SARMIENTO's COLONY, 



1585. 



colony, and assisting in the recovery of his stranded ship ; she 

 had, however, drifted off, and sunk near Bahia ; and all his 

 boats were destroyed. Still Sarmiento persevered in his zealous 

 efforts to succour his friends in the Strait ; and succeeded in 

 procuring a vessel of fifty or sixty tons, which, loaded with arms 

 and whatever he considered useful, sailed, and reached Rio de 

 Janeiro a month after the departure of the first vessel (January 

 1585). He followed, but in the latitude of 39° met with a 

 furious gale, which drove him back to Rio de Janeiro, where 

 the vessel that had preceded him had returned in distress. 



Disappointed in his attempts to carry succour to the colony, 

 he determined to go to Spain ; but on his voyage thither, to 

 complete the catalogue of his misfortunes, his ship was captured 

 by three English vessels, and taken to England, after which 

 the ill-fated colony in the Strait was neglected, if not entirely 

 forgotten. 



Two months after Sarmiento"'s departure from the Strait of 

 Magalhaens, in the month of August, the middle of the winter 

 of that region, the party belonging to the first establishment at 

 Jesus set off by land, and joined that at San Felipe, witli the 

 unwelcome tidings of their deserted state. But as the provi- 

 sions at San Felipe were insufficient to support all the people, 

 Andres de Viedma, who, after Sarmiento's departure, had 

 assumed the command, detached two hundred soldiers, under 

 the command of Juan Iniguez, back to Jesus, for the purpose 

 of communicating with any ship that might make her appear- 

 ance, and awaiting the expected return of Sarmiento ; but the 

 winter and following summer passed by without any relief. 



In this unhappy state, the colonists were obliged to think 

 only of providing for their safety, and built two boats ; in 

 which fifty people embarked, besides Viedma, Suarez, a 

 Franciscan friar named Antonio, and five Spanish women. 

 They had not proceeded farther than Point Santa Brigida,* 



* From Sarmiento's description of the coast, Point Santa Brig'ida is 

 the outward point of Nassau Island. (fz) See Sarmiento's Voyage, p. 220. 



(fi) By Nassau Island is meant the land forming the south shore of the 

 Second Narrow. — R. F. 



