Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the port of St Salvador, where the ships lay.* ships lay. It seems certain, then, that the first position fortified by Cabot was in the most northern mouth of the Parana, on an island about two leagues from where it reaches the La Plata. On the map of Louis Stanislaus d'Arcy de la Rochette,† this most northern avenue is divided into two parts, the upper of which is designated as "Rio Paca," and the lower, that issues into the La Plata, as "Rio Naranjos." St Salvador was, of course, situated on the latter, or perhaps on the stream next in order to the south, which also communicates with the Rio Paca and thus forms with the Rio Naranjos a considerable delta. In a Memoir drawn up by Lopez Vaz, a Portuguese, and taken with the author by the fleet sent forth in 1586 by the Earl of Cumberland, the fort where Cabot left his ships is said to be then standing. Its distance from the sea is, however, misstated either by him or the translator (Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 788).

It is desirable to fix this first point of occupation, not only as a matter curious in itself, but because Charlevoix (Histoire du Paraguay, tom. i. p. 27), with his usual wild inaccuracy, would throw the whole subject into confusion. He represents Cabot to have finally left the ships at the island of St Gabriel, and proceeded in boats up the Uruguay, by mistake, and he imagines two reasons why such a blunder was committed. He does not even allow the Uruguay to have been the

* "Lo mesmo hizieron de la poblacion que avian hecho en el puerto que Haman de S. Salvador adonde estaban los navios" (Herrera, Dec. iv. lib. viii. cap. xi.).

"Colombia prima or South America, in which it has been attempted to delineate the extent of our knowledge of that continent, extracted chiefly from the original manuscript Maps of His Excellency, the late Chevalier Pinto; likewise from those of Joao Joaquim da Rocha, Joao da Costa Ferreira, El Padre Francisco Manuel Sobreviela, &c. And from the most authentic edited accounts of those countries. Digested and constructed by the late eminent and learned Geographer, Louis Stanislas D'Arcy de la Rochette. London, published by William Faden, Geographer to His Majesty and to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, June 4th, 1807." This Map is in the Topographical Department of the King's Library, British Museum.

St Salvador, but makes it one of the tributaries of that river a considerable distance up the stream.

In order to avoid the tedious interruption of the narrative, one other probable misconception was not adverted to at the moment. It has been assumed, with Herrera, that Cabot left his vessels at the island of St Gabriel, and proceeded thence in boats. More probably, however, the island of Martin Garcia was the one intended. Eden says expressly (fol. 316), that De Solis was killed in attempting to take possession of the island of Martin Garcia, and that it was the same afterwards carried by Cabot. We must bear in mind that Herrera is giving, somewhat loftily and reluctantly, the details of an expedition to which he attaches little importance, and he might not care for minute accuracy. He saw the name of Gabriel conferred by Cabot, and did not choose, perhaps, to occupy the page of his History with describing the further progress of six leagues before the ships were quitted. The account of Eden, who approached the subject in a different temper, is confirmed by other considerations. The island is spoken of by Herrera as one standing by itself. Now the St Gabriel is a group of small islets, correctly stated in the "Ruttier" to be five in number. But still more conclusively: Cabot's report, as given by Herrera, states that seven leagues from the island at which he left his ships, he came to the mouth of a river, which he called St Salvador, and to which he afterwards brought up his ships. Now the "Ruttier" speaks of the position at St Salvador, as nine leagues in all from the island of Martin Garcia, two of which being up the St Salvador, there is, of course, an exact correspondence. The St Gabriel group, on the contrary, is correctly stated in the "Ruttier" to lie six leagues lower down than the island of Martin Garcia. While the statement of Eden produces greater harmony in the accounts, the position of the fort is not contingent on success in this reconciliation, but seems conclusively settled by the language of the "Ruttier."

An incident is mentioned by Gomara,* but without the attendant circumstances, as occurring at this point, from which it would appear that the position was not gained without resistance. The natives killed and carried off two Spaniards but declared, in a spirit of fierce derision, that they would not cat them, as they were soldiers, of whose flesh they had already had a specimen in De Solis and his followers!

* Gomara, cap. lxxxix. "En el puerto de San Salvador que es otro Rio quarenta leguas arriba, que entra en el de la Plata, le mataron los Indios dos Espanoles i no los quisieron comer diciendo que eran Soldados que ia los havian probado en Solis i sus companeros."

CHAP. XXI.

CABOT PROCEEDS UP THE PARANA-ERECTS ANOTHER FORT CALLED SAN-
TUS SPIRITUS, AND AFTERWARDS FORT CABOT-ITS POSITION-CON-
TINUES TO ASCEND-CURIOSITY OF THE NATIVES AS TO THE EXPEDITION
-PASSES THE MOUTH OF THE PARANA-ENTERS THE PARAGUAY-SAN-
GUINARY BATTLE THIRTY-FOUR LEAGUES UP THAT RIVER-THREE
HUNDRED OF THE NATIVES KILLED, WITH A LOSS TO CABOT OF TWENTY-
FIVE OF HIS PARTY-MAINTAINS HIS POSITION—GARCIA ENTERS THE
RIVER—INTERVIEW WITH CABOT-MISTAKes of charlevoix, &c.-
CABOT RETURNS TO THE FORT SANTUS SPIRITUS."

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

HAVING Completed the Fort, and taken every precaution for the safety of the ships at St Salvador, Cabot resolved to ascend the Parana. Leaving, therefore, a party under the command of Antonio de Grajeda, he proceeded in the boats and a caravel cut down for the purpose. The point at which he next paused and built a second Fort, is not a matter of doubt. It was on the south bank of the Parana, near a river called by the natives Zarcaranna or Carcaranna. This name was subsequently changed by the Spaniards into Terceiro. On the map of De la Rochette, already referred to, and also on that of Juan de la Cruz Canoy Olmedilla,* it is designated at the early stages as Terceiro, but lower down, gathering strength, it re-assumes the aboriginal title. The Fort stood not immediately on the bank of this river but some miles further up the

"Mapa Geografica de America Meridional dispuesto y gravado por de Juan de la Cruz Canoy Olmedilla, Geogfo. Pensdo. de S. M. Individuo de la Rl. Academia de S1. Fernando, y de la Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del Pais; teniendo presentes varios mapas y noticias originales con arreglo á observaciones astronomicas Año de 1775. Este Mapa de los Dominios Españoles y Portugueses en America Meredional, es una copia literal y exacta de un Mapa Español mui raro; compuesto y gravado en Madrid, año 1775, de orden del Rey España, por Dn. Juan de la Cruz Cano y Omedilla, Geofo. Pedo. de S. M. C. Londres, Publicardo por Guillermo Faden, Geografo del Rey, y del Principe de Gales, Enero 1. de 1799'

[ocr errors]

Parana, as appears by the earliest maps, and by the small but admirable one of D'Anville, in vol. xxi. of the "Letters, Edifiantes et curieuses."* On the great map of De la Rochette its position is marked with much precision. There is laid down the "Cart Road" from Buenos Ayres to Sante Fe, which passes through El Rosario and S. Miguel; then comes "el Rincon de Caboto, Fort destroyed;" then Calcachi, and, a little beyond this last, the river Monge. The same representation is made, substantially, by Juan de la Cruz Canay Olmedilla. The only remark of Cabot with regard to the natives of this quarter which Herrera repeats is, that they were intelligent ("gente de buena razon").

He left in this fort a garrison under the command of Gregorio Caro, who had commanded the Maria del Espinar, one of the ships of the squadron, and proceeded in person further up the river. His force must now have been inconsiderable, consisting, as it did, originally, of only one hundred and fifty men, increased perhaps by the gentlemen volunteers. Besides the loss of three principal officers, and inevitable mortality, he had weakened his numbers by leaving garrisons in two forts. Yet his plan was, undoubtedly, a prudent one of thus forming points on which he could fall back, in case of disaster, and break the force and rapidity of a rush towards the vessels. Herrera furnishes no account of his intermediate movements until he reaches the Parana. The incidents which occurred during that long and interesting route are therefore unknown, except from a slight glimpse given in the conversation reported in Ramusio. In ascending the river, Cabot is there represented as "fyndynge it every where verye fayre and inhabited with infinite people which with admyration came runnynge dayly to oure shyppes."+

"Lettres Edifiantes et curieuses ecrites des Missions Etrangers par quelques Missionaires de la Campagnie de Jesus." The work is in the King's Library, British Museum (title in Catalogue Epistolæ).

+ Richard Eden's Decades, fol, 255. The original in Ramusio, tom. i. fol. 415. "Trovandolo sempre bellissimo et habitato da infiniti popoli che per maraviglia correvano à vedermi."

« AnteriorContinuar »