Voyages and discoveries in South-America the first up the river of Amazons to Quito in Peru, and back again to Brazil, perform'd at the command of the King of Spain by Christopher D'Acugna : the second up the river of Plata, and thence by land to the mines of Potosi by Mons Acarete : the third from Cayenne into Guiana, in search of the lake of Parima, reputed the richest place in the world by M. Grillet and Bechamel : done into English from the originals, being the only accounts of those parts hitherto extant : the whole illustrated with notes and maps.

CHAP. XX.

The general Idea which Father D'Acugna gives of this River, and the Elogiums he gives it after he had view'd it throughout.

ON the famous River of Amazons is the richest, most fertile, and best

peopled Country of Peru; and without an Hyperbole 'tis the largest and most emi∣nent River in the World; it passes through divers Kingdoms of a vast Extent, and enriches more Provinces than the Ganges, that vast River that waters part of the East Indies; than the Euphrates, which af∣ter it has run through Persia, comes across Syria to throw it self into the Sea; or than the Nile, which comes out of the Mountains of Cuama, and passing through Africa, and the most barren Countries in the World, turns them into fruit∣ful and delicious Provinces by the over∣flowing of its Waters. In a word, the River Amazone nourishes an infinitely greater number of People, and carries its fresh Water a great way further into the Sea, than any of those mighty Rivers, al∣tho these have given their Names to entire Gulphs, or troubled the Sea with their Waters to a considerable length. A great many more Rivers fall into the Amazone than into the Ganges; and if the Banks of the latter are cover'd with gilded Sand, those of the former are fill'd with a Sand of pure Gold, and the Waters that always wash them are continually discovering Mines of Gold and Silver in the Bowels of the Earth. In short, the Places it

waters are an Earthly Paradise; and if Men did but lend their Assistance▪ Na∣ture in that Country as they 〈…〉〈…〉, all the Borders of that great River would be full of large Gardens perpetually fill'd with Fruits and Flowers: It sometimes overflows its Banks, and thereby renders all the Ground fruitful through which its Waters pass, and that not only for one, but for several Years. After all these extraor∣dinary Improvements, the change of Sea∣sons is not necessary to the Provinces si∣tuate near this great River. They find every thing near 'em, abundance of Fish in their Waters more than they can wish; a thousand different kinds of Animals in the neighbouring Mountains, all sorts of Birds in such plenty as can hardly be imagined: The Trees always loaded with Fruit, the Fields with a plentiful Crop, and the Bowels of the Earth consisting of preci∣ous Mines of all sorts of Metals. In fine, among the vast number of People that dwell along the Banks of this River, there are scarce any to be seen but what are handsome, well made, and very in∣genious in all things they are concern'd about.