133 Other English ships went this year to Cape Bre- 1593. ton; some for morse fishing, and others for whale First whale fishing. This is the first mention, that we find, of the Eng fishery of the whale fishery by the English. Although they lish, found no whales in this instance, yet they discovered on an island eight hundred whale fins, where a Biscay ship had been lost three this is the first account, that we have, of whale fins, whale bone. before; and years before or whale bone, by the English,' Their first use of man is Bermudas. Henry May, a worthy mariner, returning from Dec. 17. the East Indies in a French ship, was wrecked on H. May one of the islands of Bermudas, and was the first an EnglishEnglishman, who set foot on this island. The wrecked on company, having saved the carpenter's tools, built of cedar a bark of about eighteen tons; caulked it, and payed the seams with lime, mixed with turtles' fat; procured the shrowds from the ship for rigging; put in thirteen live turtles for provisions; and, after remaining on the island nearly five months, sailed to Newfoundland, whence they procured a passage for England. 2 George Weymouth with two ships, fitted out voyage of from England at the joint expense of the two com- G. Weypanies of Russia and Turkey merchants for the discovery of a Northwest passage, visited the coast 1 Anderson, ii. 184. How ladies' stays were previously made, does not appear; but Anderson thinks it probable, that slit pieces of cane, or of some tough and pliant wood, might have been used. 2 Hakluyt, iii. 573, 574, where is Henry May's account of this voyage entire. The company did not leave the island until 11 May 1594, and on the 20th fell in with the land near Cape Breton, where they took in water and provision, and then proceeded to Newfoundland. Ibid. Gorges New Eng. 3. Smith Virg. 173. Harris Voy. 848. Belknap Biog. i. 39. Sir William Monfon says, he knew of this shipwreck, and of the preservation of Henry May, who belonged to one of the French ships that "captain Ryman had, when he was drowned returning from the Indies." Naval Tracts in Churchill Collect. iii. 440. He also says, that above 50 years before the time when he was writing [i. e. about 1585], he " knew one captain Russel, a Frenchman, shipwrecked upon that island [Bermudas]; and with great industry of his people, for few of his men were lost, they patched up a boat out of the materials of the perished ship, that carried them to Newfoundland, where they found relief and passage into their own coun y." Ibid. mouth to Labrador. of Labrador. In sixty one degrees forty minutes north latitude, he saw the entrance of an inlet forty leagues broad, up which he sailed nearly a hundred Variation leagues, and returned. The variation of the com of the pass here was thirty five degrees to the west. Sail compass. ing along the coast of America, he entered an inlet April 4. S. Wyet to rence. Placentia. in the fifty sixth degree of latitude, and had great but delusive hope of finding a passage. After a voyage of three months he arrived in England.* 1594. Silvester Wyet of Bristol, in a bark of thirty Voyage of five tons, made a voyage up the bay of St. Law St. Law- rence as far as the isle of Assumption, for the barbs or fins of whales, and train oil. Ten leagues up the bay of Placentia, he found the fishermen of St, John de Luz, Sibibero and Biscay to be upwards of sixty sail; of which eight ships only were Span. ish. At Farrillon he found twenty sail of Eng. lishmen; and, having in this harbour satisfactoriAugust 24. ly made up his fishing voyage, he returned to Eng Voyage of land. 3 James Lancaster, sent out from London with J. Lancas- three ships and a galley frigate, and two hundred the Span- seventy five men and boys, took twenty nine Spanish iards. ships, and, associating Venour an Englishman, ter against and some Hollanders and Frenchmen, who were roving in the South American seas for booty, surprised Fernambuck, the port town of Olinda, in Brasil. After keeping possession of it thirty days, he carried off the freight of a rich East Indian carrack, with which, and sugars, Brasil wood, and cotton, procured there, he loaded fifteen sail of vessels, and returned home,' 1 Forster Voy. 312-317. 2 To the northward of Cape Brace 14 leagues. Hakluyt, 4 Hakluyt, iii. 708-715. Camden Eliz. 489. Anderson, ii. 186. 1595. 135 Sir W. Ra Trinidad. Sir Walter Ralegh, having the preceding year Voyage of sent to Guiana captain Whiddon, an old and ex- legh to perienced officer, from whom he received flattering Guiana. accounts of the opulence and grandeur of that country, resolved now to visit it in person. Fitting out a fleet at a great expense, he sailed on the sixth of February from Plymouth. Arriving at March 22. Trinidad, he spent a month in coasting the island, Arrives at waiting at the same time for the arrival of captain Preston. Learning, during this period, the state of St. Joseph, a small city, lately built by the Spaniards on that island, and knowing that the search for Guiana must be made in small boats, and that his ships must be left several hundred miles behind; he perceived it would not be safe to leave at his back a garrison of enemies, interested in the same enterprise, and in daily expectation of reinforcement from Spain. Determined in his purpose, in the dusk of the evening he boldly assailed the Corps du Garde; and, having put them to the sword, advanced with one hundred men, and Takes the by break of day took the city, which, at the en- city of St. treaty of the Indians, he set on fire.* Joseph, & Leaving his burns it. 1 Guiana lies eastward of Peru under the equinoctial [Purchas, i. 833-], between the Oronoque and the river of Amazons. Ralegh says, the Oronoque is navigable for ships little less than 1000 miles, and for smaller vessels near 2000; later writers say, 1800. The country, where he was led to expect to find immense treasures, lay on this river, 600 miles from the sea. 2 He took Antonio de Berreo, the Spanish governor, prisoner, and carried him, and a companion who was with him, on board his ships; but the other Spaniards he dismissed. Berreo provoked Ralegh to this measure, by treacherously capturing eight of captain Whiddon's men the year before, after giving his word that they should take wood and water safely. It appears too, that he and his Spaniards had treated the Indians with extreme cruelty; which accounts for the attachment these oppressed natives formed for Ralegh and the English people, whom they considered as their deliverers. Hakluyt. Bancroft, so lately as 1766, says, The Charibbees of Guiana retain a tradition of an English Chief, who many years since landed among them, and encouraged them to persevere in enmity to the Spaniards; promising to return and settle among them, and afford them assistance. It is said, that they still preserve an English Jack, which he 1595. ships at Trinidad, he proceeded with one hundred men in boats four hundred miles up the Oronoque ; but the river beginning dangerously to swell, he returned, without effecting the great discovery.1 Several petty kings of the country however resigned their sovereignties into his hands, for the use of queen Elizabeth. It was his intention to seek for his colony in Virginia on his return to England; but extremity of weather forced him from the Virginian coast.* Voyage of Amias Captain Amias Preston, arriving after Ralegh on the coast of South America, landed at the isle of Coche, near Margarita, where he took a few SpanMay 19. iards with their negro slaves, and a small quantity June 3. Returns to of pearls. Proceeding to Cumana, the Spanish inhabitants, after a parley, agreed to pay him a ransom, to save their town from conflagration and plunder. He next took the city St. Jago de Leon, which was sacked, and burnt. Having afterward Aug. 20. burnt the town of Coros, he sailed to Hispaniola, England. thence to Newfoundland, and thence to England. Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins sailed from England with six of the queen's ships, and twenty one private ships and barks, on an expedi tion to the West Indies. On the way from Gua daloupe to Porto Rico, Sir John Hawkins died; Aug. 28. Voyage of Drake and to W. In- 3 left with them, that they might distinguish his countrymen. This, addė Bancroft, was undoubtedly Sir Walter Raleigh, who in 1595 made a descent on the coast of Guiana, in search of the fabulous golden city of Ma noa del Dorado. Hist. Guiana, 258, 259. 1 « The fury of Orenoque began daily to threaten us with dangers rage and in our returne; for no halfe day passed, but the river began to overflowe very fearefully, and the raines came downe in terrible showers, and guster in great abundance." Ralegh, ibid. 2 Purchas, i. 828. v. 1269. Hakluyt, iii. 627-662, where is Sir W. Ralegh's account entire. He seemed to believe, that what he had writ ten of Guiana would be sufficient to incite the " lady of ladies" [Elizabeth] to possess it; " if not," he adds, "I will judge those men worthy to be kings thereof, that by her grace and leave will undertake it of themselves." 3 Hakluyt, iii. 578-583. 4 Stow [Chron. 807.] says, " as it was supposed of melancholy." His armes, “ emblazoned in memory of his noble atchievements," preserve and was succeeded in command by Sir Thomas Baskerville. The next day Drake made a desperate attack on the shipping in the harbour of Porto Rico; but, obtaining little advantage, he proceeded to the main, and took the towns of Rio de la Hache, December. Rancheria, Tapia, Saint Martha, and Nombre de Dios.* Sir Thomas Baskerville now marched with seven hundred and fifty men for the reduction of Panama; but the Spaniards, having knowledge of the design, were strongly fortified, and he was obliged to abandon the enterprise.* covered Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra, a Spanish go. The Mat vernor in South America, sailing from Callao with quesas dis four ships and four hundred people, with the design of making a settlement in Solomon Islands, discovered four islands in the South Pacific Ocean, which, in honour of the marquis of Cannete, viceroy of Peru, were called Las Marquesas de Mendoça, and were taken possession of, in the name of the king of Spain. 3 1596. Sir Francis Drake, proceeding with the English Death of fleet from Nombre de Dios, died on his passage be- Sir Franci tween the island of Escudo and Porto Bello. His Jan. 28. his appropriate honours : « Upon his helm a wreath, Argent and Azure, a Demy Moore in his proper colour, bound and captive, with amulets in his arms and ears." Biog. Britan. Art. HAWKINS. See A. D. 1563. 1 Hakluyt, iii. 583-590. Purchas, v. 1183. The pearls, brought by the Spaniards for the ransom of the Rancheria (their fishing town for pearl), were so highly rated, to make up the offered sum of 24000 ducats, that the general sent them back, and burned that town, and R. de la Hache, "the churches and a ladies house onely excepted." The other towns shared the same fate. The people of Nombre de Dios fled on the ap proach of the English, excepting about 100 Spaniards who kept the fort; but after a few discharges they also fled, leaving nothing of value. On the last of December the general burned half of the town, and 1 January the remainder," with all the frigates, barks and galiots, which were in the harbour and on the beach on shore, having houses built over them to keepe the pitch from melting." Hakluyt, ibid. 2 Ibid. and Naval Hist. of G. Brit. i. 103; where it is observed "grasp ing at too many things spoiled all." 3 Coll. Hist. Soc. iv. 238, 239. See p. 106, and vol. ii. A. D. 1791, of these Annals. T Drake |