of them, and found a very fine and agreeable harbour. I walked about a
league inland, through very thick woods, and caught some rabbits, which
are in great quantities, some birds, and a lizard as large as my thigh,
of a grey and dead-leaf[50] colour. The island is very flat and level,
and all the others the same; we also landed on another, which was not
so agreeable; but we brought away some very good fruits, and there were
such quantities of birds, that at our landing there rose so great a
number, that for more than two hours after the air was filled with
them: and there were others, which could not fly, so that we took them
pretty easily; these are of the size of a goose, the head very large,
the beak very wide, low on their legs, the feet like those of a water
hen. When these birds are plucked, there is not more flesh on them than
on a dove, and it has a very bad taste. We raised the anchor the same
day, towards evening, with a very fair wind, and the next day, about
three o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived at a place called "La
Sonde,"[51] a very dangerous place, as for more than five leagues there
are only shallows, with the exception of ...[52] leagues in length, and
three in width; when we were in the middle of the said channel, we lay
to, and the sailors cast out their lines to catch fish, of which they
took so large a quantity, that they could not find room enough for them
on board the ships. This fish is of the size of a dorade,[53] of a red
colour, and very good if eaten fresh, for it will not keep, or salt,
but becomes putrid shortly. The lead must be always in hand in passing
through this channel; on leaving which, one of our pataches was lost at
sea, without our knowing the cause; the soldiers and mariners saved
themselves by swimming, some on planks, others on oars, others as they
best could, and returned from more than two ...[54] to our ship, which
they met with very _a propos_, and we picked them up in our boats which
were sent out for them.
[50] Feuille-morte, whence "phillemoti," brownish.
[51] A difficult channel, called by the Spaniards the "Sound of
Mexico," abounding in fish, especially Dorades.
"We pursued our route till we arrived at a place which the
Spaniards call the Sound of Mexico, for in that place we often
cast the sound.... During this time we took great diversion in
fishing, particularly dorades, on which we made great
cheer."--Gage's _Voyage to Mexico in 1625_, from French
translation by the Sieur de Beaulieu, Hues O'Neil: 2 vols.,
Paris, 1676.
[52] Hiatus in MS.
[53] Sparus aurata (Linn.), Brame de Mer--the Bahama dorade is
called "porgy."
[54] Hiatus in MS.
Eight days afterwards, we arrived at St. Jean de Luz,[55] which is the
first port of New Spain, where the galleons of the king of Spain go
every year to be laden with gold, silver, precious stones, and
cochineal, to take to Spain.
[55] The fort or castle of San Juan d'Ulloa is evidently meant,
but whether it bore that name when Champlain was there, or
whether he confounded the St. Jean de Luz of Spain with San Juan
d'Ulloa, is a moot point. In Mercator and Hondius's maps,
Amsterdam, 10th edition, 1628, St. Juan d'_Uloa_ (Ulloa) is
placed on the twenty-sixth degree of north latitude, at the mouth
of the river "Lama" (Rio del Norte). The town of Villa Rica, is
laid down in the actual position of Vera Cruz, but no mention of
either St. Juan de Luz, or d'Ulloa; and in Gage's _Voyage with
the Spanish Fleet to the West Indies and Mexico_, 1625, it is
styled Sn Juan d'Ulhua, otherwise Vera Cruz.
"The proper name of the town is Sn Juan d'Ulhua, otherwise Vera
Cruz, from the old harbour of Vera Cruz, which is six leagues
from it. But the harbour of the old Vera Cruz being found too
dangerous for ships, on account of the violence of the north
wind, it was entirely abandoned by the Spaniards, who went to St.
Juan d'Ulhua, where their vessels found a safe anchorage by means
of a rock which serves as a strong defence against the winds; and
in order to perpetuate the memory of this happy adventure,
chancing on a Good Friday, to the name of St. Juan d'Ulhua they
added that of the True Cross, taken from the first harbour, which
was discovered on the Holy Friday of the year 1519."--Gage's
_Voyage to Mexico_, etc., 1625.
The said port of St. Jean de Luz is fully four hundred leagues from
Porto-rico. On the island, there is a very good fortress, as well by
its situation, as by its good ramparts, well furnished with all that is
necessary; and there are two hundred soldiers in the garrison, which
are enough for the place. This fortress comprises all the island, which
is six hundred paces long, and two hundred and fifty paces wide;
besides which fortress there are houses built on piles in the water;
and for more than six leagues at sea, there are only shallows, which
cause that ships cannot enter this port, if they do not well know the
entrance of the channel, for which entrance you must steer to the
south-west; but it is certainly the most dangerous port that can be
found, and there is no shelter, excepting on the north side of the
fortress; in the walls of the fort are numerous rings of bronze, where
the vessels are moored, which are sometimes so crowded together, that
when it blows from the north, which is very dangerous, the said vessels
are much crushed, although they are moored fore and aft.[56]
[56] "The boats towed our ships, one after the other, through the
midst of the sunken rocks, which makes this port one of the most
dangerous that I have seen in all my voyages in the north or
south seas.... We cast our anchors in the haven, but as they were
not sufficient to assure our vessels in so dangerous a port, we
added the assistance of many cables, which were fastened to great
rings of iron, fixed expressly in the walls of the castle to
guarantee ships thereby from the violence of the north
wind."--Gage's _Voyage_.
The said port is only two hundred paces in width, and two hundred and
fifty in length. The place is only kept for the convenience of the
galleons which come, as it has been said, from Spain, to load with the
merchandise, and gold and silver, which are drawn from New Spain.
On the other side of the castle, and about two thousand paces from it,
on terra firma, there is a small, but very trading town, called
Bouteron. At four leagues from the said Bouteron, there is also another
town, named Vera-Crux, which is in a very fine situation, and two
leagues from the sea.
Fifteen days after our arrival at the said St. Jean de Luz, I went,
with the permission of our admiral, to "Mechique" (Mexico), distant
from that place one hundred leagues, always going inland.
It is impossible to see or desire a more beautiful country than this
kingdom of New Spain, which is three hundred leagues in length, and two
hundred in breadth.
Making this journey to "Mechique," I admired the fine forests, filled
with the most beautiful trees that one could wish to see, such as
palms, cedars, laurel, orange, and lemon trees. Palmistes, gouiave,
accoiates,[57] good Bresil,[58] and Campesche wood, which are all trees
common to the country, with an infinity of other kinds, that I cannot
recite on account of their diversity, and which give such contentment
to the sight, with the quantities of birds of divers plumage, which are
seen in the forests, that it is not possible to feel more. Next are met
large level plains as far as the eye can see, with immense flocks of
cattle, such as horses, mules, oxen, cows, sheep, and goats, which have
pastures always fresh in every season, there being no winter, but an
air very temperate, neither hot nor cold. It only rains twice in the
year, but the dews are so heavy at night that the plants are
sufficiently watered and nourished. Besides that, the whole of the
country is ornamented with very fine rivers and streams, which traverse
almost the whole of the kingdom, and which, for the greater part, are
navigable for boats.
[57] See forward, pages 28 and 29.
[58] Brazil, or Bresil wood--Caesalpinia. Two species of Brazil
wood are used in dyeing, Caes. Echinata (Lamarck), and Caes. Sappan
(Linn.) The first is the Brazil wood, or Bresillet, of
Pernambuco, a large tree growing naturally in South America, used
in commerce for red dye. The second is indigenous in India, where
it is used for the same purpose, and known in the trade as sappan
wood; in France, "Bresellet des Indes."
The origin of the name "Brazil," or "Bresil," for this wood, was
long a moot point, whether the country took its name from the
tree, or the tree from the country. Many early writers (and some
modern) have thought that it was derived from the country. The
Sieur de Rochefort, in his "_Histoire Naturelle et Morale des
Antilles d'Amerique_" (Rotterdam, 1658), says: "Le bois de Bresil
est ainsi nomme a cause que le premier qui a este veu en Europe,
avoit este apporte de la Province du Bresil, ou il croist en plus
grande abondance qu'en aucun endroit de l'Amerique"; and Savary,
in his _Dictionnaire du Commerce_, writes: "C'est un bois dont on
se sert pour teindre en rouge, et qui est ainsi nomme puisqu'il
est d'abord venu du Bresil, province de l'Amerique." I could cite
more modern authorities, written and oral, for within the last
month I heard the derivation of the country asserted by a
gentleman of no slight pretensions to learning.
Unfortunately for the above theory, the names "Bresil" and
"Bresillet" are mentioned in an "ordonnance" of John, king of
France, dated London, 16th September, 1358. "Nous avons entendu
plusieurs marchants, Lombards et autres, qui ont trait, ou faict
traire hors du dict Royaume,--guerdes, garances, '_Bresils_,
et autres teintures.'"
Again, in the _Reglements pour le Mestier de Draperie de la
Ville de Troyes_, 360: "Nous avons ordene, et ordenons que
dores-en-avant, aucune teintures ne puisse ou doie taindre draps
au laines en ycelle Ville de Troies, mais que de garde, de
garance, de _Bresil_, et d'autres meilleures taintures," etc.
Also in the _Statuts et Reglements pour les Drapiers de la Ville
de Rouen_, 4th December and 5th January, 1378, _Bresil_ is
mentioned, and it is to be found in _Ordonnances_ of the years
1368, 1398, and 1400. In the very ancient MS. statutes of the
town of Abbeville, _Bresil_ is named: "Que a Selle neuve, ne sait
mis en oeuvre basenne _Bresille_." Finally, Muratori, in his
_Antiq. Ital. Med. Aevi_, vol. ii, cites a charter of the year
1193, in which "Brazil" appears. "Scilicet de omnibus drappis de
batilicio, de lume zucarina, de _Brasile_," etc.
The antiquity of the name is thus clearly shown, the origin is
most probably "brasa," red, flame-colour, incandescent.
We have the quaint authority of Barros as to the origin of the
name of the country, Brazil. "This country had at first the name
of Santa Croce, Holy Cross, on account of that which was raised
there; but the demon, who loses by this standard of the cross the
empire which he had over us, and which had been taken from him by
the mediation of the merits of Jesus Christ, destroyed the cross,
and caused the country to be called Brazil, the name of a red
wood. This name has entered into the mouth of every one, and that
of Holy Cross is lost, as if it was more important that a name
should come from a wood used to dye clothes, rather than from
that wood which gives virtue to all the sacraments--means of our
salvation--because it was dyed with the blood of Jesus Christ
spilled upon it."
Thus it is evident that the name Brazils was given to the country
by the Portuguese, subsequently to Cabral's discovery, from the
quantity of the red wood abounding there.
The first known "Brasilium," or "Bresil," would be the Indian
variety (Caesalpinia Sappan), introduced into Europe, most
probably, by the Venetians or Genoese, and obtained by them from
the Levant, brought there by caravans, or by the Persian and
Arabian Gulfs.
"Campesche," or Campeachy wood, "Haematoxyllum Campechianum"
(Linn.)
The land is very fertile, producing corn twice in the year, and in as
great abundance as can be desired, and, whatever season it may be,
there are always very good and fresh fruits on the trees; for when one
fruit arrives at maturity, others come, and thus succeed one to the
other; and the trees are never devoid of fruit, and are always green.
If the king of Spain would permit vines to be planted in this kingdom,
they would fructify like the corn; for I have seen grapes produced from
a stock which some one had planted for pleasure, of which every grain
was as large as a plum, as long as half the thumb, and much better than
those of Spain.
[Illustration: A SILVER MINE.]
But all the contentment that I had felt at the sight of things so
agreeable, was but little in regard of that which I experienced when I
beheld that beautiful city of Mechique, which I did not suppose to be
so superbly built, with splendid temples, palaces, and fine houses; and
the streets well laid out, where are seen the large and handsome shops
of the merchants, full of all sorts of very rich merchandise.
I think, as well as I can judge, that there are in the said city,
twelve thousand to fifteen thousand Spanish inhabitants, and six times
as many Indians, who are Christians, dwelling there, besides a great
number of negro slaves.
This city is surrounded almost on every side by a lake, with the
exception of one part, which may be about three hundred paces in
length, which can be cut and fortified. On this side only is there
anything to be feared, as on all the other sides it is more than a
league to the borders of the lake, into which fall four great rivers
from far inland, and navigable for boats. One is called the river of
Terra-Firma; another the river of Chile; another the river of Cacou;
and the fourth, the river of Mechique, in which great quantities of
fish are caught, of the same kind as we have with us, and very good.
Along this river are a great number of fine gardens, and much arable
land, very fertile.
Two leagues from the said Mechique there are silver mines, which the
king of Spain has farmed out for five millions of gold a year, and he
has reserved also the right of employing a great number of slaves, to
get from the said mines as much as he can, for his profit; and he draws
besides the tenth part of all that the farmers get, so that these mines
are a very good revenue to the said king of Spain.
A great quantity of cochineal is gathered in this country, which grows
in the fields as peas do elsewhere. It comes from a fruit the size of a
walnut which is full of seed within.[59] It is left to come to maturity
until the said seeds are dry, and then it is cut like corn and beaten
to have the seed, of which they sow again so as to have more. It is the
king of Spain alone who has the said cochineal sown and collected; and
the merchants must buy it of his appointed officers, for it is
merchandise of high price, and is esteemed as gold and silver.
[59] "Cactus Opuntia." The belief that the cochineal was the seed
of a plant, was prevalent for a very long period after the
conquest of Mexico. In a drawing which Champlain gives of the
plant, the "seeds" are shown exactly as the insects fix and feed
on the leaves. The jealousy of the Spanish government, and the
severe monopoly of this production, prevented the true nature and
mode of propagation from being known, and gave rise to a variety
of fables and conjectures.
There is a tree in the said country which is cut like the vine, and
from the place where it is cut there distils an oil, which is a kind of
balm, called oil of canima, from the name of the tree which is so
called.[60] This is a singular oil for all sorts of wounds and cuts, and
for removing pains, principally of gout. The wood has the odour of
fir-tree wood. An ounce of the said oil is worth and sells for two
crowns.
[60] I am at a loss to find what tree it is that Champlain
designates thus, unless it is "Canica"--Myrtus pimenta.
There is another tree, which is called cacou,[61] the fruit of which is
very good and useful for many things, and even serves for money among
the Indians, who give sixty for one real; each fruit is of the size of
a pine-seed, and of the same shape; but the shell is not so hard; the
older it is the better; and to buy provisions, such as bread, meat,
fish, or herbs, this money may serve for five or six objects.
Merchandise for provision can only be procured with it from the
Indians, as it is not current among the Spaniards, nor to buy often
other merchandise than fruits. When this fruit is desired to be made
use of, it is reduced to powder, then a paste is made, which is steeped
in hot water, in which honey, which comes from the same tree, is mixed,
and a little spice; then the whole being boiled together, it is drunk
in the morning, warm, as our sailors drink brandy, and they find
themselves so well after having drunk of it, that they can pass a whole
day without eating or having great appetite.[62]
[61] The brown cacao (Linn.)
[62] The supporting and stimulating properties of chocolate were
discovered very early, and were particularly valuable in a
country where the animal food gave but little nourishment. Gage
says, that "Three or four hours after a repast of three or four
dishes of beef, kid, turkey, and other game, his and company's
stomachs were overcome with weakness and ready to faint, so that
they were obliged to support and fortify them with a glass of
chocolate," etc. This "strangeness" was attributed to the little
nourishment in the meats, although in appearance as fine as those
of Europe, owing to the extreme dryness of the pasturage.
This tree bears numbers of thorns, which are very pointed; and when
they are torn off, a thread comes from the bark of the said tree, which
they spin as fine as they please; and with this thorn, and the thread
which is attached to it, they can sew as well as with a needle and
other thread. The Indians make very good, fine, and delicate thread of
it, and nevertheless so strong, that a man cannot break two fibres of
it together, although they may be as fine as hairs; the pound of this
thread, called thread of Pitte[63], is worth in Spain, eight crowns, and
with it, lace, and other valuable works are made. From the bark of this
tree vinegar is made, as strong as that from wine; and taking the heart
of this tree, and pressing it, there comes out very good honey: then
drying the pith thus pressed in the sun, it serves to light fires.
Moreover, in pressing the leaves of this tree, which are like those of
the olive tree, there proceeds from them a juice, of which the Indians
make a beverage. This tree is of the size of an olive tree.
[63] Champlain has here evidently the description of the cacao
tree and the "Metl," or Maguey (Aloes Pitta, Aloes disticha,
Agave Americana), to which nearly all the latter part of his
description applies, save the "leaf like that of an olive tree."
I have before spoken of a tree which is called Gouiave,[64] which grows
very commonly in this country, and bears a fruit also called Gouiave,
of the size of an apple of Capendu,[65] of a yellow colour, and the
inside like to that of green figs; the juice is pretty good.
[64] "Psidium" (Linn.) "Sa qualite est de resserrer le ventre,
estant mange vert, dont aussi plusieurs s'en servent contre le
flux de sang; mais estant mange meur il a un effet tout
contraire."--De Rochefort, _Hist. des Antilles_, etc., 1658.
[65] A kind of apple common in Normandy, in the "Pays de Caux"
more particularly.
This fruit has the property, that if a person should have a flux of the
belly, and should eat of the said fruit, without the skin, he would be
cured in two hours; and on the contrary, if a man be constipated, and
eat the skin only, without the inside of the fruit, it would
incontinently loosen his bowels, without need of other medicines.
[Illustration: Acoyates]
There is also another fruit called Accoiates,[66] of the size of large
winter pears, very green outside: and when the skin is taken off, a
very thick flesh is found, which is eaten with salt, and has the taste
of kernels or green walnuts; there is a stone in it, of the size of a
walnut, of which the inside is bitter. The tree (branch) on which grows
the said fruit, is here figured, together with the fruit.
[66] "_Ahuacahuitl_," native name, by corruption called "Aguacat";
by the Spaniards, "Avorat," "Avogade," and "Avocat"--the Avogada
pear.
"Shaped like a pear, sometimes like a lime, green without, green
and white within, with a large kernel in the middle. It is eaten
cooked or raw, with salt. All travellers agree that no fruit in
Europe can compare with it."--Clusius.
Also there is a fruit, which is called Algarobe,[67] of the size of
plums of Apt, and as long as bean-pods; the shell of it is harder than
that of cassia, and is of a chesnut colour; a small fruit like a large
green bean is found in it, which has a kernel, and is very good.
[67] Algaroba, or Algarova, the name given by the Spaniards to
some species of acacia of the New World, from their resemblance
to the algarobe, caroubier, St. John's bean, or carob tree, of
which the pods form excellent food for cattle.
I saw also another fruit called Carreau, of the size of the first:[68]
the skin is very tender, and of an orange colour; the inside is red as
blood, and the flesh like that of plums; it stains where it touches,
like mulberries: the taste is very good, and it is said to be excellent
for curing the bite of venomous creatures.
[68] The fruit of a variety of Cactus Opuntia--the "Nuchtli" of
the Mexicans, and called "Raquette" by the French, from the shape
of the leaves. "Ce que nos Francois appellent Raquette a cause de
la figure de ses feuilles: sur quelques unes de ces feuilles,
longues et herissees, croist un fruit de la grosseur d'une
prune-datte; quand il est meur, il est rouge dedans, et dehors
comme de vermillon. Il a cette propriete, qu'il teint l'urine en
couleur de sang aussi tost qu'on en a mange, de sorte que ceux
qui ne savent pas ce secret, craignent de s'estre rompu une
veine, et il s'en est trouve qui, aians apperceu ce changement,
se sont mis au lit, et out creu estre dangereusement
malades."--De Rochefort, _Voyage aux Antilles_, etc., 1658.
This should be the same fruit of which Gage writes (1625-26):
"There is another sort of this fruit, 'Nuchtli,' which is red,
and is not esteemed as the others, although not of bad taste, but
on account of its staining with the colour of blood, not only the
mouth and the linen of him who eats it, but also his urine."
There is also another fruit, which is named Serolles,[69] of the size of
the plum, very yellow, and has the taste of muscatel pears.
[69] From the Spanish "Ciruela"--plum.
I have also spoken of a tree named Palmiste.[70] It is twenty paces in
height, and as large round as a man; nevertheless it is so tender, that
with a good sword-stroke, it can be cut quite through, because the
outside is as soft as a cabbage, and the inside full of marrowy-pith,
which is very good, and firmer than the rest of the tree: it has the
taste of sugar, as sweet, and better. The Indians make a drink of it,
mixed with water, which is very good.
[70] In Champlain's time only two varieties of palm were known
(save the cocoa-nut tree, which was called "palm" _par
excellence_), the "Palmiste franc," or cabbage palm--Areca
oleracea (Linn.); and the "Palmiste epineuse," or thorny
palm--Areca spinosa (Linn.)
I saw also another fruit, called Cocques, of the size of an Indian
nut,[71] which has a figure approaching to that of a man's head: for
there are two holes which represent the two eyes, and that which
advances between the two holes appears as the nose, underneath which
there is a rather wide hole, which may be taken for the mouth, and the
upper part of the said fruit is all frizzled, like curly hair; from the
aforesaid holes issues a water, which is used as a medicine. When first
plucked, this fruit is not good to eat; they let it dry, and make like
little cups and bottles of it, as of Indian nuts, which come from the
palm.
[71] "Cocos lapidea" of Gaertner, the fruit of which is smaller
than the common cocoa-nut, and of which small vases, cups, etc.,
are made.
As I have spoken of the palm,[72] although it is a tree sufficiently
common, I will here represent it. It is one of the highest and
straightest trees that can be seen; its fruit, which is called "Indian
nut," grows quite on the top of the tree, and is as large as the head
of a man; and there is a thick green bark on the said nut, which bark
being removed, the nut is found, about the size of two fists; that
which is inside is very good to eat, and has the taste of young
walnuts; there comes from it a water, which serves as a cosmetic for
the ladies.[73]
[72] Cocos nucifera.
[73] "C'est cette eau qui entre ses autres vertus, a la propriete
d'effacer toutes les rides du visage, et de lui donner une
couleur blanche et vermeille pourveu qu'on l'en lave aussi-tost
que le fruit est tombe de l'arbre."--De Rochefort.
There is another fruit called "Plante,"[74] of which the tree may be
twenty or twenty-five feet high, which has a leaf so large, that a man
might cover himself with it. There grows a root from the said tree, on
which are a quantity of the "plantes," each of which is as thick as the
arm, and a foot and a half long, of a yellow and green colour, of very
good taste, and so wholesome, that a man can eat as much as he likes,
without its doing any harm.
[74] Plaintain-tree--Banana.
The Indians use a kind of corn which they call "Mamaix" (maize), which
is of the size of a pea, yellow and red: and when they wish to eat it,
they take a stone, hollowed like a mortar, and another, round, in the
shape of a pestle: and after the said corn has been steeped for an
hour, they grind and reduce it to flour in the said stone; then they
knead and bake it in this manner. They take a plate of iron, or of
stone, which they heat on the fire: and when quite hot, they take their
paste, and spread it upon the plate rather thin, like tart-paste; and
having thus cooked it, they eat it while hot, for it is good for
nothing, cold, or kept.
They have also another root, which they name Cassave, which they use
for making bread: but if any one should eat of it, unprepared, he would
die.