SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 133 



native country, became a puritanical preacher, 

 and chaplain to Sir Thomas Fairfax ; he 

 gave such an account of the country he had 

 visited as induced the Protector Cromwell to 

 attempt to add New Spain to the British 

 dominions ; and an expedition under the 

 command of Penn and Venables sailed for 

 that purpose, which, though unsuccessful in 

 its principal object, captured the invaluable 

 island of Jamaica on its return. Gage is the 

 only native of this country who has published 

 an account of what he has seen in New Spain, 

 and his work is now become very scarce. It 

 is called the " English American, his Tra- 

 vels by Sea and Land ; or a New Survey of 

 the West Indies, printed in London 1648 

 and contains much curious information. He 

 describes, in a quaint and humorous manner, 

 Mexico as it then was, which corroborating 

 my preceding remarks, and, being calculated 



