This
Day On Mustering The Companies Of All The Three Ships, We Had Not Above
30 Sound Men Altogether[281].
The 25th we had sight of St Nicholas, and
the day following of St Lucia, St Vincent, and St Anthony,
Four of the
Cape Verd islands, which range with each other from N.W. by W. to S. E
by E. The 26th we were unable to weather the Cape of St Anthony, and
this day Philip Jones the master of the Christopher came on board and
reported that they were not able to keep the Tiger from sinking as she
was so leaky, and the master and crew were very weak. The 3d September I
went on board the Tiger, accompanied by the masters and merchants to
survey her, and we found her in a very leaky condition with only six men
fit for duty, one of whom was master gunner. It was agreed accordingly
to take all the men into the other ships, with all the goods we could
save, and then to abandon her. We began discharging her on the 5th, and
having taken out her guns, victuals, gold, and every thing we could by
the 8th, we set her adrift in lat. 25 deg. N.
[Footnote 281: At this place Hakluyt observes in a note, the
great inconvenience of staying late on the coast of Guinea. He ought
rather to have said, the impropriety of sailing too late for that
coast. - E.]
On the 6th October, the ships companies both of the Minion and
Christopher being very weak, so as to be scarce able to keep the sea, we
agreed to make for Vigo, which is frequented by many English ships; but
having a fair wind for England on the 10th, we fired two shots to give
notice to the Christopher of our intention, and immediately shaped our
course homewards. She followed us, and we carried a light to direct her
way; but it was so thick next morning that we could not see her, and as
she was not seen all that day we concluded she had either shot ahead of
us in the night or had bore up for Spain, for which reason we hoisted
our top-sails and continued our course, being then 120 leagues from
England and 45 leagues N.W. by W. from Cape Finister, having then only
six mariners and six merchants in health. The 16th we had a great storm
at W.S.W. by W. which came on about 6 P.M. and our men being very weak
and unable to hand our sails, we that night lost our mainsail, foresail,
and spritsail, and were obliged to _lie hulling_ till the 18th, when we
got up an old foresail; and finding ourselves now in the Channel, we
bore up for the coast of England. In less than two hours the old
foresail was blown from the yard by a spurt of wind, and we were again
forced to lie to till the morning of the 19th, when we got up an old
bonnet, or topsail, on the fore-yard, which by the blessing of God
brought us to the Isle of Wight in the afternoon of the 20th.
* * * * *
_Commodities most in request in Guinea, between Sierra Leone and the
farthest extremity of the Mine or Gold Coast[282]._
MANILS of brass, and some of lead.
Basins of various sorts, but chiefly of latten.
Pots holding a quart or more, of coarse tin.
Some wedges of iron.
Margarites, and other low priced beads.
Some blue coral.
Some horse nails.
Linen cloth, principally.
Basins of Flanders.
Some low priced red cloth, and kersies.
Dutch kettles with brass handles.
Some large engraved brass basins, like those usually set upon.
their cupboards in Flanders.
Some large pewter basins and ewers, graven.
Some lavers for holding water.
Large low priced knives.
Slight Flemish caskets.
Low priced Rouen chests, or any other chests.
Large pins.
Coarse French coverlets.
Good store of packing sheets.
Swords, daggers, prize-mantles and gowns, cloaks, hats, red cans,
Spanish blankets, axe heads, hammers, short pieces of iron, slight
bells, low priced gloves, leather bags, and any other trifling articles
you will.
[Footnote 282: This list is appended in Hakluyt's Collection, II.513. to
the present voyage, and is therefore here retained, though several of
the articles are scarcely intelligible. - E.]
SECTION VII.
_Notices of an intended Voyage to Guinea, in 1561[283]._
In 1561, a voyage was projected to Guinea by Sir William Gerard, knight,
in conjunction with Messrs William Hunter, Benjamin Gonson, Anthony
Hickman, and Edward Castelin. Only one ship, the Minion, was to have
gone, and seems to have been intended to assist and bring home the
Primrose and Flower de Luce, then on the coast. The command of the
Minion was to have been given to John Lok, probably the same person who
made the Guinea voyage in 1554, already inserted. The adventurers sent
the following articles of instruction to Mr Lok, dated 8th September
1561. But Lok declined undertaking the voyage for the following reasons,
dated Bristol, 11th December 1561. 1. The Minion was so spent and
rotten, as to be incapable of being put into a fit and safe condition
for the voyage. 2. The season was too far gone to perform the voyage in
safety. 3. He understood that four large Portuguese ships were in
readiness to intercept him. 4. It was quite uncertain that he should
meet the Primrose, which would have completed her voyage before he could
get to the coast, or would have been obliged to quit the coast by that
time for want of provisions. It will be seen in the succeeding section,
that the Minion actually proceeded on her voyage; on the 25th February
1562, and the unsuccessful events of that voyage fully justify the
refusal of Lok.
[Footnote 283: Hakluyt, II. 514. Astl I. 176. - As this voyage did not
take place, it is principally inserted here for the sake of the
instructions devised by the adventurers, for the conduct of the intended
expedition - E.]
* * * * *
_Remembrance for Mr Lok, at his Arrival on the Coast of Guinea._
When God shall bring you upon the coast of Guinea, you are to make
yourself acquainted, as you proceed along the coast, with all its
rivers, havens and harbours or roadsteads, making a plat or chart of the
same, in which you are to insert every place that you think material,
all in their true elevations.
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