TESTIMONIES OF THE AMAZON 



broad and as much beaten, as the wayes betweene 

 Salamanca and Validolid : and this was when the great 

 entrance or discoverie was made by the great river of 

 the Amazones or Marannon by Pedro de Orsua, and 

 afterwardes by others that succeeded him : and they 

 supposing that Dorado which they sought, was farther 

 up in the countrey, did not inhabite there, and afterward 

 returned without discovering Dorado (which they never 

 found) and without that great province which they left. 



A short description of the river of Marannon 

 or Amazones, and the Countries thereabout, 

 as also of the sea of Fresh-v^ater, taken out of 

 an ancient Discourse of all the Portes, Creekes, 

 and Havens of the West Indies, Written by 

 Martin Fernandez de Enciza, and dedicated 

 to Charles the Emperour, Anno 1518. 



Arannon lyeth in seven degrees and an 

 halfe Northward of the Equinoctial, it 

 is a great river, and hath more then 

 fifteene leagues in bredth eight leagues 

 within the land. It hath many islands, 

 and in this river within the land fortie 

 leagues there is neere to the sayde river 

 a mountaine, whereupon growe trees of Incense, the 

 trees be of a good height, & the boughs thereof be 

 like to Plumtrees, and the Incense doeth hang at them, 

 as the yce doeth at the tiles of a house in the winter 

 season when' it doeth freeze. In this river were taken 

 foure Indians in a smal boat, called in the Indian lan- 

 guage a Canoa, that came downe by the river, and 

 there were taken from them two stones of Emeralds, 

 the one of them being as great as a mans hand. They 

 sayd that so many dayes journey going upward by the 

 river, they found a rocke of that stone. Likewise 

 there were taken from them two loaves made of floure, 

 which were like to cakes of Sope, and it seemed that 



19 



A.D. 

 1518. 



