ances and paiments thereof, our will and pleasure is, and we do straightly charge and command, to bee from time to time duely made and performed accordingly, without any delay or denial of any our officers aforesaid, or any other our officers or ministers whatsoever. And we do straightly charge and command, and by these presents prohibite all and singular our customers, collectors, and farmers of our Customes and subsidies, and controllers of the same, of and within our ports of the citie of London, and the Citie of Exeter, and all other ports, creekes, and places, within this our Realme of England, and every of them, and all other our officers and ministers whatsoever, which have or shall have any dealing or intermedling, touching our said Customes and subsidies, that they, ne any of them by themselves, their clearks, deputies, or substitutes, or any of them take or receive, or in any wise cause or suffer to be taken or received for us, or in our name, or to our use, or for, or in the names or to the uses of our heires or successors, of any person, or persons, any summe or summes of money, or other things whatsoever, during the said terme of ten yeeres, for, or in the name, lieu, or place of any Custome, subsidie, or other thing or duetie, to us, our heires, or successors, due, or to be due, for the Customes or subsidies of any such goods, wares, or marchandizes, to be transported, caried, or brought to or from the privileged places, before in these presents mentioned, or any of them: nor make, nor cause to be made any entry into, or of the bookes of subsidies or customes, nor make any agreement for the Customes or subsidies, of, or for any goods, wares, or marchandizes, to bee sent to, or returned from any the privileged places, before in these presents mentioned, saving onely with, and in the name, and by the consent of the saide William Brayley, Gilbert Smith, Nicholas Spicer, John Doricot, John Yong, Richard Doderige, Antonie Dassel, and Nicholas Turner, or of some of them, or of such as they or the most part of them shall receive into their societie and Company, as aforesaid. Provided alwaies, that if at any time hereafter, we our selves, by our writing signed with our proper hand, or any sixe or more of our privie Counsell, for the time being, shall, by our direction, and by writing signed and subscribed with their hands, signifie and notifie to the said William Brayley,

Gilbert Smith, Nicholas Spicer, John Doricot, John Yong, Richard Doderige, Anthony Dassell, and Nicholas Turner, or to any of them, or to any other, whom they, or the most part of them shal receive into their Companie and society, as is aforesaid, or otherwise to our officers in our ports of Exeter, or Plimouth, by them to be notified to such as shall have interest in this speciall privilege, that our will and pleasure is, that the said trade and trafique shal cease, and be no longer continued into the saide coasts and partes of Guinea before limited: then immediatly from and after the ende of sixe moneths next insuing, after such signification & notification so to be given to any of the said Company and societie, as is aforesaid, or otherwise to our Officers in our ports of Exeter or Plimouth, by them to be notified to such as shall have interest in this special privilege, these our present letters Patents, and our graunt therein contained shall be utterly voyde, and of none effect, ne validitie in the lawe, to all intents and purposes: any thing before mentioned to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. Witnesse our selfe at Westminster, the thirde day of May, in the thirtieth yere of our Reigne 1588.

A voyage to Benin beyond the Countrey of Guinea, set foorth by Master Bird and Master Newton Marchants of London, with a shippe called the Richard of Arundell, and a Pinesse; Written by James Welsh, who was chiefe Master of the said voyage, begunne in the yeere 1588.

UPON the twelft of October wee wayed our ankers at Ratcliffe and went to Blackwall. And the next day sayling from thence, by reason of contrary winde and weather, wee made it the 25. of October before wee were able to reach Plimouth, and there we stayed (to our great expense of victuals) for lacke of winde and weather unto the 14. of December.

On Saturday the said 14. of December we put from thence, and about midnight were thwart of the Lizart.

Thursday the second of January wee had sight of the land neere Rio del oro, God be thanked, and there had 22. degrees of latitude, and 47. minutes.

The thirde of January wee had sight of Cavo de las Barbas, and it bare Southeast five leagues off.

The 4. we had sight of the Crosiers in the morning.

Tuesday the 7. day we had sight of Cavo verde, and I finde this place to be in latitude 14. degrees, and 43. minutes, being 4. leagues from the shoare.

Friday the 17. Cavo de Monte bare off us North Northeast, we sounded and had 50. fathom blacke oase, and at 2. of the clocke it bare North Northwest 8. leagues off. And Cavo Mensurado bare of us East and by South, and wee went Northeast with the maine: here the currant setteth to the East Southeast alongst the shoare, and at midnight wee sounded and had 26. fathome blacke oase.

The 18. in the morning we were thwart of a land much like Cavo verde, and it is as I judge 9. leagues from Cavo Mensurado; it is a hill sadlebacked, and there are 4. or 5. one after another: and 7. leagues to the Southward of that, we saw a row of hils sadlebacked also, and from Cavo Mensurado are many mountaines.

The 19. we were thwart Rio de Sestos, and the 20. Cavo dos Baixos was North & by West 4. leagues off the shoare, and at afternoone there came a boate from the shoare with 3. Negroes, from a place (as they say) called Tabanoo. And towards evening we were thwart of an Island, and a great many of small Islands or rockes to the Southward, and the currant came out of the Southerboord: we sounded and had 35 fathomes.

The 21. wee had a flat hill that bare North Northeast off us, and wee were from the shoare 4. leagues, and at 2. a clocke in the afternoone we spake with a Frenchman riding neere a place called Ratire, and another place hard by called Crua. This Frenchman caried a letter from us to M. Newton: wee layd it on hull while wee were writing of our letter; and the current set us to the Southward a good pase alongst the shoare South Southeast.

The 25. we were in the bight of the bay that is to the Westward of Capo de Tres puntas: the currant did set East Northeast.

The 28. we lay sixe glasses a hull tarying for the pinesse.

The last of January the middle part of Cape de tres puntas was thwart of us three leagues at seven of the clocke in the morning and at eight the pinesse came to an anker and wee prooved that the current setteth to the Eastward and at sixe at night the uttermost lande bare East and by South 5. leagues, and we went Southwest, and Southwest and by South.

Saturday the first of February 1588. we were thwart of a Round foreland, which I take to be the Eastermost part of Capo de tres puntas: and within the said Round foreland was a great bay with an Island in the said bay.

The second of February wee were thwart of the Castle of Mina, and when the thirde glasse of our Looke-out was spent, we spied under our Larbord-quarter one of their Boates with certaine Negroes, and one Portugale in the Boate, wee would have had him to come aboord, but he would not. And over the castle upon the hie rockes we did see as it might be two watch-houses, and they did shew very white and we went eastnortheast.

The 4 in the morning we were thwart a great high hill, and up into the lande were more high ragged hilles, and those I reckoned to be but little short of Monte Redondo. Then I reckoned that we were 20 leagues Southeast-ward from the Mina, and at II of the clocke I sawe two hilles within the land, these hils I take to be 7 leagues from the first hils. And to sea-ward of these hilles is a bay, and at the east end of the bay another hill, and from the hils the landes lie verie low. We went Eastnortheast, and East and by North 22 leagues, and then East along the shore.

The 6 we were short of Villa longa, and there we met with a Portugall Caravell.

The 7 a faire temperate day, and all this day we road before Villa longa.

The 8 at noone we set saile from Villa longa, and ten leagues from thence we ankered againe and stayed all that night in ten fadom water.

The 9 we set saile, and all alongst the shore were very thicke woodes, and in the afternoone we were thwart a river, & to the Eastward of the river a litle way off was a great high bush-tree as though it had no leaves, and at night we ankered with faire and temperate weather.

The 10 we set sayle and went East, and East and by South 14 leagues along the shoare, which was so full of thicke woods, that in my judgement a man should have much to doe to passe through them, and towards night we ankered in 7 fadome with faire weather.

The II we sayled East and by South, and three leagues from the shore we had but 5 fadome water, and all the wood upon the land was as even as if it had beene cut

with a paire of gardeners sheeres, and in running of two leagues we descerned a high tuft of trees upon the brow of a land, which shewed like a Porpose head, and when wee came at it, it was but part of the lande, and a league further we saw a head-land very low and full of trees, and a great way from the land we had very shallow water, then we lay South into the sea, because of the sands for to get into the deepe water, and when we found it deepe, we ankered in five fadom thwart the river of Jaya, in the rivers mouth.

The 12 in the morning we road still in the rivers mouth. This day we sent the pinnesse and the boat on land with the marchants, but they came not againe untill the next morning. The shallowest part of this river is toward the West, where there is but 4 fadom and a halfe, and it is very broad. The next morning came the boate aboord, and they also said it was Rio de Jaya. Here the currant setteth Westward, and the Eastermost land is higher then the Westermost.

Thursday the 13 we set saile, and lay South Southeast along the shore, where the trees are wonderfull even, and the East shore is higher then the West shore, and when wee had sayled 18 leagues we had sight of a great river, then we ankered in three fadom and a halfe, and the currant went Westward. This river is the river of Benin, and two leagues from the maine it is very shallowe.

The 15 we sent the boat and pinnesse into the river with the marchants, and after that we set saile, because we road in shallow water, and went Southsoutheast, and the starbord tacke aboord untill we came to five fathom water, where we road with the currant to the Westward: then came our boat out of the harbour and went aboord the pinnesse. The West part of the land was high browed much like the head of a Gurnard, and the Eastermost land was lower, and had on it three tufts of trees like stackes of wheate or corne, and the next day in the morning we sawe but two of those trees, by reason that we went more to the Eastward. And here we road still from the 14 of Februarie untill the 14 of Aprill, with the winde at Southwest.

The 16 of Februarie we rode still in 5 fadome, and the currant ranne still to the Westward, the winde at Southwest, and the boat and pinnesse came to us againe out of the river, and told us that there was but ten foote water