The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

¶Of the ordinary nauygation from Spayne to the Weste Indies.

THe nauygation whiche is commonly made from Spayne to the Weste India, is from Siuile, where yowre maiestie haue yowre house of contractation for those partes, with also yowre offycers thervnto perteynynge, of whom the capitaines take their passeporte and lycence. The patrones of suche shyppes as are appoynted to these vyages, imbarke theym selues at san Luca di Barameda, where the ryuer Cuadalchiber entereth into the Ocean sea. And from hense they folowe their course to∣ward the Ilandes of Canarie. Of these seuen Ilandes, they commonly touche two, that is, eyther Grancanaria or Gomera▪ And here the shyppes are furnysshed with freshe water, fuell, cheese, biefe, and suche other thynges whiche may seeme re∣quisyte to be added to suche as they brynge with them owte of Spayne. From Spayne to these Ilandes, is coommonly

eyght dayes saylinge, or lyttle more or lesse. And when they are arryued there, they haue sayled two hundereth and fyftie leaques, whiche make a thousande myles, accomptyng foure myles to a leaque as is their maner to recken by sea. Depar∣tynge from the sayde Ilandes to folowe their course, the ship∣pes tary .xxv. dayes, or a lyttle more or lesse, before they see the fyrste lande of the Ilandes that lye before that whiche they caule La Spagnuola or Hispaniola. And the lande that is com∣monly fyrste scene, is one of these Ilandes whiche they caule Ogni sancti Marigalante (or Galanta) La Desseada (otherwise cauled Desy∣derata) Matanino, Dominica, Guadalupe, San. Christoual, or summe other of the Ilandes wherof there are a great multitude lyinge aboute these aforesaide. Yet it sumtymes so chaunceth that the ship∣pes passe withowte the syght of any of the sayde Ilandes, or any other that are within that course vntyll they coome to the Iland of Sancti Iohannis or Hispaniola, or Iamaica, or Cuba, whi∣che are before the other. It may also chaunce that they ouer passe all these likewyse, vntyll they faule vppon the coastes of the fyrme lande. But this chaunceth when the pylote is not well practised in this nauigation or not perfecte in the trewe carde. But makynge this viage with experte maryners (wherof there is nowe great plentie) one of the sayde fyrste Ilandes shall euer bee knowen. And from the Ilandes of Canarie to one of the fyrste of these, the distaunce is nyne hundreth leaques by saylynge, or more. And from hense to the citie of saynte Dominike which is in the Ilande of Hispa∣niola, is a hundreth and fyftie leaques: So that from Spayne hitherto, is a thousand and three hundreth leaques. Yet for asmuche as sumtimes the nauigation procedeth not so direct∣ly, but that it chaunceth to wander euer on the one syde or on the other, wee may well saye that they haue nowe sayled a thousande and fyue hundreth leaques and more. And if the nauigation be slowe by reason of summe hynderaunce, it com∣monly chaunceth to be fynisshed in .xxxv. or .xl. dayes. And this happeneth for the moste parte, not accomptynge the ex∣tremes: that is, eyther of them that haue slowe passage, or of them that arryue in verye shorte tyme. For wee owghte to consyder that which chaunceth most commonly. The returne from those partes to Spayne, is not fynysshed without lon∣ger tyme, as in the space of .l. dayes, or a lyttle more or lesse.

Neuerthelesse in this present yeare of .1525. there came foure shyps from the Iland of San Dominico to saint Luca in Spaine, in .xxv. dayes. But (as I haue sayd) we ought not to iudge of that whiche chaunceth seldome, but of that which happe∣neth most ordinarily. This nauigation is very safe and much vsed, euen vnto the sayd Ilande. And from this to the firme land, the shyppes trauerse diuers wayes for the space of fiue, syxe, or seuen dayes saylynge, or more, accordyng to the par∣tes or coastes whither they directe their vyages, forasmuche as the sayde fyrme lande is verye great and large, and many nauigations and vyages are directed to dyuers partes of the same. Yet to the fyrme land whiche is nearest to this Iland, and lyeth directly ageynst San Dominico, the passage is fynis∣shed in the tyme aforesayde. But it shalbe muche better to re∣mytte all this to the carde of these nauigations and the new Cosmographie, of the whiche no parte was knowen to Pto∣lomie or any other of the owlde wrytters.