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No. 5.

London, and also knew himself that he could enter the aforesaid river without danger; and through persuasion from us and his sailors we entered the before-mentioned river on the thirty-first by God's help, without any hindrance, and anchored by the aforesaid English Captain.

On the following day we sent our yacht up stream to the river Cauwo and there we found the tribe Yao dwelling, and thence with their own consent we brought these Indians here present, one named Arymowacca, aged about forty years, so far as we can understand, and the other Cayariwara, aged about twenty years, together with a yachtful of wood having a substance and color like Brazil wood, besides tobacco and other drugs (unknown to me). And on the eighth of April the yacht came to the ship and we traded on this river Cayani and lay there until the twentyseventh of June.

On the sixteenth of April the aforesaid Englishman set sail.

On the twenty-ninth of the same month two ships from Amsterdam joined us, through our help, whereof the skippers were Dierck Jansz. Roomschkerck and Wouter Syvertsz., and sailed off again on the tenth of May to the island of Margarita.

On the third of June two ships from Amsterdam joined us, named the Great and Little Sphera Mundi, the skippers whereof were Jan Cornelisz. van Leyen and Adriaen Reyndertssoen before mentioned. And we joined forces with them in order to visit together the entire coast as far as the river called Orinoco by the Indians, Raliana by the English, and Rio El Dorado by the Spaniards. And all that might fall to us upon the aforesaid coast was to be shared, three eighths for our company and five eighths for the company of Jan van Leyen aforesaid. And we visited the following rivers: Wyapoco,1 Curassawini, Cunanamae, Juraco, Mavary, Amano, Marawini, Carapi, Surinamo, Saramo, Coupanama, Waycara, Curetini, Orinoco. In the river Orinoco, Rio Barima and Amacura, and in these we bartered and traded. The rivers between the Amazon and Wiapoco are as follows: Aroway, Arafioco, Maycary, Cassipoura, Arrocava. These rivers we neither visited nor traded in, because we could not get there, on account of the regular current which always flows westerly along the coast. The rivers between the Wiapoco and the Caurora are as follows: Wanary, Apperwacca, Cawo, Wya, Cayany, Macuria. These in particular we ourselves visited and traded in, except the rivers Wanary and Apperwacca. 3

2

1 Note by Prof. Burr.-The names of the rivers of Guiana are not hard to recognize under these ancient spellings; only those of western Guiana are here translated by modern equivalents. They are here mentioned in order from east to west, but with two notable gaps; from the Wiapoco (or Oyapoc, as it is now oftener called) there is a skip to a stream west of the Caurora (Kourou), where Cabeliau's party first came to land, and from the Corentyn a more serious jump to the Orinoco. The reason for these omissions is presently evident.

2 Note by Prof. Burr.-It is hard not to believe that the manuscript has here "Amacoura,” which by transcriber or printer could easily be misread “ Amaconza.

Note by Prof. Burr.-For a contemporary map of this region from the Cawo to the Macuria, undoubtedly emanating from this expedition, see the atlas of the U. S. Commission, map 57.

No. 5.

Between Mamiamanory and Synamary are two little streams named Owapary and Paurama, upon which no tribe dwells. The river, or the mouth, of the Surinam is forked. The Cammawini lies to the east and the Surinam to the west, and they empty into the sea together. Between the rivers Corentyn and Orinoco are these rivers: Berbice, Abary, Mahaicony, Mahaica, Demerara, Essequibo, Pomeroon, Mɔruca, Waini. These we have not visited or traded in, either singly or in company, since our time was far spent and there was not much to be found there, as the Indians informed us, and, moreover, our provisions were very low; so we did no more than to coast along the land, in order to have some idea of it, as far as the river Orinoco, which we entered on the twenty-seventh of July and anchored by each other, about two miles from the mouth of said river.

On the twenty-eighth we prepared to visit the river Orinoco with the ship of Jan van Leyen, of about 36 double tons burden, our yacht of about 9 double-tons, and the yacht, or row-boat, of Adriaen Reynderssen, our whole force being about fifty persons.

On the twenty-ninth, the aforesaid boats and people sailed up the river together, against the strong current which always runs there at this time of year. And we traveled, with the direction of these Indians here present, not more than about forty [Dutch] miles in the space of twenty days, up to the place or settlement where the Spaniards are, which is named St. Thomé, whereof Don Fernando de Berreo is Governor and also Marquis of Guiana, the river Orinoco, and all the coasts being still unconquered as far as the river Maranon, or Amazon.1 Their strength consists of about sixty horsemen and one hundred musketeers, who daily seek to conquer the gold-land Guiana, but do not yet succeed either by means of the expeditions made thither up to this time nor by any means of friendship, because the tribe called Caribs violently opposes them every day with their weapons. These are bows, and they shoot with them poisoned arrows, which are so deadly that if anyone is hit therewith so that blood flows, he must perforce die within twenty-four hours, unless a remedy be instantly applied, and all his flesh would drop from his bones. Therefore the Spaniards greatly fear that tribe and their arrows. Moreover they [the tribe] stand firm in battle and will not yield, and up to now they have always been victorious; and the Spaniards, seeing that they can gain nothing there, have begun, about six days' journey to the south of the river Orinoco, at the mountains of Guiana, to make a road through the rocks and hills about 1,600 stadia long and wide enough for five horses to march abreast, and by these means they hope to conquer it.

From St. Thomé the yacht of our ship and the sloop of Adriaen Reyndertsen, with Jan van Leyen's two herring-scows, sailed up to the river Caroni, which has a terrible and mighty cataract, and falls down out of

1 Note by Prof, Burr.-Possibly to be translated: "Marquis of Guiana, of the river Orinoco, and of all the coasts yet unconquered, as far as the Amazon."

No. 5.

the mountains and makes such a noise that it can be heard about four [Dutch] miles away. In this neighborhood we sought (following our description made by Sir Walter Raleigh) certain gold mines, but found none, whether it be from our oversight or because there were none there we know not which, but we did our best in it all, nevertheless, as it seemed to us. We are the more confident of this because the Governor, Don Fernando, gave us his miner to help us investigate, who took us to all the places where, in his opinion, Sir Walter Raleigh had been and whence his minerals were taken. And in all the places that we have seen we could find no proofs that gold was underneath, but understand from our Indians that there is a place about six [Dutch] miles up stream where there are said to be certain mines; but the water had overflowed there to such a degree that it was impossible for us to visit it. The Spaniards also said that there was much gold up stream, but they dared not go thither on account of the war with the aforesaid Caribs. To sum up briefly, there is up that river in the kingdom of Guiana certainly much gold, as we were told by the Indians from there as well as by our Indians here present, and the Spaniards themselves say so; but for people busied with trade it is not feasible to expect any good therefrom unless to that end considerable expeditions were equipped to attack the Spaniards. This is the only means of learning the whereabouts of any gold mines from the Indians; for whosoever are enemies, and bear enmity to the Spaniards, are friends with the Indians, and they hope steadily that they shall be delivered from the Spaniards by the Dutch and the English, as they told us. When a captain of the Indians, taken prisoner by the Spaniards, was going to be hanged, he said that he had spoken with the spirit Wattopa and she had prophesied deliverance through us and through the English. I could wish to help in this, in case it could be brought about and succeed to the profit and advantage of the country. Having traded in this river to no great extent with the Indians, as also with the Spaniards, we departed from the town of St. Thomé, by common consent, for the ships, and came on board on the thirtieth of August, with express promises from the Spaniards that they would come to trade with us at Trinidad.

On the first of September we sailed together to the island of Trinidad, and on the seventh we arrived off the west coast of Trinidad and there anchored. This is a rich and beautiful island, adorned within with many sorts of merchandise and wares useful for many things, and we traded off to the Spaniards all our remaining merchandise and wares, except a few which we brought back, since we could not trade among the Indians with such articles.2

On the twenty-first of the said month Jan van Leyden and Adriaen Reynderssen left us and sailed for the island of Margarita.

1 Note by Prof. Burr.-I. e. of the Netherlands.

2 Note by Prof. Burr.-For a map of the coast of Trinadad and the neighboring mainland, emanating doubtless from this expedition, see the atlas of the U. S. Commission, map 58.

No. 5.

On the thirteenth of October we set sail for these provinces and took our course, on account of lack of provisions, through the Pragonis and Aeso1 between the islands of St. Lucia and Grenada, and on the sixteenth of the same month spoke there the galley of Sir Walter Raleigh, of London, of about twenty-five tons burden or twelve and a half double-tons, and coming from the coast of Barbary. On the same day sailed on between the aforesaid islands and on the twenty-second of the same month again between the islands of Dominica and Poorebano, and so laid our course to the islands of the Azores, and on the twenty-first of November came in sight of the island of Fayal and sailed by it, and in the evening sighted an English pinnace, and on the twenty-second spoke it near the island of Graciosa, and thence laid our course for the Channel and on the eleventh of December ran into Plymouth in England on account of contrary winds, and lay there until the twenty-fifth of the same month and set sail for these provinces with divers ships, and on the twenty-eighth arrived at Middelburg in Zeeland.

So that, in this voyage, we have discovered, found, and navigated more than twenty-four rivers, many islands in the rivers, and divers other harbors, which have hitherto neither been known in these provinces nor sailed to therefrom. Aye, more, in no chart and by no geographer down to this time has our route been described or pointed out. All of which, I, the undersigned, as supercargo of this voyage, declare to be true, being ready (if need be) to explain the same to Your High Mightinesses more fully either by word of mouth or in writing. In witness of the truth I have signed this on the third of February, in the year 1599.

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Extracts from the proceedings of the States General, 1599.
[Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 22-23.]

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Regarding the Petition of Steven de La Faille, Jan Dirixsz. and Andries van Bancken, citizens and inhabitants of the city of Amsterdam, who have 1 Note by Prof. Burr.-What may be meant by these names it is hard to guess. It is possibly some distortion of the name of the Dragon's Mouth, the strait between Trinidad and the mainland at its west. 2 Note by Prof. Burr.-Earlier in this year (on April 20, 1599), "Jehan van de Veken, merchant at Rotterdam," and "Jan Hess, merchant at Middelburg," were granted a "commission in the usual form to send a ship to the West Indies "to carry on there their traffic and trade" ("om haerluyder Negolie ende Handel aldaer te dryven "); but there is nothing to connect this with Guiana. Interesting, however, is the unusual provision attached, "that they are to take on board in the Canary islands some Portuguese or Spaniards, in order to be able to accomplish their voyage effectively and with greater safety” (“dat zyluyden in de Eylanden van Canarien zullen mogen opnemen eenige Portugiesen ofte Spaignaerden, om haere reyse bequamelyck ende met meerder zekerheyt te mogen volbrengen ”).

No. 6.

fitted out two ships, the one named den Palmboom, on which as captain and clerk is to sail François Henrixsz. Schilder of Amsterdam, and the other called den Luypart, whereon as captain and clerk will sail Claes Claesz. Reck of Parop, in order there with to sail to certain strange lands and havens which have heretofore not been sailed to or frequented by any from these lands, and who ask passport therefor and furthermore freedom from convoy for five voyages, it was ordered that the petitioners must first declare to what places they have planned their voyage.1

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Regarding the Petition of Jan van Penen and Gerrit Diricxsz. de Vries cum suis, merchants and citizens of the city of Haarlem, who are making ready a certain ship named den Dolffphyn, of about fifty double-tons, in order therewith to make a voyage along the coasts of Guiana in America, there to seek the rivers of Wiapoco and Orinoco, and there to find again a certain mineral lately brought hither into this country from there as a specimen by one Jacob Adriaensz., mate at Haarlem, there was granted the petitioners freedom from convoy dues on the commodities which they in two journeys thither shall wish to carry out of the country, and [on those which] they shall wish to bring back into it, under the usual stipulations and conditions whereon like freedom has been granted to others.

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Extract from the proceedings of the provincial Estates of Zeeland, 1599. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 23–24.]

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In the matter of the request of the Burgomaster of Middelburg, Adriaen ten Haeft, setting forth how that in the preceding year, 1598, at heavy cost to himself, he caused to be investigated on the continent of America many different rivers and islands, -and how that in this voyage were discovered various coasts and lands where one could do notable damage to the King of Spain,-and how that he is well minded to send out again two ships, in order, in the country's behalf, to discover certain places, a thing which cannot be done so effectively with seafaring folk alone. Wherefore, and in view of the fact that in Holland for the encouragement of ex

1 Note by Prof. Burr.-The passage is of interest mainly as making it unlikely that, under the policy of the States General, any early voyage to Guiana made with its approval has escaped notice because its destination was a secret.

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