The Admiral shaped his course in the direction in which the islands, one after the other, loomed up, merely touching at some for the purpose of obtaining what information he could, which was meager enough.

For an account of the expedition’s experiences on that memorable voyage, we have the fleet physician Chanca’s circumstantial description addressed to the Municipal Corporation of Seville, sent home by the same pilot who conveyed the Admiral’s first despatches to the king and queen.

After describing the weather experienced up to the time the fleet arrived at the island “de Hierro,” he tells their worships that for nineteen or twenty days they had the best weather ever experienced on such a long voyage, excepting on the eve of San Simon, when they had a storm which for four hours caused them great anxiety.

At daybreak on Sunday, November 3d, the pilot of the flagship announced land.  “It was marvelous,” says Chanca, “to see and hear the people’s manifestations of joy; and with reason, for they were very weary of the hardships they had undergone, and longed to be on land again.”

The first island they saw was high and mountainous.  As the day advanced they saw another more level, and then others appeared, till they counted six, some of good size, and all covered with forest to the water’s edge.

Sailing along the shore of the first discovered island for the distance of a league, and finding no suitable anchoring ground, they proceeded to the next island, which was four or five leagues distant, and here the Admiral landed, bearing the royal standard, and took formal possession of this and all adjacent lands in the name of their Highnesses.  He named the first island Dominica, because it was discovered on a Sunday, and to the second island he gave the name of his ship, Marie-Galante.

“In this island,” says Chanca, “it was wonderful to see the dense forest and the great variety of unknown trees, some in bloom, others with fruit, everything looking so green.  We found a tree the leaves whereof resembled laurel leaves, but not so large, and they exhaled the finest odor of cloves.[5]

“There were fruits of many kinds, some of which the men imprudently tasted, with the result that their faces swelled, and that they suffered such violent pain in throat and mouth[6] that they behaved like madmen, the application of cold substances giving them some relief.”  No signs of inhabitants were discovered, so they remained ashore two hours only and left next morning early (November 4th) in the direction of another island seven or eight leagues northward.  They anchored off the southernmost coast of it, now known as Basse Terre, and admired a mountain in the distance, which seemed to reach into the sky (the volcano “la Souffriere"), and the beautiful waterfall on its flank.  The Admiral sent a small caravel close inshore to look for a port, which was soon found.  Perceiving some huts, the