A.D. 



572-87. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



Negros 



mightlh 



increased. 



A root called 

 Juca. 



Spaniardes lacking men to worke in their Ingenios, and 

 to looke unto their cattell, they were forced to bring 

 Negros thither out of Guinea, where they have so 

 increased, that the Hand is nowe as full of them, as 

 it was of the naturall inhabitantes ; so that the Spaniardes 

 Carrie Negros from this Hand to the maine lande and 

 there sell them. The chiefest victuall that they have 

 in this Hand, is a kinde of roote called Juca, which being 

 eaten as it commeth new out of the ground is present 

 death : but first they boyle it and after presse it, and 

 the liquor that is strained therefrom is deadly poyson : 

 howbeit this roote being pressed so dry, that there 

 remaineth no moisture in it, they mingle and temper the 

 same with water and so make cakes therof, which are 

 very savory & good to eat, & this is all the bread 

 which they have in those Hands. There go from hence 

 yerely into Spaine 7 or 8 ships at the least full fraighted 

 with sugar & hides. 



Neere unto Hispaniola lyeth another greater Hand 

 called Cuba, it is like unto Hispaniola, although there is 

 not so much sugar. The principall towne of this Hande 

 is called Havana, which hath an excellent harborough 

 belonging thereunto. The townesmen are very rich by 

 reason of the fleetes that come from Nueva Espanna, and 

 Tierra firma which touch there ; for the safeguarde of 

 which fleetes and of the towne it selfe there is a castle 

 built neere the said harborough kept with Spanish 

 souldiers ; neither is there any castle or souldiers in all 

 the Hands but onely here. There is also another Hand 

 inhabited with Spaniards called Boriquen or Sant Juan 

 de Puerto rico. It is but little, yet every way as plenti- 

 full as the other two are ; and therefore I omit to speake 

 thereof. 



But now to prosecute my discourse of the port-townes 



upon the maine lande : Eastwarde and Southward from 



Margarita there are no townes inhabited by Spaniardes or 



Fernambuck. Portugals, till you come to Fernambuck upon the coast 



of Brasil ; notwithstanding that betweene the sayd Hand 



240 



The lie of 

 Cuba. 



S. Juan de 

 Puerto rico. 



