Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/265

 huge mountaines couered with snow that lie in the way: yea I may well say; that it hath not often bene trauelled by sea; for that all the ships which haue passed that way haue at the least gone thirty leagues off the shore, to auoide the sholds and many little Islands that lie neere the maine land; and therefore the inland of that coast remaineth as yet vnknowen.

The first towne after you haue passed the Straights standeth on the coast of Chili, and is called Castro, being situate vpon the worst place of all the coast, for there is but small store of golde with scarcitie of victuals, and a sharpe colde ayre. The harbour belonging to this towne is compassed about with so many sholdes, that it will serue but to receiue small barkes onely.

The next towne to this is Baldiuia.

But before I passe any farther I will heere describe vnto you the situation and quality of Chili. This countrey stretcheth in length from North to South aboue two hundreth leagues, conteining in breadth but fiue and twenty leagues at the most.

From the great ridge of mountaines lying to the East of Chili runne very many riuers into the sea, which riuers are the cause of diuers valleys the fruitfullest in all the worlde, where bread, wine, and other victuals mightily abound: and the sayd riuers are also very rich of gold. But to declare in fewe wordes the excellencie of this prouince, I say that it might well bee called an earthly paradise, saue that it lacketh one onely commodity, and that is peace. It was first discouered on this maner: the Spaniards hauing conquered the kingdome of Peru, (as I will hereafter shewe vnto you) found in the sayd kingdome great store of golde; and asking the Indians from whence it came, they answered, from Chili. Vpon which newes Don Diego de Almagro being one of the principall captaines that conquered Peru made a voyage with three hundreth horsemen toward Chili, being constrained in his way to goe ouer part of the snowy mountaines, which way his Indian guides conducted him, to the ende that himselfe and all his companie might die for colde.

Howbeit the Spaniards, though they lost some of their horses, came to the first towne of Chili called Copiapo being situate vpon the first plaine at the entrance of the sayd prouince. But hauing newes that the Indians were risen against the Spaniards of Peru