gz OVALLe's historical RELATION OF CHILB. 



in the fame degree well ; and without doubt thefe iflands will be peopled in time, 

 when the continent grows populous, as it does every day ; for then people will be 

 feeking new habitations ; but at prefent they only go thither fometimes to fifh, to 

 fend it to Peru, where they have it not fo plentifully. 



The fame authors, giving an account of the other Dutch fquadron under George 

 Spilberg, fay, that they came to the Ifland of Mocha, and found the north fide of it 

 plain and low, but the fouth full of rocks : they landed ; and the good reception they 

 found from the Indians, is an argument of the fertility of the place. Thofe Indians 

 are a noble fort of people, and very good natured. When they had refreflied them- 

 felves much at their eafe, they made provifion of great (lore of fheep, which are very 

 large, and in great plenty there, as likewife of hens, eggs, fruit, and other provifions. 

 They treated the Indians on board, and fhewed them their great guns, and their men 

 in order for fighting : they prefented ihem alfo with European commodities, fuch as 

 hats, clothes, axes, and things which they valued. After this, they fet them again 

 on Ihore : and the Indians made figns to them to go back to their (hips, as they did. 



But they were very differently received in the Ifland of Sanda Maria, where the 

 vice-admiral landed with fome of his men, and were invited by the Indians to eat ; but 

 from the fliips they faw a great army coming down upon them, as they were going to 

 fit down to table ; whereupon they made figns to them to retreat to the port ; which 

 they did, and had juft time to embark. But they likewife carried off about five hun- 

 dred flieep, and other refrefliments, having found the ifland very fertile and well pro- 

 vided, as well as very temperate, being about thirteen leagues fouth-weft from the 

 city of the Conception, about thirty-feven degrees, and not above three leagues from 

 Arauco ; which makes fome think, that formerly this ifland was faft;ened to the main 

 land, and that the fea had in length of time made the divifion which now forms the 

 bay of Arauco. 



There is a little to be faid that is particular of all the other iflands to the fl:raights 

 of Magellan, fince it has not pleafed God to let them be peopled by Spaniards, and 

 fo give an entrance to the gofpel ; by which means the product and nature of them 

 might be known, and many fouls faved which inhabit them. 



All that we know now of them, is, that in the voyage of Pedro de Surmiento to 

 Spain, being fent by the viceroy to chaftife Francis Drake, for his boldnefs for infefl;- 

 ing thofe coafts ; in his way, on this fide the fl:raights of Magellan, he difcovered a 

 great archipelago of iflands, which they told to the number of eighty, which he named 

 by feveral names, and took poffeflion of them in the name of his king. He alfo dif- 

 covered more iflands in fifty-one degrees, to which he did the fame. It is known 

 likewife, that in the flraights themfelves there are many iflands, fome of which we 

 (hall mention when we treat of the fl:raights of Magellan. 



CHAP. II. — Of the Land called Terra del Fuego. 



THE land called Terra del Fuego, (fo famous in the relations and maps we have of 

 the fl;raights of Magellan,) has deceived many by its name, people believing that it had 

 been given it for fome volcanoes, or burning mountains, or other fubterraneous fires; 

 but it is not fo, for this name had no other occafion, than that the firfl: navigators 

 through the ftraights difcovered upon it many fires and great finokes, made, as they 

 fuppofed, by the numerous inhabitants df it ; and fo they called it the Land of Fire. 

 There arofe likewife another miilake from its great extent ; for it was judged to be a 

 great continent, of which in time the world was undeceived, as we ftiall fee hereafter. 



This 



