Cií. V. SOUTH AMERICA. 381 



the year 1500, he had sight oflíind; and called it 

 Cabo de Consohiclon, having just weathered a most 

 violent storm. This promonlory is now en! led Cabo 

 de San Augustin. Here he landed ; and, after taking 

 a view of the country, coasted along it northward; 

 sometimes he lost sight of it, when on a sudden he 

 found himself in a frcsh-waler sea, our of which he 

 supplied himself with what he wanted ; and being 

 determined to trace it to its source, he sailed upwards, 

 and. came to the n¡outh of the river Maranon, where 

 the islands made a most charming appearance. Here 

 he staid some time, carrying on a friendly traffic 

 widi the Indians, who w^cre courteous and humane 

 to these strangers. He continued advancing up 

 the river, new countries appearing still as he sailed 

 further. 



To this maritime discovery succeeded that by land 

 in the year 1540, under the conduct of Gonzalo 

 Pizarro, who was commissioned for this enterprise 

 by his brother the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, 

 on the report which Gonzalo Diaz de Pineda had made 

 of the country of La Canela, in the year 1536 ; at 

 the same time making him governor of Quito. 

 Gonzalo Pizarro arrived at the country of Los Cane- 

 los ; and following the course of a river, either the 

 Napo or Coca, it is not certain which, though more 

 probably theiirst, met with unsurmountable difficulties 

 and hardships; and seeing himself destitute of pro- 

 visions of every kind, and that his people, by feeding 

 on the buds and rinds of trees, snakes, and other crea- 

 tures, wasted away one after another, he determined 

 to build a vessel, in order to seek provisions at the 

 place where this river joined another ; the Indians 

 having informed him that there he would meet with a 

 great plentj. The command of this vessel he gave 

 to Francisco de Orcllana, his lieutenant-general and 

 confident, recomniendin": to him all the dili-yence 

 and punctuality v,'hich their extremity required. Af- 

 ter 



