number of palms. He was much astonished to see so many lofty
islands, and assured the Sovereigns that the mountains and
islands he had seen since yesterday seemed to him to be second to
none in the world, so high and clear of clouds and snow, with the
sea at their bases so deep.

November 25th:

He saw a large stream of beautiful water falling from the
mountains above, with a loud noise.... Just then the sailor boys
called out that they had found large pines. The Admiral looked up
the hill and saw that they were so wonderfully large, that he
could not exaggerate their height and straightness, like stout
yet fine spindles. He perceived that here there was material for
great store of planks and masts for the largest ships in Spain
... the mountains are very high, whence descend many limpid
streams, and all the hills are covered with pines, and an
infinity of diverse and beautiful trees.

November 27th:

The freshness and beauty of the trees, the clearness of the water
and the birds, made it all so delightful that he wished never to
leave them. He said to the men who were with him that to give a
true relation to the Sovereigns of the things they had seen, a
thousand tongues would not suffice, nor his hand to write it, for
that it was like a scene of enchantment.

December 13th:

The nine men well armed, whom he sent to explore a certain place,
said, with regard to the beauty of the land they saw, that the
best land in Castille could not be compared with it. The Admiral
also said that there was no comparison between them, nor did the
Plain of Cordova come near them, the difference being as great as
between night and day. They said that all these lands were
cultivated, and that a very wide and large river passed through
the centre of the valley and could irrigate all the fields. All
the trees were green and full of fruit, and the plants tall and
covered with flowers. The roads were broad and good. The climate
was like April in Castille; the nightingale and other birds sang
as they do in Spain during that month, and it was the most
pleasant place in the world. Some birds sing sweetly at night,
the crickets and frogs are heard a good deal.

All this shews a naive and spontaneous delight in Nature, as free
from sentimentality as from any grasp of landscape as a distinct
entity.