sail and two fly-boats, to bring away any ransom that he could get, was ordered not to injure the town, and to join the earl off the Azores he himself, with three sail, hoped to seize some treasure belonging to the King of Spain, which he heard was at Margarita, waiting for the gallions to take it; but contrary winds obliged the earl to give up the attempt. While at Puerto Rico, one of the bravest soldiers was hung in the market-place, for having done violence to a Spaniard's wife; and an officer belonging to the vice-admiral's ship, for defacing some things in the church, was "thrice brought to the gibbet, and at length his lordship was entreated to grant him mercy." 1597. Upon New Year's day, Sir Anthony Sherley left Santa Martha, and stood for Jamaica, and "missing the rode, were constrained to saile round about the isle, a thing not before done." January the 29th, they anchored "in the road of Jamaica" (Port Royal), landed, and marched six miles into the country, to the capital of the island, which they entered without any opposition" the people submitted themselves to our general's mercy; so that now we were as one people, and in one peace together." March the 6th, they left Jamaica, and proceeded to the bay of Honduras, having been joined by Captain Parker from Plymouth. On the 31st, they landed near Truxillo; but finding the place too strong, reimbarked with the loss of a few men, and went to Puerto de Cavallos, lower down in the bay, which they captured without much difficulty, on the 7th of Purchas, L. 6. C. S. 1167. 1163. "King Henry, minding wars with France, made great preparation and provision, as well of munitions and artillery, as also of brass ordinance; amongst the which, at that time, by one Peter Bawd, a Frenchman borne, a gun-founder or maker of great ordinance, and one other alien called Peter van Collen, a gun-smith, both the King's feed-men, who conferring together, devised and caused to be made certaine morter pieces, being at the mouth from eleven inches unto nineteen inches wide, for the use wherof the said Peter caused to be made certain hollow shot of cast-yron, to be stuffed with fierworke or wild-fire, whereof ye bigger sort for the same had scrues of yron, to receive a match to carry fire kindled, that the fierwork might be set on fire, for to breake in small pieces the Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 601. piece hitting any man, would kill or spoile some About April. Disappointed at finding the place so poor and miserable, Sir Anthony determined to ascend the Rio Dolce, and search for narrow passage or isthmus to the South Sea. The fleet proceeded to Cape de Tres Puntas, where they were well moored and on the 10th, with the boats, he ascended the river. thirty leagues up they came to a fort, a town, and some storehouses, but found neither money nor merchandize; and learning from the miserable natives, that it was in vain to attempt to get to the South Sea that way, most of the men being sick, and the provisions almost expended, "with most unwilling minds," Captain Parker says, "we returned to our shipping." The fleet now made the best of their way off Cuba, where they all left Sir Anthony, who, in the Bevice, proceeded to Newfoundland, where he arrived the 15th of June. Captain Parker, in the Prudence of 120 tons, left Sir Anthony Sherley off Truxillo, after their unsuccessful voyage up the Rio Dulce, and made sail for Cape Cotoche. Leaving his ship six leagues from the town of Campeche, he, with his boats, landed by the monastery of San Francisco, and took the town, with the captain and alcalde, and 500 Spaniards, and found in the neighbouring villages 8,000 Indians. The multitude of Spaniards who fled upon the first assault collected together by 10 A. M., and furiously attacked the English, killed six of them, and struck Captain Parker under the left breast with a bullet, which bullet, he says, "lieth still in the chine of my backe!" Being now in great distress, the English brought out their prisoners, tied them arm in arm together, and placed them, instead of a barricado, to defend themselves from the Spaniards' shot; and so, with colours flying, and carrying off their dead, they retired with more safety to the harbour, where they took a frigate laden with the royal tribute, in silver and other valuable commodities, with which they got to their ship. Opposite where she lay stood the town of Sebo, of 400 Indians, which Captain Parker took and plundered: this done, he made sail for Cape Cotoche, anchoring every day at noon, because of the breezes in turning up. The bark Adventure was taken by two frigates from Campeche; and "Captain Hen and thirteen of my men," Captain Parker says, 66 were executed, as since we understand by some Spanish prisoners that were taken in those parts.” After staying five weeks upon the coast, Captain Parker went off the Havannah, and from thence to England, where he arrived about the 1st of July. Mr. Thomas Masham, with a pinnace called the Watte, fitted out by Sir Walter Raleigh for a voyage to Guiana, upon their return home passed St. Vincent, Santa Lucie, Martinico, and arrived at Dominica the 13th of May, having parted company with the bark Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 602, 603. 692. which came out with them the evening before. They watered at Guadaloupe, and upon the 28th of June arrived at Plymouth. Captain Masham says, "Upon the 14th of June, 1597, there being divers whales playing about our pinnesse, one of them crossed our stemme, and going under, rubbed her backe against our keele," without doing any damage to the vessel! 1600. Saint Eustatia became a Dutch island by the right of occupancy, and it was granted in property to certain Flushing merchants by the States General: it was first colonized about this year. Univ, Hist. vol. xxxvi. p. 244. CAPTAIN William Parker, in the Prudence, of 100 tons and 130 "tall men," in company with the Pearle, Captain Robert Rawlins, of sixty tons and sixty men, and á pinnace of twenty tons, sailed from Plymouth in November, 1601. Off Cape St. Vincent, they lost the pinnace in a gale of wind, and all her crew, except three: from thence Captain Palmer proceeded to the Cape de Verdes; and landing 100 men upon the island of St. Vincent, he captured the town, pillaged and burnt it, and then made sail for the island of Margarita. At Cubagua he took the governor of Cumana and company of soldiers prisoners, and received for their ransom, and that of fifteen fishing boats which he captured at the same time, five hundred pounds in pearl. From Cubagua, Captain Parker made sail for Cape de la Vela, and on the passage captured a Portuguese ship with 370 Negroes on board, whom he landed in the Gulf of Acle, and afterwards stood to the westward, to the islands called Cabeças, where he "embarked 150 men in two small pinnaces and two fine shallops," and went to the Isles de Bastimentos; from thence he took seven Negroes to serve as guides, and then, with the pinnaces and boats, entered the mouth of the river of Puerto Bello, at two o'clock in the morning on the 7th of February, 1602: it was bright moonlight; they were hailed from the castle of St. Philip, and they answered in Spanish that they were from Carthagena; they were ordered to come to an anchor, which they did and about an hour afterwards, in the two shallops, with thirty men, Captain Parker went up the river, notwithstanding he was hailed from Fort St. Jago (which is opposite Purchas, part iv. L. 6. C. 9. p. 1244. to Fort St. Philip) to stop; "but neglecting their out-cryes, I landed," says Captain Parker," at the first towne called Triana, where the alarme was presently given, which neverthelesse I set on fire, and marched over a little brooke into the great rich towne of Porto Bello." He proceeded immediately to the royal treasury, where he found 250 soldiers belonging to the town, and another company of the inhabitants, with two brass guns. The guns he took possession of, and attacked the soldiers. By this time Captain Antonie Fugars, and Captain George Lawriman, with 120 men, in the two pinnaces, came to his assistance; and after a desperate battle, which lasted five hours, he succeeded in taking the treasury: he also took the governor of the town, Pedro Melendes, prisoner. Melendes was wounded in ten places. In the treasury were about 10,000 ducats, which Captain Parker reserved for himself. “The rest of the spoile of the towne, which came to no small value, in money, plate, and merchandize, I gave wholy to my souldiers." He says, "Had I come but seven dayes sooner, I had taken heere an hundred and twentie thousand duckets, which were newly laden in two frigats for Cartagena." He now placed guards at different parts of the town, and made a barricado at the end of the street leading to Panama, where Captain Giles was several times attacked by the enemy, whom he always repulsed. There were two frigates higher up the river -one of them had three pieces of ordnance on board: these Captain Parker took, and used the guns against the enemy, as they marched towards him from the western fort. In consideration of the gallantry of Pedro Melendes, the governor, Captain Parker made his surgeon carefully dress his wounds, and let him go without any ransom and at dark he embarked his men, after setting fire to some Negro houses, to frighten the Spaniards; but he would not injure the town. In going out with his two pinnaces, two shallops, and the two prizes, Captain Parker was struck by a musket-ball from the west shore, at the elbow, and the ball came out at his wrist. Passing through a heavy fire from both forts, they got out, and came to an anchor off a small island, which lay between them and Fort St. Jago, where they remained, Captain Parker says, "untill my vice-admiral, Captaine Rawlins, brought two ships thither, which rode somewhat to the eastward of the Castle of Saint Philip, under the rocke where Sir Francis Drake his coffin was throwne overboard." The next day, February the 9th, Captain Parker made sail for Sambo Bay, about twelve leagues to the eastward of Carthagena, where he watered and stopped thirteen days, during which time, Captain Parker says, " he tooke certaine frigats which were bound to Cartagena; whereupon the governor, Don Pedro de Coronna, armed out two gallies and a brigandine, with some two or three |