his attention in engaging Mr. Waddilove, the chaplain of his embaffy, to take the conduct of my literary inquiries in Spain, the obligations I lie under to him would be very great. During five years, that gentleman has carried on refearches for my behoof, with such activity, perfeverance, and knowledge of the fubject, to which his attention was turned, as have filled me with no lefs aftonishment than fatisfaction. He procured for me the greater part of the Spanish books, which I have confulted; and as many of them were printed early in the fixteenth century, and are become extremely rare, the collecting of these was such an occupation, as, alone, required much time and affiduity. To his friendly attention I am indebted for copies of feveral valuable manufcripts, containing facts and details which I might have fearched for in vain, in works that have been made public. Encouraged by the inviting good-will with which Mr. Waddilove conferred his favors, I tranfmitted to him a fet of queries, with refpect both to the customs and policy of the native Americans, and the nature of feveral institutions in the Spanish fettlements, framed in fuch a manner, that a Spaniard might anfwer them, without disclofing any thing that was improper to be

communicated to a foreigner. He translated these into Spanish, and obtained from various perfons who had refided in most of the Spanish colonies, such replies as have afforded me much inftruction.

Notwithstanding those peculiar advantages with which my inquiries were carried on in Spain, it is with regret I am obliged to add that their fuccefs must be afcribed to the beneficence of individuals, not to any communication by public authority. By a fingular arrangement of Philip II. the records of the Spanish monarchy are depofited in the Archivo of Simancas, near Valladolid, at the distance of a hundred and twenty miles from the feat of government, and the fupreme courts of justice. The papers relative to America, and chiefly to that early period of its hiftory, towards which my attention was directed, are fo numerous, that they alone, according to one account, fill the largest apartment in the Archivo; and according to another, they compofe eight hundred and feventy-three large bundles. Confcious of poffeffing, in fome degree, the industry which belongs to a hiftorian, the prospect of fuch a treasure excited my moft ardent curiofity. But the prospect of it, is all that I have enjoyed.

Spain, with an excess of caution, has uniformly thrown a veil over her transactions in America. From strangers they are concealed with peculiar folicitude. Even to her own fubjects the Archivo of Simancas is not opened without a particular order from the crown; and after obtaining that, papers cannot be copied, without paying fees of office fo exorbitant, that the expense exceeds what it would be proper to beftow, when the gratification of literary curiofity is the only object. It is to be hoped, that the Spaniards will at last discover this system of concealment to be no lefs impolitic than illiberal. From what I have experienced in the courfe of my inqui ries, I am fatisfied, that upon a more minute scrutiny into their early operations in the New World, however reprehenfible the actions of individuals may appear, the conduct of the nation will be placed in a more favorable light.

In other parts of Europe very different fentiments prevail. Having fearched, without fuccefs, in Spain, for a letter of Cortes to Charles V. written foon after he landed in the Mexican empire, which has not hitherto been published; it occurred to me, that as the emperor was fetting out for Germany at the time when the

messengers from Cortes arrived in Europe, the letter with which they were intrufted might poffibly be preferved in the Imperial library of Vienna. I communicated this idea to Sir Robert Murray Keith, with whom I have long had the honor to live in friendship, and I had foon the pleasure to learn, that upon his application, her Imperial Majesty had been graciously pleased to iffue an order, that not only a copy of that letter (if it were found), but of any other papers in the library, which could throw light upon the History of America, should be tranfmitted to me. The letter from Cortes is not in the Imperial Library, but an authentic copy, attested by a notary, of the letter written by the magiftrates of the colony planted by him at Vera Cruz, which I have mentioned, Vol. ii. having been found, it was tranfcribed and fent to me. As this letter is no lefs curious, and as little known as that which was the object of my inquiries, I have given fome account, in its proper place, of what is most worthy of notice in it. Together with it, I received a copy of a letter from Cortes, containing a long account of his expedition to Honduras, with respect to which, I did not think it neceffary to enter into any particular detail; and likewise

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those curious Mexican paintings, which I have defcribed, Vol. iii.

My inquiries at St. Petersburgh were carried on with equal facility and fuccefs. In examining into the nearest communication between our continent and that of America, it became of confequence to obtain authentic information concerning the difcoveries of the Ruffians in their navigation from Kamchatka towards the coast of America. Accurate relations of their first voyage, in 1741, have been published by Muller and Gmelin. Several foreign authors have entertained an opinion, that the court of Ruffia ftudiously conceals the progrefs which has been made by more recent navigators, and fuffers the Public to be amufed with falfe accounts of their route. Such conduct appeared to me unfuitable to thofe liberal fentiments, and that patronage of science, for which the present fovereign of Ruffia is eminent; nor could I difcern any political reason, that might render it improper to apply for information concerning the late attempts of the Ruffians to open a communication between Afia and America. My ingenious countryman, Dr. Rogerfon, first physician to the emprefs, prefented my request to her Imperial Majesty, who not only disclaimed any