118 Letter VI. 
size and beauty, was led to rejoice in the idea that the great 
southern continent lay before him. He named it Tierra Austral 
del Espiritu Santo, entered a large bay upon the north of it, 
and there anchored. For thirty-six days he lay in that bay, 
sending boats ashore and exploring the neighbouring country. 
The more he saw of the place, the more he fell in love with it ; 
his excited imagination enhanced the great natural beauties of 
the land to such an extent, that he looked upon it as a second 
paradise—a land which far exceeded even what his most ex- 
travagant expectations pictured the southern continent to be. 
A river at the head of the bay he called the Jordan, and 
upon its banks he founded a city named the New Jerusalem. 
Then, in the words of Torquemada, the historian, “they set sail, 
desirous of discovering lands to windward, to found the other 
cities in honour of his majesty, as had been done in this bay, 
where they founded one named the New Jerusalem, to which 
were named alcaldes, regidores, royal officers and other 
ministers of justice.” 
However, when they got out of the bay they met strong winds, 
the S.E. trades, I presume; at all events, winds which pre- 
vented their sailing southward: so, after being carried far to 
leeward, they gave up in despair all attempts to see more of 
this wonderful land, and made for Spain. On arriving there, 
Quiros gave most glowing accounts of his new continent. He 
says, “Its length is as much as that of all Europe, Asia 
Minor, and to the Caspian Sea and Persia, with all the islands 
of the Mediterranean and ocean which are within its limits em- 
braced, including England and Ireland.—The people of these 
countries are many, their colours white, negroes, mulattoes, 
Indians, and mixéd of one and the other.—They use earthen 
pots, have looms and other nets, they work stones, marble, 
flutes, drums, and spoons of wood varnished.—The islanders 
have their embarkations well wrought, and sufficient to navigate 
