ACUNA, CHRISTOPHER DE, a Spanish Jesuit, born at Burgos. He was admitted into the society in 1612, being then but 15 years of age. After having devoted some years to study, he went to America, where he assisted in making converts in Chili and Peru. In 1640 he returned to Spain, and gave the king an account how far he had succeeded in the commission he had received to make discoveries on the river of the Amazons; and the year following he published a description of this river at Madrid. Acuna was sent to Rome, as procurator of his province. He returned to Spain with the title of Qualificator of the Inquisition; but soon after embarked again for the West Indies, and was at Lima in 1675, when Father Southwell published at Rome the Bibliotheca of the Jesuit writers. Acuna's work is entitled, Nuevo descubrimiento del gran rio de las Amazonas; i. e. "A new discovery of the great river of the Amazons." He was 10 months together upon this river, having had instructions to inquire into every thing with the greatest exactness, that his majesty might thereby be enabled to render the navigation more easy and commodious. He went