far as I can understand, for I saw them as fresh and flourishing as those of Spain in the month of May.  Some were in blossom, some bearing fruit, and others in other states, according to their nature.

“The nightingale and a thousand kinds of birds enliven the woods with their song, in the month of November, wherever I went.  There are seven or eight kinds of palms, of various elegant forms, besides various other trees, fruits, and herbs.  The pines of this island are magnificent.  It has also extensive plains, honey, and a great variety of birds and fruits.  It has many metal mines, and a population innumerable.

“Espanola is a wonderful island, with mountains, groves, plains, and the country generally beautiful and rich for planting and sowing, for rearing sheep and cattle of all kinds, and ready for towns and cities.  The harbours must be seen to be appreciated; rivers are plentiful and large and of excellent water; the greater part of them contain gold.  There is a great difference between the trees, fruits, and herbs of this island and those of Juana.  In this island there are many spices, and large mines of gold and other metals.

“The people of this island and of all the others which I have discovered or heard of, both men and women, go naked as they were born, although some of the women wear leaves of herbs or a cotton covering made on purpose.  They have no iron or steel, nor any weapons; not that they are not a well-disposed people and of fine stature, but they are timid to a degree.  They have no other arms excepting spears made of cane, to which they fix at the end a sharp piece of wood, and then dare not use even these.  Frequently I had occasion to send two or three of my men onshore to some settlement for information, where there would be multitudes of them; and as soon as they saw our people they would run away every soul, the father leaving his child; and this was not because any one had done them harm, for rather at every cape where I had landed and been able to communicate with them I have made them presents of cloth and many other things without receiving anything in return; but because they are so timid.  Certainly, where they have confidence and forget their fears, they are so open-hearted and liberal with all they possess that it is scarcely to be believed without seeing it.  If anything that they have is asked of them they never deny it; on the contrary, they will offer it.  Their generosity is so great that they would give anything, whether it is costly or not, for anything of every kind that is offered them and be contented with it.  I was obliged to prevent such worth less things being given them as pieces of broken basins, broken glass, and bits of shoe-latchets, although when they obtained them they esteemed them as if they had been the greatest of treasures.  One of the seamen for a latchet received a piece of gold weighing two dollars and a half, and others,