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naturæ latebras, anno 1588, in celebri contra Hispanos naumachiâ, meruit navis prætoriæ navarchus. Obiit anno Domini 1603."

"To the never-fading memory of Edward Fenton, heretofore esquire of the body to Queen Elizabeth, a gallant commander during the troubles of Ireland, first against Shane O'Neal, and then against the Earl of Desmond, who, after having explored the hidden passages of the northern seas, and in other hazardous expeditions visited remote and scarce known places, merited the command of a royal ship in that glorious sea-fight against the Spaniards in the year 1588."

"He died," says Fuller, "in the year of our Lord 1603, some dayes after Queen Elizabeth;" and this quaint but amusing old chronicler thus goes on: -"Observe, by the way, how God set up a generation of military men, both by sea and land, which began and expired with the reign of Queen Elizabeth, like a suit of clothes made for her, and worn out with her; for Providence designing a peaceable prince to succeed her (in whose time martial men would be rendered useless), so ordered the matter, that they all almost attended their mistress before or after, within some short distance, unto her grave.

On which the learned editor of the "Biographia Britannica" observes," He who considers that the famous Earl of Nottingham, Lord High Admiral;

*Fuller's Worthies.

Sir Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire, Sir George Carew, Earl of Totness, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir William Monson, Sir Robert Mansel, and many more great officers by sea and land, survived Queen Elizabeth, may possibly doubt whether the Doctor formed a right judgment of the intention of Providence. This is certain, that the reign of that princess stands in no need at all of rhetorical flourishes; plain language, accuracy in facts, and impartiality in relating them, will set the history of it above anything with which even an ingenious fancy can adorn romance."*

Biog. Brit.

M

MR. THOMAS CAVENDISH.

1586 TO 1592.

THE prosperous voyage of Sir Francis Drake, the first, and hitherto the only, Englishman that had circumnavigated the globe, and the vast treasure he brought home from that adventurous voyage, encouraged others to try their fortunes to the western coasts of America, the West India Islands, and the Azores; but none had ventured to follow the route of Drake before the year 1586, when Mr. Thomas Cavendish, of Trimley, in the county of Suffolk, a gentleman of good family and property, but greatly reduced by indulging in the follies of fashionable life, and frequenting the court, conceived the daring project of a voyage to the South Sea, as the best, the easiest, and the most certain way of recruiting his reduced finances. As war might now be said to have commenced in the preceding year against Spain, it could no longer be considered piratical or unlawful to make reprisals upon Spanish trade, or to commit depredations along the shores of the Pacific.

To enable him to prosecute this object, he built

two vessels, quite new from the stocks, the Desire of 120 tons, and the Content of 60 tons; adding a third, the Hugh Gallant, a bark of 40 tons; all fitted out at his own cost, provisioned for two years, and manned with 123 persons. He constituted himself admiral and commander-in-chief of this little squadron. He sailed from Plymouth on the 21st of July; arrived at Sierra Leone the 25th of August; and destroyed a negro town, in revenge for one of his men being killed by a poisoned arrow; but before this he had burnt 150 houses because of their bad dealings with the Christians.*

They called, and for a few days remained, to water at St. Sebastian, near Rio de Janeiro; thence coasting the shore to the 48th degree of latitude, they entered a harbour to which the admiral gave the name of Port Desire, after that of his own ship. The inhabitants are described as perfect savages, of a gigantic stature; but all other information concerning them is, that one of their feet measured eighteen inches in length. "The seals too were of a wonderful great bigness, and monstrous of shape, the forepart like a lion. The young are marvellous good meat, hardly to be known from lamb or mutton." ↑

Cavendish left Port Desire, and, coasting to the southward, fell in with a long sand-beach, in lat. 52° 40', reaching to the opening of a strait which

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he found to be that of Magelhaens, and which the ships entered in the evening. During the night lights were observed on the north shore, which were thought to be signals, and were answered accordingly with others.

The next morning the General went in a boat to the north side of the strait, where three men were seen on the shore, who waved a white flag. They hailed in Spanish, and inquired to what country the ships belonged. They were told they were English, and Cavendish said if they wished it he would carry them to Peru; but they declined, saying they could not trust themselves with the English. On reflection, however, they thought it better to throw themselves on the mercy of Englishmen, than to perish as the greater part of their countrymen had done; and one of them came into the boat while the other two went to seek their companions. The man who remained was called Hernandez. Being asked what their number was, he replied, "Besides us three, there are fifteen others, three of whom are women." The General then told him that if they would all go to such a point they would be received on board the ships. The wind, however, coming fair, the ships got under weigh, leaving the wretched people behind, except Hernandez; these poor people being the only remains of a Spanish colony left here three years before by Sarmiento, consisting of four hundred

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