Spaniard and his wife, a Ragusan and his wife, and an Indian and his wife; the General set the women free, who redeemed their husbands with a supply of plantains, pine-apples, oranges, and lemons.

Having now completed their career along the coast as far as Mazatlan, Mr. Cavendish quitted the coast of New Spain, and steered for the south cape of California, to await there the arrival of the expected ship from the Philippine Islands. There they cruised for three weeks, when, on the 4th of November, a strange sail was seen from the mast-head, standing in for the Cape. They came

up with the chase, and attacked her with cannon and musketry. The engagement lasted five or six hours, when the English tried to board, but were driven back with the loss of two men killed and five wounded. At length the Spaniards gave in, and the prize, when taken, did not disappoint the expectations of the victors.

She was a ship of 700 tons burden, her name the Santa Ana, and she belonged to the king of Spain: she had on board treasure to the amount of 122,000 pezzoes of gold, besides a valuable cargo of satins, silk, musk, and other merchandise of the East Indies. At the bay of Aguada Segura (safe watering-place) Cavendish landed his prisoners, men and women-about 190 persons. The treasure was removed from the prize into the English ships, and a division was made of the spoil; but the

crew of the Content not being satisfied with their share, the General caused the Santa Ana, with about 500 tons of merchandise still in her, to be set on fire, and burnt to the water's edge.

The

On leaving Aguada Segura the discontented Content separated, and was never more seen. Desire proceeded across the Pacific to the Ladrone Islands, and thence to the Philippine Islands, passing the Moluccas, and thence to the south side of Java-the very route pursued by Sir Francis Drake.

Cavendish had shown himself, on many occasions, not to be much encumbered with the milk of human kindness; but from a discovery made on the passage across the Pacific, he suffered himself to be guilty of an act of the greatest atrocity. A Spanish pilot, taken from the Santa Ana into his own ship and detained for his own benefit, had written a letter ready to send by the first opportunity, should any occur, to the Governor of Manilla, concerning the proceedings of the English. The letter was by some means discovered in the ship; on which Cavendish ordered the impressed pilot to be hanged at the yard-arm, which was accordingly done.

On the 9th of June, 1588, they anchored at St. Helena (or, as we call it, Helēna). In the narrative of Francis Pretty, published in Hakluyt, there is a description of this island, which is truly

remarkable. He notices a few houses and a church; and opposite to this, a causeway of stones reaching unto a valley, in which is planted a garden. "This valley is the fairest plot of ground in the island, and is planted in every place either with fruit-trees or with herbs. There are figtrees which bear fruit continually and plentifully; for on every tree you shall have blossoms, green figs, and ripe figs, all at once, and all the year long. There be also store of lemon-trees, orange-trees, pomegranate, pome-citron, and datetrees, which bear fruit as the fig-trees do, and are planted in pleasant walks, which be overshadowed with the leaves; and on every void place is planted parsley, sorrel, basil, fennel, aniseed, mustard-seed, radishes, and many good herbs."*"Then," he adds, "there are partridges, within a little as big as a hen ; pheasants, marvellous big and fat; guinea-cocks, which we call turkeys; thousands of goats, great store of swine, very wild, fat, and big-and all these produced by the lazy Portugals for their refreshment in coming from the East Indies." With all this, he says, they found only three slaves, which were negroes; that none are supposed to inhabit the island that might consume the fruit thereof. What a misfortune that our East India Company should have "consumed the fruit thereof," and planted nothing to supply its place!

Of the following remark of Admiral Burney there can be but one opinion: "The enterprise of Mr. Cavendish had great advantage over the more early ones of the English in the Pacific Ocean, in being legally authorized. In the conduct of it the commander was sometimes wanting in prudence and vigilance; but the activity and courage displayed by him are conspicuous, and his success has established the reputation of his undertaking. The acts of waste and outrage wantonly committed by him, without the smallest shadow of remorse, equally evince a rooted hatred against the Spaniards, and a disposition naturally cruel."* On his return to England he addressed a letter to Lord Hunsdon, the Lord Chamberlain, in which is the following boast: "I navigated along the coast of Chili, Peru, and Nueva Espanna, where I made great spoils. I burnt and sunk nineteen sailes of ships, small and great. All the villages and towns that ever I landed at I burnt and spoiled."† We are told by Birch, that in coming to London he entered the River in a kind of triumph; that his soldiers and sailors were clothed in silk dresses, the sails of his ships were of damask, and the prizes he had taken were the richest that had ever been brought into England.

Burney's Voyages and Discoveries in the Pacific, vol. ii. + Hakluyt.

MR. CAVENDISH'S SECOND VOYAGE.

1591.

Three years after his return from the former voyage, Mr. Cavendish determined again to try his fortune in the South Sea, which is said to have become necessary, the wealth brought home in the former voyage having nearly disappeared. The known success of that voyage, however, obtained for him plenty of adventurers. He was at once enabled to equip for the expedition "three tall ships and two barks," the Leicester, galleon, the Admiral's ship; the old Desire, Mr. John Davis (the north-west Davis) commander; the Roebuck, commanded by Mr. Cooke; a bark, called the Black Pinnace; and another small bark not named, but fitted out by Mr. Adrian Gilbert. Altogether they were supposed to carry about 400 men.*

They sailed from Plymouth in August, made the coast of Brazil, captured a Portuguese vessel laden with sugar, and pillaged a place called Placencia. On the 16th December they surprised the town of Santos, landed a party of men when the inhabitants were at church, and kept them there prisoners the whole day. By the mismanagement of Captain Cooke all the prisoners in the church were released; the provisions, the want of which alone brought them hither, were conveyed into the country, and five weeks were expended of

* Hakluyt.