reader to the following Discourse, with the hope that the perilous and chargeable labours and endeavours of such as thereby seek the profit and honour of her majesty and the English nation, shall by men of quality and virtue receive such construction and good acceptance, as themselves would look to be rewarded withal in the like.

W. R.

THE

DISCOVERY OF GUIANA.

ON Thursday the sixth of February, in the year 1595, we departed England, and the Sunday following had sight of the north cape of Spain, the wind for the most part continuing prosperous: we passed in sight of the Burlings and the rock, and so onwards for the Canaries, and fell in with Fuerte Ventura the seventeenth of the same month, where we spent two or three days, and relieved our companies with some fresh meat. From thence we coasted by the Gran Canaria, and so to Teneriffe, and stayed there for the Lyon's Whelp, your lordship's ship, and for captain Amys Preston, and the rest but, when after seven or eight days we found them not, we departed, and directed our course for Trinedado with mine own ship, and a small bark of captain Cross's only; (for we had before lost sight of a small gallego on the coast of Spain, which came with us from Plymouth.) We arrived at Trinedado the twenty-second of March, casting anchor at point Curiapan, which the Spaniards call Punto de Gallo, which is situate in eight degrees, or thereabouts we abode there four or five days, and in all that time we came not to the speech of any Indian or Spaniard. On the coast we saw a fire as we sailed from the point Carao towards Curiapan, but for fear of the Spaniards none durst come to speak with us: I myself coasted it in my barge close aboard the shore, and landed in every cove, the better to know the island, while the ships kept the channel. From Curiapan, after a few days, we turned up north-east, to recover that place which the Spaniards call Puerto de los Hispanioles, and the inhabitants Conquerabia; and as before, (revictualling my barge,) I left the ships, and kept by the shore, the better to come to speech with some of the in

habitants, and also to understand the rivers, wateringplaces, and ports of the island, which (as it is rudely done) my purpose is to send your lordship after a few days. From Curiapan I came to a port and seat of Indians called Parico, where we found a fresh-water river, but saw no people. From thence I rowed to another port, called by the naturals Piche, and by the Spaniards Tierra de Brea. In the way between both were divers little brooks of fresh water, and one salt river that had store of oysters upon the branches of the trees, and were very salt and well tasted: all their oysters grow upon those boughs and sprays, and not on the ground; the like is commonly seen in the West Indies, and elsewhere. This tree is described by Andrew Thevet in his French Antartic, and the form figured in his book as a plant very strange, and by Pliny in his twelfth book of his Natural History; but in this island, as also in Guiana, there are very many of them.

At this point, called Tierra de Brea, or Piche, there is that abundance of stone pitch that all the ships of the world may be therewith loaden from thence; and we made trial of it in trimming our ships to be most excellent good, and melteth not with the sun as the pitch of Norway, and therefore for ships trading to the south parts very profitable. From thence we went to the mountain foot called Annaperima, and so passing the river Carone, on which the Spanish city was seated, we met with our ships at Puerto de los Hispanioles, or Conquerabia.

This island of Trinedado hath the form of a sheep-hook, and is but narrow; the north part is very mountainous, the soil is very excellent, and will bear sugar, ginger, or any other commodity that the Indies yield. It hath store of deer, wild porks, fruits, fish, and fowl: it hath also for bread sufficient mais, cassavi, and of those roots and fruits which are common every where in the West Indies. It hath divers beasts which the Indies have not. The Spaniards confessed that they found grains of gold in some of the rivers, but they, having a purpose to enter Guiana, (the magazine of all rich metals,) cared not to spend time in the

search thereof any further. This island is called by the people thereof Cairi, and in it are divers nations; those about Parico are called Iaio, those at Punto Carao are of the Arwacas, and between Carao and Curiapan they are called Salvaios; between Carao and Punto Galera are the Nepoios, and those about the Spanish city term themselves Carinepagotos. Of the rest of the nations, and of other ports and rivers, I leave to speak here, being impertinent to my purpose, and mean to describe them as they are situate in the particular plot and description of the island, three parts whereof I coasted with my barge, the better to set it down right.

Meeting with the ships at Puerto de los Hispanioles, we found at the landing place a company of Spaniards who kept a guard at the descent, and they offering a sign of peace, I sent captain Whiddon to speak with them, whom afterward, to my great grief, I left buried in the said island, after my return from Guiana, being a man most honest and valiant. The Spaniards seemed to be desirous to trade with us, and to enter into terms of peace, more for doubt of their own strength than for ought else; and in the end, upon pledge, some of them came aboard: the same evening there stole also aboard us, in a small canoe, two Indians, the one of them being a cassique, or lord of people called Cantyman, who had the year before been with captain Whiddon, and was of his acquaintance. By this Cantyman we understood what strength the Spaniards had, how far it was to their city, and of don Antonio de Berreo the governor, who was said to be slain in his second attempt of Guiana, but was

not.

While we remained at Puerto de los Hispanioles some Spaniards came aboard us to buy linen of the company, and such other things as they wanted, and also to view our ships and company, all which I entertained kindly, and feasted after our manner; by means whereof I learned of one and another as much of the estate of Guiana as I could, or as they knew, for those poor soldiers having been many years without wine, a few draughts made them merry; in which

mood they vaunted of Guiana, and of the riches thereof, and all what they knew of the ways and passages, myself seeming to purpose nothing less than the entrance or discovery thereof; but bred in them an opinion that I was bound only for the relief of those English which I had planted in Virginia, whereof the bruit was come among them, which I had performed in my return, if extremity of weather had not forced me from the said coast.

I found occasions of staying in this place for two causes : the one was to be revenged of Berreo, who the year before betrayed eight of captain Whiddon's men, and took them while he departed from them to seek the E. Bonaventure, which arrived at Trinedado the day before from the East Indies; in whose absence Berreo sent a canoe aboard the pinnace, only with Indians and dogs, inviting the company to go with them into the woods to kill a deer, who, like wise men in the absence of their captain, followed the Indians; but were no sooner one harquebuss shot from the shore, but Berreo's soldiers lying in ambush had them all, notwithstanding that he had given his word to captain Whiddon that they should take water and wood safely: the other cause of my stay was, for that, by discourse with the Spaniards, I daily learned more and more of Guiana, of the rivers and passages, and of the enterprise of Berreo, by what means or fault he failed, and how he meant to prosecute the same.

While we thus spent the time, I was assured by another cassique of the north side of the island, that Berreo had sent to Marguerita and to Cumana for soldiers, meaning to have given me a cassado at parting, if it had been possible for although he had given order through all the island, that no Indian should come aboard to trade with me, upon pain of hanging and quartering, (having executed two of them for the same, which I afterwards found,) yet every night there came some with most lamentable complaints of his cruelty; how he had divided the island, and given to every soldier a part; that he made the ancient cassiqui, which were lords of the country, to be their slaves; that he kept them in chains, and dropped their naked bodies with burn