A.D. 



1572-87. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



Sebastian Ca 

 bota. 



Catelina, and from this Hand till you come even to the 

 straights of Magellan, the coast is very plaine and without 

 woods. 



Having proceeded thus farre, it will not be amisse to 

 RiodelaPlata. speake somewhat of the river of Plate, which is one of the 

 greatest rivers in all the world : for at the mouth it is 

 above five and twentie leagues from land to land : and the 

 Spaniards have gone up in it above sixe hundred leagues, 

 and could not attaine to the head thereof. The first 

 Spaniard that entered this river, and inhabited the same 

 was called Solis, who passed up 100 leagues into it, and 

 called it by the name of Rio de la Plata, that is to say, 

 The river of silver, because of the fine and cleare water 

 that is in it, for I have not heard of any silver that ever 

 was found there. The saide Solis returned into Spaine, 

 without any further search into this river : howbeit another 

 Captaine called Sebastian Cabota went up this river 150 

 leagues, and built a fort, which fort standeth untill this 

 present : where leaving his ships, he went higher up 

 the river in smal Pinnesses, and all along as he went 

 he found many Indians : but finding neither gold nor 

 silver, nor ought else of any great value, he returned to 

 his ships, and sayled for Spaine. Not many yeeres after 

 a certaine Gentleman called Don Pedro de Mendoza fur- 

 nished forth a great fieete of ships, wherein were shipped a 

 thousand men, fortie mares, and twentie horses, with 

 all other creatures to inhabite this river : and comming 

 thither he went up into the countrey to see what riches he 

 could there finde, leaving all his stuffe, cattle, and provision 

 at a place called Buenos Ayeres, so named in regard of the 

 freshnesse of the ayre, and the healthfulnesse of his men, 

 during their abode there : this place was eightie leagues 

 within the river, and here he landed first : at this place 

 the river is above seven leagues broad, and very low land 

 on both sides without trees. This river is very often 

 subject to great and sudden stormes, so that with a storme 

 this Don Pedro lost eight of his ships, and in the rest he 

 returned for Spaine, saying to his men, that he would goe 



252 



Buenos 

 Ayeres. 



