Observations During The Voyage From England To Surat.
We sailed from Gravesend on the 1st of February, 1612.
At noon on the
22d March we made the latitude 15 deg. 20' N. and at two p.m. were abreast
of Mayo, one of the Cape Verd islands, being S.W. by S. about twelve
leagues from Bonavista. To the N. and N.N.W. of Mayo the ground is all
foul, and due N. of the high hummocks a great ledge of rocks runs out
from the land for five or six miles, a mile without which ledge there
are twenty fathoms water. On the west side of the island, you may borrow
in twelve or fifteen fathoms, till you come into the road, where we
anchored in twenty-four fathoms.
On the morning of the 28th March, we came close by an island in lat. 23 deg.
30', and long. from the meridian of Mayo, 1 deg. 50' E. We did not land upon
this island, but came within two or three miles of it, and in my opinion
there is hardly any anchorage to be found. It may probably produce some
refreshment, as it certainly has wood, which we saw, and it may have
water, as we observed a fair plain spot and very green on its southern
part; but we could find no ground within two or three miles of its
coast. E.N.E. some seven or eight leagues from this, there is another
island; and E. by S. or E.S.E. from the first island, about four or five
leagues, there are two or three white rocks.[73]
[Footnote 73: In the text it is not said if the latitude be N. or S. yet
S. is probably meant. No island is however to be found in the indicated
situation. In the eleventh voyage, an island is said to have been
discovered in lat. 19 deg. 34'S. certainly known to have been Trinidad,
Santa Maria d'Agosto, or Martin Vaz, of which hereafter. - E.]
We remained twenty-one days in Saldanha road, and bought for the
three[74] ships thirty-nine beeves and 115 sheep, which we paid for with
a little brass cut out of two or three old kettles. We got the sheep for
small pieces of thin brass, worth about a penny or three halfpence each;
and the beeves in the same manner for about the value of twelve-pence
a-piece. This is an excellent place of refreshment, as besides abounding
in beef and mutton, there is plenty of good fish, all kinds of fowls,
and great store of fat deer, though we could not kill any of these. It
has likewise excellent streams of fresh water, and a most healthful
climate. We landed eighty or ninety sick, who were lodged in tents, and
they all recovered their health in eighteen days, save one who died.
From the 7th to the 28th June, when we set sail from Saldanha bay, we
had continual fine weather, the sun being very warm, and the air
pleasant and wholesome.
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