The fleet of New Spain, at their first gathering together, consisted of
52 sail. The admiral and vice-admiral ships were each of 600 tons
burden. Four or five of the ships were of 900 and 1000 tons each; some
were of 400 tons, and the smallest of 200. Of this fleet 19 were cast
away, containing by estimation 2600 men, which happened along the coast
of New Spain, so that only 33 sail came to the Havannah.
[Footnote 376: Hakluyt, II. 670.]
The fleet of Terra Firma, at its first departure from Spain, consisted
of 50 sail, bound for Nombre de Dios, where they discharged their
loading, and returned thence for their health sake to Carthagena, till
such time as the treasure they were to take in at Nombre de Dios were
ready. But before this fleet departed, some were gone by one or two at a
time, so that only 23 sail of this fleet arrived at the Havannah.
There met at the Havannah,
33 sail from New Spain,
23 from the Terra Firma,
12 belonging to San Domingo,
9 from Honduras.
Thus 77 ships joined and set sail from the Havannah, on the 17th of July
1591, according to our account, and kept together till they arrived in
the lat. of 35 deg. N. which was about the 10th of August. There the wind,
which had been at S.W. changed suddenly to N. so that the sea coming
from the S.W. and the wind violent from the N. they were put in great
extremity, and then first lost the admiral of their fleet, in which were
500 men; and within three or four days after, another storm rising, five
or six others of their largest ships were cast away with all their men,
together with their vice-admiral.
In lat. 38 deg. N. and about the end of August, another great storm arose,
in which all their remaining ships, except 48, were lost. These 48 ships
kept together till they came in sight of the islands of Corvo and
Flores, about the 5th or 6th of September, at which time they were
separated by a great storm; and of that number, 15 or 16 sail were
afterwards seen by three Spanish prisoners, riding at anchor under
Tercera, while 12 or 14 more were observed to bear away for San Miguel.
What became of them after these Spaniards were taken, cannot yet be
certified; but their opinion is, that very few of this fleet escaped
being either taken or cast away. It has been ascertained of late by
other means of intelligence, that of this whole fleet of 123 sail, which
should have come to Spain this year, there have only 25 yet arrived.
This note was extracted from the examinations of certain Spanish
prisoners, brought to England by six of the London ships, which took
seven of these men from the before-mentioned fleet of the Indies near
the islands of the Acores.
