A.D. 



1539- 



Great appar- 

 ance of gold 

 and silver. 



Ja7mary 



1540. 



Fo?-ty leagues. 



[III. 415.] 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



sayled from morning to night about seven or eight 

 leagues, which wee esteemed no small matter, alwayes 

 praying to God to continue this his favour toward us, 

 and thanking him for his holy Nativitie, and all the 

 dayes of this feast the Frier sayd masse in the Admirall, 

 and the father Frier Raimund preached unto us, which 

 gave us no small comfort, by incouraging us in the ser- 

 vice of God. 



On Saturday at night being the 27 of the said moneth 

 we ankored neere unto a point which seemed to be 

 plaine land all along the shore, and within the countrey 

 were high mountaines with certaine woods, which woods 

 and mountaines ranne overthwart the countrey, and con- 

 tinued along with certaine small hilles sharpe on the 

 toppe, and certaine little vallies are betweene those 

 mountaines. And in truth to me which with dilio^ent 

 eyes beheld the same both in length and in the breadth 

 thereof, it could not chuse but be a good countrey, and 

 to have great matters in it, as well touching the in- 

 habiting thereof by the Indians, as in golde and silver ; 

 for there was great likelihood that there is store thereof. 

 This night we saw a fire farre within the lande towards 

 those mountaines, which made us thinke that the coun- 

 trey was throughly inhabited. The next day being 

 Sunday and Innocents day, the 28 of the said moneth 

 at breake of day we set sayle, and by nine or ten of 

 the clocke had sayled three or foure leagues, where we 

 met with a point which stretched towarde the West, the 

 pleasant situation whereof delighted us much. From the 

 eight and twentieth of December we ranne our course 

 untill Thursday being Newyeares day of the yeere 1 540, 

 and we ran some 40 leagues, passing by certaine inlets 

 and bayes, and certaine high mountains covered with 

 grasse in colour like rosemary : but toward the sea-side 

 very bare and burned, and toward the top were certaine 

 cragges somewhat of a red colour, and beyond these 

 appeared certaine white mountaines, and so all the 

 countrey shewed unto a point which appeared beyond 



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