± 96 *J M E%I C A. Chap. VII. 



and a namelefs People bordering on Peru. Moreover, the Utramumins, a very wild 

 People, range all the Countrey over, but are much leflcn'd fince the Tortuguefes 

 Arrival. 



• 



Sect. III. 



Firft Difco- 

 vcry and Pof- 

 fefion of XJ$ 

 it Jamiro. 



T 



Jean Lett his 



Description 

 thereof. 



• Towns and 

 Places of 

 chief note. 



Rio de Janeiro. 



He fecond Lordfliip <$jo de Janeiro, formerly by the French call'd Ganabara] 

 was difcover'd Anno 151 5. by Juan Via* de Sofa., but the French firft Setled 

 themfelves here forty years after T>ias de Solis : for fetting Sail from Hayrt 

 de Grace with three well Mann'd Ships, Commanded by Nicholas Vurandns Ville. 

 gagnon, they arriv'd at <%io Janeiro in November, and at the Entrance into the River, 

 which is about half a League broad, built a woodden Fort of a hundred Foot long, 

 and fixty broad, and giving it the Name of the French Admiral Coligni, put feveral 

 Guns into the fame to fecure the Entrance, inclos'd on each fide by two fteep Moun. 

 tains. In the River,which is very broad, lie feveral wooddy Ifles, on one of which, 

 near the Fort C oli £ ni > ViUegagnon Setling himfelf, fuffer'd great Inconveniences for 

 want of Water,becaufe hedurft not Land on the Main, for fear of being furpris'd by. 

 the Natives. Here he ftay'd a year and a half in a deplorable Condition, when 

 Philip Corguileray and DuTont fet Sail with three Ships from the Haven Honfleurs . 

 but they alfo, though they had many Men, yet were ill ftor'd with Provifions, in- 

 fomuch that Hunger increas'd amongft them daily : wherefore ViUegagnon return'd 

 home without any farther Exploits. 



Jean Leri, who went with Corguileray , defcribes <Rj° ]w*iro after this manner : 



" The River (faith he) lies twenty three Degrees Southward of the Equinoflial 

 H Line ; the Inlet of the Sea, twenty fourthoufand Paces broad, and in fome places 

 " broader, is hemm'd in by hills • the Mouth of the Inlet is fomewhat dangerous, 

 " by reafon of three rocky Ifles ; beyond the large Bay is a narrow Channel, on the 

 " left-hand whereof there rifes a high Mountain, which the French call'd he 

 «<Pot de ®eure, becaufe it refembles a Butter-pot. Somewhat farther lies the Rock 

 " Racier, wher e ViUegagnon thought to build a Fort, but the Water in ftormy Wea- 

 " ther wafhingover the Rock,he was fore'd to give over his Defign. Half a League 

 " farther is an Ifland a thoufand Paces in length, and a hundred and fifty in breadth, 

 " furrounded with Rocks, on which the French refided ; at each end of the Ifle rifes 

 "a Hill, and from the middle a Rock fixty Foot high ; on the Hill ViUegagnon pitcht 

 ,( his Tent till he had built him a handfom Houfe on a Rock.the other Houfcs were 

 <c built in the Valley. Three Leagues and a half farther lies a fruitful Ifle nine 

 " Miles in circumfererfce, inhabited by a falvage People call'd Touoebinambauti : 

 tl there are feveral other Ifles, on which breed good Oyfters with little Pearls, 

 " which flick fo faft to great Stones, that they can fcarce be pluckt off. The River 

 u Janeiro abounds with Fifli. 



The French once poflefs'd this Ifland, but were difpoflefs'd by Emanuel de Sa } 

 Governor ofBrafile, for the T or tuguefe. 



The City Sebajlian, which contains three hundred Houfes, is built on the Sou- 

 thern Point of Janeiro-, oppofite to which, on the Northern Point, lies the Fort; 

 a large Church, the Jefuits Cloyfter, and two Sugar-Mills, give no fmall luftre to 

 the City, where the chief Trade confifts in <Braftle Wood and Cotton. The French 

 Storm'd this Town Anno 1581. but march'd off without any fuccefs. Dirk Others, 

 an Eye-witnefs, gives us this Defcription of Sebajiian : 



