America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the New World

The Sea, that takes several Denominations from the Countreys which it washeth, and surrounding the dry Land, cuts out, and shapes so many winding Bays, Creeks, and Meandring Inlets, seems no where so much confin’d and penn’d into so narrow a Channel, as the Straights of Magellan: From whence again, soon expatiating, it spreads it self into two immense, and almost boundless Oceans, that which opens to the North, gives terminaries to the four Regions of the Earth; that to the South, onely to Asia and America; both which, indeed, are but one continu’d Sea, extending it self round the Universal Globe.

This watry part of the World, that almost through all Ages lay Fallow, hath in these later times been Furrow’d by several Expert and Stout Captains, who now by their Art and Industry, have given a good Account of, and made clear Discoveries from East to West, where-ever the Sun rises or sets.

The Northern Bounds under the Artick-Zone, have been hitherto so obstructed with Ice, that the undertakings of such as adventur’d either to find by the North-East or North-West a Passage to India, have been utterly frustrate. Of the Southern, no such pains hath as yet been taken in the Discovery, so that for the most part it is yet unknown how far the Water, either deep or shallow, overspreads the Earth, onely thus much Experience hath made out, that the Antartick needs lesser Line to Fathom, than the Artick-Ocean.