worth 3000 pieces of eight; among which was a wooden helmet covered with thin plates of gold, and three or four masks, some of which were studded with a sort of stones resembling emeralds.  The sight of all these things made the Spaniards eager to settle in a country which produced so much wealth.  Grijalva, after receiving this great present at Tabasco, was sensible that the Indians were not willing he should prolong his stay; and on asking for more gold, the Indians answered Culua, culua.

He now proceeded farther along the coast, and in two days came to a town called Aqualunco, which the Spaniards called la Rambla.  The inhabitants of this place were seen at a distance, armed with targets of tortoiseshell, which glittered so in the sun that the Spaniards believed they had been of pale gold.  They discovered a bay into which the river Tonala discharges itself, which they visited on their return, and called it the river of St Anthony.  At some distance farther on they saw the great river of Guazacoallo, which they could not enter on account of bad weather.  After this they had a view of the Snowy Islands[2] of New Spain, which the soldiers named St Martin.  Holding on their course, Alvaredo, having the headmost ship, entered a river called Papaloava, but which the Spaniards named Alvaredos river.  Here the natives of a town, called Tavotulpale brought fish, and the other ships waited till Alvaredo came out.  Beyond this they came to the mouth of another river, which they named Rio de las Banderas, or Flag-river, because the Indians waved large white cloths on long poles, like colours, as if inviting the Spaniards to land.  The country, on the coast of which the Spaniards now were, was a province of the great empire of Mexico, over which Montezuma then reigned, a prince of great wisdom and penetration, who had heard of the exploits of the Spaniards, and the pains they took to become acquainted with the sea coasts of his dominions.  He was uneasy on this account, and was anxious to learn who and what these people were, and wherefore they took so much pains to examine the state of countries which did not belong to them.  For this purpose, he had given directions to the governors of these maritime provinces, to take every opportunity of trading with these strangers, and to send him an account of their motions from time to time, that he might be able to come to some distinct notion respecting them and their intentions.  Seeing themselves thus invited on shore, Grijalva ordered two boats to land under the charge of Captain Montejo, having all the musketeers belonging to the armament and twenty other soldiers; with orders, in case the Indians appeared in a warlike posture, that he should give notice by signal, that succours might be sent him.  As soon as Montejo landed, the Indians presented him with fowls, bread, and fruit, and perfumed him and his men by burning copal in fire-pans.  Julian was not able to understand