38 APPENDIX, NO. II. 



pines ; the mountains on the coast of America are lower 

 and their trees are less, but on neither side do they appear 

 to bear fruit. 



In the harbour where our ship anchored, namely, the one 

 mentioned as being at the entrance of the strait on the 

 south side, we remained from the commencement of April 

 to the middle of June ; when a large vessel of eight 

 hundred tons burden came there from the South Sea in 

 order to pass through the strait, wherefore we put our- 

 selves on our guard ; but having come to an understanding 

 with one another, I found them willing to give us some of 

 the merchandise they carried, the greater part of which 

 evidently consisted of articles similar to those manufactured 

 in China, such as brocades, silks, porcelain, feathers, 

 precious stones, pearls, and gold. These people seemed 

 to be Hanseatics who inhabited the Bay of St. Nicholas 

 or the Port of St. Michael. In order to understand each 

 other, we were forced to speak Latin ; those of our party 

 who were acquainted with that language talking with those 

 on board the ship who understood it. They did not seem 

 to be Catholics, but Lutherans ; they said they came from a 

 yery large city little more than one hundred leagues from- 

 the strait, and, though I cannot well remember its name, I 

 think they called it Robi^j or some such name, which they 

 said had a good harbour and a navigable river, and was sub- 

 ject to the great Khan, as it belonged to Tartary, and that 

 in that port they had left another ship belonging to their 

 country. We could not learn more from them, for they 

 acted with great caution and little confidence, being fearful 

 of our party ; wherefore we separated from them, and 

 having left them near the strait in the North Sea, we set 

 sail towards Spain. We had reason to think these people 

 Hanseatics because, as they live in latitude 72°, it is easy 

 ^nd very advantageous to them to navigate this strait. 



Having thus given a full account of the particulars of 

 this voyage, and of the disadvantages which may be the 



