Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-25
A CURIOUS OLD LETTER.
SEooNo HALF or vesPucoiUS Epls-
TIE TO LORENZO De Meplc,.
he lDsscrsbss sosns es shs strange Th,sss
THAT he saw on shs Newly discovered
CS~tineut es America ssd In che mesvsas
of the New World.
Especial Correspndsnce.l

| a
Especial CorrespUndsnce, ""
NRw YoRK. Jan. e3.--ln preceding
letter were given . brief account Of the
life and voyages Of Alberico vespuccius,
better known as Ah,ericus vespuccius,
and a translation Of one.half Of his fa-
NOUS letter tb LorSnzo de Medici. In
which he desffibes his discoveries. Il
contains a coitise account Of the two
continents and bf the Indian races which
inh kbit them. af r'th "
IL strange TO read that where now
atelgreat civilized cities were less than
foul centuries ago potsulous t2ibes who
we4t naked, were cannibals. had neither
lawinor government and had no religious
ideas whatsoever. t.-i
1l,e hitherto imprinted half OF this
letttr Is as follows: t"tt
Their weapons are bows and arrows,
and when they prepare for war they
cover no part Of their l'odies for the sake
az protecting them. aud To this extent
are like beasts. We. as far as we could,
sought 10 dissuade them from these de.
ptaScJ habits The women, as ! have
said, walk about naked II, us it seemed
wonderful. that ainong these women no
one wassecn who showed any bodily dc
fcrhity.
These people live l5O years, are seldom
sick, and IL they fall III they cure the,n
selves with herbs and roots Tho air il
thai country is very mid anil excellent,
and as was able 10 learn from tile state.
me1ts Of the natives. there is never any
pestlence nor any sickness which is dub
to fbul air. and except they die violent
death they live long lives. l believe IA
that country the south Winds hre always
blowing, and especially the wind which
we call the east wind and which is To
therh what the north wind Is to us. They
arc very fond of fishing. and their sea ~
full Iof fish and abounds in every species
of the finny tribe. They are not hunters,
think that, since there are many species
Of forest animals there, aud especially of
lionS, bears and numberlcss serpents. and
otl,dr horrid and i'll shaped beasts. and
that everywhere their forests stretch out
long and broad and the trees are Of In,
meri ise size. they do not dare, naked and
without clothing and arms. to expose
themselves TO such hazards, I .,t
The land of those regions is extremely
fertile and abounds in numerous hills
and mountains, boundlcss valleys and
mighty rivers. aud watered by health
giving fountains. aud stretching over it
are Vast, dense and scarcely pcnetrable
foreFts, tlled with every species Of wild
beasts. In thai country the largest trees
grow up without Che need of anybody TO
plan them. Many of these trees pro
duce fruit which is pleasant to:tlle taste
and useful to the human body, and some
fruits, indeed, which are the opposite.
Thefe are no fruits, however, Which re
semble those among US, lnnumerahle
varieties Of herbs and roots are produced
there, from which they make bread, and
they have the very best relishes and many
seedf, in every respect different from
ours '' ' t--' f--t tf
None of the metals are found there ex.
cepd gold. in which last those regions
abound We had no opportunity TO l,ring
any pf il with us on our first voyage.
Tie natives made this fact known to us,
and used 70 say to US, that in tho interior
there was gteht supply OF gold. aud
that il was not valued by them or held
at a price Pearls are, abundant II /
SHOULD desire to recall the particular ami
mali which arc there. and to write con
cern5ng the numerous sInc,es thereof
and the. multitude of them, the task /,
would he altogether Too long and grcat,
and l am certain that our Pliuy could
not have touched a thopsandth part Of
the Species Of parrots and other birds,
nor yet of the ANIMALS which are in the
same regions, with such great DIVER
sity bf appearance aud bues that an ac.
cOmblished artist would be unable to
paint them. $3.50 H,.-, .,. 81
All tho trees in that country are fra.
grant, and some of them produce either
an o or some liquor If their proper.
ties were known To MS do not doubt hut
that they would be beneficial to the h,i.
man body, and, certainly, if there is an
earthly paradise in any part of the world
do not think that 1t is very far from
these regions. Their situation il, as !
have said, toward the west, In such
mild atmosphere that neither chilly win.
tcrs nor 'brOil'ng summer heats are felt
there -. -. .ai.g,i ..u D. .rat .rl Z,
The sky and the air are ever serene
and free from thick clouds. the rains fall
slightly and last only three or four hours,
and disappear in the esenl,lsnceo of mist.
The heavens are brilliant with magnifi.
cent consultations and signs. and have
noticed In 1t about twenty stars Of as
great brightness as we sometimes oh.
serve in Venus and Jupiter. observed
theirEmotions and revolutions, and meas.
ured their periphcries and diameters by
geonictrical methods, and discovered
themlto he OF the greatest magnitude. !
perceived in the sky there three stars az
bright as Cauopus, two of them very
clear but the third obscure. The ant
arctid pole is not figured with Great
Bear land Little Bear, as IL our arctic
pole, nor is there u I've seen next TO il
any fright star, and among those which
revolte around it in a shorter orbit there
are Tree which present the appearance
of right angle triangle. Half the De.
riphery Of these stars has diameter Of
nine and half degrees. When these
stars rise one of them is perceived on
the left hand, of white color and consid-
cradle magnitude.
After these come two other stars, half
the periphery of which has a diameter
of l24 degs,, and along with them is seen
another canopus star Of white color. To
these succeed six other stars. the most
beautiful and brilliant among all the
eight other spheres. which have IN the
face OF the fiji mament a periphery Of a
diameter of y degs. With them goes
one dark cauopus star of an immense
magnitude. They are seen in the Milky
Way. .
L discovered MANY other very beauti-