An historical & geographical description of the great country & river of the Amazones in America. Drawn out of divers authors, and reduced into a better forme; with a mapp of the river, and of its provinces, being that place which Sr Walter Rawleigh intended to conquer and plant, when he made his voyage to Guiana. / Written in French by the Count of Pagan, and dedicated to Cardinall Mazarine, in order to a conquest by the Cardinals motion to be undertaken. And now translated into English by William Hamilton, and humbly offered to his Majesty, as worthy his consideration.

CHAP. XLV. Of the Orders of the Viceroy for the Return of the Portugalls.

AFter that the Royal Audience of the Town of Kito, had received from the Portugalls all the informations that were needfull on a businesse of such impor∣tance, which look't towards the discovery, or conquest of the great River of the A∣mazones; it would not for all that delibe∣rate upon it, nor proceed to things so weighty, without giving advertisement thereof to the Count of Chinchon Vice∣roy of Peru. Who with the other Officers of the King of Spaine, having considered all the circumstances of a successe so ad∣vantagious, sent the Audience his Orders from the Town of Lima, the chief of the whole Kingdom, dated the 20^th of Novem∣ber in the year 1638, to send back with all diligence the Portugalls, by the way that they came to the Town of Para, giving them and furnishing them with all things ne∣cessary and fit, for fear that Brasile suffered not inconvenience by the Hollanders,

through so great and farre an absence of so many worthy Persons of service: and to perswade them to receive into their compa∣ny two faithfull Persons, that were Depen∣dants on the Crown of Castile, to give an account to his Catholique Majesty, of all that was discovered, and should be disco∣vered along the great Amazone in the re∣turn of a like Voyage. Presently after the Orders of the Viceroy were published through the Town of Kito, sundry Spa∣niards, especially Religious, presented them∣selves for the choice, to go on that Voy∣age. But as Don Johne Vasquez d'Acog∣na, Lieutenant Generall of the Province of the same name, and Knight of the or∣der of Calatrave, was making offers much more advantagious for the Crown of Castile, proposing to make Levies, pay the Souldiers, buy Provisions, and bear all other charges in favour of this conquest, the Count of Chinchon broke presently the design, judging it no waies convenient to the service of the Catholique King, that that Personage should then leave his Charge. And Father Christopher d'Acog∣na, his Brother, a Spanish Jesuite, who hath merited to live as long in the memories

of men, as the great Amazone shall runne in the Fields of America, had the good hap of this nomination: wherein he behaved himself with so much zeal towards God, so much fidelity towards his Prince, so much affection towards the Souldiers, and so much care to remarke, and put in writ all the circumstances of the great River, that his glory is beyond all praise.