Chap. L North-west Passage, 403 
Silver. In the mofl Northern Countries, through which 
they paffed) the People were cloathed with Bear-Skins- 
and fine Furs. In the Month of May they came into a 
rich and fertile Country, which is particularly defcribed 
in his Travels, preferved by Hackluit. And in this 
Country he affirms he faw Elephants, and other ftrange 
Beafts, not known in America ; and after marchings ac- 
cording to his Computation, near two thoufand Miles^ 
and paffing over feveral large Rivers, fome four, fome 
fix, fome eight, and fome ten Miles over i and one fo 
large, that they were twenty-^four Hours in croffing it in 
a Canoe ; they came to Cape Breton^ where himfelf, and 
two of his Companions, embarked aboard a French Ship, 
one Mr. Champaigne^ to whom one of Ingram^ % Compa- 
nions, Richard Brown^ gave a very large Pearl, that he 
had picked up in this Journey. They landed at New 
Haven \n France^ in 1569, and foon found a Paflage to 
England', where, within a Fortnight after their Arrival, 
they came to their old Captain Hawkins, to whom they 
related this Story, affirming that they had travelled to 
the North Sea, by which they meant the Sea that walked 
the Northern Part of America, oppofite to the Bay of 
Mexico ', and they likewife affirmed, that for two Days 
together they travelled along the Shore of this Sea, and 
that the Inhabitants gave them to imderftand, that they 
were not unacquainted with Ships, drawing the Figure 
of them upon the Sand, with their Mails, Sails, and 
Flags. 
This Account of Fngram^s was not dlgelled into writing 
till feveral Years after, as appears by his affirming that 
Richard Brown was (lain five Years before, in a Ship cal- 
led the Elizabeth, belonging to one Mr. Cochins of Lon- 
don -, and that his other Companion, Richard Fwide, died 
three Years before, at the Houfe of Mr. Sheerwood, in 
Ratcliffe •, but they had all given this Account upon their 
firll Arrival, to Captain Hawkins. It cannot be denied 
that there are fome very ftrange and improbable things in 
this Relation of Ingram -, which ffiew him either a very 
weak and credulous Man, or one that delighted in ufing 
the Privilege of Travellers, of exceeding the Truth. 
Notwithftanding all this, Mr. Hackluit was of Opinion, 
that his Relation amounted to aftrongProof of a North- 
weft Paffage i as to which, however, it does not appear 
that the Man himfelf had any Notion, for otherwife 
he might have pretended, that the River he was twenty- 
four Hours in paffing was it ; for fo in all probability it really 
was. I muft acknowledge, that upon reading and confi- 
dering his Narrative, I was once in very great doubt, 
whether it deferved any Credit at all, or whether it ought 
to find a Place amongft thofe Matters of Fa6t, that de- 
ferve to be mentioned as Proofs of the Poffibility and 
Probability of there being a Paflage to the ^outh Seas 
by the North- weft •, but I was at laft determined to give 
it a Place, by meeting accidentally with another Account 
no lefs ftrange and extraordinary, and which the Reader 
will perceive has fuch an Agreement therewith, that is not 
eafily to be accounted for, without allowing that there 
is at leaft a confiderable Mixture of Truth in them both ; 
for that the one ffiould be copied from the other, con- 
(idering the Perfons by whom both Relations were made, 
is, in my Judgment, abfolutely impoffible. Befides they 
feem alfo to be confirmed, both by the moft ancient, and 
by the more modern Spanijh Authors, who mention the 
Northern Extremities of America. But it is Time to 
come to the Matter of Fa6l. 
Twelfthly, The Author of the French Mercury Galant^ 
for the Year 1712, gives us the following Relation, viz. 
That ten Frenchmen, and two Savages, fet out from 
Montreal in Canada, and having continued for fome 
** Time in the Country of the Illinois, and on the Banks 
of the River Mijfijfippi, they refolved to proceed farther 
on new Difcoveries. They made ufe of three Canoes 
of Bark of Trees, to remount the Mijfijfippi, and be- 
** ing gone up the fame one hundred and fifty Leagues, 
they were ftopped by a Fail, which obliged them to 
carry their Canoes over Land, and then they embark- 
ed again on the faid River, and went up the fame 
forty Leagues more, without meeting any People 
^ they Ipent a Month and a Half in hunting, and conti- 
nuing their Defign of attempting fome new DifcOve- 
“ ry, they met, fifteen Leagues from thence, with a 
“ River running to the South-fouth-weft, from whence 
“ they conjedlured it difcharged itfelf into the South 
“ Sea, its Courfe being oppofite and contrary to thofe 
“ which fall into the North Sea. They refolved there- 
“ upon to carry their Canoes into it, and m their Way 
“ fiw Lions, Leopards, and Tygers, which did not oft 
“ fer to attack them. They fell down that River about , 
‘‘ one hundred and fifty Leagues, and met with a Na- 
tion called Efcaaniba^ which polfefs a Country of 
“ two hundred Leagues at leaftj in which they faw feve- ' 
“ ral Forts, Towns, and Villages, whereof the Houfes 
‘‘ ate built of Timber, and Bark of Trees. They have 
“ a King who pretends to defcend from Motezuma, and 
“ who is commonly cloathed with Beafts Skins, which 
“ is alfo the ordinary Cloathing of the Inhabitants.' 
“ They feem, in their Manner, to be under fome 
“ Rules of Policy. They are Idolaters, and their Idols, 
“ which are in their Kings Palace, are frightful, and of 
“ a prodigious Size. There are two amongft others, 
“ whereof one is the Figure of a Man armed with 
“ Lances and Arrows, having one Foot upon the 
“ Ground, and the other lifted up, with a Hand on 
“ the figure of a Horfe, as if he were going to mount 
“ it. They fay that this is the Statue of one their 
“ Kings, who was a great Conqueror. That Statue holds 
“ in its Mouth a large fquare Carbuncle, which calls a 
“ Light in the Night as Fire. The other Figure is a 
Woman, who was a Queen, fetting on a Saddle, upon 
“ art Unicorn, having four great Dogs on one Sidci 
“ Thefe Figures are of maflfy Gold, but very ill made. 
“ They are fet on ’a raifed Place, being a Square about 
“ thirty Feet, covered with Gold. Between thofe two 
“ Statues is the Way into the King’s Apartment *, and 
“ at the Door of the fame ftands his Guards, confifting 
“ of two hundred Men. The Palace is very large, and 
“ is three Stories high. The Walls are eight Feet high^ 
“ and of mafly Gold, cut in fquare little Bricks, and 
“ laid one upon another, faftened with Hooks and Bars 
“ of the fame Metal. The reft of the Building is of 
“ Timber, and covered with the fame. Thofe People 
“ have a great Trade for Gold, but our Difcoverers 
“ could never guefs with what Nation, unlefs it be with 
“ the People of Japon 5 for they carry their Gold to 
“ fo great a Diftance, that they told the French, that 
“ they fpent fix Months in their Journey to that Nation. 
“ Our Adventurers were prefent at the fetting out of one 
“ of their Carravans, which confifted of above three hun- 
dred Oxen laden with Gold, and guarded by the like 
“ Number of Men, armed with Lances and Arrows^ 
“ and with a kind of Poniard. 
“ They barter their Gold for Iron, Steel, Lances, 
They are altogether Strangers to writing, but ufe a 
“ Sort of Bark dreflfed for that Purpofe, on which they 
“ mark the Qiiantity of Gold intrufted to each of the 
Men aforefaid, for which he muft be accountable at 
“ his Return. The King is called Agauzan, which fig- 
“ nifies, in their Language, the great King *, and though 
“ he is at War with nobody, he keeps a Handing Army 
“ of one hundred thoufand Men. Their Trumpets are 
“ of Gold, and ftrait, and they found the fame, in a 
“ difagreeable Manner. Their Drums are large Kettles 
“ of Gold, covered with Hart-Skins, and fo large, that 
“ they muft be carried by Oxen. Thefe Troops exercife 
“ once a Week in the King’s Prefence. The Inhabitants 
“ are of a browniffi Complexion, and look frightful, 
“ having a long narrow Head, which they form into 
“ that Shape, by preffing the Heads of Children between 
“ two pieces of Board. The Women are handfome, 
“ and as white as in Europe : They have, as well as the 
“ Men, large Ears, which they account a great Beauty, 
“ and adorn them with Gold Rings. They let their 
“ Nails grow as long as they can, an^ this is, amongft 
“ them, a mark of Diftlndtion. The moft hairy Men, 
“ are looked upon to be the moft handfome. Polygamy 
“ is in ufe, and they ffiew little Concern for the Con- 
“ du6l of their Daughters. They love Rejoicing and 
“ Dancing, and are great Eaters. They make a Sort of 
“ Wine 
1 
