o have gone there hitherto has
been only the valley of Tuy, and part of the headwaters of the river
of the same name. This river becomes of great volume, and terminates
at the city of Nueva Segovia, or Cagayan. It contains numerous fish,
and the best ones that are found in the island of Luzon. This valley
and province are said to be forty leguas long, and end at the mountains
of the Ygolotes. Its width is unknown, except that it extends from
the province of Pangasinan to the sea, from which one may infer that
is a greater distance than the forty leguas.
_Relation of what has been known from old times, in these districts,
of the rich mines of the Ygolotes--both from seeing the great amount
of gold that the Indians of those mountains have extracted without
skill, and are still obtaining, and which they sell to the neighboring
provinces, and trade for food; and by persons (Spaniards as well as
Indians) who have been in the mines opened by those mountaineers._
First, it is to be taken for granted that they are located in the
mountains and ridges called Ygolotes, at somewhat less than eighteen
degrees of latitude; It is an upland situated between two mountains,
and is covered with grass, like Castilla. There is abundance of
water and trees; and there are many valleys and broad, pleasant
plains. It has many deer and carabaos, or buffaloes. Sugarcane is
grown, and produces abundantly, and it attains a much larger growth
than in other regions; and even, where moisture is obtained, many
trees grow. There are many bare mountains, thought to be composed of
minerals. The highest mountains are very rugged. The region explored
by those who have gone there hitherto has been only the valley of Tuy,
and part of the headwaters of the river of the same name. This river
becomes of great volume, and terminates at the city of Nueva Segovia,
or Cagayan. It contains numerous fish, and the best ones that are found
in the island of Luzon. This valley and province are said to be forty
leguas long, and end at the mountains of the Ygolotes. Its width is
unknown, except that it extends from the province of Pangasinan to
the sea, from which one may infer that is a greater distance than
the forty leguas.
_Relation of what has been known from old times, in these districts,
of the rich mines of the Ygolotes--both from seeing the great amount
of gold that the Indians of those mountains have extracted without
skill, and are still obtaining, and
|