great hope he brought of the passage to Cataya.

And it is especially to be remembred that at their first arriuall in those
parts there lay so great store of ice all the coast along so thicke
together, that hardly his boate could passe vnto the shore. [Sidenote: The
taking possession of Meta incognita.] At length, after diuers attempts he
commanded his company, if by any possible meanes they could get ashore, to
bring him whatsoeuer thing they could first finde, whether it were liuing
or dead, stocke or stone, in token of Christian possession, which thereby
he tooke in behalfe of the Queenes most excellent Maiesty, thinking that
thereby he might iustify the hauing and inioying of the same things that
grew in these vnknowen parts.

[Sidenote: How the ore was found by chance.] Some of his company brought
floures, some greene grasse; and one brought a piece of blacke stone much
like to a sea cole in colour, which by the waight seemed to be some kinde
of mettall or minerall. This was a thing of no account in the iudgment of
the captaine at first sight; and yet for nouelty it was kept in respect of
the place from whence it came.

After his arriuall in London, being demanded of sundry his friends what
thing he had brought them home out of that countrey, he had nothing left to
present them withall but a piece of this blacke stone. And it fortuned a
gentlewoman one of the aduenturers wiues to haue a piece thereof, which by
chance she threw and burned in the fire, so long, that at the length being
taken forth, and quenched in a little vinegar, it glistened with a bright
marquesset of golde. Whereupon the matter being called in some question, it
was brought to certaine Goldfiners in London to make assay thereof, who
gaue out that it held golde, and that very richly for the quantity.
[Sidenote: Many aduenturers.] Afterwards, the same Goldfiners promised