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articles which we brought with us. All thefe particulars had been 

 faithfully reported to him by painted reprefentations tranfmitted by ex- 

 preffes to his court. Montezuma therefore on our arrival coming to his 

 knowledge, ilTued orders to his officers to procure from us in exchange 

 for gold, our green glafs beads, on which they fet great value, not 

 knowing them to be artificial, and he had alfo given them inftrudtions, 

 to endeavour to make particular enquiry, both as to our perfons and in- 

 tentions. We alfo underftood that he was much influenced by an ancient 

 prophecy which is faid to have declared, that men were to come from 

 where the fun rifes to rule that country. In compliance with thefe 

 orders, his officers were now upon the coafl: and making figns of invita- 

 tion to us. This induced our general to fend a party to the fhore under 

 the command of Capt. F. de Montejo ; the weather was favorable, an 

 unufual circumftance on that coaft ; we therefore landed without diffi- 

 culty, and found the governor of that diil:ri6t, under Montezuma, 

 attended by many natives with provifions of fowls, bread, and fruit, 

 fuch as pines, and fapotes. They were repofing upon mats under the 

 (hade of fome trees, and invited us by figns to do the fame, for our In- 

 dians of Cotoche did not underfi:and their language j they alfo, as on 

 former occafi.ons, prefented us with incenfe. Our reception being re- 

 ported to our chief, Grijalva, he immediately landed with the whole of 

 the foldiers, and as foon as his rank was made known to the Indians, 

 they treated him with the greatefi: refped:, which he returned with 

 equal courtefy, and ordered beads and cut glafs to be diftributed to them, 

 fignifying his wifh to procure gold in return; in confequencc of which, 

 we obtained pieces of gold of various workmanfhip, to the value of 

 fifteen thoufand crowns . It muft be this gold that Gomara and Ovicdo 

 mean, when they fay in their hiflories that fo much was obtained in 

 Tabafco, a country in which that metal is not to be found at all, or but 

 in very fmall quantity. We at this time took poffeffion of thefe terri- 

 tories under the Governor of Cuba, and in his Majefty's name; and 

 after diftributing fome fhirts of European m.anufad:ure among the na- 

 tives, we re-embarked, taking with us one of them, who was baptized 

 and named Francifco. I faw him after the conqueft of Mexico, fettled 



D 3 and 



