gotten possession of four Fortifications about St. Salvador on which he had planted thirty seven Cannons and therefore saw no such necessity to grant the Besieged who could not possibly expect any fresh Supplies such advantageous and bold Demands and onely promis'd them their Lives should be at his discretion Yet at last William Stoop Hugh Antoniszoon St. Salvador re-taken by the Spaniards from the Hollanders and Francis du Chesne being sent to the Carmelites Cloyster agreed with Toledo on these Conditions That the Hollanders should surrender St. Salvador in the Condition it was then in march out unarm'd but with Baggage and have a free Pussage with Provisions and all things necessary allow'd them for their Trasportation for Holland Whereupon on the first of May the City was deliver'd up to the Spaniards in such disorder that some of them had taken possession of the Gate Bento before those on the other side of the City knew of any Agreement that was made between Toledo and Colonel Kyf And thus the Place which had a whole year been under the Jurisdiction of the Netherlanders fell again under the possession of the Spanish Crown onely through the indiscreet management of the Commanders for otherwise it was sufficiently strong and well stor'd with Ammunition and Men being able to make out two thousand Moreover the Ketch De Haes was set out before from the Holland Fleet and brought news of the Forces that were sent from the Netherland Havens to their assistance But the Ships under Admiral Lam as also those under Boudewyn Henriczoon were stay'd a considerable time in their Harbors by contrary Winds and at last reaching the Line were becalm'd and through the excessive heat of the Climate many Men lost by raging and mortal Distempers insomuch that they reach'd not the Bay Todos los Sanctos before the twenty sixth of May on which they saw the Spanish Flag streaming from the Walls of St. Salvador and fifty great Ships riding at an Anchor near the Shore The Netherland Fleet divided into four Squadrons consisted of thirty four Sail amongst which Lam carry'd the Flag on the Main-top the Vice-Admiral Adrian Cheszoon on the Fore-top the Rere-Admiral Adries Veron on the Main-mast and the Commander of the fourth Squadron on the Mizne-top All of them seeing the Spaniards absolute Masters judg'd it most convenient to put to Sea but standing a pretty while to the South they found that the strong Current drove them to the Shelves on the West-side of the Inlet wherefore Tacking about they made towards the Enemy who at first seem'd to meet them with twenty eight great Ships but returning towards the City the Hollanders also stood to Sea again Steering Southerly though without making much advantage in their Way the Sea going very hollow and the strong Current setting them towards the Shore by which means they were in no small danger before the River Francisco where many of the Men dy'd for want of fresh Provisions and the number of the Sick increas'd daily insomuch that some of the Ships were like to perish for want of Men to guide them It was also judg'd dangerous to lie longer with such a great Fleet near a Lea-Shore herefore they put into the Inlet Trayciaon which lies a League to the Northward of he River Monguapigape from whence a ridge of Rocks extends to Tayciaon and being overflow'd at High-water hath three Openings or Entrances two for great Ships and one the most Northern for small Vessels to pass through The Sea also breaking against this Cliff never molests the Ships whatever Winds blow The Countrey is overgrown with Brambles and hath a Lake two Leagues long and a quarter broad on the opposite Shore of which stood a Village inhabited by Portugueses and Brasilians but the Portugueses flying from thence left the Brasilians in absolute possession The Hollanders going thither found thirty Chests of Sugar in one Hut after which the Admiral Lam caus'd his sick Men to be brought ashore whilest the Captains Boshuisen Swart Dyke Stapels and Uzeel march'd up into the Countrey where they got plenty of Oranges and Cattel In the mean time the Ketch Vosken Mann'd with thirty six Seamen Cruising along the Sea-Coast of Brasile took three Ships one out of the Inlet Todos los Sanctos laden with Sugar and Tobacco another with the same Merchandise from Pernambuco and the third laden with Wines from Madera On the first of August the Fleet set Sail again to the great sorrow of the Brasilians who out of hopes of being protected by them against the Portuguese had joyn'd their Forces with theirs but now being forsaken they expected nothing but utter Ruine which to escape many of them desir'd to be admitted to go along with the Fleet which had been granted them had not the Hollanders wanted Provisions for themselves The Fleet getting off at Sea the Admiral Veron ran with twelve Sail to the Coast of Africa and Boudewyn Henrickszoon kept eighteen Ships under his Command the rest returning home with Admiral Lam and thus the Fleet left the unfortunate Haven Trayciaon where above seven hundred Dutch Seamen were bury'd Boudewyn Henrickszoon refreshing at Cape St. Vincent steer'd Westerly when
seven Companies before the Castle Nostra Sennora de Conception which though well provided and fortifi'd the Governor Pignioro surrendred on Condition that he might depart with all his Men and the Church Ornaments Matthias van Ceulen and Schuppe Rowing up the Stream Goiana with Sloops and Boats put to flight Laurence Cavalcanti burnt divers Sugar-Mills and took abundance of rich Merchandize Ten days they made havock in the middle of their Enemies Countreys without any resistance for all of them fled to the Aldas so they call the Brasilian Villages At last they return'd home with great Booty especially of Sugar and Brasile Wood whilest those at Reciffa were not idle doing the Portuguese great mischief by their continual Sallies Tourlong burning a Fishers Village and Bongarson a stately Banquetting-house belonging to Cavalcant near Arryal as also Pedro Acunha de Andada's Sugar-Mill from whence he took great Booty The Portuguese begin to fall off to the Hollanders About the same time the Portuguese of several Parts terrifi'd by continual Alarms and Losses began to incline to the West-India Company believing that they should utterly be ruin'd if they continu'd to joyn with Albuquerque's Party who claim'd Pernambuco wholly to himself and therefore car'd not whether he or the Hollanders were Masters so they might live peaceably Mean while the Hollanders march'd from the Afogados to Arryal Schuppe marching before with two hundred and fifty Seamen was follow'd by the Lieutenant-Colonel De Vries and he by a Company of Negro's that carry'd Provisions next Byma march'd with the Reserve The Treasurer John Gyseling also accompanied the Army which Encamp'd near Francisco Brito Machado's Wind-Mill and Garrison'd the half-finish'd Fort near the Sugar-Mill belonging to Marcus Andre whilest three Companies Commanded by Captain De Vries march'd to Monteroos-Mills to take the same but the Portuguese lying in an Ambuscade had given them a shrewd Rebuke had not Schuppe hearing the Guns sent away the Captains Picard and Garstman who coming out from amongst the Sugar-Canes put the Enemy to flight yet the Portuguese began to increase daily insomuch that they got above two thousand Men together at Arryal whilest the Dutch Army began to want Provisions wherefore Jacob Huigen was order'd to fetch a Supply from Reciffa but as he was coming up the River with the Exeter Ketch and a Boat hung about with Hides to secure his Men from the Bullets and being within Musquet-shot from the Works where Captain Schuppe lay the Enemy's whole Power shot so vehemently upon him from the top of a Hill that both the Ketch and Boat were sunk Jacob Huigen slain Huigen himself receiv'd two mortal Wounds and most of his Men were kill'd a few wounded onely escaping with Life Schuppe therefore was forc'd to return for want of Provisions and the rather because he was inform'd that Bagnola was coming with a Supply of seven hundred Men. Mean while the two Captains Smient and Dunkirken perform'd a valiant Exploit viz. they went with a few Men in a Boat and took a great Portuguese Vessel richly laden having no more than four Blunderbusses and their Swords in the Boat with them A notable Victory of Byma over Francisco Almeda Byma also fell upon the Village Moriwere where he found most of the People at Church Albuquerque inform'd thereof sent two hundred Men immediately Commanded by Francisco Almeda to intercept him in his Return but he marching on to Tamarica they pursu'd him he marching but slowly because the narrow Way was stopt up with fell'd Trees they overtook him half a League beyond Garasu near Peter Rocha's Sugar-Mill where after a sharp Encounter between them a great slaughter was made amongst the Spaniards Almeda and many other Persons being slain and the rest put to flight Byma having obtain'd this Victory march'd to Garasu and burnt the same sparing onely the Churches and Cloysters according to the Articles made between Albuquerque and Rembach Schuppe prevented from crossing the River Jangada by the many muddy Creeks return'd back to Reciffa with great Booty which he had taken out of a Store-house The Dutch Cruisers also brought in many Prizes Van Hoorn 's Exploits The Exploits perform'd by John Johnszoon van Hoorn with four Ships three Ketches and a Sloop are likewise very remarkable for with this Fleet in the first place he took the City Truxillo and from thence Sailing towards the City Campeche and Storming the same valiantly soon became Master of it the Booty of which two Places being brought aboard increas'd considerably the West-India Companies Stock In regard Albuquerque understood the Situation of Pernambuco better than the Hollanders and had all the Natives to assist him and by conserence was the better able to defend himself against their continual Alarms the Council at Reciffa therefore judg'd it convenient to make a farther Voyage to the South that the Portuguese who were highly discontented about the Losses which they had sustain'd might be the sooner induc'd to submit to their Government To which purpose ten Ketches Mann'd with seven hundred Soldiers besides Seamen set Sail on the tenth of October under the Command of John Gyseling Schuppe and Servaes Carpentier who first ran into the River Porto de Piedras where they took a considerable number of Chests of Sugar out of Mills Barques and Store-houses waded through the little Stream Tatona Mansa burnt a Village of the same Denomination and Sail'd to the River Camarigibi which they Rowing up in the Night were got not above four Leagues by Day-break the contrary Tide and the Plants call'd Mangues having hindred them from getting farther but being inform'd by certain Portuguese Prisoners that abundance of Sugar lay in Porto Francisco they marching thither found under a Straw Roof in a Wood seventy four Chests of Sugar and a great deal more in several Store-houses They also pillag'd the whole Countrey towards Alagoa del Noort St. Miguel and Alagoa del Zur Not far from which Schuppe falling upon the Village Sennora de Conception burnt the same as also a Ship upon the Stocks the Houses at the Mouth of the Stream Alagoa and the Tackling belonging to the two Ships and carry'd away with them a very great Booty Tourlon also march'd with four Companies from Tamarica to Mangianguape where the Garrison from Garasu and some Jesuits lay to disswade the People from submitting themselves to the West-India Company to which they were much inclin'd But Tourlon march'd not so privately but that the Enemy had notice thereof and fled wherefore he finding Mangianguape empty offer'd the same to the Flames as also several Sugar-Mills but spar'd the Lives of all those who begg'd Quarter Byma about the same time with a hundred and forty Musquetteers besides two Companies of Seamen leaving the Afogados in the Night march'd to Amaro by Day-break which he set on fire with a Sugar-Mill and a Store-house full of Sugar after every Soldier had taken as much as he could carry upon which
march'd into the Woods after they had burnt three Ships and two Store-houses full of Sugar in which there were consum'd near upon three hundred Chests Before this Design upon Parayba was undertaken the West-India Company sent out four Vessels under the Command of John Walbeek to the Isle Curacao the Situation of which John Otzon knew exactly having been a long time a Prisoner there Walbeek getting through a narrow Mouth between several Rock into a convenient Harbor before Curacao Landed seventy five Musquetteers who were Encountred by seventy Brasilians Arm'd with Clubs which the Spaniards had animated to fight by making them half Drunk The Hollanders having march'd all over the Island burnt the Village Maria and at last agreed with the Governor Alonso Lopes de Morla to leave the Isle Schuppe chang'd the Name of Parayba or Nossa Sennora das Nieves or Philippea into Frederick-Stadt in honor to the Prince of Orange nam'd Frederick Henrick Parayba or Henrick-stadt describ'd This City hath two great Market-places twelve Streets and a large Franciscan Cloyster built near a Lake and inclos'd within a Wall by a broad Bay which the River Parayba makes before the City the Countrey about which is mountainous In other places especially along the River lie many fruitful Plains abounding in some places with the Grain Mandihoca which is ground to Meal Potato's Lemmons Cabbages Cucumbers Bananas Cocoa-Nuts Ginger Araba very delicious when Preserv'd with Sugar and Cacious somewhat like Chesnuts of which the Natives make an intoxicating Liquor Whilest all things were put in good order at Parayba Colonel Picard march'd with eight Companies to the House Validaris if possible there to take the Governor Antonio Albuquerque Prisoner but he being forsaken by all the Brasilians who came back with Picard and their Commander the Jesuit Emanuel de Morais absconded himself not long before which a Proclamation had been publish'd in the Name of the States of the United Netherlands and the West-India Company promising great Civilities and Advantages to all the Inhabitants of Parayba whether Natives or others that would come in and submit to their Government This Invitation was so well receiv'd that many who were kept back so long as Albuquerque appear'd as soon as they heard of his obscuring himself came in to the Hollanders as Duarte Gomes and several eminent Portugueses with a considerable â—umber of indifferent quality as also the Inhabitants of the Province of Rio Grande â—ame to Frederick-Stadt to claim the benefit of the Proclamation Arcisseusky and Stackhower marching to Goyana with seven hundred and fifty Men took up their Quarters in the Village Capivaribi lying at a River of the same Name where all the Inhabitants of Goyana being fully satisfi'd with the Hollanders Proposals own'd their Government and fell off from the King of Spain Rebellino forced to flye from place to place But the Spanish â—aptain Rebellino animated by the Jesuits in the Village Mosuick got three hundred â—oldiers together besides a considerable company of Brasilians Commanded by â—amaron and burnt all the Sugar-Canes and Brasile Wood in Goyana whither Arcisseusky marching soon put them to flight and burnt the Village Mosuick with the â—hurch and Jesuits Cloyster from whence the Enemy ran to the strange Mountain â—iritbi which in the rainy Season especially when great Showers fall makes a â—oise like claps of Thunder or like great Guns The same Wonder is observ'd of â—â—e Mountain Pasayra in a Wood behind Girgolio Barro's Sugar-Mills the mystery whereof we leave to Philosophers to enquire into Arcisseusky follow'd Rebellino who had ambuscado'd himself about half a League from Mosuick from whence he being also driven his Men began more and more to desert him whilest Schuppe with a considerable number of Men came to Arcisseusky Encamping themselves about Musarope they sent eighty Musquetteers Commanded by Lieutenant Metting â—o an adjacent Wood where Rebellino Quartering Engag'd with Metting till Schuppe coming to his assistance he fled to Nazaretta After which the Countrey thereabouts enjoy'd the happiness of Peace The Castle Real taken by Arcisseusky Arcisseusky staying to settle all things in good order in Parayba took up his Quarters near the Castle Real about a Cannon-shot from the River Afogados and a League and a half from the Hollanders Fort so call'd yet his Design was not to lay close Siege to the same but to prevent all manner of Aid from coming to it the rather because he was inform'd that there were not above sixty six hundred Cans of Meal and sixty five Head of Cattel in the Fort for three hundred Portuguese and seven hundred Brasilians to which purpose he built several Redoubts Batteries and Platforms after he had lay'n before it three Moneths it was surrendred upon these following Articles viz. That the Besieged should march out with lighted Matches Bullets in their Mouths flying Colours and with Bag and Baggage and be Transported either to Tercera or Madera The Church Ornaments they had also leave to carry away with them but the Guns and other Ammunition were to remain in the Fort. Hereupon the Governor Andres Marini march'd out with five hundred choice Soldiers besides a hundred and fifty which he had out of the Countrey and two hundred Families that dwelt about Real ransom'd their Goods for 5000 l. In the Fort the Hollanders found fifteen Brass and five Iron Guns Mean while Lichthart set Sail with six Ships and five little Ketches carrying five Companies with which Landing on Barra Grande he march'd two Leagues along the Shore to the Church of St. Bento built on a high Hill round about which he Encamp'd himself and fortifi'd the same with Pallisado's Hither the Inhabitants of Porto Calvo came in great numbers to take the Oath of Allegiance to the West-India Company Lichthart assisted by Captain Cornelis Exel's Company march'd directly to Porto Calvo notwithstanding he had but three hundred and twenty seven Men with which he went aâ—ong a troublesom Way up Hill and down Hill and coming near Porto Calvo was inform'd by a Portuguese That the Duke Bagnola posses'd a Church there full of Port-holes with two hundred choice Men besides a Company newly arriv'd there from Serinhain Bagnola routed by Lichthart and that he had a strong Fortification near the River nevertheless Lichthart marching towards him discover'd his Forces rank'd on a steep Mountain whither he running with his Men forc'd Bagnola to quit the Church as also those that lay in Ambuscade near the High-way whilest eighty Brasilians some Portugueses and a Company of Neopolitans thought to have fall'n upon the Barques of the Hollanders but seeing the States Flag upon the Church and Bagnola routed they soon Retreated This Victory cost the Hollanders but seven Men besides eighteen wounded for which the Portuguese lost many more The Inhabitants of Camarigibi Antonio and about Porto Calvo accepting of the Articles propos'd in Parayba took the Oath of Allegiance to the Hollanders In the interim after
destroy'd all they came at but that the Hollanders defending the Church with great Valor obtain'd Quarter upon the surrendring of it This raging Army led by Colonel Rebellino and Madurera march'd to Laurenzo and Massiapi whither there resorted daily more Men to them which put the Council at Reciffa to a great Dilemma foreseeing that if they should send for Schuppe from Serinhain the Enemy from Una and Porto Calvo would hem him in neither had they sufficient Forces to withstand Rebellino therefore it was judg'd convenient to send to Arcisseusky to joyn with Schuppe's Army that they might both unawares fall upon the Enemy In the interim a hundred and twenty Tapuyans sent by Janduy came to Reciffa with information that Janduy was coming himself with several other neighboring Kings to their Assistance Schuppe according to the Councels Order march'd in the Night through the Sugar-Mills of Rio Formoso rested the next day in the Valley Orekinda and guarded all the Avenues Whilest he went about to Storm the Village Una Mansveld was to Engage with a hundred Spaniards on one side of Iletta's Sugar-Mills and Arcisseusky was to fall upon the Village whither marching early in the Morning they saw onely a few of the Inhabitants the Enemy being gone with his Forces over to Manbucava nor could they pass any farther finding the River too deep to wade through But it had like to have gone worse with Stackhower and Litchthart who with Maulpas making twelve hundred Men were surpris'd by Rebellino rushing forth of an Ambuscade near Laurenzo The Spaniards under Rebellino routed by Stackhower and Lichthart where Maulpas receiving a Wound dy'd of the same This rough Entertainment at first much daunted the Hollanders but regaining their Courage they press'd upon the Spanish Army in such a manner that Rebellino being wounded in his Shoulder fled in great disorder through the Sugar-Fields to Porto Calvo and of fifteen hundred Men sav'd not above four hundred the rest being either kill'd or scatter'd up and down the Countrey twelve taken Hollanders were also released by this means The Portuguese Design on Paripuera also succeeded not much better Arcisseusky receiving Letters of Advice from the Councellor Serooskerken that Camaron lay Encamp'd with fifteen hundred Men about the Fortress Capavaribi in Goyana and that the Besieged could not hold out above four days longer and that the Enemy had also taken two Barques full of Provisions and Ammunition sent thither to relieve the Besieged march'd with excessive toyl through uncouth and intricate Ways which were rendred unpassable by the great Rains that had lately fall'n Camaron put to flight by Arcisseusky and came about an hour after Sun-set to Capaviribi from whence Camaron being fled two hours before had left Ammunition in three Carriages secur'd from small Shot by thick Planks which were drawn close under the Walls also a Burgundian Flag two Field-pieces and two Barques which he had taken with Provisions The Enemy fled to Tapiserica and from thence to Terra Nova Whilest Arcisseusky view'd the Works and his Men stood in good order great numbers of Brasilians Sally'd out of the Redoubt took the Provisions which Camaron had left spread themselves up in the Countrey robb'd the Portuguese Houses and kill'd the People As soon as Arcisseusky had put all things in good order he left the Brasilians in Goyana under the Command of the Councellor Eyssens and pursu'd the fled Enemy notwithstanding there fell great Showers of Rain rested a little in the deserted Village Tapiserica formerly inhabited by three thousand People who possess'd several fair Structures brave Walks a large Jesuits Cloyster and a Church The sweet Water and pleasant Pastures invited the Hollanders to stay here a Night The next Morning marching forward to Terra Firma they saw a strong Fortification newly rais'd but without People and heard the Enemy's Sentinels fire whereupon Arcisseusky appointing part of the Army to follow at a distance march'd before with the rest and being fir'd upon from an Ambuscade by Camaron's Party he order'd Captain Talibon to press in upon the Ambuscade but because it was perform'd in great disorder he fell in himself on the right-hand of the Enemy whilest Lichthart's second Division stood still which so affrighted the Enemy that without making the least resistance he fled into the Woods leaving many dead behind him The next day Captain Bohart's Party tracking the flying Enemy fell in amongst them and gave them a total Rout. Arcisseusky resolv'd to stay some time in Terra Firma to wait for Camaron but he not appearing he laid waste the Countrey thereabouts Eyssens slain in a great Fight with Rebellino Rehellino and Lewis de Sosa falling upon the Councellor Eyssens Governor of Parayba routed him and set fire on the Sugar-Mills belonging to Emanuel Pirez which forc'd them with their Swords in their Hands to break through Flame and Smoak upon the Enemy who kill'd nine of them upon the Spot amongst whom Eyssens and his Secretary the rest being either taken or fled Immediately after Arcisseusky being inform'd by two Prisoners that the Spanish Forces Commanded by Sosa Dias and Rebellino were all joyn'd together in the Wood Antonio where Camaron was also expected he march'd away presently with half his Army and as soon as the Captains Metting and Tourlon whom he commanded to follow him the next day were come up to him he fell upon the Enemy who lay on a Hill at whose Foot was a deep Valley through which he climb'd to the top which valorous Attempt so amaz'd the Spaniards Rebellino put to flight by Arcisseusky that without firing a Gun they fled into the Wood After which Metting and Tourlon went back to Laurenzo and Arcisseusky destroy'd the Rossas of which the Farinha is made that so by scarcity of Provisions he might prevent the Enemy from so often joyning together in Parties In the mean time ten Ships from Holland arriv'd with fresh Forces Ammunition Provisions and two taken Prizes at Reciffa Several Prizes taken by Houte-been after his Releasement Houte-been being releas'd from his Imprisonment in Dunkirk set Sail from Holland with three Ships and took ten Iron Guns out or one Ship and several Pipes of Wine out of another before Matanca after that a Tartan from Havana two Frigats with Meal one full of Wood with two Guns two Barques carrying Bananas a rich laden Pink two Ships with Hides and one with Sugar Near the Island Baru he heard several great Guns shoot off whereupon making thither he found the Zealand Privateer Martman Engag'd with a Ketch carrying ten Brass and six Iron Guns which was run ashore whereupon Houte-been went to his assistance with a well Mann'd Boat which the Spaniards seeing set fire on their Ketch and fled but the Flame having onely hurt the Stern fifty Men were order'd to get her afloat who having begun to unlade the Tobacco and to take out the Brass Guns the Gun-Room took fire and blew
thither after him Maurice cross'd to the Shore on which Openeda lay with Boats and got great Booty and the more because the Natives had not secur'd any thing Bagnola assuring them that the Castle Povacon could endure at least a Siege of four Moneths Maurice advising Prince Frederick Henrick of his Transactions desir'd that he would send over Planters thither whether they were banish'd Germans or Vagabonds out of their Houses of Correction for without them the fruitful Countrey of Brasile would render but a slender Account to the West-India Company nor be able to prevent the Invasions of the Spaniards The fruitfulness of this Tract of Land was not inferior to any Countrey in the whole World Cattel grazing up and down in Herds of five six and seven thousand Moreover Maurice advis'd them about the scarcity of Provisions without which they were not able to maintain War Grave Maurice begins his Government with the making of good Laws He also setled the Traders in a good Order dividing all those free People which bore no Offices into four Companies under Captains Ensigns and Lieutenants The Customs and Tributes were Farm'd Marriages were order'd to be perform'd by the Netherland Priests the Jews had leave not to Watch on their Sabbath all manner of Debosheries were strictly forbid from being acted on the Lords-Day and Punishments ordain'd for Drunkards and other Deboshees several Schools were also erected for Youth and for the instruction of the Brasilians in the Christian Religion an lastly it was permitted to any that would to build in the ruin'd City Olinda or else to repair those Houses that were fall'n to ruine About this time there went a Report as if the West-India Company were inclin'd to remove their Seat from Reciffa to the Island Tamarica but Maurice advising them that it would not be so convenient for them they chang'd their Resolution Isleos taken by Lichthart Whilest Lichthart Cruis'd a considerable time before the Haven Todos los Sanctos he Crain'd his Ship in the Bay of Camaniu took the Town Isleos with a hundred and fifty Men. In the Town which is built on a Promontory he took but little Booty and sav'd the Houses which were built most of Stone as also the four Churches and Jesuits Cloyster and return'd to Reciffa About this time the invincible Castle Mina afterwards call'd St. Joris was taken by the Hollanders upon the Advice of Nicholas van Yperen Commander of Guinee who sent word to Grave Maurice that the said Castle might easily be conquer'd if any Forces could be sent him front Reciffa Whereupon Maurice immediately sent sent John Coin thither with nine Ships which set Sail on the twenty fifth of June Anno 1637. who in the Road Commendo joining with Yperen soon after he was set down before it and was preparing to Storm had it surrendred to him upon Terms no less advantageous to the Hollanders than dishonorable to the Besieged yet not without the loss of many Men for in their March thither they were fiercely set upon by the Negro's inhabiting the Village near the Castle in which Conflict Colonel Latan amongst others was slain Colonel Latan slain The Fort might very well have endur'd a longer Siege it being surrounded with double Moats each twenty five Foot deep and high Bulwarks which could not be undermin'd because of the Rocky Ground on which they were built and to make it yet more stronger Coin after he had taken it rais'd a Fort on the Hill from whence he had fir'd on the Castle in which he found thirty Brass Demi-Culverins and leaving Walraeven Malburg as Governor he return'd to Reciffa During these Proceedings of the Dutch in Guinee the Duke of Bagnola ransack'd the Countrey about Seregippa del Rey Maurice not able to go himself having had a Feaver three Moneths sent Schuppe and Gyseling with two thousand three hundred Soldiers four hundred Brasilians and two hundred and fifty Seamen whilest Lichthart Steer'd to Todos los Sanctos that so he naught draw the Enemy down to the Sea-Coast Bagnola flying to Terra Gratia d' Avila Schuppe demolish'd the Town Seregippa the Sugar-Mills and all manner of Fruit-Trees and march'd with incredible speed to the Stream Francisco where Encamping on the Southern Shore he drove three thousand Head of Cattel before him that so he might starve the Enemy The Brasilians offer their assistance to the Dutch for the taking the Fort Siara In the interim the Brasilians in Siara desir'd Aid against the Portuguese offering That if the Hollanders could conquer the Fort there they would soon destroy all the Portuguese that the Charges of the Siege might easily be made good the Countrey producing abundance of Amber-greece Crystal Cotton Pearls Salt and other Merchandise In confirmation of this their Resolution the Brafilians left two eminent Persons Children of Siara in Reciffa Whereupon George Garstman being sent thither was no sooner Landed but he made his Arrival known to the Brasilian Governor Algodoi who came to meet him with two hundred Men bearing white Flags in token of Peace Thus assisted he set upon Siara which is a square Fort built at the foot of a Hill hath within its Walls six Houses two Redoubts full of Port-holes one on the North and the other on the South jutting half way out from the Wall as also two Gates secur'd with large Portcullises without the Fort appears the Governor's House about which were several Huts for Portugueses This Lordship already spoken of is reckon'd amongst the Northern parts of Brasile and hath onely twelve Leagues in circumference The Haven before the Castle which the River Hacu makes is of little consequence The Ground in some places rises with high Mountains in others especially on one side it is overgrown with Wood hath also several brave Pastures especially along the River The Fort taken by Gartsman Garstman approaching the Castle Siara found little resistance so that he took it with small expence of Blood most of the Portuguese being taken Prisoners a few onely escaping by flight After this Grave Maurice took great care of the Civil Affairs building a Guild-Hall at his own Cost and Charge sent all manner of Minerals digg'd out of the Brasilian Mines to the Netherland laid great Penalties on those that stole the Custom of Goods and punish'd with Death Murders Robberies and such like Capital Offences besides several wholsom Laws relating both to the Civil and Ecclesiastical Government and as soon as he was recover'd from his tedious Sickness he march'd up into the Countrey to the Rivers Grande and Parayba to take care to furnish the Forts with Provision and Ammunition Near the Castle Ceulen he was receiv'd by the Tapuyan Agents and Presented by them with Bowes Arrows and brave Ostrich Feathers us'd by them when they go to the Wars in return for which they receiv'd Linnen Shirts Knives Shells Bugles Fishhooks and Nails Maurice caus'd a deeper and wider Moat to be digg'd about the decay'd
might make way for the Seamen to Land if the Netherland Forces should chance to guard the Sea-Coast thereabouts and to joyn with them as soon as they were Landed But Grave Maurice encourag'd by his late Victory at Sea immediately sent the Field-Marshal Coin against Cameron who diviidng his Army into small Companies had distributed them through the Woods Cameron's Forces and Barbalio's put to flight by Coin in which Coin follow'd his Example and with divided Forces pursu'd Cameron's Army and overtook his Captain Tak and two hundred Men at Poyuca whereof Lopes Barbalio was Governor who fled notwithstanding he Commanded six hundred Men. Soon after which the Muster-master Mansveld met him near the Village St. Laurence Engag'd him and putting him to flight found several Papers of Concern that he had left behind Portugueses Plot against the Netherlanders discover'd and amongst others a Letter in which Barbalio was commanded to spare neither Brasilians nor Netherlanders alive but to kill all without regard either to their Age or Quality except the Portuguese Moreover Andries Vidal urg'd the Owners of the Sugar-Mills in the Netherlanders Brasile immediately to take up Arms to regain their ancient Freedom as soon as Mascarenhas appear'd with the Spanish Fleet on the Coast of Brasile Thus Vidal by Letters and private Conferences prevail'd so much that most of the Portuguese were ready against their Oaths to root out the Netherlanders The sign when they should be ready was the burning of some Sugar-Mills Vidal imagining thereby to have drawn the Netherlanders from the Sea-side and so made the Sea-Coast free for the Spaniards to Land securely in But the Garrison under Coin along the Sea-shore near Alexis not ignorant of the Enemy's Plot kept their Stations and suffer'd the Mills to burn The like did Craey at the Promontory of St. Augustine Picard at Paomarello Captain Day at Cantolaria and Donker on Goyana Hoogstraet kept Guard up in the Countrey Tourlon also sent out by Maurice against Francisco Sosa and Henrick Dias who had pillag'd all the Countrey about the River Conajou fell upon them in such a manner that he destroy'd eighty seven of them and wounded a considerable number more of them made the rest flie to St. Salvador Two Moneths before the Spanish Fleet set Sail from Todos los Sanctos three thousand Tapuyans came to Rio Grande with their Wives and Children from an unknown Countrey remote from the Sea Grave Maurice requested their King John de Wy that he would please to keep Watch along the Sea-Coast and prevent the Landing of the Spanish Seamen Whereupon De Wy sent his Son to the Castle Ceulen making solemn Protestations that he was ready to lose his Life and Fortune for the Netherlanders in helping them to drive the Portuguese out of Brasile Maurice also joyn'd two thousand Brasilians and Colonel Garstman with sixty Netherlanders to the Tapuyans that so he might train them up in Martial Discipline whilest the Tapuyans Wives and Children were plac'd on the Island Tamarica About the beginning of the Year 1640. Houte-been and Lichthart brought a considerable Fleet from the Netherlands to an Anchor at Reciffa where a Consutation was held whither these Ships might be sent to do most Service every one had an Eye on St. Salvador not long since Storm'd in vain but Maurice judg'd that they had not Forces enough to undertake so grand a Design but thought it would be better to Land some fresh Forces near St. Salvador that there they might burn the Sugar-Mills and destroy all things they could find in revenge of what the Enemy had done at Parayba Whereupon Tourlon and Lichthart set Sail with twenty Ships Mann'd with two thousand five hundred Men to the Inlet Todos los Sanctos where they burnt all the Portuguese Sugar-Mills Houses and Villages neither did their Swords spare any alive but Women and Infants The Cattel which they found they carry'd aboard of their Ships and burnt all other Provisions In the mean time Houte-been and Coin fell upon Porto Franco where they ruin'd all things to no other end but that the Enemy might call home his Forces out of the Netherlanders Brasile to defend the Province Todos los Sanctos Capt. Brand taken Prisoner But Captain Brand going up too far into the Countrey with his Army was suddenly set upon had a hundred of his Men slain on the Spot and was himself taken Prisoner together with many more Also the Storming of the Town Spirito Sancto by Coin prov'd unsuccessful Coin unsuccessfully Storms Spirito Sancto because he led an undisciplin'd Company and wanted little Vessels to Land in on a sudden for the Enemy having had timely notice immediately rais'd a Sconce about the Town and with five Brass Guns fir'd stoutly on him who endeavor'd to climb up the Hill but was forc'd to sound a Retreat his Men failing in their Courage yet at last breaking into the Town he set some of the Houses on fire which being built of Stone resisted the Flame so burning onely four hundred and fifty Chests of Sugar he left sixty Men kill'd and brought back eighty wounded Lichthart in the mean time made great havock about St. Salvador In this Conjuncture the West-India Company suffer'd much by Robberies and Spoils committed up and down the Countrey by the setting their Woods of Brasile on fire by a company of Negro's Woods of Brasile set on fire by Peter Vist the chief Ring-leader of whom was one call'd Peter Vist who from Caves and almost inaccessible Ways came forth in the Night and set fire on whatsoever places he came to notwithstanding a hundred Negro's of his crew were soon after caught which he at several times had by force taken out of their Masters Sugars-Mills which Grave Maurice prevented as much as possible by keeping Soldiers up and down in Arms. He also us'd the Portuguese very civilly who though they promis'd Obedience because they liv'd under the Jurisdiction of the West-India Company yet were ready on all occasions to shew the contrary wherefore Grave Maurice sending for the chief of them to Reciffa from Pernambuco Itamaraca and Parayba told them before the Privy Council that they might easily see how vainly they expected that the Spanish Crown should take Brasile from the Netherlanders that formerly they depended on the Spanish Fleet Commanded by Mascarenhas but that being destroy'd by a small Force that hope Was lost therefore if henceforward they would Trade on their own Accounts they might be assur'd they should not suffer in the least either in their Goods Religion or Persons Hector de Calce taken Pâ—isoner The Neopolitan Field-Marshal Hector de la Calce setting Sail from the Haven Todos los Sanctos with an old Ship carrying six hundred Men was forc'd to run aground in the Haven of Parayba where he and the chief Commanders were taken Prisoners whilest the Common Soldiers by reason of the scarcity of Provisions were set at liberty Houte-been
when he went to visit sick or wounded Men. Their manner of curing the Sick and bewailing the Dead The Distempers in America differ much from the European not onely in the Signs of any Distemper but also in the Cure for when a Distemper cannot be cur'd by the prescribed Medicines a Father or Mother sends for the Neighbors to know if they can find any means to cure the Disease which Custom was anciently observ'd amongst the Greeks They also strictly observe a Rule in their Diet and take care to keep the Patient out of the Sun in the Day and cold Winds in the Night however if their Fathers and Mothers be sick nevertheless they leave not off their usual Dancing and Singing but if the sick Person die especially a Father they lament and cry over the Corps like Wolves calling to one another with a quavering Voice and uttering these Expressions The strong Man is deceas'd who carry'd so many Prisoners for a brave Dinner to his House Oh what a quick Hunter and subtil Fisher hath Death bereav'd us of we shall see him no more till our Souls are carry'd beyond the high Mountains where our valiant Predecessors Dance in Rings The Women make the greatest noise and in the midst of their howling embrace one another which lasts six hours and then they put the Body upright into a Grave made like a Hogshead hanging about it divers colour'd Feathers and other things in which the Deceased delighted most when living upon the Grave the nearest Relations place Dishes of Meat both Flesh and Fish and the Liquor Cauou-in that their evil Spirit call'd Aygnan may be reconcil'd by these Offerings and not carry away the Body but when they remove from thence they cover the Grave with the Herb Pindo This Custom is not observ'd by all Brasilians for some eat up their deceased Relations Sect. XIII Grave Maurice his Account of Brasile so far as it concern'd the West-India Company BRasile so far as it concerns the West-India Company extends from the River Real which divides Seregippa and the Lordship of St. Salvador to Maragnan Seregippa it self reaches along the Sea-Coast thirty two Leagues and was first brought under the King of Spain's Jurisdiction by Christovan de Barros Cardoso who being order'd by the King of Spain to Plant this new Countrey invited many People from St. Salvador who built four Sugar-Mills and a Town consisting of a hundred Houses and four hundred Sheds for Cattel but the Town being destroy'd hath nothing left but Heaps of Rubbish and the Cattel either fell into the Netherlanders hands or were devour'd by Tygers the Inhabitants fled back to St. Salvador Many troubles have prevented the re-building of it The fertility of Pernambuco Pernambuco may for its fruitfulness stand in competition with any Place in the World except in those parts where the Soil is sandy and stonie The Fields feed abundance of excellent Cattel the Woods Deer and Fowl the Ocean and Rivers all manner of good Fish It is inhabited but eight Leagues into the Countrey because the nearer the Sea the more convenient it is for Importing and Exporting of Goods neither could the Portuguese by reason of their small number spread themselves farther as also in regard they found great resistance from the Brasilians The Negro's that work in the Sugar-Mills between the River Grande and Francisco amount to four thousand The Cape Verde Mina Angola Ardra and Calabaria generally provide three thousand in a year to supply the number of the Sick or those that run away SECT XIV The Councellor Dussen's Relation of so much of Brasile as concerns the West-India Company THat part of Brasile which the West-India Company have subdu'd by force of Arms on the Continent of America is divided into six Counties viz. Seregippa Pernambuco Itamarica Parayba Rio Grande and Siara The Expedition undertaken by Gysseling and Schuppe made Seregippa desolate the Inhabitants wheof remov'd to the Coast Todos los Sanctos Also Siara which the Portuguese formerly possess'd was thinly inhabited and had a mean Fortress there whither some few Brasilians came now and then to the Netherlanders assistance Pernambuco lying between the Rivers Francisco and Tamarica excells the other Countrey in fruitfulness and pleasantness The Brasilians compare it to a hollow Rock under which fresh Water flows Havens of Pernâ—mbuco Moreover Pernambuco hath several Havens viz. the outermost Road before Reciffa which being in the open Sea is somewhat dangerous but the innermost is secure against all Storms also at the Promontory St. Augustine where the Mouth of the Haven is narrow and dangerous by reason of the Rocks and shallow Grounds the Island Alexio is very fit to Crain Ships in Barra Grande hath a large and safe Inlet convenient for all manner of Vessels yet it is inferior to Cororipa lastly the Havens Jaragoa and Franco are very eminent Amongst the Rivers the chief are Jangades Serinhain Formosa Porto Calvo Rivers Camarigibi Antonio Michael and Francisco Pernambuco also is divided into six Jurisdictions the first and most ancient is Igarazu the second and biggest Olinda the third Serinbain the fourth Porto Calvo the fifth the Alagoas and the sixth Rio Francisco which is the Boundary of Pernambuco on the South Towns of Pernambuco Pernambuco also boasts five Towns viz. Garasu Olinda Maurice-stadt to which also belongs Reciffa Bella Pojuca and Formosa The Villages Moribeca St. Laurence Antonio Amaro and others are also not inferior to little Towns The Countrey is for the most part Hilly but is exceeding fruitful in the Valleys and near the Rivers especially in Sugar-Canes Here are also a hundred and twenty Sugar-Mills of which a great number stand still for want of Negro's Next Pernambuco lies Tamarica which hath onely one Haven one City and twenty three Sugar-Mills of which thirty are onely employ'd This Island produces excellent Grapes and Melons yet is for the most part barren by reason of the Pismires The Countrey Parayba hath its Denomination from the River which washeth it being deep and without any Rocks or Sands on the Banks thereof stand twenty Sugar-Mills two of which are still standing In the Lordship of Rio Grande stands the Town Puntael whose Buildings were ruin'd in the Wars after which the Inhabitants had leave to build them another City on a fruitful Soil The Countrey hereabouts us'd formerly to be very full of Cattel but was not onely bereav'd thereof by the Hollanders and Portuguese but also for the most part made desolate The River which washes the Castle Ceulen affords a convenient and safe Harbor for all sorts of Vessels This Lordship of Rio Grande boasts onely two Sugar-Mills of which one is decay'd so that in all those Parts in Brasile which belong to the West-India Company are a hundred and sixty Sugar-Mills constantly employ'd besides forty six which are about repairing It is scarce to be reckon'd how much Sugar they make yearly in regard through the
alterations of the annual Seasons as also the more or less fruitful Fields they produce one year and in one place more than in another The Inhabitants are of two sorts viz. free People and Slaves the Slaves are African Negro's and the others Netherlanders Portugueses or Brasilians which last came in of their own accords or else were absolv'd from their Oaths and acquitted from their Martial Offices yet are ready to venture their Lives and Estates and to Serve either on Foot or Horseback for their Freedom against their Enemies Those that went from the Netherlands to Brasile on their own Accounts drive a Trade or Serve the Traders or else keep Inns and follow Handicraft Faculties some of which when grown rich buy Parts in Sugar-Mills others live on Tilling by all which several sorts of People Reciffa is very well inhabited and full of Houses which yield great Rents and are held at high Prices wherefore Grave Maurice thought good to mark out pieces of Ground on the Isle Antonio Vaes which were sold for a considerable Sum of Money insomuch that in a short time a new City call'd Maurice-stadt was built on the same and inclos'd within strong Bulwarks yea notwithstanding the Rumor of a great Spanish Fleet in some measure abated the Courage of the Builders yet the City was extended down to the Fort Frederick Henrich and a brave Bridge laid over the Stream Biberibi cross which they go from Reciffa to Antonio Vaes where no People were in greater esteem than Handicrafts-men who could get their ten or twelve Shillings a day The Labor which is requir'd in the Sugar-Mills no Men are able to undergo but the Negro's Of the Portuguese some have liv'd here a considerable time others lately came hither being most of them Jews of whom there live a great many at Reciffa and are very diligent in promoting of Trade They possess several Sugar-Mills and are kept very much under their whole study and contrivance is for Gain they conceal their Hatred against the Christians as also their Covetousness yet are mortal Enemies to the Hollanders The Brasilians who are the ancient Inhabitants live apart from other People in their Villages consisting of long Straw Huts forty or fifty of them under one Roof sleeping on woven Hammocks they esteem no Houshold-stuff but Nets and Calabashes using the first to fish with and the other to drink out of about their Huts they plant Mandihoka and Brasile Trees when they are not employ'd in the Wars they spend most of their time in Hunting but many in Idleness they esteem wild Fruits better than those which are Planted they Drink night and day making their Liquor of the chew'd Root Mandihoka or the Apples Tajovis they esteem nothing so much as strong Drink and to wear Linnen next their Skins they would not value Money could they but get Brandy and Spanish Wine without it if they are not promis'd a Reward they will not work Each Village nay House hath its peculiar Governor but besides him there is a Hollander who stirs up the Idle to work and takes care that the Owners of the Sugar-Mills do them no injury They never suffer themselves to be Hir'd for above twenty days at the end whereof they demand their Wages they are commonly employ'd to chop Wood to boyl the Sugar with but by reason of the scarcity of Negros they are often made use of for other Business which to avoid they hide themselves as also when they are to go to Fight they are hard to be kept in Ranks for they will run out of their own Fyle into another on the least occasion but if they put their Enemy to flight they pursue him and spare none alive They little regard the Christian Religion yet some of them have learn'd the Lord's-Prayer and the Creed of the Roman Priests The Minister Davil having learn'd the Brasilian Tongue Converted very many of them and Baptiz'd them in their Villages The Brasilian Women and Children usually go to Wars with their Husbands and Fathers The Brasilian Slaves were some years since bought of the Tapuyans or made Slaves because they assisted Boudewyn Henrickszoon when he Landed in the Inlet Traluson but they have since obtain'd their Freedom of the Portuguese The Angolan Slaves can undergo greater Labor than any other The Brasile Wood grows generally ten or twelve Leagues up in the Countrey from the Sea not in particular Woods but amongst other Trees The Negro's when the Sugar-Mills work not are employ'd in pulling off the white Bark three Fingers thick from the Tree which bears dark-green Leaves small and prickly at the ends and hanging on thin Stalks but bearing neither Blossoms nor Fruit. Osnabrig Linnen is highly esteem'd amongst the Brasilians as also colour'd Wax Copper Tin Wine Beer Butter Cheese Meal Stock-fish Pork Hung-beef and Gammons of Bacon The Papists Teach and observe their Religion in publick their Spiritual Men being divided into Priests and Monks the Monks consist of Franciscans Carmelites and Benedictines the Franciscans being the most eminent possess six fair Cloysters besides which they have neither Land nor other Revenues but live on what is given them daily their Cloysters stand in Frederick-stadt Iguaraca Olinda Pojuca Serinhain and Antonio Vaes But the Carmelites have three Structures at Parayba and as many more in Frederick-stadt and Olinda where they live plentifully on what they reap from Tillage Rents of Houses and Legacies of deceased Persons The Benedictins though they possess onely two Cloysters one in Frederick-stadt and the other at Olinda yet they have the greatest Income from the Sugar-Mills of Muserapa and the Countrey about Parayba as also Cattel and Cane-Fields Reciffa the Seat of War hath two Horn-works towards Olinda the first rais'd with Stone defends the Haven with seven Brass Demi-Culverins the other lies opposite to the River Biberi and hath five Brass and two Iron Guns Reciffa also hath a strong Rail about it and many Guns plac'd in good order Near the Powder-house stand two Batteries with Guns On the Shore towards Olinda lies the Stone Castle St. Joris on a Hill opposite to the Haven fortifi'd with a Bulwark and thirteen Iron Guns The Water-Castle built round rises out of the Sea and stands at the end of the Stone Cliff which makes an Inlet through which the Ships Sail that come to and go from Reciffa The Fort Bruine hath four Points seven Brass Guns and Pallisados round about Somewhat farther is the Redoubt call'd The Lady Bruine which hath two Brass Guns The Castle Waerdenbergh built before the Mouth of the River Capivaribi in the Bay made by the River Biberibi hath three Points each rais'd square because the fourth Bulwark towards Antonio Vaes cannot be finish'd by reason the Earth is sunk away The Fort Ernestus stands on the North-side of Maurice-stadt on the Island Antonio Vaez That part of the City which respects the Fort lies open with five Points and a double Horn-work it is the more secure from
This Bridge being eighty six Rods long of durable Timber was finish'd in seven Weeks His Pleasure-house Bonovista Moreover Grave Maurice built a pleasant Banquetting-house call'd Bonavista at his own Charge before the said Bridge from whence he could see the Palace Freyburgh Olinda the Fort Ernestus Maurice-stadt Reciffa the French Church the Ships in the Harbors and also the Castle Frederick Henrick This Banquetting-house hath at each corner a Turret and in the middle thereof a spacious Room crown'd with a fair Terrace BOAVISTA A. Fluvius Capibaribi B. Domus Boavista sivi boni visus C. Pons D. Palatium Friburgum E. Mauritiopolis F. Templum Gallicum G. Castrum Ernesti H. Castrum Fred. Henrici I. Reciffa K. Reciffa lapidosa L. Naves portu contentae M. Olinda eminus visa CHAP. VIII Guiana Situation and Description of Guiana NOrthward of Brasile over against Maragnan lieth the Countrey of Guiana not improbably suppos'd to be so call'd from the River Wia one of the principal Rivers of the Province which yet is said to have more and fairer than any other part of America besides It is by some call'd The Wild Coast for what reason is uncertain it being found to be a very fruitful and pleasant Countrey It is Bounded on the East with the Atlantick Ocean or Mare del Nordt on the West with some undiscover'd mountainous Countreys which lie on that side of the Andes on the North it hath the great River Orenoque and on the South that of the Amazons or Orellana which last Name as we have said before it derives from Francisco Orellana who is said to have first discover'd it in the Year 1543. It was anciently call'd Tobo Topoi and Tapera This Countrey lieth on both sides of the Aequator extended from the fourth Degree of Southern Latitude to the eighth Degree of Northern yet enjoyeth a temperate and good Air not oppressed with any excessive Heat which is chiefly attributed to the Breezes or Easterly Winds almost perpetually about Noon blowing upon it Towards the Sea-side it is for the most part a flat and level Countrey in the more Inland parts mountainous and swell'd with Hills but in all it is generally of such a rich and fertile Soil that for Fruits or any outward Commodities of the Earth it yields not to any other Province of the New World but rather far excelleth the most having as it were a continual Summer without Winter or Autumn the Trees never uncloth'd or made bare Fruits always ripe or growing to maturity the Meadows and Pastures always verdant and green and as we said so excellently well water'd with Rivers that no Countrey in the World seems comparable to it in this respect But since the several Occurrences of Orellana's Expedition will give much light to the more particular knowledge of these Parts we thought good to insert this following Relation thereof SECT II. A Relation of the Journey of Francisco Orellana ARX NASSOVII The Expedition of Orellana Orellana informing the Spanish Court of his Adventures desir'd the chief Command of the Province of the Amazones which after earnest Sollicitations he obtain'd and accordingly setting Sail from St. Lucar he went to the Island Teneriff with three Ships and five hundred Men where he stay'd three Moneths and two on Cape de Verd. On Teneriff several of his Men ran from him and on Cape de Verd he bury'd ninety eight and left fifty sick behind him yet he Steer'd to Brasile where meeting with contrary Winds he had undoubtedly perish'd for lack of Water if the great Showers of Rain had not supply'd his Wants one of his Ships carrying seventy Men and eleven Horses was never heard of with the other two he Sail'd by Baxos de San Roque and from thence a hundred Leagues Northwardly beyond Maragnan where a great way off at Sea they found fresh Water in which Orellano Steering got between the Isles into the River De las Amazones where he Barter'd for Provisions Sail'd two Leagues up the River and came to an Anchor before a few Huts but slenderly stor'd with Provisions where he spent three Moneths in breaking up one of his Ships and building a Ketch In the mean time fifty seven of his Seamen dy'd Sailing twenty Leagues farther he lost his best Ship whereupon he gave order to build a Barque of the Wreck Thus he spent thirty days in vain to find the fore mention'd Arm of the River Amazones the Barque being finish'd in ten Weeks and going beyond the Isles Maribique and Contan found the three great Rivers to disembogue into the River Amazones which there was twelve Leagues broad but wanting Provisions and the Men being too weak to go farther they came back to the fruitful Island Comao where a hundred Spaniards setled themselves the rest going down with the Barque to find out Orellana who as his Wife inform'd them dy'd with Grief He dies with Grief The English and Netherlanders who Sail'd hither after the Spaniards left off ascribe a Breadth of fifty or sixty Leagues to the Mouth of the Amazone River which discharges its Water with such force into the Northern Ocean that it keeps its colour and taste above thirty Leagues according to the ocular testimony of Captain Harcourt The Western Point by the Netherlanders call'd The North Cape runs with a long Slip of low Land into the Sea into which more North-Westerly fall the Streams Taponnowyny Arowary Arykary Cassepouri and Wiapoca some of them wash great Wildernesses full of Trees others glide between pleasant Meadows Eighty Leagues up the Amazone River the Vlussingers have built a Fort call'd Nassaw on the narrow Island Cogemines which is twenty Leagues long and separated from the Shore by a Creek and seven Leagues farther on another Isle the Fort Orange from which two Forts they Trade with the Natives Arowaccas and Apehous bartering European Trifles for Tobacco Cotton Sugar Gums and several Tinctures Sir Walter Raleigh sends Fisher to discover Cooshebery Province Sir Walter Raleigh Anno 1595. sending Captain Fisher from Wiapoco to Leonard Ragapo some years before Baptiz'd in England and then Governor of the Province Cooshebery lying between the Amazone River and Wapoco he receiv'd Fisher very civilly and conducted him fifty Leagues up into the Countrey to the Mountain Cowob on whose top is a deep Pool full of well tasted Fish and surrounded with the glittering Stones Topaz which Raleigh took the more notice of because the same Ground in the East-Indies where these Stones are found incloses also Diamonds Moreover the Province Cooshebery rises with pleasant Hills but consists most in delightful Fields and Woods The River Arocawo falling into the Inlet Wiapoco disembogues also with the same between the Capes Orange and Comariboo into the Northern Ocean Most of the Rivers in Guiana lie full of Isles and cannot be Navigated far by reason of the great Water-falls The Yayos The Yayos who inhabit on the Banks of the fore-mention'd River are People of
a good Disposition and go naked they catch Fish after a strange manner for they onely throw the strong smelling Wood Ayaw in the Water which works so upon the Fish that they suffer themselves to be caught with the Hand The well-known American Root Cassavi serves them for Bread being bak'd in round Cakes on hot Stones of the Cakes they also make the Liquor Perrinoe which tastes almost like stale Beer and is prepar'd by old Women and little Children which chew the Cassavi and spit the same into a Pot full of Water which having stood a while they strain the same through a Cloth and set it a working with Potato-Roots They are troubled with no Vermine not so much as the little Fleas Niquas by the Spaniards call'd Chigos which creep in between the Nails On the Sea-Coast are many Tortoises whose Flesh is of a delicious taste but heavy to digest Sheep and Oxen will not thrive here but Swine would thrive exceedingly if their Dugs were not bit off in the Night by the Bats The River Wiapoco hath many dangerous Water-falls the one much higher than the other a little way beyond the first of them the Stream Army falls into Wiapoco The Marashewaccas Three days Journey Westerly dwell the Marashewaccas whose Ears hang down on their Shoulders they worship for their Deity an Image representing a Man who sitting flat on the Ground with his Legs stretch'd out leans with his Elbows on his Knees and holding up his Hands gapes and stares up towards Heaven North-West from Wiapoco rises the Mountain Gomeribo which produces Maiz Tobacco Cotton-Trees and Vines In the same place the Creek Wainary runs Westwardly with fresh Water a days Journey into the Countrey and from the said Creek a high Mountain fit for the production of Sugar and Tobacco extends it self to the River Apurwaca where the Wiopocaries inhabit a great Tract of Land The Harrithiahans North-West from Wiapoco flows the River Aperwacque whose mountainous Shores bear Brasile Wood and wild Cinamon The Stream it self takes its original out of a large Lake in the middle whereof lies a three-corner'd Isle South-East from the Lake dwell the Harrithiahans beyond whose Countrey are the Rivers Cauwo Wia and Cajani On the Banks of the first dwelt Anno 1596. according to the Relation of Laurence Keymis a People call'd Jaos driven by the Spaniards from Moruga and who formerly possess'd the greatest part of Guiana they distinguish themselves from other People by pricking their Faces full of Holes with the Tooth of a Beast not unlike a Rat But at present the Jaos being departed from hence the Countrey lies desolate The Wia which springs a great way up in the Countrey hath a wide Mouth and near several Islands convenient Harbors The biggest of the Isles inhabited by the Shebaios is full of Provisions viz. Fowl Fish excellent Fruit wild Hogs and other Beasts The triangular Isles lying more Westerly are also very fruitful but not comparable to Gowatery So far as the Coast extends it self with high Mountains it is overgrown with Brasile Wood but the lower Grounds produce Cotton Pepper Silk Balsam and the Root Wiapassa tasting like Ginger and exceeding good against a Lask or the Head-ache Before the Mouth of Cajani appears the high Island Mattoory surrounded by the lesser Isles Sannawony Epenesari and Eponeregemerae Between the Rivers Cajani and Maccaria lies the low Island Muccumbro out of whose Center rise two Mountains and which is inhabited as the Main Coast by Caribbeeans whose General Arrawicary shew'd great friendship to the Netherlanders They observe no certain Laws for Government Adultery and Murder they punish with Death they are very tyrannical towards their Wives who for the least act of incivility have their Brains beat out they esteem one another according to the number of their Wives the eldest of which performs all Houshold-Offices Caribbeeans the Inhabitants of Guiana The Caribbeeans are accounted to have been the first Inhabitants of this Countrey for the Jaos Sappaios Arowaccas and Paragotos were driven hither by the Spaniards from Trinidad or Oronoque The wild Caribbeeans live farther up into the Countrey and often fall with great rage upon the other but since the Netherlanders have furnish'd them with Arms they have not been so much molested by them Beyond Macavia lies the River Caurora which is very narrow and deep Rivers and next in order the Rivers Manamonary Sinamary Cunanama Juraca Mawary Amana and Marawyny full of Isles and four Leagues broad at the Mouth along the Shore grow little Trees whose Leaves wither as soon as touch'd by Mankind but revives again within half an hour Next follow the Rivers Sorrenam Sorrenamme Copanama Marateca and Curetiny where the Netherlanders by virtue of a Patent granted by the States General drove a Trade for several years Somewhat farther the Berbice Apari Maycawini Mabeyca Mirara and Essekebe discharge their Waters into the Ocean twenty days Journey from their Spring-Head where a great Lake by the Jaos call'd The Roponowini and by the Caribbeeans Parime spreads it self a great way and on its Northern Shore hath the Town Manoa Along the River Essebeke is an excellent sort of Wood the Dye call'd Orellano and abundance of Cassavi In the Mouth of the River also lies the Isle Ottoma Lastly between Essebeke and the great River Orinoque glide the lesser Streams Iwapoi Pauroma Gayni Moruga Ammacoura and Parima before which lie several nameless Isles The Discovery of these Parts begun by Columbus Christopher Columbus in his third Voyage to the West-Indies discover'd the great Island Trinidad where before the Mouth of the Bay Vallena he was in great danger as also the Ship Commanded by Alonso de Ojeda by reason of the Waves with which the great River Yuyapar otherwise call'd Orinoque coming out of the High-lands of Paria falls into the Sea which made him call the said Mouth Bocca del Drago so that Columbus Anno 1599. discover'd the Main Coast of America to the Northward of Guiana as far as the Promontory De la Vela before Americus Vesputius whither Diego de Ordas Steer'd with three Ships Mann'd with four hundred Castilians Diego de Ordas his Expedition in the Year 1231. and before Guiana took four Caribbeeans Prisoners in a Canoo and finding an Emerauld about them as big as a Man's Hand they inform'd him that up the River was a Rock all of such Stones and a Mountain on which grew high Trees yielding store of Myrrh but the strong contrary Tides and Water-falls prevented Ordas from going thither and being troubled at the loss of one of his Ships he ran along the Shore to Paria and took the Fort which Antonio Sedenno Governor of Trinidad had cast up there and left the Command thereof to Juan Gonsalvez Ordas pretending that Sedenno had built it contrary to the Emperor's Order and that he had made Slaves of the Natives Martin Jannez Tafur stay'd in the
Men and the other Captains being Parker North Thornap and Sir Walter Raleigh's Son The Spaniards having a Garrison at Orinoque fir'd very fiercely at the English who suffer'd great damage and amongst divers others Captain Raleigh himself was slain whilest the other five Sail lay near the Island Trinidad under John Pennington's Command who daily fear'd the Spanish Fleet. But Keymes found it very difficult to Land in Orinoque by reason of the Banks along the Shore which Diego de Palameque from Puerto Rico kept strongly guarded therefore going to an even Shore with intention to Land he was so sharply receiv'd by a Body of Spanish Musquetteers that divers of his Men were mortally wounded yet breaking in amongst them he went towards the Gold-Mines to which the Way led through a Wood where the Spaniards lay in Ambuscade but he judg'd himself too weak to do any good upon the Mines one of which belong'd to Peter Rodrigo de Parama a second to Herviano Frontino and the third to Francisco Fashardo The English also were fearful by reason of the Spaniards Cruelties who not long before had flay'd several Merchants alive Raleigh upon Gundamor's Accusation Beheaded so that Keymes contented himself with pillaging and burning the Town St. Thomas which the Spaniards had deserted Soon after which Captain Whitby ran away with a Ship from the Fleet whilest Keymes return'd back to Raleigh who laid several things to his Charge concerning the unnecessary Expence and shame of such an unsuccessful Voyage which so wrought upon Keymes that he offer'd to lay violent hands on himself in his Cabbin At length Raleigh returning to London was accus'd by the Spanish Ambassador Gundamor for the burning St. Thomas urging that his Master resented it so ill that he threatned to wage a War with England if Raleigh was not Executed who notwithstanding he alledg'd That the Spaniards shew'd the first Acts of Hostility against the English who onely defended themselves and that St. Thomas was burnt without his knowledge or Order and that Keymes had not observ'd his Command in the discovering of the Gold-Mines which Apologies were generally look'd upon as real Truths yet the King esteeming the Peace with Spain of more value than one Man's Life without taking notice of Gundemor's Accusations commanded that the Sentence formerly pass'd on him for Treason should be Executed and accordingly in the sixtieth year of his Age he was Beheaded discovering himself by his Christian Behavior and Profession at his Death to be a far other kind of Person than what the World had censur'd him to be Since this last Expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh we find not that there hath been any great Resort or Trade unto this Countrey except by a few Netherland Merchants who have yearly sent eight or nine Ships to the River Orinoque for Tobacco The temperature of the Air. As for the Air or Climate of Guiana it is very differing for about the Amazone River dry Weather begins about August and the windy and rainy Season about February but Westward towards Orinoque the Summer takes beginning in October and the Winter in April the Days and Nights are almost of an equal length and the difference of Heat and Cold is but little Burning-Feavers Dropsie and the Jawnes destroy many People here which last is not unlike the POX and proceeds from carnal Copulation with the Guianian Women who are naturally subject to this Disease The Nature of the Inhabitants The Inhabitants are divided into several sorts the chiefest whereof being the Caribbees go naked covering onely their Privities with a Lappet The Women though yellow are very comely and both Men and Women paint their Bodies with Netto which grows on little Trees in Cods They make Holes through their Noses Lips and Ears and hang Glass Bells pieces of Copper or any other Trifles that they get from the English and Netherlanders in them About their Necks Arms and Legs they wear Strings of Beads or Cockle-shells Their Houses with low Roofs serve them onely to sleep in the Night upon Cotton Hammocks for in the day-time they sit under high Arch'd open places that the Wind may blow full upon them Their Houshold-stuff consists of Earthen Pots and Dishes neatly painted They live in Tribes or Families together in a Town which is Govern'd by the eldest of them and their Militia is Commanded by one that is able to endure most Stripes with Switches without any shew of pain The chiefest of their Families have commonly three or four Wives whereas others are contented with one The Men seldom do any toilsom Work but make their Wives do all insomuch that as soon as a Woman is Deliver'd of a Child she must immediately go about her usual Employment whilest her Husband lies lozelling out his Moneth on a Hammock Their Language sounds not unpleasantly but is hard to learn because many words differ but little in the pronunciation and yet have quite another signification When they march into the Field against their Enemies then the General sends a Stick to all the Villages under his Jurisdiction on which are cut so many Notches as there are Days appointed before he intends to set forth which they cut out again as the Days expire and on the last they repair to the appointed place A not much unlike Custom they observe in all Promises and Bargains for they give one another as many Sticks as they desire Days to perform the same in and so throw away every day one till they have onely one remaining and then they begin to think of performing their Promise or Bargain They know no word whereby to express any greater number than Ten Twenty they express by laying their ten Fingers on their Toes and all that exceeds Twenty they compare to the Hairs of their Head crying Ounsa awara Some of the painted Canoos made of the Trunks of Trees will carry five or six Tuns Their manner of â—ighting Reâ—â—gion c. In their Wars they use Bowes poyson'd Arrows short Truncheons of speckled Wood and Shields full of carv'd Images and Fight without any Order They go upon no Design but in the Night and upon certain advantages All Women and Children which they take Prisoners are sold for Slaves but the Men are cruelly put to death There is but little of Religion that can be ascrib'd to these People onely that some shew Reverence to the Sun and Moon which they believe are both living Creatures but they make no Offerings to them Their Funeral-Feasts for great Persons are strangely kept viz. all the Men making themselves Drunk with the Liquor Parranoro Dance three or four days one after another and he that drinks most and is worst Drunk gains the greatest Honor whilest the Women lament and mourn for the Deceased Their Priests call'd Peeaios are in great esteem amongst them because they pretend that they Converse with the Spirits Wattipa and Yarakin which the Guianians exceedingly fear apprehending themselves often beaten
black and blue by them The Peeaios also profess themselves to be Chirurgeons and Doctors but if they cure not their Patients they go in danger of their Lives unless they speedily get away They burn their dead Bodies together with those things the Deceased affected most in his Life-time A Prince or Governor also hath his Slaves put to to death at the time when he is burn'd that they may serve him in the other World Their Bread-Corn The Cassavi-Root press'd boyl'd with Pepper dry'd and bak'd on hot Stones serves the Natives for Bread Each Grain that is Sow'n here produces in Harvest above fifteen hundred Their Corn makes wholsom and well tasted Beer call'd Passiaw and of their stamp'd Cassavi they make the Liquor Parranow In hollow Trees and Caves under Ground they find abundance of Honey and their Vines afford them excellent Grapes twice a year No Plant is ever seen here without either Leaf Blossom or Fruit except the European Apple-Tree which never changes its nature but blossoms and bears Fruit at the same time of the year as in Europe The wild Hogs Pokkiero whose Navels grow on their Backs and the Pangio not unlike our Swine afford the Inhabitants excellent Food Here are also Water-hogs of a very delicious taste but because they are very apprehensive and dive at the least noise they are seldom taken The Woods are full of Baboons and Apes as also the sloththful Beast Ai. The Hares here being of a brown Colour with white Specks and the red Rabbets are accounted great Delicacies There is no Countrey in America which breeds greater Armadillo's than Guiana some of them weighing eighty Pound Here are also Bears which live on nothing but Pismires they have long hairy Tails with which they cover their Bodies in rainy Weather they put their Tongues a Foot deep into the Pismires Nests and so pulls them out The Tygers here are either black spotted or red but the black exceed the other in cruelty yet are seldom seen near inhabited places the spotted and red devour abundance of Cattel but will seldom set upon a Man especially in the day-time The Woods are also full of Land-Turtles which the Inhabitants take and keep till they have occasion to make use of their Flesh The Eagles that are here with their Claws Engage with those that go about to take them The Catamountains make such an exceeding noise at a certain hour both in the Night and in the Day that it is heard two Leagues off The Marmozets a little Beast biting the Catamountains and Apes in the Ears forces them to leap from one Tree to another The black Beast Quotto hath a Face like an old Woman and hanging by the Tail swings from one Tree to another The Cuscary is a brown four-footed Creature about the bigness of a little Dog but hath the shape of a Lyon Moreover Birds Guiana produces Teal Geese Crains Phesants Partridges Pigeons Marlins Snipes Falcons Plovers and Parrots of all sorts besides many other strange Fowls amongst which the chiefest are a sort whose Feathers glitter like Scarlet and walk along in Rank and Fyle like Soldiers The Sea produces abundance of Turbots Fise Soals Thornback yellow Salmon Sturgeon Black-fish Gurnets Crabs and Oysters Amongst other Fishes the Cassoorwa which is somewhat bigger than an Eel is very strange having two Sights in each Eye of which it always holds one above and the other underneath the Water when it swims Here are also the great Fishes call'd Manati and Num-eel by which if any part of a Man be touch'd it immediately becomes stiff There are likewise divers Vermine Vermin which trouble the Countrey Guiana among which are Serpents of thirty Foot long that come out of the Water and feed on the Land they do little hurt as not being poysonous but there are many of a lesser size whose biting is so venomous that it causes the Flesh of a Man to rot in twenty four hours time others there are which have forked Tails and Tusks in the Roof of their Mouthes The Crocodiles here also devour abundance of Cattel Strange kind of Scorpions The Scorpions which are black and resemble a Lobster breed under dry Wood or Corn their Stings are hid in their Tails with which if any one be touch'd he is sure to endure an intolerable pain but without danger of losing his Life for the present yet nothing can perfectly cure the same except the Scorpion kill'd and laid on the Wound The Bats here are as big as Pigeons and they suck the Blood of Men and Beasts so gently that they seldom perceive the same The Pismires also do great mischief especially in sandy Grounds and likewise the Musketo's whose Stings cause painful Swellings but these most of all trouble them that inhabit near the Sea side on low Lands insomuch that the Fisher-men bury themselves in the Night in Sand leaving onely Holes to breathe at Frogs and Toads also make a terrible noise here and especially after Rain Commodities of the Countrey The Soil is inferior to none in the World for the production of Sugar but the general Commodities of the Countrey are Flax Cotton Hemp the Berry Annoto which Dyes an excellent Orange colour another Berry which Dyes a deep Blue a Tree whose Leaves Dye a Red and the Wood of another Tree whose Juice Dyes a Purple and Crimson Moreover Guiana produces the Gums Lemnia Barattu and Carriman which being black and prickly smells very pleasantly and cures the Head-ache Bruises Pains in the Limbs Gouts and green Wounds The same operation hath the Gum Baratta Here are also good Sena Bolus Armenius Cassia-Fistula Terra-Lemnia the Berry Kelette very effectual against the Bloody-flux the Juice of the Leaf Upee which cures the Wounds of poyson'd Arrows and a sort of somniferous Apples whereof the least bite occasions a deadly Sleep There is also a Tree generally growing about the Houses of the Natives the Boughs whereof bruis'd between two Stones and thrown into the Creeks of deep Water full of Fish cause them to swim above Water upon their Backs The Letter-Wood call'd Pira timinere turns also to a good account much more the excellent Stones Jasper and Porphyr Nor are there wanting Gold and Silver-Mines which doubtless would yield great profit were they open'd The Grain of the Countrey grows on Stalks seven Foot long on the tops whereof hang two Ears full of Kernels as big as Pease which ripens in four Moneths The Sugar-Canes being of the bigness of a Man's Arm and about six Foot long are at the years end cut off broken and press'd in a Mill after which the Juice boyl'd in Copper Kettles to a certain Substance is put into woodden Tunnels square at the top and narrow at bottom with a small Hole which is open'd as soon as the Sugar is sufficiently hardned to let out the Syrrup after which it is put into Hogsheads and so Transported The Negro's which are brought from Angola
and Guinee are so cruelly us'd that they oftentimes through despair destroy themselves The whole Countrey of Guiana is by several modern Writers methodically divided into these inferior or lesser Provinces 1. Rio de las Amazones 2. Wiapoco or Guiana properly so call'd 3. Orenoque and 4. The Islands of Guiana Rio de las Amazones Rio de las Amazones or the Countrey of the Amazones contains all that part of Guiana which lieth on both sides of the River Orellano of a rich and good Soil generally abounding with all sorts of Fruits and especially with those which the Americans call Totok and love it extreamly out of an opinion they say that it excites them to Venery whereunto they are of themselves but too much inclin'd and another which they call Pita of a taste far more delicious and pleasing and not so hurtful as the other The Countrey was first discover'd by the fore-mention'd Francisco Orellana a Spaniard from Quito but it was onely by the River Orellana and though he be credibly reported to have Sail'd no less than eighteen hundred Leagues down the Stream and to have discover'd a rich and fair Countrey on both sides the River well peopled with Natives and giving in divers places no small Arguments of greater Wealth and Riches more within Land yet such was the bad success of his second Endeavors and likewise of those that follow'd him as is evident from what hath been before related that as yet there seems no farther Report to be given at least not of any thing special concerning that part of the Countrey Wiapoco or Guiana properly so call'd Wiapoco or Guiana properly so call'd taketh up the middle part of this Province being divided as the other almost into two equal parts by the River Wiapoco which runs through the midst of it The Countrey on both sides of the River is very rich and fertile and so naturally apt both for Sugar-Canes Cotton-Wooll and Tobacco that they are said to grow here all of them very good without Planting or any art of Husbandry In this Countrey likewise should be the famous Dorada as the Spaniards call it or City of Gold if it could be found with the reports and hopes whereof some of our own Nation seem to have been not a little possess'd as well as the Spaniards nor can we much blame them for if the Stories of it had prov'd true it must have been one of the goodliest and fairest Cities in the World not to speak of the Wealth Diego de Ordas the Spaniard of whom we have lately had occasion to make frequent mention of being reported by some to have travell'd one whole day and half another in it before he could arrive at the King's Palace which yet must be suppos'd to have stood but in the midst of the City Places of less Magnificence but more Certainty are 1. Caripo which was once a Colony of English setled there by Captain Robert Harcourt Anno 1608. upon the Banks of Wiapoco and not far from the Mouth of it being a place by the advantage of a Rock which it hath on the one side of it of great strength and very difficult access the Air about it sound and said to be very agreeable to English Bodies 2. Gomaribo Colony formerly of the Dutch on the North-West side of the Bay of Wiapoco but since deserted by them 3. Woyemon 4. Crewinay both of them Towns of the Natives not far distant from the other Orinoque Orinoque or the third Division of this Province comprehendeth the most Northerly parts of Guiana lying upon or towards the Banks of this famous River a Countrey likewise reported to be very rich and comparable to Peru it self for hidden Treasure which they say is not yet discover'd onely for want of diligent and industrious searching The Places in it already known are onely 1. Coniolaba as they call it which seems to be some Town of the Natives lying a few Leagues distant from the Orinoque towards the South 2. Morequito a known Port or Haven-Town upon a Branch of the Orinoque much frequented and of great use to the English when they discover'd these Coasts 3. Wenicapora and 4. St. Thomas the onely Town which the Spaniards hold upon this part of the Continent situate upon the principal Channel of the Orinoque and consisting of two hundred Families or thereabouts It is now a fortifi'd Place and was taken by Sir Walter Raleigh in that unfortunate Action of 1617. above related more at large Islands belonging to Guiana The Islands that belong to and are commonly reckon'd as parts of Guiana are either such as lie scatter'd about the Shore of the Province or such as are found at the Mouth and sometime far within the Channel of those great Rivers which empty themselves at several parts of this Countrey into the Sea viz. Orinoque Wiapoco Rio de las Amazones c. There are many of them but of any great name or esteem onely two viz. Trinidado and Tabago the Description whereof we shall here omit as having already taken notice of them amongst the Sotaventi and Caribbee Islands CHAP. IX Paria or New Andalusia Situation and Description of Nova Andalusia VVEstward of Guiana lieth the Countrey of Paria so call'd from its chief River It hath also the Denomination of New Andalusia but for what resemblance with Andalusia of Old Spain they do not tell us This Countrey lying as it doth brings us back again by the Eastern Coast to the Isthmus or Strait which as we have often said joyns the two parts of the Continent of America together at least to those Countreys that lie next upon it to the South viz. the Kingdom of Granada c. It hath on the East Guiana and those Islands which lie about the Mouth of Orinoque on the West the Gulf or Bay of Venezuela with some part of the new Kingdom abovesaid on the North it is wash'd with the Atlantick Ocean and on the South hath some Countreys yet undiscover'd toward the Andes The whole consisteth partly of Continent and partly of Islands near adjoyning to it and is commonly divided into five several Precincts or Parts which are 1. Cumana 2 Venezuela being upon the Continent 3. Margareta 4. Cubagua two Islands above-mention'd famous for Pearl-fishing and lastly some lesser Islands SECT II. Cumana Bounds and Description of Cumana CUmana is bounded Eastward with the Gulf of Paria and the River Orinoque on the West with Venezuela Northward it hath the Atlantick and on the South those undiscover'd Countreys above mention'd extending along the Northern Ocean over against Margareta two hundred Leagues or more as some say in length and not much less than a hundred in breadth The Coast of this Countrey as well as of the Islands Margareta and Cabagua hath formerly been much fam'd for the rich Trade of Pearls and Pearl-fishing which failing its principal esteem now is for an excellent Vein of Salt which they dig
set ashore on Hispaniola and divided into Companies each Company consisting of twenty Parents separated from their Children and Husbands from their Wives and Lots cast for them those that had either sick decrepid or old People fall to their share us'd to cry as Casas testifies he hath often heard What do I do with this sick decrepid old Dog give him to the Devil I will not put my self to the trouble to kill and bury him But Soto's Death was not left unreveng'd for not long after Jacob Castellon setting Sail from St. Domingo left several Companies on Cubagua to re-build the Town Cadiz and rais'd a Fort at the Mouth of Cumana which hath ever since been kept by the Spaniards who made great slaughter amongst the Natives Hieronymo Ortall deserted by his Men Hieronymo Ortall Sailing up the Stream Negeri sent his Lieutenant Augustine Delgado through the populous Provinces Guacharuco and Parimatuotu to the River Unare where not without a sharp Conflict he took abundance of Provisions in a Village In the mean time Ortall travell'd to Meta acting inhumane Cruelties all the way but approaching Guiana where Delgado was kill'd he was deserted by his mutinous Men who ran over to Nicholas Federman so that he was forc'd to return back to the new Fort Miguel de Neveri and from thence to St. Domingo with ten Soldiers fearing that Antonio Sedenno who judg'd himself wrong'd by Ortall because Cumana belong'd to his Lordship would fall upon him Sedenno being five hundred Men strong discover'd the Sea-Coast all along to Patigutaro where Setling himself he regarded no Discipline which the Natives observing kill'd many a Spaniard and others the Tygers also devour'd especially in the Night they being forc'd to keep lighted Fires about them against the wild Beasts About the beginning of the Year 1537. Sedenno travell'd to the Countrey Anapuya and Orocomay to the Province Goioguaney where the Inhabitants defended themselves very valiantly in a woodden Fort before which many Spaniards were kill'd with poyson'd Arrows and those who were not mortally wounded had no way to escape but by burning the Poyson out with hot Irons yet at last the Defendants were forc'd to flie with their Wives and Children up to the Mountains overgrown with Brambles Sedenno marching through barren Fields and over troublesom Rivers The Death of Sedenno and Juan Fernandez came to the mountainous Countrey Catapararo where he found abundance of Maiz and some little pieces of Gold and was advanc'd about a League and a half in Cumana when dying he made room for his Successor Juan Fernandez who surviv'd him not long yet the Expedition was not left unprosecuted for Sedenno's Men after the Decease of him and Fernandez went farther and discover'd a low Land which in the Winter being overflow'd forc'd the Inhabitants to remove to the Mountains But at last the Spaniards being weary with travelling fell out amongst themselves and dividing into several Parties went several ways some to Venezuela others to Maracapana and the rest to Cubagua SECT III. Venezuela Situation and Description of Venezuela THe principal part of the Province of Venezuela is border'd on the East with Cumana on the West with a great Gulf or Bay call'd The Bay of Venezuela with the Lake Maracabo and some part of New Granada Northward it hath the Ocean or Atlantick Sea Southward some undiscover'd Countreys which as we said lie betwixt the Andes and it It stretches out in length from East to West a hundred and thirty Leagues or thereabouts but in breadth little more than half so much it was nam'd Venezuela or Little Venice by Alonso de Ojeda a Spaniard who at his first discovery of the Countrey fell upon a Town of the Natives which stood like another Venice all upon the Water and having no passage to it but by Boats It is a Countrey extraordinary rich in all sorts of Commodities affords good Pasture for Cattel and abundance of fair Herds of them Oxen Sheep Swine c. plenty of Corn and other Grain great store of Venison in the Woods of Fish in the Rivers Gold in the Mines and therefore not likely but to be well peopled and inhabited especially by the Spaniards whose Towns and Places of chief importance are these Towns and principal Places of Venezuela 1. Venezuela at the most Westerly Confines of the Countrey built upon the Sea with the advantage of a double Haven in a temperate and good Air and the Soil round about it the best in the whole Province It is now a Bishop's See who is Suffragan to the Arch-bishop in Hispaniola and the ordinary Residence of the Governor 2. Caravalleda call'd by the Spaniards Nuestra Sennora de Caravalleda fourscore Leagues distant from Venezuela towards the East upon the Sea 3. St. Jago de Leon in the Countrey of Caracas four or five Leagues Southward of Caravalleda and six or seven distant from the Sea 4. New Valentia twenty five Leagues distant from St. Jago 5. New Xeres a Town but lately built fifteen Leagues Southward of New Valentia 6. New Segovia but one League distant from Xeres 7. Tucuyo a Place well known and frequented for the abundance of Sugar that is made there and in the Countrey round about it 8. Truxillo or Our Lady de la Paz eighteen Leagues Southward of the Lake Maracabo a Place of great resort and much frequented for Trade both by Spaniards and Natives 9. Laguna a Town lying more towards the bottom of the Lake said to be much haunted with Tygers and more than this not much is said of it VENEZUELA cum parte Australi NOVAE ANDALUSIAE When the Emperor Charles the Fifth Marry'd with Isabella Daughter to the King of Portugal Anno 1526. the Welsares being Dutch Gentlemen in Augsburgh made an Agreement with him for a Sum of Money to Conquer Venezuela whither they sent Ambrosius Alfinger and Bartholomeus Sayltar with four hundred Foot and eighty Horse These Forces Landing at Venezuela drove away Juan de Ampues who Sailing from St. Domingo thither had discover'd the Coast along Coriano and already made an Agreement with a mighty Prince of that Countrey call'd Manaure But Alfinger marching to the Lake Maracabo Alfinger's horrid Cruelties upon the Natives destroy'd all the Inhabitants of the Countrey Axaguas though they came to meet him Dancing with rich Presents of Gold which he not regarding kill'd them drove some into a House and there cut them in pieces and burnt those that were got upon the Roof From hence going towards the Pocabuyes who dwelt on the West side of Maracabo amongst high Mountains he was Entertain'd by them a considerable time very courteously and Presented with rich Gifts for which at his departure he shut up both Men Women and Children into a high Wall'd Park where they were all to perish if they did not every one pay a certain quantity of Gold to be releas'd which not being able to raise they all dy'd for want of Food After
the same manner he dealt with the neighboring People Alcoholados of whom he got much Gold but not without unheard of Cruelties for he burnt all their Villages and Houses ruin'd the Countrey with Fire and Sword from Thamaleque to the River Lebrixa carry'd away many of the Natives coupled together with Chains about their Necks and each of them loaded with at least a hundred pound weight of pillag'd Goods and as soon as any of them began to faint under their Burthens for want of refreshment their Heads were immediately cut off But Alfinger coming to certain cold Mountains was resisted by a valiant People in which Conflict he receiv'd a Wound of which he dy'd at his return to Coro Anno 1532. Upon which the Welsares sent John Aleman to succeed him but he also dying made place for George de Espoira and Nicholas Federman of which two Espoira being the chief spent three years in ranging up and down the Countrey without any remarkable Transactions being continually at variance with his Lieutenant Federman The afore-mention'd City Venezuela otherwise call'd Caro and by the Natives Corana was Anno 1539. taken and burnt by the English The Provinces Paragoana and Bariquicimeto Northward from the City the Promontory St. Roman in the Province of Paragoana runs into the Sea opposite to the Islands Aruba and Quuracao The Countrey Paragoana is low and full of Venison out of the middle of it rises a high Mountain the Inhabitants whereof are very hospitable and courteous The Lyons that breed in this Countrey run away from Men but on the contrary the Tygers are exceeding cruel From Coro there leads a Way up into the Countrey over the Mountain Xizaezaras to the Province Bariquicemeto Between both these Provinces very fruitful Valleys which produce Maiz in great abundance are surrounded by wooddy Mountains inhabited by Man-eaters call'd Axaguas Anno 1552. Juan de Villegas discovering the Province Tucuyo he found several rich Gold-Mines near the Mountain Pedro out of which springs the River Burio Near this place he built the Town Segovia which by reason of the unwholsom Air Segovia built by Juan de Villegas was soon after transplanted and built on the Shore of the River Bariquicimeto so call'd because the Water when touch'd turns to an Ash-colour The Plain Countrey round about would be intolerable hot did not the cool Winds that blow from the Mountains temper the same The Natives of the Province Bariquicemeto their manner of Living The Natives divided into Tribes that understand not one another live on Callibashes Deers flesh Rabbets and the Juice of the Cocuy In the Rivers Hacarigua and Boraute they throw the stamp'd Root Barbasco which causes the Fish to appear above the Water and suffer themselves to be caught with the Hand In the Summer they all store themselves with Venison which they catch after this manner They set the dry Bushes and Brambles on fire which makes the wild Hogs Goats Deer Armadillo's Tygers the great Serpents Bobas and other wild Creatures to leap forth from their Holes and Receptacles to shun the same whilest the Hunters standing ready with their Bowes and Arrows seldom miss one of them In the hollow Trees near the Rivers the Bees make abundance of Honey for them Most of the Rivers here fall into the Stream Huriapari which glides from the Peruvian Mountains to the Northern Ocean The Province Chioas produces plenty of Gold Also of the Natives about Segovia The Natives about Segovia go naked are very ignorant and much addicted to Drunkenness in which humor they kill one another They live without care feeding on Roots till their Maiz is ripe which in some places comes to its full maturity in forty days time and in others in three Moneths Close by Segovia glides the Rivulet Claro whosse clear Water goes but a small Course from its Fountain Head before it sinks into the Ground in the Summer it is very high and in the Winter almost destitute of Water The Commodities of the Countrey hereabouts This Countrey breeds all sorts of Fowls but especially Quails and Turtle-Doves Cattel Sheep Goats and Hogs increase wonderfully here insomuch that many of them are driven to be sold at New Granada The Cotton-Clothes that are woven here also turn to a good account From Segovia runs a Way through a Valley twelve Leagues long to the Town Tucuyo which stands low but in a healthful Climate and surrounded with Mountains The Countrey hereabouts produces plenty of Corn Pot-herbs Sugar and Cotton and feeds Oxen Cowes Horses Sheep Deer and Goats to which the Tygers and Lyons do great mischief Here are Gold-Mines but they are not open'd by reason of the great want of Men. There is likewise plenty of the Bezoar-Stones to be had here The Cuycas in whose Countrey stands the Town Truxillo are a valiant but very cruel People The Lake Maracabo running forty Leagues up into the Countrey is ten Leagues broad Ebbs and Flows and feeds the great Fish Manati Westward dwell the Pocabuyes and Alcoholados both quiet and rich People The Province Xuruara The Province Xuruara lies towards the South behind high Mountains inhabited by the valiant Coromochos and towards the North from Xuruara the Bobures hard by the City Merida the Countrey about which is unhealthful and Morassy and the Inhabitants exceedingly plagu'd by the Muschito's Havens of Venezuela The Haven Maracapana is the best in Venezuela and lies in the Eastern part of the Province where the Mountains are inhabited by the wild Chiugotos who kill and eat all the Spaniards they can get The other Havens Westward not comparable to Maracapana are Flechado Sardinas and Burburute where some Spanish Families have a Salt-pit Islands and Promontories Six Leagues up in the Countrey you come to the fresh Lake Tocarigua full of little inhabited Isles the People whereof live quietly and barter Gold Towards the North-West the Ocean makes the great Inlet Triste before which lies the Island Bonaire very full of Cattel and on each side appear the Aves and Quaraco which abound with Fowl The Promontory St. Roman runs twenty Leagues into the Sea and the Cape Coquibocoa extends farther Between both these runs the Channel of Venezuela which touches the Lake Maracapabo Before Coquibocoa are seen the four low Islands Monjes with white sandy Creeks and full of Trees out of the middlemost rises a high Mountain On the Main Continent also the Mountains De Azieyto appear with scraggy tops beyond the Point And the Bay Honda affords a safe Road. The Cape De la Vela hath on one side the Inlet Portete and on the other the Villages Rancheria and Nostra Sennora de los Remedios between both which runs the Stream La Hacha The German Commander Nicholas Federman intended to have built a City on Cape Vela Anno 1535. but finding the Ground too low and unfruitful the Pearls hereabouts very small and the Natives living onely on Fish and wild Herbs
he chang'd his Resolution SECT IV. The Islands Margareta Cubagua and Coche NOtwithstanding we have already spoken something of the Islands Margareta and Cubagua in regard they are by some reckon'd amongst the Isles of Northern America yet because they are by many accounted to make up a part of the Division of New Andalusia we shall add in this place what we have found most worthy of Re-mention though much to the same purpose as before The Island Margareta discover'd by Christopher Columbus Anno 1498. contains thirty two Leagues in circumference hath many Woods and Pastures yet little fresh Water To the Eastward of it lie the Cliffs Testigos where it is very mountainous as also on the East Round about the same are delicious Fish without which the Natives could not live because the brackish Soil produces but little Provision The Pearl-Fishing of Margareta The chiefest thing for which this Island Margareta is famous is the Pearl-Fishing for which in times past a great Trade was driven though of late it is come to little or nothing The Spaniards with inhumane cruelty taught the Negro's to Dive for the Pearls for those that were not nimble or dextrous enough they beat unmercifully dropt scalding Wax or scalding Oyl upon them or stigmatiz'd them with hot Irons The Pearl-Banks were cover'd with five six seven or eight Fathom Water from whence the Negro's pull'd the Oysters with such force that the Blood gush'd out of their Mouths and Noses when they came above Water to breath after which to refresh them they receiv'd a Glass of Wine and a Pipe of Tobacco The Spanish Kiay receiv'd a fifth part of the best Pearls that were taken here but whether the Oysters have forsaken this Place or their growth hinder'd by often Fishing for them we know not but however it is few Pearls are found here of late years which makes Margareta to be more and more deserted The Nature of the Island of Cubagua Between the Main Continent of Paria lie the Islands Cubagua and Coche the first whereof hath an unfruitful and sultry Soil without either Trees Birds and four-footed Beasts except Pock Wood Sea-Fowls or Parrots and Castilian Hogs being carry'd thither change their Nature strangely for in a short time their Claws grow long and crooked The King of Spain us'd formerly to receive fifteen thousand Ducats yearly for his fifth part of the Pearls chat were taken which Gain invited many thither who built the Town Nova Cadiz on Cabugua in the Year 1521. but when the Arayans demolish'd the Monks Cloyster on Paria The City Nova Cadiz built there but at length totally deserted the Spaniards being three hundred in number fled from Nova Cadiz to Hispaniola where the High Court displeas'd at their cowardly deserting the Place gave them but cool Entertainment and sent five Ships under the Command of Jacomo de Castellan to Cubagua to build new Store-houses in Nova Cadiz which was afterwards re-inhabited but when the Pearl-Fishing ceased the Island and Town was at once deserted Opposite to Margareta lies the Promontory Araya behind which lies a salt Lake in which is found abundance of Salt not onely above but under the Water with which the English Spanish and Dutch Ships are fraighted Da Vern's Description of the Salt-pans on Araya Isaac du Verne describes the Salt-pans on Araya thus Round about the same saith he the Ground is craggy barren and of a brackish taste and destitute of fresh Water which is therefore fetch'd three Leagues farther out of a Brook flowing from the Mountain Bordones into the Bay of Comena likewise all manner of Provisions are brought from other Parts Westward from the Point Araya there is a convenient Harbor where the Ships take in their Salt Three hundred Paces from the Shore lies a great Salt-pan where the Salt being first beat in pices is carry'd in Wheel-barrows to the Ships The little Salt-pan produces less Salt and lies also out of the way which makes few Ships take in their Lading from thence The Countrey is every where overgrown with Brambles and Bushes in which breed Tygers and very poysonous Serpents There are likewise abundance of Stags Bucks Hares and Coneys besides other strange Beasts The Netherlanders beaten out of their Salt-Trade here by the Spaniards Till Anno 1605. the Netherlanders came hither unmolested for Salt when eight Spanish Gallions falling unawares upon them strangely misus'd their Seamen but afterwards the United Netherlands having made an Agreement with Spain for a certain time renew'd their Trade to Araya till the King of Spain having for the better security of the Place built the Fort St. Jago which Commanded the great Salt-pan forbad the Netherlanders from lading any more Salt who thereupon Storm'd the Fort though to their cost for several of them were kill'd and the rest return'd home empty SECT V. Of the Islands of Southern America THe chiefest Islands of note in the Southern part of America that is to say those that lie remote from the Continent in Mare del Zur are Los Ladrones and the Islands Fernandinas for the rest being as we may call them Mediterranean Islands fall naturally under the Description of the Continent The Isles Los Ladrones 1. Los Ladrones in English The Islands of Thieves lie as it were in the mid-way betwixt the Main Land of America and the Philippine Islands but some hundreds of Leagues distant from either in the fourth Degree of Northern Latitude so nam'd by Ferdinand Magellan from the pilfering disposition he observ'd in the Natives when he Sail'd that way for the Moluccae Islands They were a nimble and active sort of People yet light-finger'd tall of stature and going for the most part naked excellent Swimmers and Divers and have not much more to be said in their commendation The Isles Fernandinae 2. The Fernandinae are onely two Islands of no great bigness lying over against the Coast of Chile in the three and thirtieth Degree of Southern Latitude and about a hundred Leagues or three hundred English Miles from the Continent yet well stor'd with some lesser sorts of Cattel as Goats c. good plenty likewise of Venison in the Woods and Fish upon the Coasts for which reason though lying at some distance yet are they not a little frequented by the Spaniards of Peru who find many good Harbors and Roads for Shipping belonging to and about these Islands An Appendix CONTAINING Partly a farther prosecution of the Descriptions of some Provinces already treated of in the foregoing Book partly an Account of some other Discoveries than what have hitherto been deliver'd in any Description of the NEW WORLD CHAP. I. Rio de la Plata THe River De la Plata by the Natives call'd Paranaguazu is next to the River of the Amaszones the greatest in the World and falls into the Northern Ocean between the Capes Antonio and Maria lying thirty Leagues one from another It receives from East and West
divers Rivers as far as the Lake Xarays lying three hundred Leagues up in the Countrey from the Mouth of La Plata Also into the foremention'd Lake fall several Streams which spring out of the Peruvian Mountains Andes The first that Sail'd into this great River Anno 1515. to an Island lying in the middle of it was John Dias de Solis who rashly going ashore was kill'd and eaten together with several Portugueses Sebastian Gabottus his Expedition Eleven years after this Accident Sebastian Gabottus set Sail from Spain to go to the Spicy Islands through the Straights of Magellan but was forc'd for want of Provisions and the unwillingness of his Seamen to put into the River La Plata in which being advanc'd thirty Leagues he Anchor'd near an Island which he call'd St. Gabriel from whence going seven farther he discover'd a Stream which fell into La Plata This River he call'd St. Salvador and cast up a Fort at the Mouth of it where an Inlet afforded a convenient Harbor for Shipping he found the River La Plata to be generally ten Leagues broad and full of Isles and to the Westward of it the River Zaracaranna inhabited on the South side by a subtil People call'd Diagnitas At the place where Zaracaranna disembogues into La Plata he built a Castle and calling the same Castello di Santo Spirito went up farther leaving on the West side the People Tenbues Mequaretas Mepenes and Aigais to the Eastward the Quiloacas and Santana and struck up out of the River La Plata North-East into the Stream Parana in which he had gone two hundred Leagues and pass'd by many Isles when he went out of the same into the Stream Paraguay where being set upon by the Countrey People who were busie in Tilling the Ground he lost so many of his Men that he was forc'd without any farther Exploit to return with the Portuguese Pilot Diego Garcia who Sailing up the same River had met with Gabottus in Paria and because both had gotten some Silver they call'd the River from that Metal De la Plata The farther Discovery whereof lay neglected nine years after when Peter Mendoza Sailing with eleven Ships carrying eight hundred Men to the Island Gabriel built the Fort Buenos Ayres on the South side of it where many People dying of Hunger little was done Alvares Cabeca not long after following Mendoza's footsteps discover'd and peopled the Province Rio de la Plata The Mouth of the River La Plata Laurence Bikker describes thus Laurence Bikker 's Description of Rio de la Plata Beyond the Cape Santa Maria saith he lies the flat Island Castilhos having scarce a Tree upon it but on the North side a Rock not unlike a decay'd Castle to the Southward of which appear two other Cliffs directly before the Mouth lies the stonie Island De Lobos on which nothing is to be found but Sea-Wolves towards the East a stonie Bank runs a good way into the River known by the breaking of the Water upon the same The Promontory Maria is low and barren but within the same the Land rises high before the Isles Flores and Maldonado which last hath a good sandy Shore Harbor and fresh Water between the Rocks but Flores rising with two Hills produces nothing but Brambles The Stream Soliâ— also discharges its Waters in La Plata near the Place where the Mountain Seredo lies The left Shore of La Plata begins at the Promontory Antonio and is cut through by the Rivers Ortis and Los Sanctos where the Town Buenos Ayres is built on a smooth Shore Martin del Barco's Description of the same Martin del Barco proceeding in the Description of La Plata saith that it is dangerous by reason of the many Shelves that are in the same The Isles in the River are as followeth those that bear the Name of St. Gabriel are five in number Garcia Isle is full of Trees and for its fertility was peopled by Peter de Mendoza and afterwards by Juan Ortiz Carate But less fruitful are the Isles De Lazaro where the River Vrayg unites with La Plata being before fill'd with the Waters of Salvador which receives the black Stream Negro which gliding slowly from Morasses is very full of Fish Moreover La Plata hath eleven Arms each very deep and full of Isles inhabited by the Guaranins About a hundred Leagues farther the Cherandies have setled themselves on pleasant Isles lying not far from the City St. Fe built on the Point which makes the River Bermeio where it falls into La Plata Farther up lies the Province Ana partly well inhabited for its fertility and partly overflow'd Next appears the Rock Pennapobre and not far from the Town Guayra La Plata falls very high from the Rocks The several People of this Countrey But as concerning the Natives of this Countrey it is inhabited by divers sorts of People differing from one another both in Customs and Language On the South side of the fore-mention'd River from the Promontory Antonio to Buenos Ayres dwell the Quirandies a stout but cruel People who with the Flesh of many a Spaniard oftentimes keep a merry Feast Farther into the Countrey run the Juries and Diagnitas Along La Plata lie also scatter'd the Tenbues a civil People who live by Fishing Near the River Paraguay the Ameguaes observe the same manner of Life But the Carioes keep Cattel and Till their Lands A hundred Leagues farther dwell the Payaguaes and yet farther into the Countrey the Chames and Carcares possess much Gold and Silver with which Juan d' Ayola having enrich'd himself here was destroy'd with all his Men by the Chames Anno 1541. Nunnez Cabeca his Journey Alvarez Nunnez Cabeca came from Spain to be Governor here but was not able by reason or contrary Winds and Tydes to reach La Plata wherefore Landing at the River Itabucu and spending nine days in cutting a Way through thick Brambles he came to the Jurisdiction of Armiriri and a days Journey farther to Cipoyay and not long after to Tocanguazu where the Guaranies who are the Natives have two Harvests every year of Maiz and Cassavi and breed and keep Geese Hens and Parrots in their Houses They are Man-eaters and very revengeful Cabeca having given this Countrey the Name of Vera he proceeded on his Journey over the Rivers Ignazu Tibagi and Taquari on whose Shore appears the Village Abangobi and somewhat farther Tocanguzir The Countrey hereabouts is very fruitful and hath many delightful Plains pleasant Rivers and Woods but beyond appear Hills Mountains deep Morasses dangerous Cane-Fields Receptacles for wild Beasts and great Wildernesses Cabeca having pass'd through them all came into the fruitful Countrey of the Guaranies who are a wild People and possess many large Fields of Maiz and Potato's also several Silver Mines From hence travelling Westwardly over the River Piqueri he spent eighteen days before he came to the Stream
Ignazu which falls into the Parana and at last came to the River Paraguay along whose Shore he found a People of a gigantick Stature call'd The Agazes who regarded no manner of Husbandry but went out continually a robbing in their Canoos These People as Martin del Barco relates were not long after all destroy'd by the Spaniards Not far from the Agazes dwell the Guaycurues a valiant People and somewhat farther the Cacoves whose Countrey produces Gold and Silver and yet farther in the Countrey reside the Guaxarapos who remove yearly to the Paraguay to Fish there when the Water is low for in the beginning of January the River swells so exceedingly that the Countrey about it being overflow'd is cover'd with above six Fathom Water The Paraguay discharges its Waters into the great Lake Xarayes full of Islands Amongst other Rivers that spring out of the Mountains Andes the Ignazu along whose Shore the People Xacoaes Xaquesses and Chanesses dwell falls also into the foremention'd Lake Somewhat farther lies a great piece of drown'd Land beyond which the Xarayes have convenient Habitations plant Maiz and spin Cotton Their Countrey borders a great Wilderness which ends about the Province Tapuaguazu the Inhabitants whereof call'd Tarapecocies are furnish'd with plenty of all sorts of Provisions The Payzunoes dwelling on one side of them are not well known as yet Beyond the Town Assumption dwell the Mayaes in the Way to Peru and border at he Tamacoaes both which possess Silver-Mines Between Buenos Ayres and Corduba lies the Plain-Countrey Despoplado ninety Leagues long without Trees or Houses but is most Pasture-Ground which feed many thousands of wild Horses From hence glide the Streams Luchan Los Arrechivos Arreca Zaracaranna and others into La Plata It is very dangerous for a small Company to travel through this Countrey because the ranging Juries spare none alive they meet with Moreover the River Grande flows with a wide Mouth into the Sea and spreads it self within against the Countrey Patos Also the Rivers Tamandabug Ararungo and the Lake Alagoa disembogue into the Ocean North-East beyond Alagoa lie the Islands Catharina and Gale and in the Bay Tojuqua appear several Isles The Streams Tajahu and Ytabuca spring out of high Mountains inhabited by the People Anniriri and Cipopoy Lastly the Countrey wash'd by the Stream Ararapira produces all sorts of Provisions CHAP. II. Chili THere are in this Countrey both tame and wild Sheep The Cammel-Sheep the tame ones are call'd Cammel-Sheep being cover'd with long fine Wool having Necks four Foot long their fore Feet cloven into four parts their hindermost into two their Mouths very wide which they open at those that vex them and make such a stink that no body is able to abide near them when tir'd they fall under their Burdens and will not rise though beaten never so much Their Flesh is tough like that of Horses The wild Mountain-Sheep are red and have soft glossy Wool which makes a Stuff like that of a Chamlet These Sheep run swifter than a Horse the Chileses lead them by a Rope put through their Ears The Grain Teca This Countrey of Chili not onely produces Wheat Barley Maiz and all manner of Fruit but also the Teca which growing half a Yard high is not unlike Barley the Grain thereof being dry'd in the Sun is thresh'd and parch'd in hot Sand then ground on a square flat Stone with a round Rowler This Meal which is both exceeding wholsom and very nourishing for a small Measure thereof sufficeth a Man a whole Week serves also both for Meat and Drink for being infus'd in a greater quantity of Water it becomes a pleasant Drink and kneaded with a lesser proportion it is made into Cakes or Loaves The Fruit Vnni The Fruit Unni by the Spaniards call'd Murtilla is like a little red Grape and hath a tart taste The Wine press'd out of this Fruit is clear to the Eye pleasing to the Palate and good for the Stomach never causing any Head-ache It also makes good Vinegar But the chiefest Benefit of Chili is the rich Gold-Mines The Countrey for the most part lies desolate occasion'd by the continual Wars which the valiant People Arauco maintain'd against the Spaniards after such a manner that in no place of America they met with such resistance or sustain'd such Losses They speak an elegant Language according to the testimony of Elias Herkmans who having committed to Wirting all the most significant Words thereof which were taught him by the Chileses it will not be altogether amiss to set down some of them which are these following A View of the Chilesian Language TEpanto A Year Tien A Moneth or the Moon Toninco A Week Ante The Day or Sun Paun The Night Tabuyo The Evening Eppoun The Morning Rangiante Noon Eppoe The next Day after to Morrow Vya Yesterday Putey The Day before Yesterday Buchiante To Day Mintay Now. Weytiva At that time Wantarulei In the Morning betimes Biliante Always Chumel When. Chemchuem Also Hueno The Heavens Quereb The Air or Wind. Tomo The Clouds Wangelen The Stars Pillan Thunder Gualio Lightning Puta que quereb A Storm Maoni Rain Piren Snow Veaquumao Dew Pillingei Ice Quetal Fire Ko Water Tue The Earth Mappo The Land Pele Clay Cura Stone Maviel Wood. Aluven Timber Millia Gold Lien Silver Paila Brass Titi Tin Pavillue Iron Quatal-cura A Pebble-stone Chadi Salt Lyl A Rock Milla-mappen A Golden Vein Aliquen A Tree Cahu Herbs Nebo Nuts Pino Grass Cayron Hay Wento A Man Domo A Wife Quiduugen A Youth Yecho A Maiden Penien A Boy Domo-penien A Girl Chou A Father Nenque A Mother Cheche A Grandfather Domo-cheche A Grandmother Wenco Mothers Brother Mama Mothers Sister Pelchuchan A Stepfather Caulla A Stepmother Botum A Son Neaque A Daughter Penu A Brother Lamoen A Sister Guempo A Father-in-law Vilca A Mother-in-law Choupa A Son-in-law Weuro-pencho A Kinsman Buytha An old Man Cude An old Woman Cunewa An Hospital Child Peneinboe A Guardian Apo-curaca A Governor Curaca A Lord. Apo A supream Commander Nentoque A Ruler Ulmen A Person of Quality Pulmen A Gentleman Machi A Chirurgeon Cona A Soldier Retave-caman A Smith Guito-wok A Weaver Challo-acaman A Fisher-man Nilla-caboe A Merchant Turnitave A Dyer Chumpiro-caman A Cap-maker Tultunca-caman A Drummer Inchetaniweni A Servant Voerquin A Messenger Langamcheboe A Murderer Chiquiboe A Thief Illuiboe A Beggar Alvee The Devil Ruca A House Ullin A Door Chaquana A pair of Stairs Pylca A Wall Wana-ruca The Roof Pithe-ruca A Hut Colcura A Cupboard Cawyto A Bedstead Depotuarica A Prison Weltelve A Gibbet Pengal A Grave Lonquen The Sea Leva The River Buta-wampo A Ship Aliwen A Mast Mou Ropes Dolio A Canoo Wampo A Boat Vela Sails Wyta An Oar. Tubquen Ashes Cuju A dead Coal Ale The Flame Aypel A burning Coal Wietum Smoak Catila a Candle Wyno A Knife Witi A Spoon Guidi A Pot. Lepoboruwe A Tooth-picker Pavilla-lonco An Helmet Waiqui A Pike
long Life in this World the greatest Good wherefore when any one dies the Friends and Relations make a doleful Cry and suffer the dead Body to lie three nay four Moneths before they bury them stuffing them full of strong smelling Herbs to keep them from putrifying Three days before their Interrment the nearest Allies meet kill a Sheep make Merry and throw the Body into a Hole near the Hut in which the Deceased dwelt putting also a piece of the slain Sheep and a Jug full of the Liquor Chica into the Grave Concerning their Idol Pillan to whom with strange Gestures they Sing divers Songs they believe that he is a Spirit of the Air and Governs all things on Earth Some suppose him to be Thunder and therefore they worship him in a most particular manner when they hear it Thunder for then they stick an Arrow and Stone Ax into the Ground and take Arms into their Hands putting themselves into a posture as if they should suddenly be set upon by a mighty Enemy and look'd upon it heretofore as a fore-running of the Spaniards approach whose Cruelties they exceedingly dreaded They call all their Hero's Pillans and ascribe Divine powers to them They take very much strong Tobacco the Smoak whereof puffing in the Air with strange Gestures they cry Receive this O Pillan Their cruel usage of Prisoners When they return home Conquerors from any Victory they put a Stone Ax into the Ground and standing Arm'd round about the same Drink exceedingly and sing a Song in honor of Pillan They use their Prisoners very cruelly for forcing them to Dance and make Merry amongst them they on a sudden cleave their Heads with an Ax pull their Hearts out of their Bodies and bite the same with their Teeth After the same manner they punish their Robbers and Traitors but those that have good store of Chica to Present the Governors with escape the Execution Yet this cannot buy off Sorcerers or Witches who are without mercy burnt alive with all they enjoy'd They have no Priests nor any that pretend to any religious Function onely those that can Sing the Pawary well are in great esteem amongst them Their second Deity Maruapeante they say informs them in a Dream when they must Marry but he doth not do them this kindness before they have made themselves Drunk and sung Sonnets to his praise This Countrey is Govern'd by prime Persons call'd Ulmen or peculiar Lords call'd Curacen The Ulmens and Curacens Command twenty five sometimes fifty a hundred Families Their Power consists in calling all the People together and consulting with them about State-Affairs which they dare not do with any particular Person nor Levy any Tax without extraordinary occasion They are bound to march in the Front of their Subjects against an Enemy and are under a Governor-General call'd Apocurace or under a Nentoque Other lesser Offices are dispos'd of by the Curaces or Pulmes but their Netonques are chosen after this manner viz. The manner of chusing the Nentoque When that honorable Place is vacant then whoever aims at it computes with himself whether his Means will extend so far as to treat the Curaces and Pulmenes with a noble Treat which if he is able to do then he sends for them to an appointed place whither they all go Arm'd and whilest they are eating and drinking he that desires the Place begins to tell them of his noble Extract valiant Exploits Riches and eminent Relations and therefore desires the Place of the deceased Nentoque then the Curace rising the intended Nentoque hangs a Chain of Turkoises or Cockle-shells about his Neck whereupon the Curace moves the rest to the Election without any Articles the new Nentoque onely promising to Govern all things for the best advantage and benefit of the common State which done the Curace takes the Chain of Turkoises and distributes them amongst the primest Persons of Quality and so they end the Day in Drinking Dancing and Singing After the same manner they chuse an Apocurace or prime Governor which of late the Uca's that they may enjoy the more Priviledge themselves have not elected The Chileses Arms consist of Lances as long again as the Europeans Their Arms. made sharp at the Points They also use Clubs plated with Iron and Spanish Swords The Pulches who dwell behind the high Mountains Cordilbra use poyson'd Arrows make Helmets and Breastplates of Ox-hides which neither Sword nor Arrow can enter they all know how to manage a Horse and the use of a Lance but are very much afraid of Musquets or Fire-locks Because they can neither write nor read the Governor by a faithful Messenger sends to his inferior Officers such Commands as he judges may tend to the most advantage of the Publick both in Peace and War This Messenger carries an Arrow with a Ribbon as a Sign of his Employment the Arrow is held in the Right-hand and if he who receives it will answer the Message then he sends back the same Arrow with another but if he judges it convenient to acquaint any other Curaces and Pulmenes with the same Message then he sends one of his own Servants to them with the same Arrow A particular Account of Chili As touching the Climate and Production of Chili this Account is given by an Eye-witness The Winter Season saith he is so tempestuous that sometimes the Trees are not onely blown up by the Roots but the Earth it self is rent asunder some Valleys being fill'd with Snow swell the Rivers exceedingly when it melts which overflowing part of the Countrey makes the same very fruitful It is also extream cold here because such sharp Winds blow from the Mountains that they pierce through the Skin and Flesh of a Man and indeed these Winds would make the whole Countrey desolate were not the Mountains overgrown with great Oaken Trees against which the Wind breaks Moreover the Valleys produce Coals which serve the Inhabitants for Fewel The Winter bereaves the Trees of Leaves but not those which grow in the Wildernesses In March the Fields are full of innumerable sorts of sweet-smelling Flowers out of some whereof are boyl'd the Angel-Water so call'd for its smell and wholsom taste The Grass grows in November and December as high as our standing Corn. Turnips Mint Clover and Mustard-seed grow naturally for several Leagues together Likewise excellent Physical Herbs grow here whose power and operation their Doctors call'd Maci keep from the Spaniards These Maci are in great esteem not onely amongst the Chileses but also the Spaniards for their great skill in Physick Amongst these Herbs the chiefest is call'd Quincia-mali which grows but half a hands-breadth above the Ground and spreads into several Stalks like a Nosegay and on each Stalk is a Saffron-colour'd Flower This Herb pull'd up with the Root and boyl'd and the Decoction given to any one that is bruis'd within works most wonderfully for it draws out the putrifi'd Blood
though sunk never so deep in the Wound Moreover the Juice of Culen is also very healing if us'd for an Ointment or pour'd on any Wound This Herb by the Spaniards call'd Albaciga hath sweet-smelling Leaves and a tall Body In some places also grows an Herb not unlike Grass which boyl'd in Water immediately cures the Feaver and Spleen and cleanses the Blood There are likewise Medicines here which dissolving the Stone in the Bladder or Kidneys cause it to be urin'd forth The Plant Luce which grows out of rented Rocks which are often overflow'd by the Sea makes a sort of well tasted Bread The Wilderness Atacama which makes a Boundary betwixt Peru and Chili extends Northward ninety Leagues is dry and barren in Summer and in the Winter exceeding cold and cover'd with Snow No Provision is to be found upon it except a few wild Sheep call'd Guanacos About the middle thereof the Brook La Sal rising in the Eastern Mountains flows Westward through a deep Valley to the Southern Ocean Troublesom Passage from Peru to Chili The Water of the fore-mention'd Brook put into any Vessel immediately turns to Salt and all along the Shore lie greater or lesser pieces of Salt so that the Way from Peru to Chili through Atacama is very troublesom but that which leads thither over the snowy Mountains Andes is much worse because it is farther about and threatens the Traveller with Destruction if he observe not the right Season of the Year for in the Winter there blows such a cold Wind on these Mountains that a Man being suddenly benumm'd falls down dead on the Ground and grows stiff against all putrefaction Joseph de Acosta tells us that Bodies have been found there as firm and sound as if they had been living which had some years before breath'd their last on the said Mountains But Diego Almagro who first discover'd Chili Anno 1536. went thither with two Companies of Horse and five hundred Foot through the Countreys Charcas Chicas Xuxayes and Chaquana and having pass'd over a craggy Soil and the snowy Mountains Andes he entred into the first Chilean Valley Capayapo having lost no small number of Men and Horses with Hardship and Cold the inconvenience therefore of both the fore-mention'd Ways between Peru and Chili forc'd Travellers to go along the Shore wash'd by the Southern Ocean The Valley Copayapo Copayapo bears that Denomination from the Turkoises which a Mountain produces there in great abundance The Valley it self is the fruitfullest of all Chili for in no place the Maiz grows better and in greater abundance than here the Ears being half a Yard long and the Stalks the length of a Lance each Grain that is Sow'n yields at least three hundred in Harvest All Spanish Fruits grow better here than in Spain Through the midst of Copayapo runs a River of the same Denomination and twenty Leagues in length from the Andes and at its Mouth hath a convenient Harbor before the South Sea The South part of Copayapa borders the Valley Guasco which is less fruitful than the first but hath a convenient Haven into which falls a fresh River penn'd in by Sluces for the watering of the Cane-Fields Moreover there are plenty of Partridges also wild Sheep and grey Squirrel-skins are of a great value To the Southward flow also the Rivers Maypo Chacha Pool Loro and Moule Beyond these Streams Eastward the Promonca's dwell near the Mountains Andes In the Valley Chili which gives Denomination to the whole Countrey were formerly the famous Gold-Mines Quillatas from whence Valdivia Anno 1544 carry'd an invaluable Treasure The South Sea makes here a large and convenient Harbor for all manner of Vessels built two Leagues below the City Serena at a little River which so moistens the low Countrey that it produces all manner of Plants It rains here not above three times ayear From the Entertainment which Sir Francis Drake met withal here may sufficiently be conjectur'd the Power of Serena for when the English Landed here for Water they were driven away not without great loss by three hundred Castilian Horse and two hundred Foot that Sally'd out of the City The Mines though they inclose much Gold yet they produce but little because the Spaniards according to the testimony of a Chilean Pilot whom Oliver van Noort took Prisoner destroy'd all the ancient Inhabitants that should have help'd them to dig the Gold The City St. Jago lying near the Stream Topocalma receives great benefit by the Haven Valparayso which makes the fore-mention'd River because in that Haven all Goods that come from Lima are unladen and the Goods shipp'd aboard The Countrey about the same produces plenty of Wines Apples Corn and all sorts of Cattel and especially Horses in such abundance that thousands of them run wild In Valparayso Sir Francis Drake took a Ship from Valdivia laden with two thousand five hundred Bars of fine Gold But the Netherland Admiral Joris Spilbergen had not such good success who Sailing thither with five Ships Anno 1615. discover'd a Spanish Ship in the Harbor where sending his Boats well Mann'd to fetch off a Vessel that lay hal'd on the Shore they found it burning and thereupon Steer'd their Course into a little Inlet full of Rocks which serv'd the Spaniards in stead of Breast-works for lying behind them they fir'd continually on the Hollanders yet Spilbergen Landing with two hundred Men met a considerable number of Spanish Soldiers and Horses drawn out on the Shore from whom they soon fled Before the City La Conception lies the Island Quiriquyna whose Straw Huts Spilbergen laid in Ashes At the time when Oliver van Noort came to an Anchor here the Governor Franciscus de Quinones Commanded seven hundred Spanish Soldiers to reduce the revolted Chileses Four Leagues from Conception lie the rich Gold-Mines Quilacoya which formerly produc'd great Riches Over against the Valley Arauco which rises out of the Sea lies the Island Maria in a large Inlet made by the force of the Waves Here grows abundance of Wheat and Barley The Rivers also afford plenty of Fish amongst which there is one call'd The Lake-Spider in whose Eyes are to be seen little Specks which would exceed Pearl if they were but hard enough Two Spaniards Command forty Natives on Maria and keep them in such slavery that they may neither eat Apples Pears Grapes Poultrey or Sheep though they are there in great abundance Elias Herkmans was once in probability to have taken possession of this Island for the Netherland State had he not been prevented by an extraordinary occasion Between the Towns Conception and Imperial lie the Provinces Arauco Tucapel and Puren inhabited by a valiant People that often alarm the Spaniards In each Province Valdivia built a Fort in the Year 1551. eight Leagues distant from one another He also discover'd the rich Gold-Mines De Ongol and built the Fort Confines there The Natives hereabouts being exceedingly opprest by the Spaniards fell
upon the Fort in Puren where those in the Garrison unable to defend themselves went to Tucapel Valdivia taken Prisoner and cruelly put to death by the Indians and from thence to Arauco to Settle there Valdivia marching with three hundred Men to the Castle in Tucapel was so fiercely assaulted at the River Leto that all his Men were kill'd and he himself being taken Prisoner had melted Gold pour'd down his Throat One Boy onely escaping brought the news to those in Garrison in the Fort Arauco who fled to La Conception as those from Puren to Imperial Not long after the Lieutenant Francisco de Villagra went with a hundred and sixty Soldiers to Raquetta a Promontory against the South Sea in Arauco to take Revenge for the Death of his General Valdivia but he also had like to have follow'd the same fate for he left ninety six Men behind him and with much ado recover'd La Conception By which means the victorious Chileses came to be so much fear'd that the Spaniards forsook the Towns Rica St. Jago and Confines and fortifi'd themselves strongly in Imperial Description of Arauco Concerning Arauco it is a small County twenty Leagues long and seven broad The Inhabitants thereof are strangely valiant those that inhabit the Mountains are call'd Pulches and are generally of a duller Spirit than those that dwell in the Valleys all of them use long Pikes Halberds Bowes and Arrows Helmets and Breastplates of Deer-skins in the Wars they know when to close and open their Ranks and stand in good order according to Martial Discipline which makes the Spanish King receive little benefit from Arauco though it is full of rich Mines because those in Garrison being five hundred in number dare not come out of their Fort. To Arauco belongs the Island La Mocha low on the North side and rocky on the South against which the Ocean breaks its Billows in the middle of it rises a split Mountain out of whose Gap flows a fresh Brook the fruitful Soyl produces abundance of Pumpeons Maiz Potato's and all manner of delicious Fruit as also Oxen Sheep and other Cattel which go grazing up and down in great Herds the Village that is upon it boasts about fifty Huts built long of Straw with a Door in the middle and round like an Arch on the top Sir Francis Drake and Candish were formerly somewhat roughly Entertain'd here by the Inhabitants but they shew'd themselves somewhat more civil to the Dutch Admirals Van Noort's and Spilbergen's Entertainment in Mocha Oliver van Noort and Joris Spilbergen The first coming to an Anchor here Anno 1600. put one John Claeszoon Condemn'd for some great Crime to be Landed on some strange Place ashore on La Mocha with a few Trifles for which being kindly Entertain'd the Seamen resolv'd to go ashore the next day who were likewise civilly Treated The Governor of Mocha coming aboard Lodg'd a Night in the Ship and afterwards conducted the Admiral through the Village but forbad the Seamen from entring any of the Huts out of which the Women upon the hearing of a sudden noise came running out and kneel'd down on the Ground in three Parties whilest an old Matron came forth with a Pitcher full of Chica and gave each of the Netherlanders a Cup full to drink sitting on Blocks in the Fields A Man Marries as many Wives here as he can maintain They all live peaceably one with another and go Cloth'd with a pair of Breeches and Frock without Sleeves The Women tie their Hair in Braids about their Heads but the Men let it hang down carelesly Fifteen years after Spilbergen Landing here with four well Mann'd Boats found the Shore full of People who had brought all manner of Provisions to barter against Axes and Knives The Islanders going aboard wondred to see the Soldiers drawn out in order and much more when a Gun was fir'd They furnish'd the Hollanders with a hundred Sheep amongst which was one with an extraordinary long Neck and Legs Hair Mouth and Back like a Cammel The Netherland Admiral Hendrick Brewer coming to an Anchor on the Coast of Guadalanquen Anno 1643. was inform'd by the Chileses that about four years before they had burnt Baldivia murder'd the Spaniards that were in Garrison and pour'd melted Gold down the Governor's Throat and into his Ears and made a Drinking-Cup of his Scull and Trumpets of his Shin-bones Brewer also found some Ruines of the City which formerly boasted four hundred and fifty Houses and was not yet so utterly defac'd but that the two Markets and cross Streets were plainly to be seen and the Walls gave sufficient testimony of its ancient lustre The Countrey round about produces Wheat and Barley neither are there any Mines to be found that produce finer Gold than those which are hereabouts In the Mouth of the River which runs to Baldivia lies a small Isle the Men whereof are gross and fat and spend their time in Drinking and Dancing whilest the Women do all the Work About the City Osorno though lying under a cold Climate is a Soil full of Gold-Mines where above two thousand Chileses are under the subjection of the Spaniards Since Teunis Swarte-Teun conquer'd and ruin'd this Place with small Forces under Spilbergen's Command it hath not yet repair'd its Losses The Ruines of great Buildings are sufficient testimonies of its former splendor On the utmost Point of the Island on which Osorno is built lies the Village Carel-Mappo burnt by H. Brewer An. 1643. for he Landing sixty six Men here under the Command of the Ensign Blauewenhaen they Engag'd with ninety Spaniards who betook themselves to the Woods leaving six Men and fifteen Horses behind them Description of the Sea-Coast of Chile The Sea-Coast of Chile lies as followeth It begins on the North with the Valley Copayapo runs Southerly to the Haven Coquimba and makes the large Inlet Atongayo the convenient Harbor Quintero at the Mouth of the River Concagua is also to the Southward Next Quintero follow the Havens Valparaysa Topocalma and Penco known by several Mountains cover'd with Snow The Stream Labapi disembogues also in the Bay Arauco where the Sea washing over the Shore makes good Salt On the Shore of the River Lebo Garcias Mendoza built the Town Canete which not long after was deserted by reason of the Wars with the Chileses From the Haven Carnero a Channel runs to the City Confines also the River Cauten makes a convenient Harbor before the City Imperial Next appear the Streams Tolten Queule Valdivia Chabin and Bueno and near the Promontory Gallego Chili ends to the South The Province Tucuman Eastward up into the Countrey lies the great Province Tucuman inhabited by three sorts of People viz. Juries Diagnitas and Tucumans from whom the Countrey receives its Denomination and juts Northward against the Chicas belonging to the rich Plate-Countrey Potosi Eastward towards the Province La Plata and Westward towards the South Sea The
Ground about the City St. Jago del Estero formerly call'd Vares being the Bishop's See and Residence of the Governors is brackish and sandy The Citizens are most of them Weavers the Natives go Cloth'd and are of an affable Temper and Disposition The River Estera yearly overflows the Countrey which being dung'd with Mud produces abundance of Maiz Barley Wheat and all manner of Fruits The Stream Salado runs the same Course as the Estera from the West to the East through a Plain-Countrey but hath brackish Water and abundance of Fish Between The Expedition of Garcias Loaysa Alcazova and others Magaglianus was follow'd Anno 1525. by Garcias Loaysa who Sailing into the Straights near the Promontory Virgines endur'd great Colds in the Haven St. George he found store of green Cinamon The People he reported to be of so monstrous a stature that they might well be accounted Giants some of whom went naked others wore a Net of Feathers made fast about their Wastes and others a loose Garment all over their Bodies Loaysa gave this Countrey inhabited by Giants the Denomination of Terra del Patagoni He judg'd the Straights of Magellan to be a hundred and ten Spanish Miles long between the two Promontories Virgines at the North Sea and Deseado at the Southern Ocean Within lie three Inlets which have seven Leagues in breadth Simon Alcazova Sailing hither nine years after Loaysa shunn'd the Land on the left-side of the Straights because it lay most under Water and was forc'd by his Men to return to the Haven Leones where he and all his Seamen were put to death Not long after the Bishop of Placentia fitted out three Sail which entring the Straights Anno 1540. lost their Admiral the Vice-Admiral Wintering at the Inlet Las Zorras so call'd because they took many Foxes on a Champain Countrey without Trees return'd to Spain without any farther success the third Ship with much ado arriv'd also at Arequipa The Voyages of Hawkins Drake and Candish The English Captain Richard Hawkins also Sailing hither found the Land on the South side of the Straights most broken and in some places a few Huts Anno 1578. Sir Francis Drake Sailing hither along the Coast of Brasile Landing on an Island in the Mouth of the Straights kill'd above three thousand Birds Sailing from hence he was miserably toss'd in the South Sea and discover'd about the middle of the Straights that the Current out of the Southern and Northern Ocean met at the place where a great Bay bends Southwardly To three Isles he gave the Name of Elizabeth Bartholomew and George and drove three Weeks without making any Sail in snowy misty and rainy Weather falling amongst dangerous Rocks and at last Anchor'd in the Haven Health which he so call'd because his sick and wearied Men being refresh'd there he set Sail from thence and return'd home Captain Thomas Candish following Sir Francis Drake eight years after found near a Creek within the City Philip-stadt built there by the Spaniards to secure the Passage out of the Northern to the Southern Ocean for themselves to which purpose they held four hundred Men in Garrison in the said City which lying near a pleasant Wood was defended by four Bulwarks each fortifi'd with a Brass Gun But the Spaniards not being able to endure the Cold nor get in their Harvest which was continually spoil'd by the Natives were so pinch'd with Hunger that after three years stay many of them dy'd in their Houses which caus'd a filthy Stink and consequently a vile Distemper not unlike the Small-pox at last twenty three of them amongst whom were two Women judg'd it convenient to bury their great Guns and march away with their Musquets a whole Year they travell'd in great want feeding on the Leaves of Trees wild Roots and Fowls which they now and then kill'd at last they resolv'd to travel by Land to Rio de la Plata but never any news was heard what became of them onely one Spaniard call'd Ferdinand being stray'd from the rest was taken by Candish to whom he gave the foremention'd Relation Candish entring Philip-stadt found a Gibbet on which hung a Malefactor in Chains a Church the Houses full of famish'd Bodies and four Brass Guns which he digg'd out of the Ground From hence he ran to a fresh-water River which disembogues into the Straights whose Banks are inhabited by cruel Cannibals and the Countrey all about plain Pasture Grounds whereas most part of the Shore in the Straights is very mountainous Candish Landing found Spanish Knives and Stilletto's amongst the Man-eaters and lay a whole Moneth at Anchor in the western Mouth of Magellanica by reason of great Storms feeding on Mussles Cockles and Fowl and from thence Sail'd about the World returning home at last with a Booty of twenty Tun of Gold Anno 1599. Simon de Cordes Commanding five Netherland Vessels entring the Straights of Magellan found in the green Bay Mussles of a Span long abundance of Ducks and Geese and a great many Trees not unlike Laurel they being onely bigger and had a sharp biting Shell The Wind blew exceeding hard here over the Rocks insomuch that they were sometimes driven from four Anchors A few Moneths after Oliver van Noord follow'd Cordes and Anchor'd near the Pinguyn Isles the biggest whereof is calll'd Castemme and the least Talke the Inhabitants thereof dwell in Caverns under Ground and feed on the Birds Pinguyns of whose Skins they make Mantles These Birds weigh generally fifteen or sixteen Pound have black Backs white Bellies very thick Skins long Bills like Ravens The Bird Pinguyn short thick Necks two plum'd Fins in stead of Wings black Feet like a Goose and delicate Flesh notwithstanding they feed on Fish after which they swim very swift with the fore-mention'd Fins which hang down on each side along their Bodies when they walk upright on the Shore they sit generally four together in their Holes made after such a manner that a Man which knows not of them may ere he be aware sink up to the Knees in the same and be bitten terribly by the Legs Cordes his Seamen got in two hours time above nine hundred of these Birds whilest he discover'd the salvage People Enoo which inhabit the Countrey Cossi and are divided into the Families Kemenetes Kennekas and Caraike the first inhabited the Territory Carray the second Caramay and the third Morine all of them Paint their Cheeks and Forehead Farther into the Countrey dwell the Trimenes a gigantick sort of People eleven Foot high who maintain continual Wars with their Neighbors Great Discoveries of Netherlanders about the Magellan Straights Moreover Noord discover'd several Inlets full of Ice and fresh Water in the Straights of Magellan whither the United Netherlands have since sent the Admirals William Schouten Joris Spilbergen and Jaques le Heremite The common opinion that the Countrey on the South side of Magellan is of the Main Continent Experience hath manifested for
Sugar-Canes and other Fruits on Shore From hence Tasman Sail'd Northerly between many Isles and a Channel that separates New Guinee from Gilolo by Cerani Manipe Bolao and Burro to a narrow Opening where Pangesane being on his Larboard rose with exceeding high Rocks as Botton on the Starboard These Rocks are most of them overgrown with Trees and Brambles In the middle of this Channel also lies a Rock for its shape call'd A Galley by which Tasman Sailing bent his Course homeward and at last on the fifteenth of June Anno 1643. cast Anchor before Batavia CHAP. V. Terra Borealis or The Artick Region HAving spoken something of the Terra Australis Incognita or Unkown South-Land there remains something to be said of the opposite part namely the Terra Borealis or the Artick Region which is call'd Incognita in like manner as the Terra Australis in regard though very much as well of the one as of the other hath been search'd into and in part discover'd by several Voyagers yet doubtless there is a very vast Tract of Land in the Artick Region especially if it be not rather Sea which is altogether unknown and those parts which have been discover'd as Groenland Iseland Nova Zembla Spilbergen Hudson's Straights and Bay c. so imperfectly known that they may well deserve the Title of Unknown The several parts of this Artick Region are 1. Terra Subpolaris Incognita or that part which lies directly under the Pole and is otherwise call'd Orbis Arcticus 2. Groenland 3. Spilbergen or Nieuland 5. Iseland 6. Nova Zembla A Description of Terra Subpolaris The Terra Subpolaris is describ'd by a certain Seaman of Bosleduc to be a great black Rock about thirty five Leagues in compass and of an extraordinary heighth through the Land adjoyning to which the Sea violently breaking makes four great and violent Euripi or Whirlpools whose Waters driving Northward with so forcible a Stream that no Ship though carry'd by nexer so strong a Gale is able to stem the Current are at last swallow'd up in the Earth It is also reported that between two of these Euripi namely that made by the Scythick Ocean and that on the back side of Groenland there lieth an Island Northward of Lappia and Biarmia inhabited by Pygmies Much more to this purpose is related of the Subpolar Region but since it is very improbable that any one could come so near as to make any discovery thereof to say more of this Matter would be but to insist upon things savoring more of Fables than Reality Bounds and Situation of Groenland Groenland is that part of Terra Septentrionalis which winds about from South to East and decline Northward from Cape Faruel in the Deucaledonian Sea however Groenland hath been generally taken for an Island yet many late Navigators think it joyns with the Continent of Tartary and others leave it in doubt whether it be Island or Continent It is bounded towards the East with the Deucaledonian Ocean towards the West with Hudson's Straights and Bay which separate it from America towards the North its Bounds are altogether unknown and is not without reason suppos'd to be the utmost part of the World towards the North Pole There are who believe it to be one Continent with America and that upon this ground because several who have attempted to pass through the Straight commonly call'd The Straight of Davis into the East-Indies affirm that they found it to be a Gulph but one Captain John Monk who was also a great Undertaker in the North-West Passage through this Straight or Gulf of Davis alledges great Probabilities of this Lands being divided by Sea from the Continent of America The Topography of Groenland from the Danish and Iseland Chronicles This Countrey hath anciently been divided into two Regions East-Groenland and West-Groenland answerable to which Division Errick surnam'd The Ruddy the Son of Torvalde is reported by the Danish Chronicle to have built two Forts or Lodges Ostrebug and Westrebug in the Eastern part The first Planters of Christianity built the City Garde which became as the said Chronicle mentions a City of great Repute and Traffick and not long after the Town Albe and towards the Sea-Coast a Monastery dedicated to St. Thomas The City Garde was a Bishop's See to which belong'd a Cathedral Church by the Title of St. Nicholas built in the same City though a certain Iseland Chronicle makes mention of the Church of Strosnes as the chief Metropolitan and Bishop's See of Groenland The Bishop assisted oftentimes in the Assembly of the Estates of Denmark and held of the Bishop of Nidrosia or Drunthen in Norway as the Temporal Estates of Groenland held of the Crown of Norway the Norwegians being the onely known Planters of this Countrey deriving their Original from the aforesaid Errick according to the testimony of Mr. Vormius and also of Angrimus Jonas in his Specimen Islandicum and the Vice-Roy of Norway the Nomophylax as the said Angrimus calls him or Sovereign Judge of the Countrey The Inhabitants of Westreburg or the Western Coast of Groenland are by some call'd Skreglinguers According to the Iseland Chronicle the Towns and Places of chief note are Skageford in the most Eastern part a little farther West the Port of Funchebuder so call'd from a Page of St. Olaus King of Norway who together with several others were cast away upon that place a little higher the Roansen full of white Bears and other wild Beasts In the Western Coast Kindelfiord an Arm of the Sea on the right Shore whereof stands Korsekirk i. e. a Church built cross-ways also the Town Vandalebug and not far off a Monastery dedicated to St. Olaus and St. Augustine the next Place is Rumpesinfiord where there is a religious Convent and divers little Islands in which are Springs of Water warm in the Winter and temperate in the Summer which are accounted Medicinal and of great Vertue in the curing of divers Maladies upon the same Coast lies Etsnatsfiord between which and Rupesinfiord is the Palace Fos and a great Church dedicated to St. Nicholas near the Promontory Clining is another great House call'd Daller and beyond Eynatsfiord a great Island denominated Reynatsen from the abundance of Rein-Deer which breed there In the same Island is a Quarry of the Stone Talguestin not consumable by Fire and yet soft enough to be cut into any form insomuch that Vessels have been made of it containing twelve Tun. More Westerly lies the Island Langen and another Royal House call'd Hellestad then Erricksfford another Arm of the Sea and at the Entrance thereof the Island Herrieven part whereof belongs to the Dome or Cathedral and the other part to the Church of Dunes the principal Church of Groenland next to the Cathedral North-West from Erricksfiord is Midfiord and farther Northward Bondeford near which are several little Isles and Ports Between Ostrebug and Westrebug is a large Desart altogether uninhabited This
both great and small yielding good Harbors and store of Whales and Sea-Horses The Voyages of Jonas Pool and others to Greenland In the Year 1610. Jonas Pool Master of the Amity fell in with this Land in May and continu'd upon the Coast discovering of Harbors and killing of Morses till June following and he is said to have been the first that gave this Countrey the Name of Greenland The next year he set out again accompany'd with Thomas Edge Commander of the Mary Margaret And since many other Voyages have been made as to a Place known and a great Trade driven in catching of Whales not without several Contests with the Dutch and Danes but nothing of late discover'd considerable more than in the first Voyages The Harbors Sounds and Coastings most taken notice of are Fair Foreland Cape Cold Black-Point Horn-Sound Knotty-Point Bell-Sound Lowness Cross-Road Deer-Sound Fowl-Sound Close-Cove Gurnet-Nose Ice-Sound and Green-Haven There are few that have Sail'd to Greenland Cherry-Island but make great mention of Cherry Island so call'd as having been first discover'd at the Charges of Sir Francis Cherry an eminent Merchant by others Bear-Island from the multitude of Bears found there it lies in the Latitude of seventy four Degrees and is noted for store of Fowl Foxes like Dogs and upon the Coasts great store of Whales Sea-Horses and Morses It is also said to be furnish'd with Lead-Mines and Pits of Sea-Coal Situation and first Discovery of Iseland Iseland so call'd from the continual Ice which is upon it is a craggy mountainous Countrey and not onely the Hills but a great part of the Low-land cover'd with perpetual Snow It is of a Form somewhat oblong lying between the fifty fourth and fifty ninth Degree of Northern Latitude having Norway on the East the Orcades and Scotland on the South Grenland on the West and the Hyperborean or frozen Sea on the North. It is by Olaus Magnus suppos'd to be twice as big as Sicily that is to say about a hundred Leagues in length It is the most known and most througly discover'd of all the Countreys of the Artick Region and is said to have been first found out and peopled in the Year of our Lord 900. by certain of the Nobility of East-Frisia in the Countrey of Breme in the time of Alebrand Bishop of that Countrey but whether or no utterly unpeopled till that time is a Question not easie to be determin'd though in all probability so obvious a Place to be found out could not lie so long totally uninhabited Not long after several Colonies of Norwegians Setled themselves some in Hitland some in Ferow others following the Example of these Bremers in Iseland The Countrey is full of Rocks and Stones and as is credibly reported not a cultivated Field or Garden in the whole Island and by consequence no sort of Corn yet the People living without either Bread or Salt are very strong and of a good Complexion Neither is there a Tree to be seen except the Birch which likewise grows but in one place and exceeds not the heighth of a Man by reason of the violence of the Winds yet there is said to be great plenty of Butter the Grass being so fat that the Oxen are not suffer'd to stay long at a time in the Pastures for fear of bursting Till of late there was neither Town nor any thing that could be call'd a Village in the whole Island but stragling Cottages here and there not above three or four together in a place most by the Sea side for the convenience of Fishing they were built pretty deep in the Ground but artificially fram'd of Whales Bones with Seats Benches and other Utensils of the same now sometimes they use Fir to the same purpose which is cast upon the Coast by the force of the Sea from Tartary or elsewhere For want of Vessels they lay their Butter in Heaps in the Corners of their Houses like Mortar In the Winter wanting Fodder they feed their Cattel with Fish Besides these Cattel which are Kine without Horns Horses onely fit for carrying of Burthens and very large Sheep there are store of white Foxes and huge Bears of the same colour and a sort of rough Dogs very well known and frequent amongst us by the Name of Shocks which the Islanders esteem not a little and will part with their Children at a far easier rate They keep neither Hogs nor Poultrey for want of Grain to feed them Many Rivers in Iseland The Rivers belonging to this Island are many and those not unpleasant affording to the Inhabitants plenty of Fish especially Sturgeon Trouts and Salmons and one is especially remarkable for a Bridge made over it which being the onely Bridge of the Countrey is made of the great Bones of a Whale The whole Island is one continu'd Desart without any trodden Path or Road from one end to the other so that all that have occasion to travel to any part thereof by Land make use of the Compass as if they were Voyaging by Sea Strange Fish on the Coast of Iseland The Coast of Iseland hath many strange and monstrous Fish worth observation as first the Orca which though nothing near so big as the Whale yet is able to be the death of it for being of the shape of a Ship turn'd upside-down and having sharp long Fins on its Back it pricks the Belly of the Whale therewith till it kills The next is the Hackfall which is very fat and about twelve Inches long Then the Dog-Fish which lifting up its Head out of the Sea Barks and letting forth its young ones receives them into her Belly again when they have sported a while in the Sea Lastly another Monster of a most frightful shape mention'd by Olaus Magnus but not by any particular Name Strange Fountains In divers parts of the Island are Fountains of scalding Water which as soon as taken from the Fountain begins to cool and when cold hath a sulphury Substance swimming on the top At the West end is a smoaky Fountain very cold and turning all that is cast into it into Stone At the place upon the Sea call'd Turlocks Haven are two Fountains of different quality the one hot the other cold which by Pipes being brought together into one place make a Bath of an excellent temperature and of a medicinal Vertue Not far from Haven Halneford is a Cliff in a Rock of an unknown depth and no Water to be discern'd by those that look down into it but if a Stone be cast in it shall make a noise for half an hour together as if it were striking against a Brazen Vessel and all this while the Water will be rising till it comes up to the brim and then will be so long sinking again as the Stone was falling Mountains of Iseland There are also three Mountains in Iseland not to be left unmention'd the Mountain of the Cross the Moutain Snenelstockel
and the Mountain Hecla the two first are chiefly considerable for their wonderful heighth and for the dreadful noise of Thunder which is heard on the top of them when in the adjacent parts below the Air is calm and clear the third lying in the North of the Island and not very high is one of the most prodigious Vulcans in the World for the casting forth of Flames black Ashes and Pumice-Stones insomuch that there is no possibility of Habitation within six Miles of it round about and it is a receiv'd Opinion of the Inhabitants that it is the place of Torment for the Souls of the Damned from whence there hath risen such a company of strange Stories and Fables that it would make up a Volume of it self to relate them The occasion of the great Eruption of this Mountain is not without much reason imputed to the inflammation of the Sulphur of which there are several Mines or Pits in the Countrey though none of any sort of Metal First planting of Christian Religion here Waldemarus King of Denmark and Norway being consequently Master of this amongst the other Norwegian Colonies Planted the Christian Religion in this Island in the Year of Christ 1398. and Ordain'd two Bishops one in Schalholden in the East part another in Hollen in the West and after the Reformation was begun Christianus King of Denmark took care to propagate the Reformed Doctrine there as well as in other parts of his Dominions and to that end sent over a PRINTER thither that the BIBLE together with the Works of Philip Melancthon and Urbanus Regius might be publish'd in the Vulgar Tongue of the Countrey But these Proceedings were mainly oppos'd by the Bishop of Schalholden who animating the People to Rebellion they slew the King's Lieutenant Whereupon the next Year Paul Holfelt a Knight of the Danish Order being sent over with an Army overthrew the Rebels and taking off the chief Heads of the Rebellion committed the Charge of the Government to another Nobleman of Denmark whom he left upon the Place But one Tadde Bonde a great Man of the Countrey meditating a Revolt drew divers Persons of principal note into Conspiracy with him and was advancing to a formidable Power had not the Bishop given continual Intelligence of their Proceedings to the King's Lieutenant who thereupon employ'd Agents to the chief Accomplices of the Faction and what with fair Means and threatnings so wrought with them that they return'd to their Obedience and forsook Todde insomuch that he flying with a small Party betook himself to a fastness at the Foot of Heckelveld where being hemm'd in those about him were slain and he himself taken Prisoner and because no Man to whose safe custody he was offer'd durst receive him so much dreaded was his Power one Jonas a bold courageous Fellow slew him with his own Hand and thereby put an end to all farther Tumults and Seditions The People of Iseland addicted to Sorcery and Superstition So much have the People of this Island been ever addicted to Sorcerie and Superstition that notwithstanding the Profession of Christianity and the frequent Preaching against those Sins especially since the Reformation the generality of them are still wedded to many of those old diabolical Customs which were practis'd there in time of Paganism and amongst other things they are said to be serv'd many of them by Spirits which constantly attend them and as Olaus Magnus writes of the Finlanders they are oftentimes dealt with by Strangers to sell them prosperous Winds for Money and doubtless by the help of the Devil perform the same as also on the contrary they are said by their Enchantments to stop the Course of a Ship and make it as it were immovable though in the Stream of never so prosperous a Gale They are a proud haughty People and for the most part endu'd with vast strength of Body their Habit so promiscuous that neither Sex can be distinguish'd by it They are not onely forward to prostitute their Daughters to those Germans that Trade with them at Hafnefords but that Virgin who hath had to do with a German shall be sure to be so much the more esteem'd and Courted Towns and Places of note The onely Towns and Buildings of note here and those erected but of late Ages are 1. Hafnefords a Haven Town chiefly frequented by Dutch Merchants for Traffick with the Natives 2. Bedstede the Residence of the Lord Lieutenant or Governor for the King of Denmark 3. The Bishops See of Halsar having four Monasteries belonging to it viz. Pingore Remestede Modor and Monkeniere 4. The Bishops See of Schalholt to which also doth belong four Monasteries viz. Vedey Pernebar Kirkebar and Schirde Their Place and manner of Judicature The Nobles of Iseland are call'd Bonden their Justiciaries or Judges being twelve in number Lochmaders that is Men of Law or Justice who are said to meet once a year on the twenty ninth of June to administer Justice in a place ordain'd for that purpose in the midst of the Island appearing like some feigned Paradice so pleasant a place it is represented to be at that time of the year being as the Tradition goes from a high burning Mountain like Hecla consum'd to a Plain and so environ'd with Rocks that there was left but a small Passage for one at a time to enter Here the Governor having first given the Charge leaves the Trial of all Matters to the Lochmaders who having diligently heard every Cause argued on both sides withdraw for a while to Consult together and then proceed to Sentence the same Persons being both Jury and Judge but if any Case of difficulty or scruple arise they consult the Governor Angrimus Jonas's Relation of Iseland Angrimus Jonas's Relation of Iseland differing much from what hath been deliver'd by Blefkens is not to be omitted He saith it was first discover'd by one Naddecus a Pyrate who going towards the Farensian Islands was cast by Tempest upon the Shore of East-Iseland near the Mountain Reidarfial and as he departed from the Coast perceiving the tops of the highest Mountains cover'd with a very deep Snow call'd the Island Snaelandia that is Snowy Countrey Gardarus's Voyage to Iseland Upon the fame of Naddocus's Discovery one Gardarus the Son of Suavarus a Swede was desirous to make a Voyage thither and arriving near the Eastern Shore Winter'd in the Bay of Skialfanda or North-Island in the Year of our Lord 864. and call'd the Haven Huscawick from the Houses or Wintering-places built there as the next Haven to it was call'd Nartarawick from Natrare an eminent Mariner in this Expedition Gardarus returning home about the beginning of the Spring call'd the Countrey from his own Name Gardarsholm Flocco's Voyage to the same Place The next that follow'd his Example was one Flocco a famous Pyrate whose Daughter Geirhilda being drown'd upon the Coast of Schetland anciently Hietland gave the Name of Geirhildarwata
Leaves are of a Purple colour The third sort Jetiope being white hath a very good rellish and cures the Ague The Pepper which is here call'd Axi grows in the warmest Valleys and the more by being often water'd there are of it divers kinds differing in colour smell and taste one from the other for one sort is green yellow or red another sort yields a strong musky scent and one sort is sharper another milder the Veins and Kernels thereof are eaten with Salt The Herb Cevadilla cures all manner of Sores This Countrey also breeds an innumerable company of Deer Hogs Goats Beasts Sheep Oxen and Horses and of hurtful Creatures Pismires which do great mischief to the Plants and Locusts which fall in huge swarms on the Corn and cannot be frighted from the same by any means whatsoever The want of Water is also no small prejudice to the Fields The biggest River call'd Guadalajara with many windings runs North-westward into the Southern Ocean and four Leagues from the City of the same falling down from a steep Rock it makes such a horrible noise that it deafens those which approach the same The Lake Mechoacan opens here also with a wide Mouth Two sorts of Hedge-hogs The River before mention'd produces all manner of Fish in great abundance and also a sort of Hedge-hogs call'd Iguana which live both in the Water and on the Land and are of two sorts The first call'd Senembi is four Foot long of a deep green colour with black and white Spots hath a scaly Skin white Spots on each side of the Head a row of sharp Prickles from the Head to the Tail wide Nostrils great black Eyes and little Teeth The second sort call'd Tejaguacu differs from the first in having white Spots on a brown Skin a longer Tail and a red Tongue which is slit Both sorts are reported to fast eight Moneths together and though often terribly wounded and dead to all imagination yet live a great while after and though they swim up and down in Rivers yet they Lay their Eggs in the Sand their Flesh boyl'd is both wholsom and of a good relish The manner of the Spaniards living The Spaniards which inhabit New Gallicia drive a considerable Trade in Merchandizing Husbandry breeding of Cattel and working in the Mines They use Wayns and Carrs drawn by Oxen Mules and Horses to carry their Loads as also Spanish Weights and Measures They are little troubled with any other Mischiefs but what may happen from the treacherous Natives who take all opportunities to run into the Woods that there they may exercise their Pagan Religion in freedom in which having spent some time they gather a considerable number together and oftentimes fall unawares on the Spaniards who use Leather Shields and Helmets and furr'd Cotton Clothes to secure them from the Arrows which the Indians lying in Ambuscades shoot at them out of the Bushes The Nature Habits and Customs of the Natives The Natives though subtile are lazy and will not work unless for great Rewards They wear Cotton Shirts square Cloaks of the same Stuff made fast with two Buttons on their Breasts Drawers and soal'd Shoes Flag-Matts serve them for Beds on which they lie under Cotton Clothes About their Necks Arms and Legs they wear green Stones and Snale Shells for an Ornament Their greatest Recreation is Dancing their Musick being nothing else but the noise or sound of a piece of hollow Wood. Horse-flesh and Bread made of Maiz is by them accounted a great Dainty The Drink Cacao is also highly esteem'd amongst them but much more the Wine that they make of Maquey which is the wonderful Tree that affords many necessary things viz. Syrrup Honey Oyl Vinegar Yarn Needles Water and Wine every Man making it his Business to plant and preserve the same with great care near his House notwithstanding they grow in several places of the Fields they have broad thick Leaves with sharp ends out of which is drawn a Thorn which serves them for a Needle or Pin. These Leaves have a hairy Filament about them which serves in stead of Thred the young Sprout being cut produces a sweet Juice which boyl'd makes good Wine when grown sowre serves for Vinegar but being twice boyl'd becomes a Syrrup and being hung over the Fire a third time a perfect Honey Also the Wood being spungie keeps Fire as well as Match Moreover the Inhabitants when they travel carry Leather Bags with them full of Cacao Maiz and Pepper mix'd together Over each Village in this Countrey the Spaniards have plac'd an Indian Casique Alcalde and Alguazil where all sorts of Provisions are sold at a Set-price The Casiques are succeeded by their Heirs who resent nothing worse than Affronts and take pride in nothing more than their Valour The Moors or Negro's which are brought hither from Guinee do all manner of hard Labour The Guachichiles and Guamares are a valiant People and have each their peculiar Language utterly different from the Mexican Division of Nova Gallicia This Countrey comprehends these inferior Provinces 1. Guadalajara 2. Xalisco 3. Chiametta 4. Couliacan 5. Cino-loa all of them on the Western Shore 6. Zacatecas to which some add Nova Biscaia and Nova Mexico though others treat of them as distinct Countreys apart from the rest SECT II. Guadalajara Bounds of Guadalajara GUadalajara is bounded on the West with Xalisco on the South and South-West with New Spain and on the North with Zacatecas It is a Countrey exceeding pleasant and rich in all kind of Commodities but especially in its Mines of Silver It is well water'd with the River Barania which runneth through the midst of it and with divers other Streams yielding abundantly both Wheat Maiz and some other Grain In a word there is nothing said of the properties of New Gallicia in general either for Soil Climate or People but is peculiarly verifi'd of this Province Towns and Cities The chief Towns are 1. Guadalajara which gives Name to the whole Province It is seated on the Banks of the River Barania in a most delectable and sweet Air and a rich Soil by advantage whereof it is become the Metropolis of New Gallicia honour'd with an Episcopal See which was translated thither from Compostella in the Year 1570. with the Courts of Judicature and the Residence of the King's Treasurers for that Province This City was built on the Plain Molino by Nunnez de Guzman in the Year 1531. The neighboring Mountains afford store of Timber All manner of Spanish Plants grow here likewise in great plenty In the City is a Cathedral several Cloysters inhabited by Augustine and Franciscan Monks The Bishop of this City belongs to the Arch-bishop of Mexico The Air very temperate neither molesting the Inhabitants with too great Cold nor excess of Heat 2. St. Maria de los Lagos a Town thirty Leagues Eastward of Guadalajara being a Fronteer Place and built on purpose to secure the