134 OVALLE S HISTORICAL RELATION OF CHILE. 



feem polTible he could have it all from the eaft, but muft have had recourfe to the 

 weft, where there was fuch a mafs of it, as is made out by what we have faid of 

 the mines of Chile, and thofe of the Inga, with thofe trees, fruits, and plant? of 

 mafTy gold, and ftatues of the fame metal in his gardens ; befides what they call 

 Guafcas, where to this day' they keep concealed a vaft ftore of thofe riches gathered 

 together for the liberty of the Inga, when the Spaniards had him prifoner ; all which 

 may be feen in what has been faid already in feveral chapters. 



CHAP. IV. — Of the Difcovery of America ; and by what Means it was performed, 



AMONG the hidden and wonderful fecrets of nature, we may reckon the fmgular 

 virtue of the loadftone, which has produced fuch wonderful effeds, as they feem more 

 the objed of our eyes than of our faith, as men ; for who, if they did not fee it, could 

 beUeve the experiments made every day, which furpafs all imagination ? See the curious 

 and elaborate treatife of Father Athanafms Kirker, of our company, De arte inagnetica ; 

 for there the moft afpiring mind after curiofities will find all he can wifh about this 

 matter, as well what is ancient, as what is modern, the whole treated with fo much 

 l^/*^> erudition and clearnefs, that the ftudy of it is not lefs delightful than profitable. The 

 fame fubjeft is alfo treated of excellently by Father Nicholas Cabeo, of our company, 

 in his book of Magnetical Philofophy. 



Among all the virtues of this rare ftone, I think that its quality of taking up 

 iron is not fo admirable as that which it has had of drawing gold and filver to 

 Europe from India; the mafs of which has been fo great, that fome curious 

 perfons having made a calculation in this matter, which they underftood very well, 

 and reckoning the millions brought by the galleons and flotas, from the difcovery 

 o^ the Indies to their time ; and having alfo computed the diftance between Europe 

 and thofe parts, have found that there might have been made, from the one to 



pckt^yi^ the other, of bars of filver, a bridge of a yard and a half wide ; fo that if all 

 that metal could be found now-a-days in any one place, it would make a moun- 

 tain like that of Potofi, from whfch the greateft quantity has been fetched ; and 

 for that reafon it appears hollow, and bored through in fo many places. We may 

 therefore fay of the loadftone, that gold has given it a virtue like that of faith, 

 to tranfport mountains, not only from one place to another, but from one world 

 to another, through thofe immenfe feas which feparate them. 



Who the firft man was that applied this virtue to facilitate navigation, it is hard 

 to prove by authors ; for though we know that this ftone was known to the Jews, 



r>v.ha;^ and to the Egyptians, yet who firft made ufe of the fea-needle and compafs, is 

 . very hard to find out. Some fay it came from China to Europe : others, that it 

 was found by the inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope ; and that Vafco de Gama, 

 met with fome of their veffels, when he made the difcovery of the Cape, who ufed 

 this inftrument : others give the glory of it to the Spaniards and Portuguefe ; 

 others to a man of the kingdom of Naples, called John Goyas, of the city of 

 Amalfi, who was rather the man that perfeded this invention, being himfelf an 

 experienced feamen. But let every one have his opinion, it is not my bufinefs to 

 decide; I only fay, that to this admirable virtue of the loadftone we owe the dif- 

 covery of America : for though fome authors fay, that Solomon's fleet failed by the _ 

 obfervation of the ftars, the winds, the flight of birds, and other figns, with which 

 they fupplied the want of this ufeful invention, not then known according to the 

 common opinion, (though the contrary is not altogether improbable,) yet it muft 



be 



