Published for The Virginia Historical Society by the University of North Carolina Press, 1953
JHS
ILLUSTRE SENOR
[1] La gracia del Espiritu Santo sea siempre en el anima de Vuestra Merced, Amen. Por no tener lugar el Padre Vice Provincial de escrevir a Vuestra Merced atento a la priessa q convenia darse en bolver el piloto a essa tierra me ordeno q hiziesse yo esto en su nombre dando cuenta de nuestra jornada y lo demas.
[2] Ha sido la tardanca en llegar hasta aqui mucho mayor de lo que se pensava por las difficultades que Vuestra Merced entendera q suele aver en descubrir tierras nuevas, y las incommodidades del tiempo como mas largamente dara cuenta el piloto a Vuestra Merced, y llegamos aqui adonde se descargo la ropa ayer que fueron dies dias de Setiembre aviendo partido como Vuestra Merced sabe a cinco de Agosto de Sancta Elena. Hallamos la tierra de don Luismuy de otra manera q se penso, no porque aya avido falta en don Luis en el dar relacion della, sino porque la ha Nuestro Senor castigado con seis años de esterilidad y mortandad que ha sido causa de quedar muy despoblada conforme a lo que ella solia ser y porque son muchos los muertes y tambien los q se an ydo por otras tierras a proveer a su hambre, han quedado poca mas jente de los principales que dizen q quieren morir donde sus padres murieron, aunque ya ni tienen mais, ni se hallan frutas de las silvestres que ellos suelen comer, ni raizes ni otra cosa q comer sino muy poco y alcansado con mucho trabajo por estar ya muy agostada la tierra y por esta causa no han tenido los indios que offreser a nosotros ni a los q venian en el navio mas q buena voluntad q cierto esta han mostrado estos indios de don Luis buena de la manera q ellos han podido paresceles q ha don Luis resuscitado y que viene del cielo y como todos los mas que han quedado son sus parientes han se consolado con el muy mucho y cobrado animo y esperanca q Dios los quiere favorescer y dizen q quieren ser como don Luis y rogado q nos quedamos en esta tierra con ellos y teniendo el cacique hermano de don Luis un hijo de tres añs muy enfermo q estava siete u ocho leguas de aqui paresciendole q ya se queria morir a hecho instancia que se le fuessen a baptizar por lo qual parescio al Vice Provincial embiar a noche a uno de los nuestros q le baptizasse por estar ya muy propinco a la muerte. [3] Visto pues la buena voluntad q esta gente mostrava aunque por otra parte como ya dize estan tan hambrientos q todos pensavan perescer de hambre y de frio este invierno como lo han hecho muchos en los inviernos pasados porque de mas de q con difficultad hallan ya los raizes de q se solian sustentar las grandes nieves q ay en esta tierra no les dexan buscarlas mirando tambien la esperanza grande q se tiene de las conversion desta gente y servicio de nuestro Senor y de Su Magestad y entrada para la sierra y la China & le parescio al Padre aventurarnos aquedar aunque con tan poco matalotaje y recaudo porque nos hemos comido por el camino los dos barriles de biscocho de los quatro y el pequeno de harina q se nos dio para el viaje porque tambien ha sido necessario socorrer con algo dello a todo el navio porque venian muy faltos de mantenimiento. [4] bien creo q no nos faltara materia para exercitar la paciencia y a bien succeder se avia de padeser mucho pero a todo esse riesgo ha parescido ponernos y especialmente por parescernos que con la buena diligencia de Vuestra Merced se podra proveer buena cantidad de maiz para q nos podamos sustentar y tenga toda esta gente q siembre y assi por lo que toca al servicio de nuestro Senor y de su Magestad conviene mucho q Vuestra Merced procura si fuesse possible proveernos con mucha presteza y sino fuesse possible hazerse en el invierno es necessario que por todo Marco o a mas tardar al principio de Abril se haga alguna buena provision de manera q se les pueda dar para sembrar a toda esta gente. Y porque en este tiempo se puede sembrar aca y desta manera se llegara mucha gente q esta derramada por toda la tierra a buscar de comer q sera grande disposicion pa el Sancto Evangelio y particularmente q lo ha pedido esto con mucha instancia el cacique de la informacion desta tierra lo que toca a la derota q se ha de traer el piloto la dara porque no conviene q se entre por el rio que nosotros entramos a causa de no tener tambuena informacion quanto convenia de los indios por donde aviamos de entrar y por esso es ydo oy el piloto por tierra dos buenas leguas de aqui a ver un rio por donde se ha de hazer la entrada quanto con la buena ventura nos vengan a proveer y visitar, pues por aquella parte se puede yr por mar hasta el lugar donde hemos de hazer la habitacion y por aqui ay dos buenas leguas por tierra y otras dos o mas por la mar de manera que la ropa q hemos desembarcado en este desierto adonde se puede llegar por este rio la han de llevar los indios a cuestas estas dos leguas y despues se ha de tornar a embarcar en canoas q es harto trabajo.
[5] La informacion que hasta ahora se ha podido aver de la tierra adentro es que unos indios que encontramos alla abaxo en este rio nos informaron que tres o quatro jornadas del alli estava la sierra y las dos dellas se yva por un rio y despues de la sierra otra jornada o dos se via otro mar. Si otra cosa se pudiere saber con mas certidumbre y claridad se procurara, aunque para esto haze grande falta una buena chalupa porque con la hambre y mortandad aun no tienen canoas esta gente de que se puede hazer caso. El piloto ha hecho muy bien su viaje y trabajado lo possible en el y nos entrego todo el hato que se embarco nuestro en Santa Elena y aun vista la necessidad en que quedamos para llevar por tierra este hato nos ayudo con una botija vazia porque en ellas se avia de llevar el vino, y con un costal porque tambien sera menester llevar en costales la harina y con la mitad de la brea q traya pa remendar alguna de las canoas rotas que tienen estos indios y nos dio un esculpil que traya. Por la mucha necessidad que trayan todos los del navio de mantinimiento ha sido necessario q llegando como llegamos aqui ayer se vayan oy dixandonos aqui en este despoblado con las incommodidades ya dichas y por esto no ha habido lugar de tener mas informacion ni la ay de alargarme mas. Dios nuestro Senor prospere a Vuestra Merced y a todus sus cosas en su Sancto Servicio como Vuestro Merced lo dessea. Deste puerto a 12 de Setiembre de 1570.
Por comission del Padre vice Provincial Capellan de Vuestra Merced
Quiros
[6] Senor mio por no poder mas ordene al Padre Quiros diese larga cuenta a Vuestra Merced de todo yo escrivo a Su Magestad la disposicion que hallo en esta tierra para plantar el Santo Evangelio y la grave necesidad en q quedamos a trueco de cumplir este ministerio, yo entiendo no sera necesario tornar yo a suplicar de nuevo a Vuestra Merced nos embie con toda brevedad una fragata cargada de mais y no otros regalos pues vea Vuestra Merced muy bien quanto importa se haga esto con toda presteca para el remedio y amparo de toda esta gente, servicio de Dios Nuestro Senor y de Su Magestad a quien tambien escrivo como Vuestra Merced embiara a Su Magestad clara noticia y informacion de la derota para venir a Axacam como quien tambien lo sabe etc. En ninguna manera meparecio convenir embiar alla muchacho alguno de estos indios por lo que dira el piloto y otras cosas. Guarde nuestro Señor a Vuestra Merced muchos años y prospere en su Santo amor y gracia.
J. BAPTISTA DE SEGURA
JHS
[7] Arivase me olvidado de escrivir a Vuestra Merced q desque se entienda ser tiempo en que venga la fragata q se pide con el socorro, se embiara un indio o dos con una carta a la boca del braco de mar por donde se ha de passar para que viendo algun navio haga humada grande de dia y de noche fuego y mas de esso que desque llegue el navio la gente del alli tenga su carta guardada y no la de hasta que le den a el otra como aquella lo qual sera para señal de que los que vienen son amigos y los que traen el recaudo Vuestra Merced tenga cuenta desta seña o de aviso a quien viniere della llevara la carta el aviso del modo que se ha de tener para entrar y servira de guia.
Sea Cristo Nuestro Señor con Vuestra Merced. Amen.
[8] don Luis lo haze bien como del se esperava y esta muy obediente a lo que en el Padre le ordena con mucho respecto asi al Padre como a los demas q aca estamos y se encomienda mucho a Vuestra Merced y a todos los demas sus amigos y señores.
[9] Por un descuido que ubo de no se quien en el navio de hazer algun rescate de comida sevido luego el inconveniente que se siguio dello que como antes los indios que encontravamos en el camino nos davan de la pobreza q tenian despues como vieron q aquellos avian llevado no se que juguetes por las macorcas etc. de maiz traian las macorcas y otras comidas y pedian que les diessen algo y las darian alegandole q asi lo avian hecho a los otros y como el Padre avia prohibido que aquello no se hiziesse porque no se acostumbrassen y despues nos lo quisiessen a nosotros rescatar se bolvian con ello, [10] parescio le al Padre que diesse cuenta desto a Vuestra Merced para que pues hemos de estar en esta tierra a lo que los indios nos dieren por la mayor parte Vuestra Merced provea que la gente q viniere en ninguna manera rescate si fuere menester si graves penas y si algo traxeren que rescatar dando lo aca a don Luis se dara orden como don Luis haga que les den en correspondencia algo segun que fuere los rescates y que no traten con los indios mas ni de otra manera q como aca se juzgare convenir. Cristo Nuestro Senor con todos. Amen.
QUIROS
JHS
ILLUSTRIOUS LORD2,
[1] The grace of the Holy Spirit be always in your soul, Amen. Since Father Vice-Provincial [Segura] has no opportunity to write to you, because of his concern over despatching the pilot in haste to your land, he has asked me to forward to you in his name an account of our journey up till now.
[2] After having been delayed in arriving here much more than we had expected by those adversities3 which you understand are usual in the discovery of new regions, and by the discomforts of the weather, as the pilot will narrate to you more at length, we arrived here and unloaded our cargo yesterday, which was the tenth day of September. We departed as you know on the fifth of August from Santa Elena. We find the land of don Luis in quite another condition than expected, not because he was at fault in his description of it, but because Our Lord has chastised it with six years of famine4 and death, which has brought it about that there is much less population than usual. Since many have died and many also have moved to other regions to ease their hunger, there remain but few of the tribe, whose leaders say that they wish to die where their fathers have died, although they have no maize, and have not found wild fruit, which they are accustomed to eat. Neither roots nor anything else can be had, save for a small amount obtained with great labor from the soil, which is very parched. So the Indians have nothing else to offer to us and to those who came on the ship but good will, and certainly these Indians have shown that in a kindly manner. They seemed to think that don Luis had risen from the dead5 and come down from heaven, and since all who remained are his relatives, they are greatly consoled in him. They have recovered their courage and hope that God may seek to favor them, saying that they want to be like don Luis, begging us to remain in this land with them. The chief has kept a brother of don Luis, a boy of three years, who lies seriously ill, 6 or 8 leaguesfrom here and now seems certain to die. He has requested that someone go and baptize him, for which reason it seemed good to Father Vice-Provincial to send last night one of Ours6 to baptize the boy so close to death.
[3] Thus we have felt the good will which this tribe is showing. On the other hand, as I have said, they are so famished, that all believe they will perish of hunger and cold this winter. For only with great difficulty can they find roots by which they usually sustain themselves, and the great snows found in this land do not allow them to hunt for them. Seeing then the good will that this tribe has shown, great hope is had of its conversion and of the service of Our Lord and His Majesty and of an entrance into the mountains and to China, etc. Therefore, it has seemed best to Father to risk remaining despite such scanty stores, because on our trip we have consumed two of the four barrels of biscuit and the small amount of flour which was given us for the journey. We had to help the entire ship with some supplies, as we were ill-provisioned for the journey.
[4] I am convinced that there will be no lack of opportunity to exercise patience, and to succeed we must suffer much. But it has seemed good to expose ourselves to that risk and this especially so, since in your kindness you might be able to send us a generous quantity of corn to sustain us and to let all this tribe take some for sowing. As it touches the service of Our Lord and His Majesty, it would be best that you see to it that we are supplied with all speed possible. If it cannot be done in the winter, it is imperative that some provisions arrive some time during March or at the beginning of April so that we can give seeds to the tribe for planting. At this time the planting is done here, and thus many of the tribes will come here after being scattered over the region in search of food and there will be a good opportunity for the Holy Gospel. The chief has sought this very thing especially. As to information about the land that touches the route along which the pilot must be directed, he himself will give it. It is not convenient to enter by the river we did, for we did not have as good information from the Indians as was necessary about the place we should have entered. And so, today, the pilot has gone overland 2 good leagues7 away to see a river, which he will enter when with good fortune he comes again to help us and visit us. Through this region he can go by water8 up to the place where we plan to make our encampment. To reach this spot, it is 2 good leagues by land and 2 others or more by water, so that the goods, which we have unloadedin this uninhabited place reached by the river where we now are, must be carried by the Indians on their shoulders for these 2 leagues and then embarked in canoes, which is sufficiently laborious.
[5] From some Indians whom we met farther down this river we have some information about the region farther inland. Three or four days' journey from there lie the mountains. For two of these days one travels on a river.9 After crossing the mountains by another day's journey or two, one can see another sea. If any new information can be had with more certainty and clarity, we will get it. Furthermore, in making this trip a good shallop is a necessity, since with the famine and death this tribe does not have the canoes in which the trip could be made. The pilot has managed his voyage very well and has toiled in every possible way and has brought all the provisions that we took at Santa Elena. Moreover seeing our need of getting these provisions overland, he has helped us by giving us a large earthern wine jug,10 sacks for transporting the flour, and a chisel he brought along. He has also given us half his supply of tar to patch up one of the leaking canoes that the Indians have. With the great need of provisions for the entire crew, it has been thought necessary that they leave today, and we will remain here in this lonely region amid the trials mentioned above. So there has not been opportunity to get more information or to write further. May God Our Lord grant you prosperity in all your undertakings in His holy service as you desire.
From this port on the 12th of September, 1570.
By order of Father Vice-Provincial.
Your chaplain Quirós
[6] My Lord, Since I could not do more, I ordered Father Quirós to give a long account to you of everything. I am writing to His Majesty about the conditions which I find in this region for spreading the Holy Gospel, and about the grave necessity in which we remain in the course of accomplishing our mission. I believe there is no need to return, but I must entreat you anew to send us with all speed a shipload of grain, but no other trifles, since you easily see the great importance of this being done at once. It is for the help and protection of the entire tribe, and for the service of God Our Lord and His Majesty. I am also writing to His Majesty that you will send on to His Majesty detailed information of the route to Axacam as far as it is known. In no way does it seem best to me to send you any Indian boy, as the pilot will explain, and forother reasons too. May Our Lord protect you unto a long life and favor you in His love and grace.
J. BAPTISTA DE SEGURA
JHS
[7] Above I had forgotten to write to you that from the time it is understood that the frigate is to come with the help requested, one or two Indians will be sent with a letter to the mouth of the arm of the sea, along which any ship coming must sail. Thus, when they see the ship, they will make a large smoke signal by day and a fire at night.11 Furthermore the people there will have a sealed letter of yours and they will not return it until they receive another like it, which is to be a sign that those who come are friendly and are the ones who bring the message. Take heed of this sign or inform whoever comes about it. Our letter will carry information about the way which must be followed in entering and will serve as a guide.
May Our Lord be with you, Amen.
[8] don Luis has turned out well as was hoped, he is most obedient to the wishes of Father and shows deep respect for him, as also to the rest of us here, and he commends himself to you and to all your friends.
[9] By a bit of blundering (I don't know who on the ship did it) someone made some sort of a poor trade in food. I see now the misfortune which followed, in that while up till now the Indians whom we met on the way12 would give to us from their poverty, now they are reluctant when they see they receive no trinkets for their ears of corn. They have brought the ears of corn and other foods and asked that they be given something when they handed them over. They say that they have done that with the others. Since Father had forbidden that they be given something, so that they would not be accustomed to receiving it and then afterwards not want to bargain with us, the Indians took the food away with them.13
[10] Thus it seemed good to Father that he should tell this to you since we must live in this land mainly with what the Indians give us. Take care that whoever comes here in no wise barters with the Indians, if need be under threat of severe punishments, and if they should bring something to barter, orders will be given that don Luis force them to give in return something equal to whatever was bartered, and that they may not deal with the Indians except in the way judged fitting here.
Christ Our Lord be with everyone, Amen.
Quirós
{1}This letter is found in the Buckingham Smith Papers, vol. 2, Florida, 1526-1743, at the library of the New York Historical Society. The transcription has the annotation: "carefully corrected by the original, Seville, July 14, 1889,-B. Smith." Robertson lists this letter as being in the Archivo de Indias (List of Documents in Spanish Archives Relating to the History of the United States 82), but recently Father Zubillaga was unable to discover it in Madrid or Seville (Monumenta Historica Floridae 480). While sections of the letter are available in Lowery, Spanish Settlements, 1562-1574 361- 363, this is the first publication of the complete text. We have added the paragraph numbers, but otherwise have attempted no editing. Smith's transcript has been checked against one (source unknown) made by John Gilmary Shea and forwarded to us by Father William Repetti, S.J., Archivist at Georgetown University. The two are virtually identical except for minor differences in spelling.
{2}Juan de Hinistrosa was the son of Emanuel Rojas, the Governor of Cuba from 1525 to 1538. Hinistrosa was made Governor of Havana in 1555, and in 1565 he was made Royal Treasurer of Cuba (2 Ruidíaz 116). He was a friend of the Jesuits in Havana, providing them with a house and food and showing them many favors during the Florida Mission (Segura to Borgia, Nov. 18, 1568, MAF 361).
{3} Among the adversities would be the necessity of proceeding slowly, taking frequent soundings, following the contour of the shore rather than standing boldly out to sea as they could do later, and perhaps coming to anchor occasionally at night because of uncharted waters. Pedro Menéndez Marqués in 1573 kept 2 or 3 leagues from land in sailing from Santa Elena to Ajacán.
{4} Within the modern period of accurate weather observation there have been years of severe drought in Virginia, as in 1930, when there was only half the normal rainfall. However, the Indians were probably exaggerating when they spoke of six years of famine, though six years of below-normal rainfall is not improbable. The present development of dendrochronology does not permit a check on this statement concerning the Virginia weather of 1570. See, however, J. C. Hoyt, "Droughts of 1930-34," Water-Supply Paper 680, U.S. Geological Survey.
{5} Almost the same statement is made about the welcome accorded Don Jaime of Tegesta upon his return to Florida from Spain. See Sacchini, Historiae, III, Borgia, Book IV, No.304, p. 201.
{6} "Ours," when written by a Jesuit, always refers to other members of the Society of Jesus. This baptism, if performed, would doubtless have been the first in the territory of Virginia. The request probably came from don Luis rather than from the chief.
{7} Father Quirós was probably speaking of land leagues here. A land league roughly was about 2 or 3 miles. Even if we knew the standard used, we would not have more than a general idea of distance covered in terms of leagues, for the methods of estimating distance by land or sea were crude at best. (See Appendix D for a fuller discussion.)
{8} From this expression it cannot be concluded that the settlement was to be on the sea or even that it could be reached directly by one of the large saltwater tributaries of the Chesapeake. The expression is used by the Spanish even for travel on fresh-water streams. The portage made in this journey might well have followed the line to Queens Creek later used by the English in erecting the palisades in 1633 to confine all stock in the colony to the eastern end of the peninsula.
{9} This river is probably the James (see Part I above, note 49). Strachey said: "Yt [the James] falleth from rocks far west, in a country inhabited by a nation, that they call Monacan ...from high hills afar off within the lands, from the topps of which hills, the people saie they see another sea, and that the water there is salt; and the journey to this sea, from the Falls, by their accompt, should be about ten daies, allowing, according to a march, some fourteen or sixteen miles a day" (Brown, I Genesis 186, 397 ff.). Opechancanough told Smith the salt water was four or five "daies iourney of the falles" (I Arber 17). Powhatan and an Indian who had been Powhatan's prisoner confirmed this account, the estimated distance ranging up to eight days beyond the falls (I Arber 19). From the Spanish it is impossible to determine whether or not Father Quirós was writing from the river he describes, or from a neighboring river.
{10} An earthen wine jug of Spanish origin and a Spanish olive jar were recently recovered by the Smithsonian Institution following excavations at Kecoughtan, near Hampton, but the jug is probably too small to be the one mentioned here. Spanish treasure ships plying the northern course were sometimes seized by the English, and wine is sometimes mentioned as part of the seized cargo. This would easily explain the presence of the wine jug at Hampton.
{11} These were the signals commonly employed by the Indians along the coast. They were used in 1609 to advise the English of the approach of Ecija's ship. See the Ecija Report below.
{12} There is indication here of a stop or stops farther down the river or bay and also the lapse of some time from the day of entering the bay until they finally dropped anchor.
{13}The Jesuits' trading experience is similar to that of the early English. Archer reports the Indians clustered on both sides of the James "proferring vs victualls" (I Arber xliii). The Virginia Company warned the settlers: "You must take care that your marriners that go for wages, do not marr your trade; for those that mind not to inhabite, for a little gain will debase the estimation of exchange, and hinder the trade for ever after" (I Arber xxxvii). Studley and Todkill (I Arber 101) and Wiffin and Phettiplace (I Arber 128) describe the sad results in 1608 of permitting the mariners to trade with the Indians. The exchange was debased and the Indians acquired weapons which they could use with effect against the whites. Smith in his "Voyages and Discoveries" (I Arber 74) says: "Their manner of traqing is for copper, beads, and such like; for which they give such commodities as they have, as skins, fowle, fish, flesh, and their country corne. But their victuall is their chiefest riches."