Volume 3

A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved.

  • Churchill, Awnsham, -1728.
Date:
1744-1746
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    36/940 (page 28)
    OvALL£. the great riches of the kingdom of Chik, 1646. his majefty might make the more e- fleem of it; and to invite foreigners to come and people the country, and help him to conquer it, h.e fent fome Spaniards by land, whole flirrups, breaft-plates, and all that ule to be of iron about a horfe, were of fine gold •, and that, not fttisfied with this, he liad refclvcd to go in perfon, to inform his inajcfty; and obtain from him the confirma¬ tion of his government: to which end he employed twenty thoufind Indians to bring him gold, defigning to imbark and fail through the ftraights of Magellan, if death had not prevented him. 1^52. This city was founded by the governor Valdh'ia, in the year 1552. upon a high rifing, but plain fide of a hill, and above the rell of the country. Recloma, The ftmous Indian lady Rccloma was ve- a famous ry inflruiTienral in helping towards its con- Indian quefb and foundation. The ffory was thus: the Spanijlo forces were come to this river, conquering the country ail the way before them ; but here the Indians not being wil¬ ling to let foreigners fettle in their country, took up arms, and making the river ferve for their defence, hindred the progrefs of Valdivia, and gave him great trouble. But he being a man of great courage, was not daunted by this refiftance, but endeavoured to pals the river to engage the enemy. Upon this occafion, this brave Indian la¬ dy, either infpired by heaven, or touched by compaflaon of fo much blood as muft be filed on both fides, in the rencounter, of¬ fered the governor, that flie alone would gain him the viftory, without any other force, than that of her eloquence and coura- gious mind. Stay here, lays flie, and go no further •, for I ivill put all this province into thy hands, and will male thee this day lord of all that thy eyes can difcover. Stay for my return here, and do not fuf 'cr any of tlry fol- diers to pafs on a ftep further. The gover¬ nor promifed to do fo-, and, upon his word, and promife of good treatment to the In¬ dians who fliould fubmit to his God and his king, fhe threw herfHf into the water, and in the prefence of them all, fwarn the river. When fhe was landed, fhe defired audience of the general of the Indians ; to whom flie delivered her meflage with fo much force of eloquence, that they fubmitted to her rea- fons, promifed to accept of v/hat terms fhould be given them. With this the fa¬ mous Recloma returned to the Spaniards, finging vidtory, laying at their feet the richeft prize they could wilh •, and fuch a one, as after much time, expence, and blood- fhcd in the conqucid of it, they Would have thought themfelves well paid to be mailers of fuch a country, whofe golden mines they prefenrly began to work ; by which I means the city increafed fo fall, that if the devil had not troubled the peace, and caufed the rebellion of the Indians, which ruined it, it had been one of the firfl and bell ci¬ ties of the Indies. The Hollanders, our enemies, are well in¬ formed of the nature of the country, and the excellency of the port, and do all they can to get polfelTion of it; but our Saviour, who by his grace has hitherto preferved thofe countries free from herefy and its cor¬ ruption, will not permit that this Hydra of hell fliall infcdl that air with its venomous breath, nor breed a contagion in the puri¬ ty of its faith, which is propagated fo hn- cere and true in tlie hearts of thofe new Chriflians. This has been proved by the fuccefs of a '643. fleet of theirs in the year 1643. when thefe rebellious pirates palled the ftraights of Ma¬ gellan, with a defign to fettle at Valdivia *, for though in eft’edl they did people the place, having firft palled by the iflands of Chiloe, where our company has fo many glorious miftions; in which they threw down the altars and the crofies, and com¬ mitted other enormities proper to their im¬ piety and obftinacy, yet at laft they came off no laughers, but had reafon to lament rather. The fame befell another of their generals, called Jnionio Sivaftro, many of his fleet being taken prifoners, and thirty of them hung up by the feet, as is related by their own authors, John and Hheodore de Brye. But in this fecond occafion, they paid yet more feverely for their attempt; for in the very fime ifland, where they had commit¬ ted all thefe diforders, God took the life of the general, punifliing his unhappy foul with the due chaftifemenc of fuch an undertaking. They loft the fliip v/hich carried their pro- vifions, their ammunition, thirty pieces of artillery, all the brick and lime, and other materials for building three forts, which they had orders to raife in the river of Val¬ divia, and on the ifland of Conftantine in that river ; and having afterwards got to Valdi¬ via, and begun to people, their new general, whofe name was Elvis Ararnans, was forced to Ihut up all his people in the ifland of Con- Jlantine, becaufe they run from him continu¬ ally, and forlbok him •, befidcs the prifoners made in the iflands of Chiloe, and others deftroyed by us, and the warlike Indians. In fhort, God having efpoufed this caule as his own, they were tormented with hun¬ ger ; and before the Spaniards, who were on their way, could come up to them, their own difeafes and Ioffes obliged them to v/eigh anchor, and be gone. This was their wifeft courfe •, for if they had ftaid till the fleet from Peru had come up to them, and the land forces from Chile had attacked them,