The principal nauigations, voyages, traffiques and discoueries of the English nation. [vols. 1-3] made by sea or ouer-land, to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres: deuided into three seuerall volumes, according to the positions of the regions, whereunto they were directed. The first volume containeth the worthy discoueries, &c. of the English ... The second volume comprehendeth the principall nauigations ... to the south and south-east parts of the world ... By Richard Hakluyt preacher, and sometime student of Christ-Church in Oxford.

Chap. 1.

Francis Vlloa a captaine of Cortez departeth with a Fleet from the port of Acapulco, and goeth to discouer vnknowen lands, he passeth by the coast of Sacatula and Motin, and by tempest runneth to the riuer of Guajanal, frō whence he crosseth ouer to the hauen of Santa Cruz, along the coast whereof he discouereth 3. smal Ilands, and within two dayes and an halfe returning to the maine land he discouereth the riuer called Rio de San Pedro y San Pablo, and not far distant from thence two other riuers as big or greater then that of Guadalqui∣uir which runneth by Siuil, together with their head-springs.

WE imbarked our selues in the hauen of Acapulco on the 8. of Iuly in the yeere of our Lord 1539,* 1.1 calling vpon almighty God to guide vs with his holy hand vnto such places where he might be serued, and his holy faith aduanced. And we sailed from the said port by the coast of Sacatula and Motin,* 1.2 which is sweete and plea∣sant through the abundance of trees that grow thereon, and riuers which passe through those countreis, for the which wee often thanked God the creatour of them. So sailing along we came to the hauen of S. Iago in the prouince of Colima:* 1.3 but before we arriued there, the maine mast of our ship called Santa Agueda was broken by a storme of winde

that tooke vs, so as the ship was forced to saile without her mast vntil we arriued in the laid hauen. From the port of Acapulco to this hauen of Colima wee were sayling the space of 20. dayes. Here wee stayed to mende our mast and to take in certaine victuals, water, and wood, the space of 27. dayes. And wee departed from the saide hauen the 23. of August, and sayling by the Isles of Xalisco the 27. or 28. of the saide moneth wee were taken with an extreame tempest wherein wee thought we should haue perished,* 1.4 and being tossed and weather-beaten, wee ranne as farre as the riuer of Guajaual in the Prouince of Culiacan.* 1.5 In this storme wee lost the pinnesse called Sant Thomas, and because wee had lost her wee crossed ouer to the port of Santa Cruz in California:* 1.6 for while wee were so beaten in the former tempest, the pilot of the Barke signified vnto vs, that he perceiued she beganne to leake, and that already she had receiued in much water, insomuch that she beganne to founder; whereupon, to helpe her neede, and that wee might meete together in a knowen hauen, if by chance the tempest should separate vs, as it did indeed, we willed him to re∣paire to the hauen of Santa Cruz, where we meant to repaire his harmes and our owne. Where∣fore being all arriued in this place of Santa Cruz, wee stayed there fiue dayes and looke in water, wherein we heard no newes of our Barke which we had lost: Wereupon the Captaine resolued to follow on our voyage; wherefore we set saile the 12. of Sept••mber, and as wee sailed wee saw along the coast of the saide hauen 3. Islands,* 1.7 whereof the Captaine made no great accompt, thin∣king there coulde be no great good found in any of them. These Islands seemed not to be great; wherefore he commanded the Masters and pilotes to proceed on their voyage, and not to leese time without any profit. So sailing ouer the gulfe of California, in two dayes and an halfe we came to the riuer of S. Peter and S. Paul,* 1.8 finding before we entred into the same a small Island in the mouth of the Riuer, being 4. or 5. miles distant from the maine. On both sides of this Riuer wee beheld goodly and pleasant great plaines full of many greene and beautifull trees, and farther within the land we beheld certaine exceeding high mountaines full of woods very pleasant to beholde. From this Riuer wee sailed still along the coast the space of 15. leagues•• in which course wee found two other Riuers in our iudgement as great or greater then Guadalquiuir the Riuer of Siuilia in Spaine.* 1.9 Al the coast by these Riuers is plaine as the other which we had passed, with many woods: likewise within the lande appeared great mountaines couer••d with woods very beautifull to be∣holde, and beneath in the plaine appeared certaine lakes of water. From these Riuers we sailed 18. leagues, and found very pleasant plaines, and certaine great lakes whose mouthes opened in∣to the Sea:* 1.10 here our Captaine thought good throughly to discouer what those lakes were, and to search wheth••r there were any good hauen for his ships to ride in, or to harbour themselues, if any tempest should arise; and so hee commaunded a boat to be hoised out into the Sea, with a Master and fiue or sixe men to view them, and to sound the depth, and botom of them: who went thither, and found the coast very sholde, and the mouthes of the lakes; whereupon th••y made no accompt of them, onely because the shore was so shallow, for otherwise the land was very pleasant. Here at euening we saw on the shore 10. or 12. Indians and fires. The aforesaide two Riuers are two leagues distant the one from the other, little more or lesse, and are great, as I haue saide, and being in the last of them we went vp to the ship-top, and saw many lakes, and one among the rest excee∣ding great, and wee supposed that they had their springs out of this great lake, as other Riuers also haue from other lakes, for wee sawe the course of them seuerally each by themselues, hauing goodly woods growing all along their bankes. The currents of these Riuers might be discerned three leagues with••n the Sea: and at the mouthes of them were many small s••akes set vp for markes: the shore here is plaine and sandie, and the countrey very pleasant.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Acapulco in 17. degrees of la∣titude.
• * 1.2

  The coast of Sacatula and Motin.
• * 1.3

  S. Iago de Co∣lima.
• * 1.4

  The Isles of Xalisco.
• * 1.5

  Guajaual.
• * 1.6

  Santa C••uz in the pont•• of C••lifor••••••.
• * 1.7

  Thr•••• Ilands.
• * 1.8

  Rio de san Pedro y san P••blo.
• * 1.9

  Two great ••••••er••.
• * 1.10

  Certaine great lakes.