WRITTEN BY A GENTLEMAN OF ELVAS, EMPLOYED IN ALL THE ACTION, AND BY LUIS HERNANDEZ DE BIEDMA, FACTOR TO THE SAME, THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY. SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, G.C.St.S., F.R.S., Corr. Mem. Inst. Fr., Hon. Mem. Imp. Acad. Sc. St. Petersburg, &c., &c., PRESIDENT. 12 INTRODUCTION. THE first account of FERNANDO DE SOTO's travels through the southern portion of North America, was written by one of the Portuguese adventurers who accompanied the expedition throughout, and returned to his native country. It was published at Evora, in 1557, under the following title: "Relaçam verdadeira dos Trabalhos q ho Gouernador do Fernãdo d' Souto & certos Fidalgos Portugueses passarom no d'scobrimēto da Provincia da Frolida. Agora nouamēte feita per hū Fidalgo Deluas". Copies of this work are extremely rare. The price of one, mentioned in Mr. Rich's "Catalogue of Books relating principally to America", is stated at £31. 10s. It is a small octavo, in black letter. There is a copy in the collection of the Right Honourable Thomas Grenville, recently bequeathed to the British Museum. The translation by Hakluyt, here reprinted, of this narrative by the "Gentleman of Elvas", has been already brought under the notice of the Hakluyt Society by Mr. Winter Jones, in his Introduction to the "Divers Voyages touching the discoverie of America". The reader will have there seen, that Hakluyt's intention in making this translation, was evidently to encourage the young colony in Virginia, and to procure an increase of support for that under b |