Volume 1

A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore].

  • John Hamilton Moore
Date:
[1785?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I5&5 '—„— Drake knighted* THE VOYAGES OF ftlirds5 who were highly fenfible of the affront) and -y waited but an opportunity to revenge the injury. In token of her hearty approbation, on the 4th of April, in the following year, her majefty coming to dine on board Drake’s mip, royally attended, after dinner conferred on the commander the honour of knighthood in reward of his fervices ; though there were not wanting thofe that thought the breach with Spain, which would naturally follow the depredations that this adventurer had made on their Indian territo¬ ries in the new world, would counterbalance all the wealth that had been acquired by thte fuccefsful pi¬ racy. The Spanifh writer already quoted (Lopez Vaz by name) fays, “ That Drake carried from the coaft of Peru, 866,000 pezos of filver, equal to 866 quintals, equal to ioolb. weight each quintal, amount¬ ing to 1,139,200 ducats. He alfo carried away 100,000 pezoes of gold, equal to ten quintals, each quintal valued at 1500 Spanifh ducats; and all this befides the treafure in the fliip, which was not en¬ tered, confuting of gold, filver, pearl, precious ftones, coined money, and other things of great value ; he alfo rifled the ftiips from the Philippines, laden with fpices, filks, velvets, and other rich merchandize, the value not known.” By the above relation, the filver only at 5s. per oz. amounts to 259,800!. and gold to 48,0001. flerling. But other accounts make the value of the whole cargo brought home by the G olden Blind (for that was the name that Drake chofe his {hip, the Pelican, fhould be known by) amount to 8oo,oool. though that which was divided among the crew was only, 8o,oool. The remainder was moft likely to be difpofed of at the court, and we can hardly doubt but that the queen was well recompenfed for her “ adventure of 1000 crowns.” We have even the authority of hiftory for an account of Queen Eliza¬ beth’s refunding a part of the plunderto the Spaniards, which could hardly have been the cafe if fhe had not been greatly benefited by this voyage. And indeed, the honour which fhe conferred on Drake at a time when he was not without enemies, and the people were divided in their opinions of his expedition feemed to verify what Mr. Thomas Doughty was charged fo heavily for uttering, that “ If they brought home gold, they fhould be the better welcome.” Drake who was thus honoured by his fovereign was the firft captain that ever furrounded the globe, and lived to return home in fafety from his expedition. The paffage ofMaghellan had fo often been tried in vain, after the death of that unfortunate captain, that at length all men feemed to have laid afide the project * till our navigator accomplifhed it, and attempted at north-weft paffage, which had never been the objedt of their fearch. All this contributed greatly to raife his fame, and his fhip was ordered to be prelerved as a memorial of the greatnefs of his undertaking. Though we have thus accompanied this extraor¬ dinary man round the world, yet we cannot fo far difappoint the curious reader as to leave him without a brief relation of the enterprifes wherein he was afterwards engaged. As we have begun with his life, fo we fhall not finifh our relation till that period when death, dropping the curtain, put an end to his mortal exiftcnce. In the year 1585, our fuccefsful adventurer was employed by the queen as commander in chief on an expedition to the Weft Indies; wherein St. Jago, St. Domingo, Carthagena, and St. Auguftine were taken. Two years afterwards, he was fent to Lifbon, but having had intelligence of a fleet aifembling at Cadiz; for the purpofe of invading England, he failed thither, and furprifing the Spaniards, burned io,goo tons of fhipping and all their warlike ftores, which was a hea¬ vy ftroke, and leverely felt by the enemy. He alfo fell in with, and took a rich fhip on his return, called the St. Philip, which wras coming from the Eaft Indies, f Repeated fucceffes promoted Drake to honours. In Drake made 1588 he was advanced to be vice-admiralf, under Lord vice-admiial. Effingham Howard, then high-admiral of England, who commanded the force deftined to op pole the Spanifh armada. Every one the leaft acquainted with hiftory, knows the fate of that unwieldy arma¬ ment, which was beaten back with difgrace, and the lofs of fome of the fineft veflels, to appearance, of any at that time feen in Europe, and which had been for three years preparing in the ports of Spain for the long projected invafion of England. Drake had his fhare in the honour of this victory, Hisconduft ia which however he hazarded in fome meafure by pur- the fea fight fuing fome of the hulks belonging to the Hans Towns, the Span- in order to gratify that defire of plunder fo habitual to 1 arma a' a man who had turned his attention chiefly to pirati¬ cal enterprifes §. Being intruded to carry lights to diredl the admiral, he milled him by his condudf, and yet made the moft advantage of any by the fuccefs of the Englifh arms ||. Thus far good fortune had attended him and his He undertakes royal employer, wrho having a great dependance upon an expedition his abilities, a fti 11 greater on the terror of his name, and to Foitugal. becaufe hepoflefled afpirit in fome meafure, congenial to her own, fent him out next year as admiralof a fqua- dron intended to place Don Antonio, a pretender to the * A Knight of Malta called Gracca de Loaifa, with feven fhips attempted to follow Maghellan’s tra£l:—his own fliip re¬ turned to Spain, he palled the ftreights, but loft fome of his vef- fels, and his own life—two of the veflels only reached the Eaft indies, where he and his men perilhed. The Genoefe made an unfuccefsful attempt of this kind in 1516. The famous Sebaf- tian Cabot, in the Portuguefe fervice, tried in vain to find the ftreights; and Americus Vefputius, from whom the continent of America received its name, had afterwards as ill fuccefs in the like undertaking. Simon de Alcafara with a ftrong fqua- dron failing with an intention to make his paffage through the flreight, was forced to return on accouin^of a mutiny among his men, which put an end to his expeditions^^ f “ Certain Jefuits (fays Linofchoten a Dutchman then at Goa) came from the ifland of Japan, and with them three princes, being the fons of fo many kings of that country, wholly apparelled like Jefuits, not one of them above the age of fifteen years, being minded by the perfuafion of the Jefuits to vifit Portugal, [Por¬ tugal and Spain were then both ruled by one fovereign] and from thence to go to Rome to fee the Pope, thereby to pro¬ cure great profir, privileges, and liberties for the people of that ifland. In 1584 they let fail for Portugal, and from thence travelled into Spain, where they were received with honour by the king and the Spanifli nobility, and prefented with many gifts —which the Jefuits kept for themfelvts. Out of Spain they went to fee the Pope; that done, they travelled throughout Italv, where they were much honoured, and received many rich prefents, by means of the great reports made of them. They returned to Madrid, where, with great honour, they took their leave of the king, who furniffied them with letters of recom¬ mendation to the viceroy and all the governors of India. So they went to Lilbon, and there took Ihipping in 1586, and came so. Goa in the fhip called the St. Philip, [where both the princes and the Jefuits were received with great rejoicing] which fliip, on her return to Portugal, was taken by Captain Drake, being the firft that was taken coming from the Eaft Indies, which the Portuguefe took for an evil fign, becaufe the fhip bore the king’s own name.” It feems that bad weather having driven, this veflel on her way to Goa into Mozambique, meeting with another veflel called the St. Laurence there, which was very much damaged, the former on her return putin again at Mo¬ zambique in older to rake in the lading of the other fliip, which was rendered unferviceable, which enabled her to make her voyage to Europe, about the ufual time ; and this fortunate circumftance contributed to Drakels fuccefs. X He had under his command the Captains Martin Forhifher, Knolles, and other experienced officers. § In thofe of a more regular nature he was generally rather impatient of fuperiority, and not a very agreeable colleague. His deportment on this occafion however, did him more ho¬ nour as appears from a letter to the lord treafurer, in which, he obferves, “ That though the ftrength of the enemy outwent report, yet the chearfulnefs and courage which the lord admiral exprefled, gave all who had the honour to lerve under him af- furance of viftory.” || The admiral, by means of this mifeonduft of Drake, miflaking the lights of the Spanifli commander fqr his, got into the mid¬ dle of the enemy’s fleet, in the night, from whence he happily efcaped undifeovered. Drake afterwards acquired both honour and money by taking a large galleon commanded by Don Pe¬ dro de Valdez, who was fuppofed to have planned the invafion, who fet him at firft at defiance, but as foonas he heard his name furrendcred to him upon his fummons. In this fhip be¬ fides valuable goods he found 50,000 ducats, which well re¬ warded him for his trouble.
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