Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-07-01

. VIZ
,reacbery of their Indian guides, who, by
the orders oil their chiefs, had purposelyl led
them astrsy, in order that they might perish,
they determined on returning to the Chuca
qua, which they accomplished. Reduced to
about 500 men and 20 horses, they set abcut
building seven vessels, to transpor. them
selves down the river in order to reach Mex.
co by sea. Whilst thus employed, a confes
deracy often tribes was formed against them
for their destruction. and the Indians prepa-
red great number of canoes. The over
flowing Of the river for more :han twenty
leagues prevented the meditated land attack
of the Indians and, soon as the waters SUD-
sided, the Spaniards set of in their vessels,
and were pursued, and necessarily attacked
and harrassed. BY the Indians, for compu'
ted distance oil 400 leagues, in great num-
Der of canoes, some very large. and suppo'
sed 10 carry 20 or 80 men; and the Spani-
ards, less able TO protect themselves well, as
they had been obliged TO use their gun bar
rels to make nails for building their vessels
They were IS days and twenty nights IN
reaching the sea. although they had some
sort of sails to use when the wind was favor
able, and also oars which they necessarily
plyed, in order to get rid OF the attacks OF
the Indians. The historian supposes it a
moderate computation that the Spanish yes
sells made 25 leagues in a day and night, so
that they must have descended 500 leagues
of the river Mississippi.
An extraordinary part Of the history is
contained in some chapters relating TO OBJ
iects that came under the observation OF the
Spaniards in province or district of coun-
try called Cofaciqui, which il is probable
was somewhere high up the waters OF what
is marked Pearl river in our new maps OF the
United States, and which province was under
the government of young lady, (la Dame
de Cofaciqui,) in village (Bourg) upon the
river. The Spaniards were shewn temple
containing large wooden Golfers, with the
bodies OF the mobiles, Or principal people, SO
we II embalmed that they had not the least i'll
smell.
Besides these large Golfers there were
smaller ones and baskets of reed, very well
made. These latter Golfers were full OF
clothes Of men and women, and the baskets
filed with pearls OF all sizes. The Spani-
ards were rejoiced at the sight of SO much
riches, for there was more than thousand
measures of pearls" The princess had be-
fore sent message 10 the Spaniards. inform.
ing of this temple, &C and that they nigh!
take as many pearls as they pleased that il
they wanted more, they would find them a
league from thence, in the capital of The
country that this town, the abode OF bel
ancestors, had temple where they would
see great quantity OF pearls, which she
abandoned to the discretion OF the general
and his troops and that, if they were not
satisfied with all that, they might yet have
more by means of the pearl fishery made in
those parts. This news consoled the Spsni'
ards for not having found gold and silver
with which they had teen catered"
This second temple at Tolomeco, the ca.
pltsl, containing the cofins Of the caciques o.
princes of the country, in which their DO,
dies were embalmed. is afterwards described
as a magnificent building, of more than
hundred PAGES long, tcen, pas,) and forty
wide. with wallsIpropsrtionably high: and
very lofty roof, the covering Of which wa:
done with FIVE crsix layers Of mats, one O.
yer the other, made of split reeds, closely
interviewer. and impervious to the sun ant
! rain. This roof was ornamented from oI
to bottom with marine shells, arranged il
beautiful! orderlwith intervals between the
shells filed with !strisg ,iof pearls of varicu
sizes, in the form of isstoons, attached from
she'll to shell. The door of the temple wa!
| propcrtioned to its size, and in the entrance
stood twelve gigantic wooden statues, in two
| RANKS of six on each side, of ferocious as
pect, and each one in threatening attitude
holding different sorts of military weapons
The attention OF the Spaniards was long at
rested in considering these figures, which
they thought worthy Of the admiration of an
cient Rome. After describing The collins o
the princes placed on benches at the bottom
of the wall, end also the statues of each one
of the deceased, placed in inches of the wall
| just by the coffin, and variety of other Gu