1565.

Meanes to

cient profit in Florida and Virginia.

commodities therein to this day knowen, which although it may seeme unto some, by the meanes that the plenty of golde and silver, is not so abundant as in other places, that the cost bestowed upon the same. will not be able to quit the charges: yet am I of the reape a suffi- opinion, that by that which I have seene in other Islands of the Indians, where such increase of cattell hath bene, that of twelve head of beasts in five & twenty yeeres, did in the hides of them raise a thousand pound profit yerely, that the increase of cattel onely would raise profit sufficient for the same: for wee may consider, if so small a portion did raise so much gaines in such short time, what would a greater do in many yeres? and surely I may this affirme, that the ground of the Indians for the breed of cattell, is not in any point to be compared to this of Florida, which all the yeere long is so greene, as any time in the Summer with us: which surely is not to be marvelled at, seeing the countrey standeth in so watery a climate for once a day without faile they have a shower of raine; which by meanes of the countrey it selfe, which is drie, and more fervent hot then ours, doeth make all things to flourish therein. And because there is not the thing we all seeke for, being rather desirous of present gaines, I doe therefore affirme the attempt thereof to be more requisit for a prince, who is of power able to go thorow with the same, rather then for any subject.

From thence wee departed the 28 of July, upon our [III. 521.] voyage homewards, having there all things as might be most convenient for our purpose: and tooke leave of the Frenchmen that there still remained, who with diligence determined to make as great speede after, as they could. Thus by meanes of contrary windes oftentimes, wee prolonged our voyage in such manner that victuals scanted with us, so that we were divers times (or rather the most part) in despaire of ever comming home, had not God of his goodnesse better

provided for us, then our deserving. In which state
of great miserie, wee were provoked to call upon him
by fervent prayer, which mooved him to heare us, so
that we had a prosperous winde, which did set us so
farre shot, as to be upon the banke of Newfound land,
on Saint Bartholomews eve, and we sounded therupon,
finding ground at an hundred and thirty fadoms, being
that day somewhat becalmed, and tooke a great
number of fresh codde-fish, which greatly relieved us:
and being very glad thereof, the next day we departed,
and had lingring little gales for the space of foure or
five dayes, at the ende of which we sawe a couple of
French shippes, and had of them so much fish as
would serve us plentifully for all the rest of the way,
the Captaine paying for the same both golde and silver, to
the just value thereof, unto the chiefe owners of the saide
shippes, but they not looking for any thing at all, were
glad in themselves to meete with such good intertainement
at sea, as they had at our hands. After which departure
from them, with a good large winde the twentieth of Sep-
tember we came to Padstow in Cornewall, God be thanked,
in safetie, with the losse of twentie persons in all the
voyage, and with great profit to the venturers of the said
voyage, as also to the whole realme, in bringing home
both golde, silver, pearles and other jewels great store.
His name therefore be praised for evermore. Amen.
The names of certaine Gentlemen that were in this voyage.
M. John Hawkins.

M. John Chester, {sir William Chesters sonne.
M. Anthony Parkhurst.

M. Fitzwilliam.

M. Thomas Woorley.

M. Edward Lacie, {with divers others.

The Register and true accounts of all
herein expressed hath beene approoved by
me John Sparke the younger, who went
upon the same voyage, and wrote the same.

1567.

A storme.

The third troublesome voyage made with the
Jesus of Lubeck, the Minion, and foure other
ships, to the parts of Guinea, and the West
Indies, in the yeeres 1567 and 1568 by M.
John Hawkins.

He ships departed from Plimmouth, the second day of October, Anno 1567 and had reasonable weather untill the seventh day, at which time fortie leagues North from Cape Finister, there arose an extreme storme, which continued foure dayes, in such sort, that the fleete was dispersed, and all our great boats lost, and the Jesus our chiefe shippe, in such case, as not thought able to serve the voyage: whereupon in the same storme we set our course homeward, determining to give over the voyage: but the eleventh day of the same moneth, the winde changed with faire weather, whereby we were animated to followe our enterprise, and so did, directing our course with the Ilands of the Canaries, where according to order before prescribed, all our shippes before dispersed, met at one Gomera. of those Ilands, called Gomera, where we tooke water, and departed from thence the fourth day of November, towards the coast of Guinea, and arrived at Cape Verde, the eighteenth of November where we landed

Arrows.

an

150 men, hoping to obtaine some Negros, where we got but fewe, and those with great hurt and damage Envenomed to our men, which chiefly proceeded of their envenomed arrowes : and although in the beginning they seemed to be but small hurts, yet there hardly escaped any that had blood drawen of them, but died in strange sort, with their mouthes shut some tenne dayes before they died, and after their wounds were whole; where I my selfe had one of the one of the greatest

1567.

woundes, yet thankes be to God, escaped. From thence we past the time upon the coast of Guinea, searching with all diligence the rivers from Rio Grande, unto Sierra Leona, till the twelfth of Januarie, in which time we had not gotten together a hundreth and fiftie Negros: yet notwithstanding the sicknesse of our men, and the late time of the yeere com- [III. 522.] manded us away: and thus having nothing wherewith to seeke the coast of the West Indias, I was with the rest of our company in consultation to goe to the coast of the Mine, hoping there to have obtained some golde for our wares, and thereby to have defraied our charge. But even in that present instant, there came to us a Negro, sent from a king, oppressed by other Kings his neighbours, desiring our aide, with promise that as many Negros as by these warres might be obtained, aswell of his part as of ours, should be at our pleasure: whereupon we concluded to give aide, and sent 120 of our men, which the 15 of Januarie, assaulted a towne of the Negros of our A towne of Allies adversaries, which had in it 8000 Inhabitants, 8000 negros being very strongly impaled and fenced after their manner, but it was so well defended, that our men prevailed not, but lost sixe men and fortie hurt so that our men sent forthwith to me for more helpe: whereupon considering that the good successe of this enterprise might highly further the commoditie of our voyage, I went my selfe, and with the helpe of the king of our side, assaulted the towne, both by land and sea, and very hardly with fire (their houses being covered with dry Palme leaves) obtained the towne, put the Inhabitants to flight, where we tooke 250 persons, men, women, & children, and by our friend the king of our side, there were taken 600 prisoners, whereof we hoped to have had our choise: but the Negro (in which nation is seldome or never found No trueth in truth) meant nothing lesse: for that night he re- Negros. mooved his campe and prisoners, so that we were

taken.

1568.

Dominica.

Rio de la

Hacha taken.

faine to content us with those few which we had gotten our selves.

Now had we obtained between foure and five hundred Negros, wherwith we thought it somewhat reasonable to seeke the coast of the West Indies, and there, for our Negros, and other our merchandize, we hoped to obtaine, whereof to countervaile our charges with some gaines, wherunto we proceeded with all diligence, furnished our watering, tooke fuell, and departed the coast of Guinea the third of Februarie, continuing at the sea with a passage more hard, then before hath bene accustomed till the 27 day of March, which day we had sight of an Iland, called Dominica, upon the coast of the West Indies, in fourteene degrees: from thence we coasted from place to place, making our traffike with the Spaniards as we might, somewhat hardly, because the king had straightly commanded all his Governors in those parts, by no meanes to suffer any trade to be made with us: notwithstanding we had reasonable trade, and courteous entertainement, from the Ile of Margarita unto Cartagena, without any thing greatly worth the noting, saving at Capo de la Vela, in a towne called Rio de la Hacha (from whence come all the pearles) the treasurer who had the charge there, would by no meanes agree to any trade, or suffer us to take water, he had fortified his towne with divers bulwarkes in all places where it might be entered, and furnished himselfe with an hundred Hargabuziers, so that he thought by famine to have inforced us to have put a land our Negros: of which purpose he had not greatly failed, unlesse we had by force entred the towne : which (after we could by no meanes obtaine his favour) we were enforced to doe, and so with two hundred men brake in upon their bulwarkes, and entred the towne with the losse onely of two men of our partes, and no hurt done to the Spaniards because after their voley of shot discharged, they all fled.

Thus having the town with some circumstance, as