In the same year, 1534; Jaques Cartier, a native of Britanny, went with three ships to the land of Corterealis[71], and the gulf of St Lawrence, otherwise called _Golfo Quadrato_, or the square gulf, which he fell in with in lat. 48° 30' N. He proceeded northwards to the latitude of 51°, in the hope of being able to penetrate in that direction to China, by a north- west passage, to bring drugs and other merchandize from thence to France. Next year Cartier made a second voyage to the same regions, and found the country pervaded by many large rivers, and abounding in provisions. He sailed 300 leagues up one of these rivers, in a south-west direction, and named the country New France, now Canada; but finding the water to become fresh, he was satisfied there could be no passage that way to the South Sea; and having wintered in the country, he returned next year to France. About the end of the year 1535, or beginning of 1536, Don Anthony de Mendoça came from Spain to the city of Mexico, as Viceroy of New Spain, being appointed to supersede Cortes, the discoverer and conqueror of that rich and extensive territory. At this time Cortes was absent from the seat of government, having gone to Tecoantepec, on purpose to fit out two ships on a voyage of discovery. These he sent out under the command of Fernando de Grijalva and Diego Bezerra de Mendoça, the former having a Portuguese pilot, named Acosta, and the pilot to the latter being Fortunio Ximenez, a Biscayan. On the first night after leaving Tecoantepec, the two ships separated. Ximenez raised a mutiny against his captain, in which Bezerra was slain, and many of the crew wounded. Some time afterwards, Ximenez went on shore in the bay of Santa Cruz, for wood and water, where he, and more than 20 of his people, were slain by the Indians. Two of the mariners, who were in the boat, escaped to Xalisco, and told Nunnes de Gusman, who commanded at that place, that they had seen indications of pearls during the voyage. Gusman went accordingly with, a ship in search of pearls, and explored above 150 leagues of the coast[72]. It is said that Grijalva sailed 300 leagues from Tecoantepec, without seeing any land, except one small island in 20° N. to which he gave the name St Thomas, as having been discovered on the day of that saint[73].