ovalle's historical relation of chile. 15 J 



fo as not to fear an invafion. The plot of the city is very beautiful, all the flreets 

 being handfomely difpofed, the houfes of free ftone, high and noble ; fo are the 

 churches and convents, particularly that of the Jefuits, which makes a beautiful profpeQ: 

 to the fea. Here is a cuftom-houfe for the king, and a houfe called of the Rigimiento, 

 with other public buildings ; it is very populous, and of a great trade, by reafon of 

 the coming of the galleons ; and from them they have wine and oil ; corn they have 

 in their own territory : there refides a bifhop, and there is a tribunal of the Holy Inqui- 

 fition. The governor hath both the civil and military command : it increafes every 

 day in riches, being fo fituated, that it fhares all the riches of Peru, Mexico, and 

 Spain. 



In the year 1 540, Captain Francifco de Orellana difcovered the great river of the 

 Amazones, which is called alfo Orellana, and by a common miftake Maragnon ; and 

 went from it to Spain, where, upon the relation he gave of its greatnefs, the Emperor 

 Charles V. ordered him three fhips, with people, and all things necelTary to make a 

 fettlement. But this had no effedt, becaufe having loft half his men at the Canaries 

 and Cape Vert, he was too weak when he got thither ; yet he attempted to go up the 

 river in two large boats, to which his fleet was reduced ; but finding his wants of every 

 thing, he came out again, and went by the coaft of Caracos to the Margarita, where 

 he and his people are faid to have died. About twenty years after, the viceroy of 

 Peru fent a good fleet under Pedro de Orfua : but this mifcarried alfo, becaufe he 

 was killed treacheroufly by Lopes de Aguirre, who rebelled with the fleet ; but having 

 mifled the entrance of the river, he landed on the continent, near the ifland of Trini- 

 dado, where he was executed by order from court. Some years after this the fergeant- 

 general, Vincente de los Reyes Villalobos, Alonzo de Miranda, and the general Jo- 

 feph de Villa Mayor Maldonado, undertook the fame defign, but with the fame for- 

 tune, death taking them away ; fo that they gave over at that time all attemps on Peru 

 and Quito fide. But ftill the fame of this river continuing, Benito Maciel, general of 

 Paria, and fince that governor of Maragnon, and Francifco Coello de Caravallo, go- 

 vernor likewife of Maragnon and Paria, attempted its difcovery up the river; and 

 though they were backed by the king's royal commands, yet there were many crofs 

 accidents as to hinder the execution of their enterprize. 



The fathers of our company of Jefus attempted likewife this difcovery, by the motive 

 of faving fo many fouls ; but beginning with a nation called the Cofanes, their pro- 

 grefs was ftopped by the cruel death given to Father Raphael Fernandes, who was 

 preaching the faith to them. Thirty years after, which was 1537, fome friars of the 

 order of St. Francis, moved by the zeal of amplifying the glory, of the gofpel, and 

 by order of their fuperiors, went from Quito, in company of Captain Juan de Palacios, 

 and fome foldiers : they began to fail down this river, and came to the Encabellados, 

 or people with long hair ; but not finding the harveft ready, they returned to Quito, 

 except only two of their lay-brethren, which were Domingo de Brieva, and Friar An- 

 dres de Toledo, who with fix foldiers more failed down as far as the city of Paria, a 

 fettlement of the Portuguefe, about forty leagues from the fea. They palTed by the 

 city of St. Luis de Maragnon, where the governor Jacomo Reymondo de Moronna, by 

 the information he had from thefe friars, caufed feven and forty canoes to be got ready, 

 and embarked upon them feventy Spaniards, with 1 200 Indians, fome of war, and 

 fome to help to row, under the command of Captain Pedro Texeira, who, having fpent 

 a whole year in his voyage, came at laft to the city of Quito, having difcovered and 

 navigated the whole river of the Amazones, from its entrance into the fea to its fource 

 or life. 



VOL. XIV. X The 



