After This Ceremony, The Common People Dispersed
Themselves About The English Encampment, Expressing Their Admiration And
Respect For The English
In a most violent and even profane manner, even
offering sacrifices to them, as in the most profound devotion, till
They
were repressed by force, with strong expressions of abhorrence, and
directed to pay their adorations to the supreme Creator and Preserver of
all things, whom only they ought to honour with religious worship.[32]
[Footnote 32: The whole of this story, of a king and his nobles, and the
investiture of Drake in the sovereignty of California, which he named
New Albion, is so completely absurd as not to merit serious
observation. - E.]
After this ceremony, the admiral and some of his people penetrated to
some distance into the interior country, which they found to be
extremely full of large fat deer, often seeing about a thousand in one
herd. There were also such immense numbers of rabbits, that the whole
country seemed one vast warren. These rabbits were of the size of those
of Barbary, having heads like our own rabbits in England, with feet like
those of a mole, and long tails like rats. Under the chin on each side,
they have a bag or pouch in the skin, into which they store up any food
they get abroad, which they there preserve for future use. Their flesh
is much valued by the natives, and their skins are made into robes for
the king and nobles. This country seemed to promise rich veins of gold
and silver; as wherever they had occasion to dig, they threw up some of
the ores of these metals.[33] Partly in honour of England, and partly
owing to the prospect of white cliffs which this country presented from
the sea, the admiral named this region New Albion. Before his departure,
he erected a monument, on which was a large plate, engraven with the
name, picture, and arms of queen Elizabeth, the title of her majesty to
the sovereignty of the country, the time of its discovery, and Drake's
own name. In this country the Spaniards had never had the smallest
footing, neither had they discovered this coast of America, even for
several degrees to the southwards of New Albion.
[Footnote 33: This surely is a gross falsehood, as even the Spaniards,
so much experienced in mines of the precious metals, have found none in
California, though possessing missions among its rude and scanty
population in every corner, even in this very spot. - E.]
SECTION IV.
Continuation of the Voyage, from New Albion to England.
Sailing from this port of New Albion, [now called by the Spaniards the
Bay of San Francisco,] they had no sight of land till the 13th October,
1579, when, in the morning of that day, they fell in with certain
islands in lat. 8 deg. N.[34] They here met many canoes, laden with
cocoa-nuts and other fruits. These canoes were very artificially
hollowed, and were smooth and shining, like polished horn.
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