The 54. Chapter. The Nauigation or course of the afore∣said Francisco Gualle out of the Hauen of Macau to new Spaine, with the sci∣tuation and stretchings of the same, with other notable and memorable things concerning the same voiage.

WHen we had prepared our selues and taken our leaues of our friends in Macau, we set saile vpon the foure and twentie of Iuly, holding our course Southeast, and Southeast and by East, beeing in the wane of the Moone, for when the moone increaseth it is hard holding the course betwéene the Islands, because as then the water and streames runne verie strong to the Northwest, wée sayled through many narrow Channels by night, hauing the depth of eight and ten fadome, with soft muddie ground, vn∣till we were about the Island Ilha Bran∣co, yet we sawe it not, but by the height we knew we were past it.

Being beyond it, we ran East south∣east, an hundred and fiftie miles, to get a∣boue the sands called Os Baixos dos Pes∣cadores, and the beginning of the Islands Lequeos on the East side, which Islandes are called As Ilhas Fermosas, that is, the faire Islandes. This I vnderstood by a Chinar called Santy of Chinchon, and hée said that they lie vnder 21. degrées and ¾. there it is thirtie fadome déepe, & although we saw them not, notwithstanding by the height and depth of the water we knewe we were past them.

Being past the faire Islands, we held our course East, and East and by North, for two hundred and sixtie miles, vntill we were past the length of the Islands Lequeos, sayling about fiftie myles from them, the said Chinar told me, that those Islandes called Lequeos are very many, and that they haue many and verie good Hauens, and that the people and inhabi∣tants thereof haue their faces and bodies painted like the Bysayas of the Islands of Lucon or Philippinas, and are apparelled like the Bysayas, and that there also are mines of gold: He said likewise that they did often come with small shippes and Barkes lade•• with Buckes and Hartes bides, and with gold in graines or verie small pieces, to traffique with them of the coast of China, which he assured me to be most true, saying that he had béene nine times in the small Island, bringing of the same wares with him to China, which I beléeued to be true, for that afterward I enquired thereof in Macau and vpon the coast of China and found that he said true. The furthest or vttermost of these I∣slands both Northward and Eastward lie vnder 29. degrées.

Béeing past these Islands, then you come to the Islandes of Iapon, whereof the first lying West and South is the Page  415 Island of Firando, where the Portingales vse to trafficke, they are in length altoge∣ther a hundred and thirty miles, and the furthest Eastward, lyeth vnder two and thirty degrées, we ran still East, and East and by North, vntil we were past the said a hundred and thirty miles.

All this information I had of the afore∣said Chinar, as also that there I should sée some mynes of Brimstone, or fiery Hils, being seuenty miles beyond them, & thir∣ty miles further I should finde foure I∣slands lying together, which I likewise found as hee had tolde mee: For that being in Iapon hee said hee had there séene certaine men of a very small stature with great roules of Linnen cloth about their heads, y^t brought gold in small péeces, and some white Cangas of Algodon, (which are péeces of Cotton, Linnen so called by the Chinars) as also salt fish, the Spanish Atun, or Haberdine, which hee said, came out of other Islandes Eastward from Ia∣pon, and by y^e tokens and markes he shew∣ed me, I gessed whereabout those Islands should bee, and found them not farre from whence hée said they lay, hee said likewise that all the Islands of Iapon haue good ha∣uens and Channels, being a country full of Rice, Corne, Fish, and Flesh, and that they are an indifferent and reasonable people to Trafficke with, and that there they haue much siluer.

Running thus East, and East and by North about three hundred miles from Ia∣pon, we found a very hollow water, with the streame running out of the North and Northwest, with a ful and very broad sea, without any hinderance or trouble in the way that we past, and what winde soeuer blewe, the Sea continued all in one sort, with the same hollow water and streame, vntill we had past y^e seuen hundred miles, about two hundred myles from the coast and land of newe Spaigne, where wee be∣gan to lose the said hollow sea and stream, whereby I most assuredly thinke and be∣leeue, that there you shall find a Channell or straight passage, betwéene the Firme land and new Spaigne, and the Countries of Asia and Tartaria. Likewise all this way from the aforesayed seuen hundred miles, we found a great number of whale fishes, and other fish by the Spaniards A∣tun, whereof many are found in the coast of Gibraltar in Spaigne, as also Albacoras and Bonitos, which are all Fishes, which commonly kéepe in Channels, straights, and running waters, there to disperse their séed when they bréed, which maketh me more assuredly beléeue, that therea∣bouts is a Channell or Straight to passe through.

Being by the same course vpon y^e coast of new Spaigne, vnder seuen and thirty de∣grées and ½. wee passed by a very high and faire land with many Trées, wholy with∣out Snow, and foure miles from the land you find thereabouts many drifts of roots, leaues of Trées, Réedes, and other leaues like Figge leaues, the like whereof wee found in great abundance in the countrey of Iapon, which they eat, and some of those that wée found, I caused to be sodden with flesh, and being sodden, they eat like Cole∣wortes, there likewise wee found great store of Sea wolues, which wee call Sea dogges, whereby it is to bée presumed and certainly to bee beléeued, that there are manye Riuers, Bayes, and Hauens a∣long by those coasts to the Hauen of Aca∣pulco.

From thence wee ranne South-east, Southeast and by South, and South-east and by East, as we found the wind, to the point called El Cabo de Saint Lucas, which is the beginning of the land of Califfornia, on the Northwest side, lying vnder two and twenty degrées, being fiue hundred myles distant from the Cape De men∣dosino.

In this way of the aforesaied fiue hun∣dred myles, along by the coast, are manye Islands, and although they bee but small, yet without doubt there are in them some good Hauens, as also in the Firme Land, where you haue these Hauens follow∣ing, nowe lately found out, as that of the Island of Saint Augustine, lying vnder thirtye degrées and ¾. and the I∣sland called Ilha de Sedros, scarce vnder eight and twentie degrées and ¼. and the Island lying beneath the Saint Martyn, vnder thrée and twentie degrées and ½. all this coast and Country, as I thinke is inhabited, and sheweth to bee a verye good Countrey, for there by night wee sawe fire, and by day smoake, which is a most sure token that they are inha∣bited.

From the Point or hooke of Saint Lu∣cas, to the South-east side of Calliffor∣nia, wee helde our course East South∣east, for the space of eightye myles, Page  416 to the point called El cabo de las corrien∣tes, that is, the point of the streames ly∣ing vnder ninteene degrées & ⅔. and run∣ning this course Northward about a mile from vs, we sawe thrée Islands called las tres Marias, (that is, the thrée Maries) run∣ning the same course. About foure miles from the other Islandes, there are other Islands reaching about 2. or thrée miles: All this way from the mouth or Créeke of California aforesaid for the space of the said 80. miles, there are great streames that runne Westward.

From the point or Cape de las Corri∣entes, wée ranne Southeast, and some∣times Southeast and by East, for the space of an hundred and thirtie miles to the hauen of Acapulco. In this way of an hundred and thirty miles, being 20. miles on the way, we had the Hauen of the Na∣•iuidade, that is, the birth of the Virgine Mary: and other eight miles further, the Hauen of Saint Iago, or Saint Iames: and sixe miles further, the sea Strand called la Playa de Culyma, that is, the Strand of Culyma. All this coast from California to the Hauen of Acapulco is inhabited by people that haue peace and traffique with the Spaniards, and are of condition and qualities like the people of the other pla∣ces of new Spaine.