Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/277

 they haue trade with the people of China. Vnto these Islands they haue foure great ships that vsually trade, two of them continually going, and two comming: so that such spices and silkes as the Portugals bring home out of the East Indies, the very same doe the Spaniards bring from these Islands and from China, for Mexico the chiefe citie of Nueua Espanna. The principall port-townes of the coast of Nueua Espanna are Guatulco, and Acapulco.

All the viceroyes and gouernours that the king of Spaine sendeth for Peru and Nueua Espanna haue a custome, for the obtaining of his fauour, to seeke and discouer new countreys.

But the greatest and most notable discouerie that hath bene from those parts now of late, was that of the Isles of Salomon, which were found in maner following. The Licenciate Castro being gouernour of Peru sent foorth a fleete of shippes to discouer certaine Islands in the South sea vpon the coast of Peru, appointing as Generall of the same fleete a kinsman of his called Aluares de Mendanio, and Pedro Sarmiento as lieutenant, and in the Viceadmirall went Pedro de Ortega. This fleete departing forth of the hauen of Limo, and sayling 800 leagues Westward off the coast of Peru, found certaine Islands in eleuen degrees to the South of the Equinotial inhabited with a kind of people of a yellowish complexion, and all naked, whose weapons are bowes and arrowes, and darts. The beasts that they saw here were hogges and little dogges, and they found some hennes.

Here also they found a muster of cloues, ginger, and sinamon, although the sinamon were not of the best; and heere appeared vnto them likewise some shewe of golde. The first Island that the Spaniards discouered, they named Santa Izabella; and here they built a small pinnesse, with the which and with their ships boate they found out betweene nine and fifteene degrees of Southerly latitude eleuen great Islands being one with another of 80 leagues in compasse.

The greatest Island that they discouered was according vnto the fiirst finder called Guadalcanal, on the coast whereof they sayled 150 leagues, before they could knowe whether it were an Island or part of the maine land: and yet they know not perfectly what to make of it, but thinke that it may be part of that continent which stretcheth to the Streights of Magellan; for they coasted it to eighteen degrees and could not find the ende thereof.