WHere as in the yere of our Lorde God 1562. it pleased God to moue your honour, to choose and appoynt vs, to dis­couer and vewe a cer­taine longe coast of the West India, from the head of the land called Laflo­rida, drawyng toward the N [...] [...]t, vnto the head of Brittons, dist [...] [...]m the sayd head of Laflorida 900. leagues, or there aboute: to the ende we might certifie you and make true report of the temperature, fertilitie, Ports, Hauens, Ryuers, and generally of all the com­modities that be séen and found in that land, and also to learne what people were there dwelling, which thing you haue lōg time ago desired, being stirred therevnto by this zeale. That Fraunce might one day through new discoueries [Page] haue knowledge of straunge countryes and also thereof to receyue (by meanes of continuall trafique) riche & inestima­ble commodities, as other nacions haue done by taking in hand such far nauiga­tions, bothe to the honour & prowesse of their kinges & princes, & also to the en­crease of great profit & vse to their com­mon wealthes, countreys & dominions, which is most of all without cōparison to be considered & estemed. It seemeth wel that ye haue bene stirred herevnto euen of god aboue, & led to it by the hope and desiere you haue that a number of brutishe people & ignoraunt of Iesus Christ, may by his grace come to some knowledge of his holy lawes & ordinan­ces. So therefore it seemeth that it hath pleased God by his godly prouidence to reserue the care which he hath had of their saluation vntill this tyme, and wil bryng them to our faith, at the time by himself alone forséen & ordeyned. For if it were néedfull to shew how many frō tyme to tyme haue gone about to finde [Page] out this great lande, & to inhabit there: who neuerthelesse haue alwayes failed and bene put by from their entention & purpose: some by fear of shipwracks, and some by great windes & tempests that droue them backe to their merueylous griefe. Of the which there was one a very famous straunger named Sebastian Cobote an excellent Pylot sent thither by king Henry, the yere 1498. & many others, who neuer could attaine to any habitation nor take possession there of one only fote of groūd, nor yet approche or enter into these parties & faire riuers into the which God hath brought vs. Wherefore, my lord, it may be wel sayd that the liuing God hath reserued this greate lande for your poore seruauntes and subiectes as well to the ende they might be made great ouer thys poore people, and rude nation: as also to approue the former affection whyche our Kynges haue hadde vnto thys dis­couerie.

For the late king Fraunces the first (of happye memorie) a prince endued with excellent vertues. The yere 1524. sent a famous & notable man a Florentine, named Messire Iehan de Varran, to serch & discouer the West parts as far as might be: Who departing frō Déepe with two vesselles litle differing from the making & burden of these two Pin­naces of the kinges, which your honour hath ordeyned for this present nauiga­tion. In the which land they haue found the eleuation the Pole, an viij. degrées. The countrey (as he writeth) goodly, fruitfull, & so good temperature, that it is not possible to haue the better: being then as yet of no man séene, nor discer­ned. But they being not able to bryng to passe at this first voyage that whiche he had entended, nor to arriue in anye Port, by reason of sondry inconuenien­ces, which commonly happen, were constrained to return into Fraunce: where after his arriuall, he neuer ceassed to make suite vntill he was sent thither [Page] again, where at last he died. The which occasion gaue small corage to send thi­ther againe, & was the cause that this laudable enterprise was left of, vntyll the yere 1534. at which time his Maie­sty (desiring always to enlarge his kingdome, countreys & dominions, & thad­uauncing & case of his subiects) sent thi­ther a Pilot of S. Mallowes, a Briton, named Iames Cartiere, wel séen in the art & knowledge of nauigation, & espe­cially of the North parts, commonly called the new lande, led by some hope to finde passage that wayes to the South seas: Who being not able at his first goyng to bring any thing to passe, that he pretended to do: was sent thither again the yere folowing, & likewise le syre Hemerall, and as it is wel knowen thei did inhabite & bylde, & plant the kinges armes in the North part a good way in the land, as far as Tauadu & Ochisaon Wherefore my Lord trust iustly that a thing so commendable & worthy to be with good corage attempted that God [Page] woulde guyde & kéepe vs, desiring al­wayes to fulfil your commaundement. When we had done your busines, and made our preparations the .xviij. day of February 1562, through the fauour of God we departed with our two vessels out of the hauen of Claue de Grace in­to the road Caur: and the next day hoy­sted vp sayle (the wynde beyng in the East) whiche lasted so fyue dayes, that we coulde not arriue at the nauch that is from betwene the coast of Brit­ton and Englande and the Iles of Surlinos and Wiskam: So that the Wynde blowyng wyth great furye & tempest out of the West, and West Southwest, altogether contrarye to our waye and course, & all that we coulde doe was to none effecte, besydes the great daunger of breakynge of our Mastes, as also to be hyndered in our other labours. Wherefore as well to shonne manye other inconueniences, whiche myght folowe to the preiudice & breache of our viage, hauynge regard [Page] also to the lykely daunger of death, that some of our gentlemen & souldiours be­ing troubled with feuers & whot sickennesses, might haue fallen into: as also for other considerations, we thoughte good to fal into the road of Brest in Britain, to set there our sick folke on land, & suffer the tempest to passe. Frō whence (after we had taried there two dayes) we retourned againe to seaward to fo­low our nauigation, so that (my Lorde) albeit the wynde was for a long season very much agaynst vs, & troublesome: yet at the end (God geuyng vs through his grace & accustomed goodnes a mée­tely fauourable wynde) I determined with al diligence to proue a new course which hath not ben yet attempted: tra­uersing y^e seas of Octian 1800 leagues at the least, whyche in déede is the true and shorte course that hereafter muste be kepte, to the honour of our nacion, reiectynge the olde conserued opinion, whyche to longe tyme hathe bene hol­den as trewe.

Which is, that it was thought a thing impossible to haue the wynde at East, Northest, & kéepe the race & course we enterprised, but that we should be dri­uen toward the region of Affrica, the Iles of Canaria, Madera, & other lands thereabouts. And the cause why we haue bene the more prouoked & assured to take this newe race, hath bene be­cause that it séemed to euerye one that we might not passe nor go in this naui­gation without the sight & touching of the Antillies & Lucaries, & there so­iourne & take freshe waters & other ne­cessaries, as the Spaniards do in theyr voyage to new Spaine: whereof (than­ked be God) we haue had no néed, nor entered the chanell of Roham: whiche hath ben thought impossible. Forseing also that it was not expedient for vs to passe through the Ilands, as wel to shon many inconueniences that might hap­pen in passing that waye (whereof springeth nothing but innumerable quarels pleadings, confusions, & breache of all [Page] worthy enterprises & godly nauigati­ons, whereof ensueth complaints & odi­ous questions betwene the subiectes of the kyng & hys frends & alies) as also to the ende they might vnderstande that in the tyme to come (God hauynge she­wed vs such graces, as these his won­derfull benefites firste shewed to the poore people of this so goodly newe fra­ming people, of so gentle a nature, & a countrey so pleasant & fruitfull, lacking nothyng at all that may séeme necessa­ry for mans food) we would not haue to do wyth theyr Ilands, & other lands: which (for that they fyrst discouered thē) they kéepe wyth much ielosye: trustyng that if God wil suffer the king (through your persuation) to cause some parte of this incomparable countrey to be peo­pled & inhabited with such a number of his poore subiectes as you shall thynke good, there neuer happened in the me­morie of man so great & good commo­ditie to Fraunce as thys, & (my Lorde) for manye causes, whereof a man is [Page] neuer able to say or wryte to the full, as vnder the assured hope that we haue al­wayes had in executing vprightlye that which I had receyued in charge of you, God would blesse our wayes & nauiga­tions. After we had constantly & wyth diligence in tyme conuenient determi­ned vppon the waye, we shoulde haue thought it noysome & tedious to all our company, if it had before bene knowen vnto any without tourninge or waue­ring to or fro from their first entention. And not withstanding that Sathan did often what he coulde to sowe many ob­stractes troubles & lettes, accordyng to his accustomed subtelties, so it is come to passe, that God by his only goodnes hath geuen vs grace, to make the fur­thest arte & trauars of the seas, that euer was made in oure memorie or knowledge, in longitude from the East to the West: and therefore was it com­monly sayd both in Fraunce & Spaine, & also among vs, that it was impossible for vs safely to arriue thither, whither [Page] the Lorde dyd conducte vs. All whiche persuaded but of ignoraunce & lacke of attempting: whiche we haue not bene afrayde to geue aduenture to proue. Albeit that all Mariners Cardes do set the Coasts with shipwracks wyth­out Ports or Ryuers: whiche we haue founde otherwyse as it foloweth.

Thursdaye the laste of Apryll at the breake of the daye, we discouered and clearely perceyued a faire coast, stret­chynge of a great length couered with an infinite number of high & fayre trées, we being not past 7 or 8 leagues frō the shore, the coūtrey séeming vnto vs plain without any shewe of hilles, & appro­ching nearer within foure or fyue lea­gues of the lande, we cast an Anker at tenne fadome water, the bottome of the Sea beynge playne wyth muche Ocias and faste holde on the Southe syde, as farre as a certayne poynte or Cape situate vnder that Latitude of nine & twenty degrées & a half, which we haue named Cape Francois.

We coulde espye neyther Ryuer nor Bay, wherefore we sent our Botes furnished wyth men of experience, to soūd and knowe the coast nere the shore: who retournyng to vs about one of the clock at after noone, declared that they had founde among other things .viij. fadom of water at the hard bancke of the sea. Wherevpon hauing diligently wayed vp our Ankers, & hoysted vp our sayles with wynde at wyll we sayled & vewed the coast all alonge with vnspeakable pleasure, of the odorours smel & beautie of the same. And because there appea­red vnto vs no sygne of any Port, about the settyng of the Sunne we cast anker agayne: which done, we did beholde to and fro the goodly order of the Woods wherwith God hath decked euery way the sayde lande. Then perceyuyng to­ward the North a leaping & a breaking of the water, as a streame falling out of the land into the sea. For the which we set vp sayles agayne to double the same whyle it was yet day. And as we had so [Page] done, & passed beyond it: there appeared vnto vs a fayre entrye of a fayre Riuer which caused vs to cast Anker agayne there nearer the lande: to the ende the next day we might sée what it was, and though that the wynde blew for a tyme vehemently to the shoreward: yet the holde & ankerage was so good, that one cable & one anker held vs fast, with out daunger or slydyng.

The next day in the morning, beyng the first of May, we assayed to enter this Port, with two new Barges & a Boate well trymmed, fyndyng lytle water Barges whiche might haue astonied & caused vs retourne backe to shipborde, if God had not speedely brought vs in. Where fyndyng .536. fadome water, entered into a goodly and great Ryuer, which as we went founde to encrease styll in depth and largenes, boyling and roryng through the multitude of all kynde of fyshe. This being entered we perceyued a great number of the In­dians inhabitantes there, commynge [Page] alonge the sandes & sea banckes, com­myng neare vnto vs, without anye t-akyng of feare or doubt, shewynge vnto vs the easiest landyng place: & therevp­on we geuyng them also on our partes thankes of assuraunce & frendlinesse. Forthwith one of appearaunce, out of the best among them, brother vnto one of theyr Kynges, or gouernours, com­maunded one of the Indians to enter into the water: and to approche our boates to shewe vs the coastes landing place. We seing this (without any more douting or difficultie) landed, & the mes­senger (after we had rewarded him with some lookyng glasse, & other pretie things of smale value) ranne inconti­nently towarde his Lorde: Who forth with sent me hys Gyrdle, in token of assuraunce & frendship, which Gyrdle was made of red leather, as well coue­red & coloured as was possible: and as I began to go towards him, he set forth & came & receyued me gentlye, & reysed after his maner all his men, folowyng [Page] with great silence & modestie: yea more then our men did. And after we had a whyle with gentle vsage congratula­ted with him: we fell to the grounde a lytle waye from them, to call vpon the name of God, & to beseche hym to con­tinue still hys goodnes towards vs, & bring to the knowledge of our Sauiour Christ this poore people. Whyle we were thus praying (they sitting vppon the ground, which was strawed & dres­sed with Baye bowes) behelde & harke­ned vnto vs, very attentiuelye without either speaking or mouing: & as I made a signe vnto their king, lifting vp myne arme, & stretching forth one finger, only to make them looke vp to heauenward. He lykewyse liftinge vp his arme to­wardes heauen put forth two fingers: whereby it séemed that he made vs to vnderstande, that they worshipped the Sunne & the Moone for Gods: as after­wards we vnderstood it so. In the mean time their numbers increased, & thither came the Kynges brother, that was [Page] first with vs, their mother, wyues, si­sters & children, & beyng thus assem­bled, they caused a great number of Baye boughes to be cut, & therewith a place to be dressed for vs, distant from theirs two fadom. For it is their maner to talke & bargaine sitting: & the chiefe of them to be aparte, from the meaner sorte, with a shewe of great obedience to theyr Kynges, Superiours, & El­ders. They be all naked, & of a goodlye stature, myghtye, fayre, & as well sha­pen & proporcioned of bodye, as anye people in the worlde: verye gentle, cur­teyse, and of a good nature.

The moste parte of them couer theyr Raynes & priuities with fayre Hartes skynnes, paynted moste commonlye with sundrye colours: & the fore parte of theyr bodye & armes, be paynted wyth pretye deuised workes, of Azure, red, & blacke, so well & so properly as the best Painter of Europe coulde not a­mende it. The women haue their bo­dies paynted with a certayne Herbe [Page] lyke vnto Mosse, whereof the Ceder trées, & all other trées be alwayes co­uered. The men for pleasure doe al­wayes trymme them selues there­with, after sundrye fashions: They be of Tauney colour, Haulke nosed & of a pleasaunt countenaunce. The wo­men be well fauoured, & wyll not suf­fer one dishonestly to approche to neare them. But we were not in their houses for we sawe none at that tyme.

After we had taried in this North syde of the Ryuer the most parte of the daye (whiche Riuer we haue called Maye for that we discouered the same the first daye of the Moneth) we congratula­ted, made aliaunce, & entered into a­mitie wyth them, and presented the Kynge and hys brethren wyth Gow­nes of Blewe clothe garnyshed wyth Yelowe Flouredeluces. And it séemed that they were sorye for our departure: so that the moste parte of them entered into the water vp to the necke, to set our Boates a flote.

Putting into vs sundrye kynde of fi­shes, which with merueylous spéed thei ranne to take in their paks, made in the water with great Réeds, so well & con­ningly set together, after the fashion of a Laberinthe, or Maze, with so manye turnes & crokes, as it is impossible to do it without much conning & industrie.

But desyring to imploye the rest of the daye on the other syde of this Riuer, to view & knowe those Indians that we sawe there. We trauersed thither, & without anye difficultie landed amon­gest them, who receyued vs very gently & with great humanitie: putting vs of their fruits, euen into our Boats, Mol­beries, Raspis, & suche other fruites, as they founde ready by the way.

Soone after this came thither the king with his brethren & others with bowes & arrowes in their hands, vsing there­withall a goodly & a graue fashion, with their behauiour right souldierlyke, & as warlyke boldnes as may be. Thei were naked & painted as thother, their heare [Page] lykewise long, & trussed vp (with a lace made of herbs) to the top of their heads: but they had neither their wiues nor children in their company. After we had a good whyle louynglye entertened & presented them with lyke giftes of ha­bersher wares, cutting hokes & hatchets & clothed the king & his brethren with lyke robes, as we had geuen to them on the other syde: we entered & viewed the countrey thereabouts, which is the fai­rest, fruitfullest, & pleasantest of all the worlde, aboundynge in honye, venison, wylde foule, forestes, woods of al sorts, Palme trées, Cypres, & Cedres, Bayes the highest & greatest, with also the fai­rest vines in all the world, with Grapes according, which without naturall arte & without mans helpe or trimming wil growe to toppes of Oks, & other trées that be of a wonderfull greatnesse and heyght. And the syght of the fayre Me­dowes is a pleasure not able to be ex­pressed w^t tongue: full of Hernes, Cur­lues, Bitters, Mallardes, Egrepths, [Page] Wodkockes, & all other kynde of small byrdes: Wyth Hartes, Hyndes, Buc­kes, wylde Swyne, & all other kyndes wylde beastes, as we perceyued well bothe by theyr footyng there, & also af­terwardes in other places, by theyr crye & rorynge in the nyght.

Also there be Connies & Hares: Silke wormes in merueylous number, a great dell fairer & better, then be our silk wormes. To be short, it is a thing vn­speakeable to consider the thinges that be séene there, & shalbe founde more & more, in this incomparable lande, whi­che neuer yet broken with Ploughe yrons, bringeth forthe all things accor­ding to his first nature, wherewith the eternall God endewed it. Aboute theyr houses they labour & tyll the grounde, sowyng theyr fields with a grayne cal­led Mahis, whereof they make theyr meale: & in theyr Gardens they plant beanes, gourds, cocumbers, citrous, peason, & many other fruites & rootes vnknowen vnto vs. Their spades & mat­tocks [Page] be made of Wood, so well & fitly as is possible: whiche they make wyth certayn stones, oyster shelles & muscles, wherewith also they make theyr bowes & small launces: & cutte & polyshe all sortes of Wood, that they imploye a­boute theyr byldings, & necessarie vse: There groweth also manye Walnut trees, Hasell trees, Cheritrees, verye fayre and great.

And generally, we haue séene there of the same Simples and herbes that we haue in Fraunce, & of the lyke good­nesse, sauour & taste. The people be ve­rye good Archers, and of greate strengthe: Theyr bowe strynges are made of Leather, and theyr Arrowes of Réedes whyche they doe head wyth the Téeth of fyshes. As we nowe de­maunded of them concernyng the land called Seuola, whereof some haue wrytten not to bee farre from thence, and to be situate wythin the lande, & to­warde the Sea called the south Sea.

They shewed vs by signes that whiche we vnderstood well inough, that they might go thither with their Boates (by Ryuers) in twentye dayes. They that haue written of this kingdome & towne of Seuola, & other townes & kingdoms thereaboutes, say that there is great a­boundaunce of golde & siluer, precious stones, & other great riches: & that the people had theyr arrowes headed (instéed of yron) with sharpe poynted Tur­quesies. Thus the nyght approchynge, it was conuenient for vs to retourne by daye a shypborde. We tooke leaue of them muche to their greief, but more to ours without comparison, for that we had no meane to enter the ryuers with our shyppe. And albeit, it was not theyr custome eyther to eate or drynke frome the Sunne rising till his goyng downe: yet the king openly would néeds drinke with vs, praying vs very gently to geue him the cuppe where out we had dronk: & so makyng him to vnderstand that we woulde sée him againe the next day, we [Page] retyred to our shippes, which lay aboue sixe leagues from the hauen to the sea.

The next daye in the morning we re­tourned to land againe, accompanyed with the Captaines, Gentlemen, and Souldiers, & other of our smale trope: carying with vs a Pillour or Columne of harde stone, our Kynges armes gra­ued therein, to plant & set the same in the enterye of the Porte in some hygh place, where it might be easely séene, & being come thither before the Indians were assembled, we espyed on the south syde of the Ryuer a place verye fitte for that purpose, vppon a lytle hyll com­passed with Cypres, Bayes, Paulmes and other trées, with swéet smellynge & pleasaunt shrubbes. In the middle whereof we planted the first bounde or limitte of his Maiestie. This done per­ceyuing our first Indians assembled, not without some mislyking of those on the South parte, where we had set the limet, who taryed for vs in the same place where they met with vs the daye [Page] before, seemyng vnto vs that there is some enimitie betwene them & the o­thers. But when they perceyued our long tarying on this syde, they ranne to sée what we had done in that place where we landed first, & had set our li­mit: which they viewed a great whyle without touching it any waye, or abas­sing, or euer speakinge to vs thereof at any tyme after. Howebeit we coulde skant depart but as it were with griefe of minde frō this our first alliance, they rowing vnto vs al along the riuer frō al parts & presenting vs w^t some of theyr hart skyns, painted & vnpainted, meale, litle cakes, fresh water, rootes like vnto Rinbabe which they haue in great esti­mation, & make thereof a potion of me­dicine: also thei brought litle baggs of red colours & some small spices like vnto Vire, perceyuing amonge them selues faire things painted as it had bene with grain of scarlet, showing vnto vs by si­gnes that thei had in the land gold & sil­uer & copper: wherof we haue brought [Page] some. Also lead like vnto ours which we shewed. Also turquesses & great aboun­dance of pearles which as they declared vnto vs thei toke out of oysters, wherof there is takē euer along the riuer side, & among the réeds, & in the marches: & so merueylous aboundaunce as is skant credible: & we haue perceiued that there be as many & as faire pearles founde there as in any countrey of the world. For we saw a man of theirs as we en­tered into our Boates, that had a pearle hangyng at a coller of Golde & Siluer about his necke, as great as an Acorne at the least. This man as he had taken fishe in one of their fishing packs therby brought y^e same to our boats, & our men perceiuing the greatnes thereof, one of them putting his finger towarde it, the man drewe backe, & woulde no more come neare the Boat: not for any feare that he had that they woulde haue ta­ken hys Coller & Pearle from hym, for he woulde haue geuen it them, for a lookyng Glasse or a Knyfe:

But that he douted lest thei wold haue pulled him into the Boat, & so by force haue caried him away. He was one of the goodliest men of all the companye. But for that we had no leasure to tary anye longer with them, the daye beyng well passed, whiche greeued vs, for the commoditie & great riches, which as we vnderstood & saw might be gotten there, desiring also to employe the rest of the day with our seconde aliance the Indi­ans on the Southsyde, as we perceyued them the day before, which styll taryed looking for vs: We passed the ryuer to theyr shore, where as we found them tarying for vs, quietlye & in good order, w^t newe payntings vppon their face, & fe­thers vppon their heads: the Kyng with hys Bowe & Arrowes lyinge by hym, sat on the grounde strawed w^t boughes betwene hys two brethren, whiche were goodlye men & well shapen & of a wonderfull showe of actiuities, hauing vppon their heades, one heere trussed vpright of heyght, of some kynd of wyld [Page] beast gathered & wrought together w^t great connynge, wrethed & fasted after the forme of a Diademe. One of them had hanging aboute his neck a rounde plate of red Copper well polyshed, with one other lesser of Siluer in the midest of it, & at his eare a lytle plate of Copper wherewith they vse to strype the swete from theyr bodyes. They shewed vs that there was great store of this met­tell within the countrey, about fiue or sixe dayes iorney from thence, both in the South syde & North syde of the same Ryuers, & that they went thither in their Boates. Which Boates they make but of one piece of a tree, wor­king it whole so conningly & featly, that they put in one of these Boates fiftene or twentye persons, & go their wayes very safely. They that rowe stande vp­right hauyng their ores short after the fashion of a Péele. Thus beyng among them they presented vs with meale dressed & baked, very good & well tasted, & of good nourishment, also Beanes, & [Page] fishe, as Crabbes, Lobstars, Creuises, and many other kynde of good fishes, shewing vs by sygnes that their dwel­lyngs were farre of, & yf theyr pro­uision had bene neare hande, they woulde haue presented vs with manye other refreshynges.

The night nowe approchynge, we were fayne to retourne to our shyppe, very muche to our griefe: for that we durste not hazarde to enter wyth our shyppe, by reason of a Barre of Sande, that was at the enterye of the Porte, howe be it, at a full Sea there is two fadome & a halfe of water at the leaste, and it is but a leape ouer a surge to passe this Barre, not passynge the length of two Cables. And then forth­with euerye where wythin syxe or se­uen fadome water. So that it maketh a very fayre hauen, & shyppes of a mean burden from foure score to a hundred tunnes may enter therein at all floods, yea of a farre greater burthen, yf there were French men dwellyng there that [Page] might skoure the entrye as they do in France: for there is nothing lacking for y^e lyfe of man. The situatiō is vnder the eleuation of xxx. degrées, a good climat healthful, & of a good temperature, merueylous pleasaunt, the people good, & of a good & amiable nature, whiche wyl­lingly wyll obaye: yea be content to serue those that shall with gentlenes & humanitie go aboute to allure them, as it is nedefull for those y^t be sent thither hereafter so to do, & as I haue charged those y^t be left there to do, to thend they may aske & learne of them where they take their golde, copper, & turquesses, & other thynges yet vnknowen vnto vs: by reason of the tyme we soiourned there. For yf any rude or rigorous meanes shoulde be vsed towards thys people, they would flye hither & thither through the Woods & Forests, & abandon theyr habitations and countreys.

The next day being the third day of May, desiring always to finde out har­bours to rest in, we set vp saile againe: [Page] And after we had raunged the coast as neare the shore as we coulde, there ap­peared vnto vs about seuen leagues of on thys syde of the ryuer of May a great opening or Bay of some ryuer, whither w^t one of our Boates we rowed, & there found one entrie almost lyke that of the ryuer of May, & within the same as great a depth, & as large a deuidyng it selfe into many great streames, great and broade stretchinges towardes the high land, with manye other lesse, that deuide countrey into faire & great lands and great number of smale & fayre Me­dowes. Beynge entered into them about thrée leagues, we foūde in a place very commodious, stronge, & pleasant of situation, certaine Indians, who receyued vs very gently: Howe be it, we being somewhat neare their hou­ses, it seemed it was somewhat against their good wylles that we went thi­ther, for at theyr cryes and noyses they made theyr wyues and chyldren and housholde stuffe to be caryed into [Page] the Woods: Howe be it they suffered vs to go into their houses, but they themselues woulde not accompany vs thither. Their houses be made of Wod fitly & close, set vpright & couered with Réedes: the most part of them after the fashion of a Pauilion. But there was one house amongs the rest very long & broad, with settels rounde about made of Réedes trimly couched together, which serue them bothe for beddes & seates, they be of heyght two foote from the ground, set vpon great rounde pyllers painted with red, yelow, & blew, well & trimly polished: some sort of this people perceyuing that we had in no maner wise hurted their dwellings nor gar­dens which thei dressed very diligently, they retourned all vnto vs before our inbarking, séeming very wel contented by theyr geuing vnto vs water, fruites & Hart skyns. It is a place wonderfull fertil, & of strong situation, the groūd fat so that it is likely y^t it would bring forth Wheat & all other corne twise a yere, & [Page] the commodities for liuelyhode, & the hope of more riches, be lyke vnto those we founde & considered vppon the riuer of May, without comming into the sea: this arme doth deuide, & maketh many other Iles of May, as also many other great Ilands: by the which we trauell from one Ilande to another, betwene land & land. And it séemeth y^e men maye sayle without daunger through all the countrey, & neuer enter into the great sea, which were a wonderfull aduan­tage. This is the land of Cherere wher­of some haue written, & whiche manye haue gone aboute to fynde, for the great riches they perceyued by some Indi­ans to be founde there. It is set vnder so good a climate, that none of our men (though we were there in the hotest tyme of the yere, the Sunne entring in­to Cancer) were troubled with any sic­kenesses. The people there lyue longe and in great health & strength, so that the aged men go wythout staues, and are able to go & runne lyke the yongest [Page] of them, who onely are knowen to be olde by the wrinckles in their face, & de­cay of sight. We departed from them very frendly, and with theyr contenta­tion. But the nyghte ouertakyng vs, we were constrayned to lye in oure shyppes all that nyght, tyll it was daye, floting vpon this Riuer which we haue called Sene, because that the enterye of it is as broad as from Hauer degrace vnto Honesleue. At the breake of the day we espyed out of the South syde one of the fayrest, pleasauntst, and grea­test medowe grounde that might be seene, into the which we went, fyn­dynge at the verye entrye a longe, fayre, and greate Lake, and an innu­merable number of foote steppes of greate Hartes and Hyndes of a won­derfull greatnesse, the steppes beynge all fresshe and newe, and it seemeth that the people doe nouryshe them lyke tame Cattell in great Heardes: for we sawe the steppes of an Indian that fo­lowed them.

The channell & depth of this Riuer of Seyne, is on the side of the medow that is in the Ile of May. Being returned to our shipps, we sayled to knowe more & more of this coast, goying as nere the shore as we could. And as we had say­led about sixe or seuen leagues, there appeared vnto vs another Bay, where we cast anker, & tarying so all the night, in the morning we went thither, & finding (by our sounding) at the entrie manye bancks & beatings, we durst not enter there w^t our great ship, hauing named y^e riuer Somme, which is 8. 9. 10. 11. fadom depth, deuiding it self into many great Ilandes, & small goodly medow groūds & pastures, & euery where such abun­daunce of fishe as is incredible, & on the West Northwest side, there is a great Ryuer that commeth from the coūtrey of a great length ouer: & another on the Northeast side, which retourne into the sea. So that (my Lord) it is a countrey full of hauens, riuers, & Ilands, of such fruitfulnes as can not with tongue be [Page] expressed: & where in short time great & precious commodities might be found. And besides this we discouered & found also 7. riuers more, as great & as good, cutting & deuiding the land into fayre & great Ilands. The Indiās inhabitants there be like in maners, & the countrey in fertillitie apt & commodious through out to beare & bring forth plentifully all that men woulde plant or sowe vpon it. There be euery where the highest and greatest Firtrees that can be séen, very well smelling, & whereout might be ga­thered (with cutting the onely bark) as much Rosen, Turpentine, & Franken­sence, as men would desire. And to be short there lacketh nothing. Wherfore being not able to enter & lye wyth our great vessels there, we coulde make no long abiding, nor enter so farre into the ryuers & countreys as we would fayne haue done: for it is well knowen howe many inconueniences haue happened vnto men, not only in attempting of newe discoueries, but also in all places [Page] by leauyng theyr great vesselles in the sea, farre from the lande, vnfurnished of the heads & best men. As for the o­ther riuers we haue geuen them na­mes as foloweth: and vnto the Ilands ioyning vnto them, the same name that the next riuer vnto it hath, as you shall see by the portratures or Cardes that I haue made thereof. As to the fourth name of Loire, to the fifte Charnet, to the sixte Caron, to the seuenth ryuer Belle, to the eyght ryuer Graunde, to the ninth port Royall, and to the tenth Belle Virrir.

Vppon Whitsonday the xxvij. day of May, after we had perceyued & conside­red that there was no remedye, but ts assay to finde the meanes to harber our ships, as wel to amend & trimme them, as to get vs fresh water, Wood, & other necessaries, whereof we hauynge opi­nion that there was no fayrer or fytter place for the purpose, then port Royall. And when we had sounded the entrye and the Channell (thancked be God) [Page] we entered safelye therein wyth our shyppes, agaynst the opinion of manye, fyndynge the same one of the fayrest and greatest Hauens of the worlde.

Howe be it, it muste be remembered least men approchyng neare it wythin seuen leagues of the lande, be aba­shed and affrayde on the Eastsyde, drawynge towarde the Southeast, the grounde to bee flatte, for ne­uerthelesse at a full Sea, there is euerye where foure Fadome water, keepyng the right Channell.

In thys parte there are manye Ry­uers of meane bygnesse and large, where wythoute daunger the greatest shyppes of the worlde myght bee har­bered, whyche we founde, no Indian inhabityng thereaboutes. The Porte and Ryuers syde is nearer then tenne or twelue leagues vpwardes into the countreys, althoughe it bee one of the goodlyest, best, and fruitfullest coun­treyes that euer was seene, and where nothynge lacketh, and also where [Page] as good & likely cōmodities be found as in other places thereby. For we founde there a great number of Pepertrees, the Pepper yet gréene, & not ready to be gathered: Also the best water of the worlde, & so many sorts of fishes that ye may take them without net or angle so many as ye wyll. Also an innumerable sorte of wylde foule of all sorts, & in li­tle Ilandes at the entrye of this hauen, on the East Northest syde, there is so great number of Egreps that the bus­shes be all whyte & couered with them, so that one may take of the yonge ones with his hand as many as he wyll carye away. There be also a number of other foules, as Hernes, Bitters, Cuxlues. And to be short, there is so many small byrdes that it is a straunge thyng to be seene. We founde the Indians there more doubtful & fearfull then the others before. Yet after we had bene in theyr houses, & congregated with them, and shewed curtesey to those that we found to haue abandoned there through boats [Page] meale, victuall, and small housholde stuffe, & both in, not takyng awaye or touchyng any part thereof, and in lea­uing in y^e place where they dressed theyr meate, Knyues, Loking glasses, litle Beades of glasse, which they loue and esteme aboue Golde & Pearles, for to hange them at their eares & necke, and to geue them to their wyues & children; they were somewhat emboldened.

For some of them came to our Boates, of the which we caried two goodly and strong abourde our shyppes, clothyng and vsing them as gently as it was pos­sible. But they seased not day nor night to lament, & at length they escaped a­way. Wherefore albeit, I was willing (according to your commaundement & memoriall) to bringe awaye some of them with vs, on the Princes behalfe & yours, I forbare to do so for many considerations & reasons that they told me, & for that we were in dout that (leauing some of our men there to inhabite) all the countrey, men, women, & children, [Page] would not haue seased to pursue them for to haue theirs agayne: seyng they be not able to consider & waye to what en­tent we should haue caried them away: and this may be better done to their contentation, when they haue better ac­quaintaunce of vs, and know that there is no such crueltie in vs, as in other peo­ple and nacions, of whome they haue bene beguyled vnder colour of good faith: which doing in the ende tourned to the doers no good. This is the ryuer of Iordain in mine opinion, whereof so much hath bene spoken, which is verye faire and the countrey good, both for the easie habitation, & also for many other things, which shuld be to long to write.

The .xx. of May we planted another columne or pillor grauen w^t the kings armes on the south side, in a high place, of thentry of a great riuer, which we called Libourne: where there is a lake of fresh water very good, & on the same side a litle lower towards thentry of y^t hauē is one of y^e fairest foūtains y^t a man may [Page] drinke of, which falleth by violēce down to y^e riuer frō an high place out of a red & sandy groūd, & yet for all that fruitfull & of good air, wher it shuld seme y^t the In­dians haue had some faire habitation.

There we saw the fairest & the greatest vines w^t grapes according, & yong trées, & small woods, very wel smelling, y^t euer were séen: wherby it appeareth to be the pleasantest & most cōmodious dwelling of al the world. Wherfore (my lord) tru­sting you will not think it amisse (consi­dering the cōmodities y^t mai be brought thence) if we leaue a number of men there, which may fortifie & prouide thē ­selues of things necessary: for in al new discoueries it is y^e chiefest thing y^t maye be done, at the beginning to fortifie and people the countrey. I had not so soone set forth this to our company, but many of them affrayed to tary there, yet wyth suche a good wyll and iolye corage, that suche a number dyd thus offer themsel­ues, as we had muche to doe to staye theyr importunitie.

And namely of our shipmaisters & prin­cipall Pylotes, & suche as we coulde not spare. How be it, we lefte there but to the number of thirtie in all, gentlemen, souldiers & marriners, & that at theyr owne suite & prayer, & of theyr own free willes, & by the aduice & deliberation of the gentlemen sent on the behalfe of the Prince, and yours. And haue lefte vnto the forhead & Rulers (folowynge therein your good wyll) Captayne Al­bart de la Pierria, a souldier of long ex­perience, & the first from the beginning dyd offer to tary. And further by theyr aduice, choyse & wyll, inskaled & fortifi­ed them in an Iland on the Northside, a place of strong situation & commodi­ous, vppon a ryuer whiche we named Chenonceau, & the habitation and For­tresse Charlefote.

After we had instructed & duly admo­nished them of that they shoulde do (as wel for their maner of proceding, as for the good & louinge behauiour of them) the .xj. day of the moneth of Iune last [Page] past, we departed frō port Royall myn­ding yet to range & view the coast vntill the .xl. degrées of the eleuation: But for as muche as there came vpon vs trou­blesome & cloudy weather, very incom­modious for our purpose, & considering also amonges many other things, y^t we had spent our cables & furniture there­of, whiche is the moste principall thyng that longeth to them that go to discouer countreys, where continually bothe night & daye they must lye at anker: al­so our victualls being perished & spylte, our lacke of Boateswaines to set forth our row barges, & leaue our vessels fur­nished. The declaration made vnto vs of our Pyllots & some others that had before bene at some of those places, where we purposed to sayle, & haue ben already founde by some of the kynges subiectes, the daunger also and incon­ueniences that might thereof happen vnto vs: and by reason of the great mi­stes & fogges whereof the season was already come, we perceyued very well [Page] where as we were, that we could do no good, & that it was to late, & the good and fit season for to vndertake this thing al­ready past. All these things thus well considered and wayed, & also for that we thought it méete & necessary that your honour should with diligence be aduer­tised (through the helpe of God) to re­tourne homewardes to make relation vnto you of the effect of our nauigation. Praying God that it may please hym to kepe you in long health, and prosperitie.