We found the whole country to be a warren of a strange kind of coneys;
their bodies in bigness as be the Barbary coneys, their heads as the
heads of ours, the feet of a want [mole], and the tail of a rat, being
of great length. Under her chin is on either side a bag, into the which
she gathereth her meat, when she hath filled her belly abroad. The
people eat their bodies, and make great account of their skins, for
their king's coat was made of them. Our General called this country Nova
Albion, and that for two causes; the one in respect of the white banks
and cliffs, which lie towards the sea, and the other, because it might
have some affinity with our country in name, which sometime was so
called. There is no part of earth here to be taken up, wherein there is
not some probable show of gold or silver.
At our departure hence our General set up a monument of our being there,
as also of her Majesty's right and title to the same; namely a plate,
nailed upon a fair great post, whereupon was engraved her Majesty's
name, the day and year of our arrival there, with the free giving up
of the province and people into her Majesty's hands, together with her
Highness' picture and arms, in a piece of six pence of current English
money, under the plate, whereunder was also written the name of our
General.
It seemeth that the Spaniards hitherto had never been in this part of
the country, neither did ever discover the land by many degrees to the
southwards of this place.
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