Bounds ofNew Biscay.
New Biscay, by some accounted a Province ofNew Gallicia, hath on the South,Zacatecas; on the West, the Countrey ofCinoloa; Northward it is bounded withNew Mexico; the Eastern Borders of it looking towardsFlorida, not yet well discover’d: so call’d by theSpaniards, onely from its neighborhood toNew Gallicia. It is, as the other Provinces, exceeding rich in Silver Mines, and hath some also of Lead; which serve principally, as some say, for the refining or purging of the other Metal. The People generally are of a stout and resolute Disposition, and with much difficulty submitting to the Yoke; yea, theSpaniardsthemselves confess, that there remain yet to this day four great Towns unreduc’d, though they lie, as it were, in the mid-way, betwixt theZacatecasaforesaid, and the Mines and Town ofSt. Barbaraof this Province: The Spaniards call themLas Quatro Ceinegas, orThe Four Quagmires, as lying, perhaps, in the Marshes, or in some Fenny and lower parts of the Countrey.
Towns and Cities.
The Towns which themselves hold, are, 1.St. Barbara, famous for the rich Mines about it.
2.St. Johns, equal to the other, and not above three or four Leagues distant from it.
3.Ende, the most Northerly Town which theSpaniardshave in this Countrey, distant about twenty Leagues from the other.
These be all Colonies of theSpaniards, and built on purpose for securing the Mines; which when they were first discover’d byYvarra, he order’dRoderigo del Rioto guard the same, and took up his Winter Quarters atSt. Juanin a strong House, stor’d with all manner of Provisions, and erected there by him, as a place of defence against theChichimecæ, who (though theSpaniardskept the place with strong Guards) kill’d above four hundred of their Horses and Mules; which loss no way daunted him, so as to change his Resolution of going toTopia: whither travelling, he found many snowy Mountains, and suffer’d extream Cold, which kill’d most of their Horses; being seen fifteen days after to stand so stiffly frozen, as if still alive: at last getting within the Borders ofTopia, after he had suffer’d many inconveniences, he was oppos’d by the Inhabitants, till he pacifi’d them with Presents.
Sect. II.
Convenient Havens ofNew Gallicia.
This Countrey hath many convenient Havens,viz.San Jago,Navidad,Malacca,Chacalla, below the PromontoryCorientes, the BayXalisco, the RoadMassatlan, andChiametla, so call’d from a Town about eleven Leagues from the Ocean.
Here, and in several places ofNew Gallicia, grow Lillies, Roses, Violets, Jessamins, and many other Flowers; amongst which theFloripondiumdeserves peculiar observation, because it flourishes the whole Year; and its white Blossoms, which are bigger than Lillies, opening in the Morning, yield an exceeding sweet smell.
The FlowerGranadilla.
In no less esteem is theMurucuia, by theSpaniardscall’dGranadilla, which will not grow, if bereav’d of any of its Leaves: it bears a Flower from the resemblance of our Saviour’s Suffering, call’dThe Passion-Flower, which exceeds the biggest Rose in circumference; the uppermost Leaves green, those underneath of a purple colour; on the top hangs a round Bush of a thousand interwoven threds of divers colours, distinguish’d by white and red Specks; the pale Stalk which sticks in the middle of the Flower, is divided into five others, that bend downwards with a yellow Button-like Knob; on the middlemost Stalk stands a pale yellow Flower, which appears three hours after Sun-rising, and closes again a little before Sun-set; the Fruit, which is very round, smooth, and of a pale Green, hath white Specks, a thick Rind, Saffron-colour’d Pulp, which is wholsom, of a good rellish, and hath abundance of black Seeds inclos’d in little Husks.