434 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [voL. 48 
ful to see it, for at that season of the yea: there is scarcely any 
thing green in our country. When we found that there was no 
harbor on that side! the,admiral decided that we should go to the 
other island, which lay on our right, and was about four or five 
leagues distant.2 One of the vessels, however, still remained at 
the first island all that day seeking a harbor, in case it should be 
necessary to return thither. At last, having found a good one where 
they saw both people and dwellings,® they returned that night to 
the fleet, that had already put into harbor at the other island; and 
there the admiral, accompanied by a large number of men, landed 
with the royal banner unfurled in his hands, and took possession 
of all that territory we had discovered on behalf of their Majesties. 
“This island of Marigalante is filled with an astonishing thick 
growth of wood; that variety of trees being unknown to us, some 
of them bearing fruit and some others flowers. It was surprising 
to see that, and indeed every spot was covered with verdure. 
“We found there a tree whose leaf had the finest smell of cloves 
that I have ever met with; it was in shape like a laurel leaf, but 
not so large: I think it was really a species of laurel. There were 
wild fruits of various kinds, some of which our men, not very pru- 
dently, tasted; and upon only touching them with their tongues, 
their mouths and cheeks became swollen, and they suffered such a 
great heat and pain that they seemed by their actions as if they 
were crazy, and felt obliged to resort to cooling applications to ease 
the pain and the discomfort. 
“We found no signs of any people living in this island, and con- 
cluded it was uninhabited. We remained there two long hours for 
it was already near evening when we landed, and on the following 
morning we left for another very large island, situated below this 
one and at the distance of about seven or eight leagues.4 We 
approached it under the side of a great mountain that seemed almost 
to reach the skies, in the middle of which rose a peak higher than 
all the rest of the mountains near it, and from which many streams 
came out and diverged into different channels, especially towards 
that part to which we were proceeding. At about three leagues’ 
distance from it, we could see an immense fall of water that ap- 
peared to us of the breadth of an ox, and came rolling down from 
1Dominica has no harbors, but there are several good roadsteads on its 
western side. 
?The island Marigalante, as already stated. 
3 Probably the beautiful anchorage at the north end of the western coast 
of Dominica, now called Prince Rupert’s Bay. 
* Known to-day as Guadeloupe, which belongs to France. 
a 
