This Province, till that of Tucuman was taken from it, contain’d all the Country betwixt Brazile and Peru. Our Author adds, that besides the Towns above-mention’d the Spaniards built here Corientes on the Conflux of the Paraguay and Parana, which is but a small Town, no way suiting the Dignity of those two Rivers: That 100 Leagues up the Parana, in the Province of Guirana, the Spaniards built two little Towns call’d Villarica and Guaira; that on the upper part of the Paraguay they built Xeres and another Villarica, to join Paraguay on that side to the further Provinces; and lastly, the City of Conception on the Marshes of the red River which falls into Parana, and was of great use to curb the fierce Nations in the Neighbourhood. He adds, that all these Towns were first planted by a Race of the noblest Families in Spain. He mentions an extraordinary Herb here call’d Paraguay by the name of the Country; it grows in marshy Grounds, and the Leaves being dry’d and powder’d, and mix’d with warm Water, the Spaniards and Natives drink it several times a day, which makes them vomit, and strengthens their Appetite. They look upon it as a sort of Catholicon, use it so much that they can’t live without it; and this Custom has so much overspread the neighbouring Provinces, that the Inhabitants will sell any thing to purchase it, tho the excessive Use of it occasions the same Distempers as the immoderate Use of Wine. They did so fatigue the Natives to gather and powder this Herb, that multitudes of ’em died; and this, with other slavish Employments, did much dis-people the Country. The Natives live mostly by Fishing, Hunting, and Shooting.
Account of the River La Plata.
Tucuman is 300 Leagues long, but varies much in breadth. ’Tis inhabited by four Nations: The furthest South have no fix’d Dwellings, live by Fishing and Hunting, and carry about Mats to serve them for Tents. The North People live in Marshes, and feed most on Fish. The Southern People are the tallest, but the Northern the fiercest; and many of them live in Caves, but those nearest Peru in Villages. They are all very slothful, and have store of Brass and Silver, but make little use of them. They have large Sheep which carry their Burdens, and their Wool is almost as fine as Silk. They have many Lions, not so large and fierce as those of Africa, but their Tygers are fiercer than those of other Countries. Their two chief Rivers are Dulce and Salado, so call’d from the sweet and salt Taste of their Waters. They have multitudes of Springs and Lakes, some of which have a petrifying quality. The Country was formerly very populous, but their Numbers are much decreas’d since the Spaniards planted among them. They easily subdu’d this Country, which was govern’d by abundance of petty Princes continually at war with one another. This Province was first discover’d in 1530. by one Cæsar a Soldier belonging to Sebastian Cabot, and three more, at the time when Pizarro took Atabalipa the Great Inga of Peru. In 1540. the Viceroy of Peru, Vaca de Castro, assign’d this Country to John Rojas as a Reward for his Services. He went thither with 200 Spaniards, but was kill’d on the Frontiers by a poison’d Arrow, and his Men under Francis Mendoza march’d thro to the River of Plate. Mendoza being kill’d as going up that River by Mutineers, John Nunez Prada was sent hither by the Viceroy Peter Gasca, subdu’d the Indians, built the Town of St. Michel on the Banks of the River Escava, and settled Fryars there. This Province was afterwards subjected to Chili; and Francis d’Acquire being sent thither with 200 Spaniards, destroy’d St. Michel, and built St. Jago, now the Metropolis of Tucuman, on the River Dulce, in S. Lat. 28. says Techo, but others place it on the River Salado. ’Tis the same Town I have already describ’d. In 1558. Tarita being made Governour of this Province, built the City of London near the Borders of Chili, about Lat. 29. calling it so out of compliment to Q. Mary of England, at that time marry’d to Philip II. of Spain. This Town serv’d to curb the Natives. Tarita did likewise rebuild St. Michel, and reduc’d the Country so much, that 80000 Indians who submitted to Spain were muster’d in the Territory of St. Jago. The Spaniards, as was usual in those days, fighting with one another about the Command of the Provinces, Tarita was drove out in 1561. by Castaneda; so that most of the Natives revolted, till 1563. that Francis d’Acquire reduc’d ’em again, and built Esteco above-mention’d. But the Spaniards contending afterwards with one another about the Government, many of their Settlements were destroy’d; so that in Techo’s time the chief Places remaining in this Country were St. Jago, Cordoua, St. Michel, Salta or Lerma, Xuxui or St. Salvador, Rioja, Esteco or Nuestra Señora de Talavera, London, and a few other small Garisons. He says that in this Country it does not rain in Winter, but in Summer they have thick Mists and Rains enough. The Jesuits are the chief Missionaries here, and settled in the principal Towns. He adds, that near the City Conception, which is ninety Leagues from St. Jago, the Natives were call’d Frontones, because they made the Fore-part of their Heads bald. Their Arms were a Club at their Girdle, Bows and Arrows, and Staves set with Jawbones of Fishes. They went naked, and painted their Bodies to make them look terrible. They were continually at War among themselves about the Limits of their Land, and they fix’d the Bodies of their slain Enemies in Rows to the Trunks of Trees, that others might be afraid of invading their Borders.
He adds, that the Country about St. Michael is well peopled, abounds with Woods, and all sorts of European and other Fruits, so that it was call’d The Land of Promise; but they are much infested with Tygers, which the Natives kill with great dexterity. Guaira a Province of Paraguay is very hot, because for the most part under the Tropick of Capricorn; is very fruitful, but subject to Fevers and other Diseases: yet when the Spaniards came hither in 1550, they are said to have found 300000 People in this Country, but they say there’s scarce a fifth part of that number now; and the Natives very miserable, having no Meat but the Flesh of wild Beasts nor Bread but what they make of the Root Mandiosa. There are Stones here which breed in an oval Stone-Case, about the bigness of a Man’s Head. Our Author says, they lie under ground, and when they come to maturity, break with a noise like Bombs, and scatter abundance of beautiful Stones of all colours; which at first the Spaniards took to be of great Value, but did not find ’em so. The other remarkable Product of this Country is a Flower call’d Granadillo, which the Jesuit says represents the Instrument of our Saviour’s Passion, and produces a Fruit as big as a common Egg, the Inside of which is very delicious. 2. A Fruit call’d Guembe, which is very sweet, but has yellow Kernels, which if chew’d, occasions a sharp Pain in the Jaws. 3. Dates, of which they make Wine and Pottage. 4. Wild Swine which have their Navel on their backs, and if not cut off immediately when the Beast is kill’d, corrupts the whole Carcase. 5. Abundance of wild Bees, several sorts of which yield store of Honey and Wax. 6. Snakes which dart from the Trees, and twist themselves about Men or Beasts, and soon kill ’em if they be not immediately cut in pieces. 7. Macaqua Birds, so call’d because of an Herb which they eat as an Antidote when hurt by Snakes, which lie and watch for them in the Marshes. They frequently fight those Snakes, for which Nature has provided them with sharp Beaks for a Weapon, and strong Wings to serve them as a Buckler. Our Author mentions the River Paranapan, which runs thro this Country, is almost as large as the Paraguay, and falls into the Parana. Its Banks on both sides are cover’d with tall Trees, especially Cedars, of so vast a Bulk that they make Canoes out of a single Trunk, which row with twenty Oars. The Jesuits built the Towns of Loretto and St Ignatius, and two more near the Conflux of this River and the Pyrapus, about 1610, and eleven more have since been built in that Province, where they have brought over many of the Inhabitants to their Religion. They kill’d many of the Spaniards at first, and then eat them. These Towns are plac’d by the Sansons about Lat. 22. and betwixt Long. 325, and 330.
Account of the River Oronoco.
Our Author not being distinct in describing the Provinces of Paraguay and Tucuman, but sometimes confounding one with the other, I shall only add a few things more relating to those Countries in general. He mentions a People call’d Guaicureans who live on the Banks of Paraguay near the City Assumption, maintain themselves by Fishing and Hunting, and eat all manner of Serpents and wild Beasts without hurt. They have Tents of Mats, which they remove at pleasure. They dawb one side of their Bodies with stinking Colours, scarify their Faces to make them look terrible, suffer no Hair to grow on their Bodies; and instead of a Beard fasten a Stone of a finger’s length to their Chin, and make their Deformity the Standard of their Valour. Their chief Delight is in Drunkenness and War; and to acquire the Title and Dignity of Soldiers, they must endure to have their Legs, Thighs, Tongues, &c. bored with an Arrow; and if they flinch in the least, are not allow’d that Quality: and therefore they inure their Children from their Youth to all sorts of Hardship, and to run Thorns and Briars into their Flesh by way of Pastime. They honour their Commanders so much, that when they spit they receive it into their hands, stand about them when they eat, and observe all their Motions. They chose to fight by night, because they knew nothing of Order, but made their Onsets like Beasts. They either kill’d or sold their Prisoners, if at Man’s Estate, and the young ones they bred in their own way. They lurk’d in Marshes and Woods by day, keeping Spies abroad; and thus they plagu’d the Spaniards for above a hundred years, till they were civiliz’d by some Missionaries. They would not allow their Women to paint with a Clay-colour till they had tasted human Flesh; and therefore when they kill’d Enemies, would divide them among the young Women, or give them the Corpse of their own Dead. They planted Trees over their Graves, adorn’d them with Ostrich Feathers, and met there at certain times, howling in a most barbarous manner, and performing many lewd and hellish Ceremonies. They worship Parrots as Gods, and have a sort of Bears call’d Ant-Bears: They have long Heads, Snouts much longer than those of Swine, and Tongues like Spears, which they thrust into the Ant-Hills, and lick up those Insects, which are as big as the top of one’s finger, and being toasted over the fire, are eat by the Natives and Spaniards too as a Dainty.
Father Techo mentions another People nam’d Calchaquins in this Country, whom he supposes to have been of Jewish Descent, because when the Spaniards came first here, they found that many of them had Jewish Names, and something of their Habit and Customs. Our Author draws a Parallel in several Instances; but this, as well as his Arguments to prove that St. Thomas the Apostle planted Christianity in this Country, will scarce obtain Credit among the Learned. I refer the Curious who would know more of those things to our Author, who brings down what he calls the History of this Country as low as 1645. which is the latest Account we have yet printed, except Father Sepp’s abovemention’d, which brings it to 1691. of which I have given the Substance already.
Before I go further, I shall give some account of the River Aranoca or Oronoco, which is the Northern Boundary of our South-Sea Company’s Limits. The Head of it, according to our Maps, is about N. Lat. 3. and in Long. 77. It runs Eastward about 840 miles, about 60 miles N. of the Equator, then runs N. about 420. and turning NE. about 120, falls into the Sea about N. Lat. 9. So that its whole Course is about 1370 miles, including Turnings and Windings; for it runs almost the whole Breadth of that part of America, since it rises within 160 miles of the South-Sea.
Mr. Sparrey,[114] who was left in the adjoining Country by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595. gives the following Account of this River. He says it is also call’d Barequan, is a great River, and others call it Pariæ. It falls into the Sea by sixteen Mouths; but according to Sansons Map, what Sparrey calls Mouths are a number of Islands which lie near the Shore at the Entrance of the River, and the chief of those Mouths nam’d Capuri lies furthest South. They say it has 9 foot water at full Sea, and but 5 at Ebb: It flows but a small time, when it rises apace, and the Ebb continues 8 hours. There are several other ways of entring this River, for which I refer to Sparrey; as also for the other Rivers which fall into it on both sides. He attempted a Passage to Peru this way, but in vain. He says that in this Search he enter’d the great River Papemena, which is six Leagues broad, and came to a pleasant Island call’d Athul, where the Climate is temperate, the Island is well water’d, and abounds with Fish, Fowls, and other Animals for Food. It has many Woods that abound with delicate Fruit all the Year. There’s store of Cotton, Balsam, Brazile Wood, Lignum Vitæ, Cypress Trees, several Minerals and fine Stones, but for want of Skill he could not judg of the Value of ’em. This Island was not then inhabited, because of the Cannibals nam’d Caribbes in the Neighbourhood. He is of opinion, that Westward from Oronoco Gold might be found; but it was dangerous to go far into the Country, because the Natives were continually in Arms. He adds, that in the Country of Curae, part of the Province of Guiana, which lies on the S. and E. of Oronoco, there was plenty of Gold; but it was dangerous seeking for it in the Sands of the Rivers, because of Crocodiles. He talks also of Pearl or Topazes found here, but dubiously. At Camalaha South of Oronoco, he says, there was then a Fair for Women Slaves, where he bought 8 for a coarse red-hafted Knife, the eldest of whom was not above 18 years old. The Inhabitants, he says, are generally swarthy. We have few modern Accounts of this River, because it is not much frequented for Trade; and therefore I shall say no more of it, but return to my Journal.
Nothing remarkable happen’d till Decemb. 6. when we had close cloudy Weather, with Showers; Wind at E. by N. We saw a large Bird call’d Alcatros, who spread their Wings from eight to ten foot wide, and are much like a Gannet.