De Orbe Novo, Volume 1 (of 2): The Eight Decades of Peter Martyr D'AngheraAnghiera, Pietro Martire d'
History
De Orbe Novo, Volume 1 (of 2): The Eight Decades of Peter Martyr D'Anghera
Anghiera, Pietro Martire d'
America -- Early accounts to 1600
Another lake lies in the same plain and quite near to the former, of
which the waters are bitter-sweet,[2] that is to say they are not
pleasant to drink, but may be drunk in case of absolute necessity. It
is twenty-five miles long by nine or ten broad, and is fed by a number
of rivers. It has no outlet, and the water from the sea also reaches
it, though in a small quantity; this accounts for its brackish waters.
The third fresh-water lake, called Painagua, exists in the same
province. It lies not very far to the west of the Caspian Sea. North
of this same Caspian lies a fourth lake, of small importance, since it
measures but four miles in length and a little more than one in width;
it is called Guacca, and its waters are potable. South of the Caspian
a fifth lake, called Babbareo is found; it is almost circular and
about three miles in length. Its waters are fresh like those of the
other two. As it has no outlet and its waters are not sucked down
into caverns, it overflows its banks when swollen by torrents. Lake
Babbareo lies in the Zamana district of the province of Bainoa. There
is still another lake called Guanyban, near by and south-west of the
Caspian; it is ten miles long and nearly round. Throughout the island
are numerous other small lakes, which we do not mention for fear
of being tiresome by too much insistence on the same subject.
Nevertheless there is one more particular concerning the lakes and
this is the last: All of them are full of fish, and support many
birds. They are situated in an immense valley which extends from east
to west for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles and a breadth,
at the narrowest point of eighteen and at the broadest, of twenty-five
miles. As one looks west the mountain chain of Duiguni borders this
valley on the left, and on the right rises the range of Caigun, which
gives its name to the valley at its base. Upon the northern slope
begins another valley larger than the former, for it extends a
distance of two hundred miles and a breadth of thirty miles at the
broadest, and twenty miles at the narrowest part. This valley is
called Maguana and sometimes Iguaniu or Hathathiei. Since we have
mentioned this part of the valley called Atici, we must make a
digression to introduce a miraculous sea fish.
[Note 2: _Lago de Fondo ... aquarum salsodulcium_...]
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