CVAHE 7 F OO. Ri No E_A. 
dominions ; and I believe with fuccefs. The land and climate, particularly 
Monterey, in lat. 36, is adapted for every vegetable production ; and a good wine 
is made from the vines introduced by the colonifts. 
The natives are a fine race of men, tall, brawny, and well made ; with black 
hair hanging over their fhoulders, and with copper-colored fkins. We have a 
moft imperfect account of the animals of this peninfula. It certainly poffeffes 
two wool-bearing quadrupeds.* As to birds, I doubt not but the Jefuits are 
right, when they fay, that it has all that are found in New Mexico and New 
Spain. ‘The capes of Florida and cape St. Lucas lie nearly under the fame lati- 
tudes, and form the fouthern extremities of North America ; but our ignorance of 
the productions of the vaft provinces of New Mexico, will leave ample fubject to 
a future naturalift to fupply my deficiencies. 
This country was difcovered under the aufpices of the great Cortez, and Don 
Antonio de Mendoga, cotemporary viceroy of the new conquefts: each, actuated by a 
glorious fpirit of emulation, fent out commanders to advance the welfare of their 
country to the utmoft ; and Francifco Ulloa, in 1539, and Fernando Alarchon, in 
1540, foon difcovered this peninfula, and other adjacent regions, fources of im- 
menfe wealth to their country *. The Spanifh adventurers of thefe early times 
failed as high as lat. 42 ; and named, in honor of the viceroy, the fartheft point 
of their difcovery Cabo di Mendoga. ‘ 
Our celebrated navigator, Sir Francis Drake, on Fune 5th 1578, touched on 
this coaft, firft in lat. 43 ; but was induced, from the feverity of the cold, to fail 
to lat. 38, where he anchored in a fine bay. “He found the natives to be a fine 
race of men, naked as the Californians, with the fame kind of head-dreffes; and 
the females habited like their fouthern neighbors. He was treated like a deity. 
The chief of the country, by the refignation of his crown orchaplet, his fceptre, 
i. ¢. calumet, and other infignia of royalty, vefted in Sir Francis the whole 
land ; which he named New Albion, from its white cliffs, and took formal poffef- 
with the friendfhip of the Az/on family, I can give a little hiftory of the compilation of the Voyage: —A 
Mr. Paman fit undertook the work. It was afterwards taken out of his hands, and placed in thofe 
of the reverend Mr. Walters, chaplain of the Centurion; but he had no fhare in it, farther than 
colle&ting the materials from the feveral journals : thofe were delivered to Mr. Benjamin Robins, a 
moft able mathematician, and the moft elegant writer of his time. He was fon of a quaker-taylor 
at Bath, whom I have often feen: a moft venerable and refpeftable old man. Mr. Rodins unfortu- 
nately forgot that he was writing in the charaéter of a divine; and it was not thought proper to 
affront Mr. Walters, by omitting his name in the title-page, as he had taken in fubfcriptions : this, 
therefore, will account for the conftant omiffion of the word Providence, in a voyage which abounded 
with fuch fignal deliverances. 
* A full account of thefe voyages may be feen in Hackluyt, ili. 397, Gc. 
fion 
CXXXVII 
NatTIVvEs, 
Sir Francis 
Drake. 
