I Set Sail On The 16th November, And Having A Good
Passage To Saldanha Bay, I Got There On The 21st January, 1611.
I found
that my brother Sir Henry Middleton had been there, arriving the 24th
July, and departing the 10th August, 1610.
I there found a copy of a
letter my brother had sent home by a Hollander the day after he came to
the road; which, if your worships have not received, you may see that
they will detain all your worships letters. I took in water at Saldanha
bay, and made all the dispatch I could for England.
Thus have I certified your worships of all matters in an ample manner,
as seemed my duty. I have on board 100 tons, six cathayes, one
quartern, and two pounds of nutmegs; and 622 suckets of mace, which are
thirty-six tons, fifteen cathayes, one quartern, and twenty-one pounds.
I left in the junk with Mr Herniman twenty-four tons, seven cathayes,
two quarterns, eight pounds. All this cost me 25,071-1/4 rials; of which
sum I have disbursed 500 rials of my own, for spice, which lies mostly
on the orlop; and being in bond to your worships, it shall there
remain till I know your worships pleasure whether I shall enjoy it.
SECTION XI
Sixth Voyage of the English East India Company, in 1610, under the
Command of Sir Henry Middleton.[317]
INTRODUCTION.
This is one of the most curious of all the early voyages of the English
to India, particularly on account of the transactions of Sir Henry in
the Red Sea. According to the title of the voyage in the Pilgrims, the
narrative was written by Sir Henry himself, probably an abstract of his
journal. It breaks off abruptly, and leaves the fate of the voyage
entirely unexplained, which will be found in some measure supplied by
the subsequent narrative of Downton.
[Footnote 317: Purch. Pilgr. I. 247. Astl. I. 360.]
From the title given by Purchas to the narrative, it appears that there
were three ships employed in this voyage: The Trades-increase of 1000
tons, admiral, commanded by Sir Henry Middleton, general of the
expedition; the Pepper-corn of 250 tons, vice-admiral, commanded by
Captain Nicholas Downton; and the Darling of 90 tons. Besides these,
the bark Samuel of 180 tons accompanied as a victualler to Cape
Verd. - E.
Sec. 1. Incidents of the Voyage till the Arrival of the Squadron at
Mokha.
We came to anchor in the roads of Cape Verd on the 1st May, 1610, under
an island, where we found a Frenchman of Dieppe, who was setting up a
pinnace. Next day, I set all the carpenters of the fleet to work on my
mainmast; and having taken off the fishes, they found it so sore wrung
about three feet above the upper-deck, that it was half through, so that
it must have gone by the board if we had met with any foul weather. I
sent one of my carpenters a-land on the main to search for trees, who
returned that night, saying he had seen some that would answer. The
third we began to unload the Samuel, and sent the carpenters on shore to
cut down trees, having leave of the alcaide, who came on board to dine
with me, and to whom I gave a piece of Rouen cloth which I bought of the
Frenchman, and some other trifles. The fifteenth, the mast being
repaired, and all our water-casks full, we stowed our boats at night,
and prepared to be gone next morning. Cape Verd is the best place I know
of for our outward-bound ships; not being out of the way, the road being
good and fit for the dispatch of any kind of business, and fresh fish to
be had in great plenty. In a council with Captain Downton and the
masters, it was agreed that our best course to steer for the line from
hence was S.S.W. for sixty leagues, then S.S.E. till near the line, and
then easterly. We dismissed the Samuel to return home, and held on our
way.
We came into Saldanha roads the 24th July, and saluted the Dutch admiral
with five guns, which he returned. There were also two other Holland
ships there, which came to make train-oil of seals,[318] and which had
made 300 pipes. This day I went a-land, and found the names of Captain
Keeling and others, homewards-bound in January, 1610; also my brother
David's name, outward-bound, 9th August, 1609, and likewise a letter
buried under ground, according to agreement between him and me in
England, but it was so consumed with damp as to be altogether illegible.
The 26th, we set up a tent for our sick men, and got them all ashore to
air our ships. From this till we departed, nothing happened worth
writing.
[Footnote 318: In a letter which I had from Mr Femell, written from
Saldanha bay, he mentions two French ships in like employment, which he
suspected lay in wait for distressed ships coming from India. - Purch.]
The 6th September, in lat. 23 deg. 30' S. wind southerly, a pleasant gale.
This day, after dinner, we saw land, and before night, came to anchor in
the bay of St Augustine, where we found the Union distressed for want of
provisions.[319] The 7th, I went ashore in my pinnace to endeavour to
get fresh victuals for the people, but could not; we got however wood
and water. The 10th, we steered along the coast with a fresh gale at
S.E. reckoning to have made twenty-six leagues that day, but we only
went twenty-two, owing to a current setting south. The 11th, we steered
along the land, having still a great current against us. The 20th, at
noon, our latitude was 11 deg. 10', the variation being 12 deg.
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