1516.

in the aforesayd wordes M. Robert Thorne sayth, that he would have the old courses to bee changed, and the newe courses (to the North) to be followed: It may plainely be gathered, that the former voyage, whereof twise or thrise he maketh mention, wherein it is like that sir Thomas Pert and Sebastian Cabot were set foorth by the king, was made towarde Brasill and the South parts. Moreover it seemeth that Gonsalvo de Oviedo, a famous Spanish writer, alludeth unto the sayde voyage in the beginning of the 13. chapter of the 19. booke of his generall and natural historie of the West Indies, agreeing very well with the time about which Richard Eden writeth that the foresaid voyage was begun. The authors wordes are these, as I finde them translated into Italian by that excellent and famous man Baptista Ramusius. Nel 1517. Un Corsaro Inglese, sotto colore di venire á An English discoprire se ne venne con se ne venne con una gran nave alla volta great shippe at del Brasil nella costiera di Terra ferma, & indi Brasill 1517. attraverso á questa isola Spagnuola, & giunse presso la bocca del porto di questa città di S. Domenico, & mandò in terra il suo battello pieno di gente, & chiese licentia di potere qui entrare, dicendo che venia con mercantie a negotiare. Ma in quello instante il castellano Francesco di Tapia fece tirare alla nave un tiro d'artiglieria da questo castello, perche ella se ne veniva dìritta al porto. Quando gli Inglesi viddero questo si ritirarono fuori, & quelli del battello tosto si raccolsero in nave. Et nel vero il Castellan fece errore perche se ben fosse nave entrata nel porto, non sarebbono le genti potuto smontare à terra senza volontà & della città & del castello. La nave adunque veggendo come vi era ricevuta, tirò la volta dell' isola di San Giovanni, & entrata nel porto di San Germano parlarono gli Inglesi con quelli della terra, & dimandarono vettouaglie & fornimenti per la nave, & si lamentarono di quelli di questa città, dicendo che essi non venivano per fare dispiacere, ma per contrattare,

San Juan de puerto Rico.

Et

on

& negotiare con suoi danari & mercantie. Hora quivi
hebbero alcune vettovaglie, & in compensa essi diedero
& pagarono in certi stagni lavorati & altre cose.
poi si partirono alla volta d'Europa, dove si crede, che
non gungessero, perche non se ne seppe piu nuova
mai. This extract importeth thus much in English,
to wit: That in the yeere 1517. an English Rover
under the colour of travelling to discover, came with
a great shippe unto the parts of Brasill on the coast
of the firme land, and from thence he crossed over
unto this Iland of Hispaniola, and arrived neere
unto the mouth of the haven of this citie of S.
Domingo, and sent his shipboate full of men
shoare, and demaunded leave to enter into this haven,
saying that hee came with marchandise to traffique.
But at that very instant the governour of the
castle Francis de Tapia caused a tire of ordinance to
be shot from the castle at the ship, for she bare in
directly with the haven. When the Englishmen sawe
this, they withdrew themselves out, and those that were
in the shipboate, got themselves with all speede on ship-
boord. And in trueth the warden of the castle committed
an oversight for if the shippe had entred into the
haven the men thereof could not have come on lande
without leave both of the citie and of the castle. There-
fore the people of the ship seeing how they were received,
sayled toward the Iland of S. John, and entring into
the port of S. Germaine, the English men parled with
those of the towne, requiring victuals and things needefull
to furnish their ship, and complained of the inhabitants
of the city of S. Domingo, saying that they came not
to doe any harme, but to trade and traffique for their
money and merchandise. In this place they had certaine
victuals, and for recompence they gave and paid them
with certain vessell of wrought tinne and other things.
And afterward they departed toward Europe, where it
is thought they arrived not: for wee never heard any
more newes of them. Thus farre proceedeth Gonsalvo

1516.

1516.

de Oviedo, who though it please him to call the captain of this great English ship a rover, yet it appeareth by the Englishmens owne words, that they came to discover, and by their traffique for pewter vessell and other wares at the towne of S. Germaine in the Iland of S. John de puerto rico, it cannot bee denied but that they were furnished with wares for honest traffique and exchange. But whosoever is conversant in reading the Portugall and Spanish writers of the East and West Indies, shall commonly finde that they account all other nations for pirats, rovers and theeves, which visite any heathen coast that they have once sayled by or looked on. Howbeit their passionate and ambitious reckoning ought not to bee prejudiciall to other mens chargeable and painefull enterprises and honourable travels in discoverie.

[III. 500.] A briefe note concerning a voyage of one Thomas Tison an English man, made before the yeere 1526. to the West Indies, & of his abode there in maner of a secret factor for some English marchants, which under hand had trade thither in those dayes: taken out of an olde ligier-booke of M. Nicolas Thorne the elder, a worshipfull marchant of Bristol.

T appeareth out of a certaine note or letter of remembrance, in the custodie of mee Richard Hakluyt, written 1526. by master Nicolas Thorne the elder, a principall marchant of Bristol, unto his friend and factour Thomas Midnall, and his servant William Ballard at that time remaining at S. Lucar in Andaluzia: that before the sayd yeere one Thomas Tison an Englishman had found the way to the West Indies, and was there resident: unto whom the aforesayd M. Nicolas Thorne sent armour and other commodities specified in the letter aforesayd. This Thomas Tison (so farre as I can conjecture) may

seeme to have bene some secret factour for M. Thorne and other English marchants in those remote partes; whereby it is probable that some of our marchants had a kinde of trade to the West Indies even in those ancient times and before also: neither doe I see any reason why the Spaniards should debarre us from it at this present.

The first voyage of the right worshipfull and valiant knight sir John Hawkins, sometimes treasurer of her Majesties navie Roial, made to the West Indies 1562.

1562.

Aster John Haukins having made divers voyages to the Iles of the Canaries, and there by his good and upright dealing being growen in love and favour with the people, informed himselfe amongst them by diligent inquisition, of the state of the West India, whereof hee had received some knowledge by the instructions of his father, but increased the same by the advertisments and reports of that people. And being amongst other particulars assured, that Negros were very good marchandise in Hispaniola, and that store of Negros might easily bee had upon the coast of Guinea, resolved with himselfe to make triall thereof, and communicated that devise with his worshipfull friendes of London: namely with Sir Lionell Ducket, sir Thomas Lodge, M. Gunson his father in law, sir William Winter, M. Bromfield, and others. All which persons liked so well of his intention, that they became liberall contributers and adventurers in the action. For which purpose there were three good ships immediatly provided: The one called the Salomon of the burthen of 120. tunne, wherein M. Haukins himselfe went as Generall: The second the Swallow of 100. tunnes, wherein went for Captaine M. Thomas M. Thomas Hampton: and the third the Jonas a barke of 40. Hampton. tunnes, wherein the Master supplied the Captaines

1562.

Sierra Leona

called Tagarin.

The Iles of
Caycos.

roome: in which small fleete M. Hawkins tooke with him not above 100. men for feare of sicknesse and other inconveniences, whereunto men in long voyages are commonly subject.

With this companie he put off and departed from the coast of England in the moneth of October 1562. and in his course touched first at Teneriffe, where hee received friendly intertainement. From thence he passed to Sierra Leona, upon the coast of Guinea, which place by the people of the countrey is called Tagarin, where he stayed some good time, and got into his possession, partly by the sworde, and partly by other meanes, to the number of 300. Negros at the least, besides other merchandises which that countrey yeeldeth. With this praye hee sayled over the Ocean sea unto the Iland of Hispaniola, and arrived first at the port of Isabella: and there hee had reasonable utterance of his English commodities, as also of some part of his Negros, trusting the Spaniards no further, then that by his owne strength he was able still to master them. From the port of Isabella he went to Puerto de Plata, where he made like sales, standing alwaies upon his guard: from thence also hee sayled to Monte Christi another port on the North side of Hispaniola, and the last place of his touching, where he had peaceable traffique, and made vent of the whole number of his Negros: for which he received in those 3. places by way of exchange such quantitie of merchandise, that hee did not onely lade his owne 3. shippes with hides, ginger, sugars, and some quantitie of pearles, but he fraighted also two other hulkes with hides and other like commodities, which hee sent into Spaine. And thus leaving the Iland, he returned and disemboqued, passing out by the Ilands of the Caycos, without further entring into the bay of Mexico, in this his first voyage to the West India. And so with prosperous successe and much gaine to himselfe and the aforesayde adventurers, he came home, and arrived in the moneth of September 1563.