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water_n	esteem_n	fish_n	great_a	32	3	2.1422	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02626	A relation of a voyage to Guiana Describing the climat, scituation, fertilitie, prouisions and commodities of that country, containing seuen prouinces, and other signiories within that territory: together, with the manners, customes, behauiors, and dispositions of the people. Performed by Robert Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt Esquire. The pattent for the plantation of which country, his Maiestie hath granted to the said Robert Harcourt vnder the Great Seale.	Harcourt, Robert, 1574?-1631.	1613 (1613)	STC 12754; ESTC S103834	52,578	88

the land is low where the heate would bee most vehement if it were not quallified and tempered by a fresh Easterly winde or Brieze most forcibly blowing in the heate of the day in many places this low land is very vnhealthfull and little inhabited by reason of the ouerflowing of the waters but for the most part it hath goodly nauigable riuers a fertile soile much people and is a healthfull habitation Vpon the Mountaines there is a high land where the ayre is coldest in some places it is fruitfull in others not but generally is full of Mineralls and mines of mettals and yeeldeth as many as any part eyther of the East or West Indies both of the best and of the basest whereof we shall by Gods permission giue good testimony to the benefit of our Countrey and honour of our Nation in time conuenient and in most places vpon the Mountaines there is sound and healthfull dwelling There is also a middle sort of land which is of a meane height and is most temperate healthfull firtile and most inhabited of all other it aboundeth in meadowes pastures and pleasant streames of fresh water in goodly woods and most delightfull plaines for profit pleasure sport and recreation and also is not void of Minerals The prouisions of this countrey for victuals are many First of the roote of a tree called Cassaui they make their bread in manner following they grate the roote vpon a stone and presse out the iuice thereof which being rawe is poyson but boyled with Guinea pepper whereof they haue abundance it maketh an excellent and wholsome sawce then they drie the grated roote and bake it vpon a stone as wee bake our Oaten cakes in England This bread is very excellent much like but far better then our great Oaten cakes a finger thicke which are vsed in the Moorlands and the ●eake in Staffordshire and Darbyshire There is a kinde of great wheat called Maix of some it is called Guinea wheat which graine is a singular prouision in those Countries and yeeldeth admirable increase euen a thousand or fifteene hundred for one and many times much more It maketh excellent meale or flower for bread and very good malte for beere or ale and serueth well for sundry other necessary vses for the reliefe of man Of the aforesaid Cassaui bread and this wheat the Indians make drink which they call Passiaw it will not keep long but must bee spent within foure or fiue daies they make another kinde of drinke of Cassaui called Parranow very good and strong much like vnto our best March beere in England and that kinde of drinke will keepe ten daies many sorts they haue which I haue tasted some strong some small some thicke some thinne but all good being well made as commonly they were amongst the Yaios and Arwaccas which are the cleanliest people of all those Nations There is great store of hony in the Country and although it bee wilde being taken out of trees and buries in the earth yet is it as good as any in the world of which may be made an excellent drinke much vsed in Wales called meath The hony and the waxe are also good commodities for marchandise There be no Vines in that country but the Soyle being rich and ferlile and the climate hot if they were planted there they would prosper exccedingly and yeeld good Sackes and Canary wines which in those parts we finde to be very wholesome Many other necessary prouisions sufficient for the sustenance of man do there abound in plenty Namely Deere of all sorts wilde Swine in great numbers whereof there are two kinds the one small by the Indians called Pockiero which hath the nauile in the backe the other is called Paingo and is as faire and large as any we haue in England There be store of Hares and Conies but of a kinde farre differing from ours There be Tigers Leopards Ounces Armadils Maipuries which are in taste like beefe and will take salt Baremoes or Ant-Beares which taste like Mutton and other small beasts of the same taste coloured like a fawne Elks Monkies and Marmosites of diuers sorts both great and small of these beasts there be innumerable and by experience wee haue found them all good meate Many other kinds of beasts there are of sundrie and strange shapes which heereafter shall bee figured in their true proportion according to the life with their names annexed Of Fowles there be diuers kinds namely Wild-ducks Widgins Teates Wild-geese Herons of diuers colours Cranes Storks Pheasants Partriges Doues Stock-doues Black-birds Curlewes God-wits Wood-cockes Snits Parrats of sundry sorts many other kinds of great and small birds of rare colours besides great rauenous fowles and Hawkes of euery kinde Of Fish the variety is great first of Sea-fish there is Sea-breame Mullet Soale Scate Thorneback the Sword-fish Sturgion Seale a fish like vnto a Salmon but as the Salmon is red this is yellow Shrimps Lobstars and Oysters which hang vpon the branches of trees There is a rare fish called Cassoorwa which hath in each eye two sights and as it swimmeth it beareth the lower sights within the water and the other aboue the ribbes and backe of this fish resemble those parts of a man hauing the ribbes round and the backe flat with a dent therein as a man hath it is somewhat bigger then a Smelt but farre exceeding it for dainty meate and many other sorts there be most excellent Of fresh-water fish many kinds vnknowen in these parts but all exceeding good and dainty And I dare be bold to say that this Country may compare with any other of the world for the great variety of excellent fish both of the Sea and fresh waters There is also a sea-Sea-fish which vsually commeth into the fresh waters especially in the winter and wet season it is of great esteem amongst vs and we account it halfe flesh for the bloud of it is warme it commeth vp into the shallow waters in the drowned lands and feedeth vpon grasse and weeds the Indians name it Coiumero and the Spaniards Manati but we call it the Sea-cow in taste it is like beefe will take salt and serue to victuall ships as in our knowledge hath beene proued by our Countrimen Of this fish may be made an excellent oyle for many purposes the fat of it is good to frie either fish or flesh the hide as I haue heard will make good buffe and being dried in the Sunne and kept from wet will serue for Targets and Armours against the Indian arrowes In the wet season the store of them are infinite some of these hides were heretofore brought into England by Sr. Walter Rawleigh The seuerall kindes of fruits are many the Pina Platana Potato Medler Plummes of diuers sorts 〈◊〉 Nuts of strange kindes The excellency of the Pina I cannot expresse for I dare boldly affirme that the world affordeth not a

A VOYAGE TO Guiana performed by Robert Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt in the Countie of OXFORD Esquire IN the yeare of our Lord 1608. and the three and twentieth of March when I had furnished my selfe with one ship of fourescore Tunnes called the Rose a Pinnesse of sixe and thirtie Tunnes called the Patience and a Shallop of nine Tunnes called the Lilly which I built at Dartmouth and had finished my other businesse there and prepared all things in readinesse to begin my voyage the winde reasonably seruing I then imbarked my companie as followeth In the Rose I was accompanied with captaine Edward Fisher captaine Edward Haruey master Edward Gifford and my cosen Thomas Harcourt And besides them I had of Gentlemen and others one and thirtie land men two Indians and three and twentie Mariners and Saylers In the Patience my brother captain Michael Harcort had with him of gentlemen and others twentie land-men and eleuen Mariners and Saylers In the Lilly Iesper Lilly the Master had one landman and two Saylers so that my iust number too great for so few ships of no greater burden was in all fourescore seuenteen wherof threescore were land-men Being thus imbarked wee set saile from the Rainge at Dartmouth the said three and twentieth of March but the winde altering vpon a sudden put vs back againe that euening and about two of the clock the next morning it comming better for vs we weighed anchor and put to Sea the euening following we lost sight of the Lyzart and steered away for the Canaries Vpon Saturday the first of Aprill 1609. towards the euening the winde increased and grew so violent that my Shallop which we towed in a Cablet by reason of the foule weather was that night seperated from vs for by the rage and fury of the winde and Sea the Cablet brake in sunder and the little Barke was in great danger to be cast away but it pleased God to preserue her for the next morning we discryed her to Leeward of vs contrary to our expectation hauing giuen her lost Then holding on our course the seuenth day wee fell with Alegranza and Lancerote two Islands of the Canaries wee stoode in with Alegranza and came to anchor on the South-west side thereof that euening and the next day I landed my company to exercise their limbs on shoare in this Island we found no inhabitants nor fresh-water neither fruitfull tree plant herbe grasse nor any thing growing that was good onely an abundance of vnwholsome Sea-foule which after one meale were vnsauory distasteful a few wilde Captitos or wilde Goats which the craggy rocks defended frō our hands and hungry mouthes The eighth of Aprill we departed from Alegranza and directed our course for Tenerife another of the Islands The eleuenth day I sent the Pinnesse and the Shalloppe to water at the calmes and there to attend my comming but with my Shippe I held my course for Orotauo a towne on the other side of the Island in hope to get some wine amongst the Merchants there but not being able by reason of a contrary winde to double Punta de Nega wee altered our course from wine to water And the twelfth day wee Passed by Santa Cruz and watered that euening at the Calmes This watering place is very conuenient for all such as passe by those Islands and is thus to bee found there is a wooden crosse neere vnto it the high Pike of Tenerife beareth due North from it There is also a ledge of rockes to the Eastward of the landing place which is a short Sandy bay When you are landed you shall finde the place about fourty or fifty yardes from the Sea side The next day we met againe with the Pinnesse and the Shalloppe who missing of the right place had not yet watered wherefore wee stood backe againe to guide them to it but the winde preuenting vs enforced them to seeke for water elsewhere which with some dificulty they obtained vpon the fifteenth day in the morning Then wee stood on our course for the riuer of Wiapoco in Guiana hauing aprosperous winde faire weather and a smooth Sea The ninth day of May wee fell into the current of the great and famous riuer of Amazones which putteth out into the Sea such a violent and mighty streame of fresh water that being thirty leagues from land wee drunke thereof and found it as fresh and good as in a spring or poole This riuer for the great and wonderfull breadth contayning at the mouth neere Sixty leagues is rightly termed by Iosephus Acosta the Empresse and Queene of all flouds and by Hieronimus Giraua Tarraconensis it is said to bee the greatest not only of all India but also of the whole world and for the greatues is called of many the sweete Sea It riseth and floweth from the Mountaines of Peru and draweth out her streams in many windings turnings vnder the Equinoctiall for the space of one thousand fiue hundred leagues and more although from her fountaines and springs vnto the Sea it is but six hundred When wee entred into the aforesaid current wee sounded and had fouerty fouer fadome water sandy sounding The tenth day the colour of the water changed became muddy whitish and thicke then wee sounded againe at twelue of the clocke at noone and had thirteene fadome and seauenteene at fower in the after noone The eleauenth day at eight of the clocke in the morning we made land the vttermost point thereof bearing West from vs and came to anchor in fiue fadome water At night the Patience putting in to neare the shoare came to anchor in 2½ fadome water vpon the floud which fell from her vpon the ebbe and left her dry vpon the Oaze and the next floud comming in did so shake and beate her against the ground that before shee could get off her rudder was beaten away and her ribbes so rent and crased that if Almighty God had not preserued her she had been wrackt but God bee thanked with much adoe shee came off into deeper water and mended her rudder as well as the time and place would afford meanes Then wee followed on our course coasting along to the North-north-west the land so trending It is very shoale all along this coast the ground soft oaze but no danger to bee feared keeping our ship in fiue fadome water When wee came to the latitude of two degrees and a halfe wee anchored in a goodly bay by certaine Islands called Carripapoory I did at that time forbeare to make particular discouery of this coast intending if God spare me life to make a perfect discouery of the famous riuer of Amazones and of her seuerall branches and countries bordering vppon it and of all this tract of land from the Amazones vnto the riuer of Wiapoco which containeth many goodly Prouinces and Signiories which are in this

my ship and about six more I followed the Coast to the Westward stering due West and passing by the riuer of Meccooria I lodged that night in the mouth of the riuer Courwo which hath a narrow deepe entrance and within affordeth a good harbour which may in time to come for some speciall purpose bee of great vse The next day and the night following I proceeded Westward with full saile and passing the riuers of Manmanury Sinammara Corassowini Coonannonia Vracco and Amanna I arriued the twenty fiue day at the riuer of Marrawini which openeth a faire riuer but is shoale vpon the Barre which lyeth two or three Leagues off at Sea hauing but two fadome water within the Barre the Channel is three foure fiue and six fadome deepe Fiue leagues within the ruier wee passed by certaine Islands called Curewapory not inhabited for at the rising of the waters they are alwaies ouerflowen of which sort the riuer hath very many wee lodged that night a litle beyond these first Islands at a village called Moyemon on the lefthand the Captaine thereof is called Maperitaka of the Nation of the Paragotos a man very louing and faithfull to our Nation whereof wee haue had good proofe The next day wee proceeded vp the riuer three leagues and stayed at a towne called Coewynay on the right hand at the house of Minapa the chiefe Charib of that Signiory to prouide two Canoes to prosecute our iourney for the discouery of this riuer The twenty eight day wee went forward passing many villages and townes which I forbeare to name and hauing gone about twenty leagues from the Sea wee found the riuer in a manner barred vp with rocks ouer which the water falleth with great violence yet notwithstanding wee aduentured to proceed and the further wee went the more dangerous we found the ouerfalles and more in number but when we had passed the first Mountaine towards the high Countrey of Guiana called Sapparow and discouered far off before vs other high Mountaines called Matawere Moupanana and had proceeded 6. daies iourney vp the riuer which was more thē forty leagues we met with such shoale rocky streame great ouerfalles that there to our griefour iourny ended Being thus for that time debarred from our intended discouery wee prepared our selues with Patience to returne towards our shippes and the third day of September wee turned downe the riuer shooting the ouerfalles with more celerity then when wee came vp dispatching three daies iourney in one and the fifth day returned safe to Moyemon but before I departed thence Captaine Fisher told mee of certaine plants which hee had then found much like vnto Rose-trees growing about halfe a yard in height whereof for the strangenesse of them I cannot forbeare to adde a word or two These plants or little trees had assuredly the sence of feeling as plainely appeared by touching them for if you did but touch a leafe of the tree with your finger that leafe would presently shrinke and close vp it selfe and hang downe as if it were dead and if you did cut off a leafe with a paire of cisers then all the other leaues growing vpon the same tree would instantly shrinke and close vp themselues and hang downe as if they were dead and withered and within halfe a quarter of an hower would by degrees open themselues againe and flourish as before and as often as you did either touch or cut off any of them they would doe the like which did euidently shew a restriction of the spirits inuincibly arguing a Sence Howsoeuer this may seeme strange and incredible to your Highnesse and to them that haue not seene it yet forasmuch as Scaliger and Bartas make mention of the like I dare bee bold to affirme it vpon my credit hauing seene and shewed it to forty others I gathered two of the plants and did set them in pots in their owne earth and carried them aboord my shippe where I kept them fairely growing almost a fortnight vntill they were destroied by certaine Munkies that brake loose and pulled them in peeces which might haue been preuented but that I was constrained to set them in the open ayre the better to preserue them The seuenth day I went to Wiawia a great towne of Paragotos and Yaios foure leagues to the West of Marrawini whereof Maperitaka aboue mentioned and Arapawaka are chiefe Captaines At this towne I left my Cozen Vnton Fisher and Humfrey Croxton an Apothecary to beare him company and one seruant to attend him called Christopher Fisher hauing first taken order with Maperitaka for their diet and other necessaries both for trauell and otherwise who euer since according to his promise hath performed the part of an honest man and faithfull friend I gaue directions to my Cozen Fisher to prosecute the discouery of Marrawini and the inland parts bordering vpon it when the time of the yeere and the waters better serued and if it were possible to goe vp into the high Countrey of Guiana and to finde out the City of Manoa mentioned by Sr. Walter Raleigh in his discouery He followed my directions to the vttermost of his ability being of a good wit and very industrious and inabled to vndergoe those imployments by obtaining the loue and gaining the languages of the people without which helpes there is little or no good to bee done in those parts When the waters of Marrawini were risen and the riuer passable much differing from the riuer of Wiapoco which is not to bee trauelled but in the lowest waters He began his iourney for the discouery thereof in company of the Apothecary his seruant Fisher the Indian Maperitaka and eighteene others and proceeded eleauen daies iourney vp the riuer to a towne of Charibes called Taupuramune distant from the Sea aboue an hundred leagues but was foure daies iourney short of Moreshego which is also a towne of Charibes scituate vpon the riuer side in the prouince of Moreshegoro the chiefe Captaine thereof is called Areminta who is a proud and bold Indian much feared of all those that dwell within his Territories hauing a rough skin like vnto Buffe leather of which kinde there bee many in those parts and I suppose proceedeth of some infirmity of the body Hee vnderstood by relation of the Indians of Taupuramune and also of Areminta that six daies iourney beyond Moreshego there are diuers mighty Nations of Indians hauing holes through their eares cheekes nostrils and nether lippes which were called Craweanna Pawmeeanna Quikeanna Peewattere Arameeso Acawreanno Acooreo Tareepeeanna Corecorickado Peeauncado Cocoanno Itsura and Waremisso and were of strength and stature far exceeding other Indians hauing Bowes and Arrowes foure times as bigge what the Indians also report of the greatnesse of their eares I forbeare to mention vntill by experience we shall discouer the truth thereof Moreouer hee learned that there fall into Marrawini