He Is To Be
Accompanied By One Robert Hawley, As His Assistant And Successor, In
Case Be Should Die, And Mr William Adams Goes Pilot, In Place Of The
Chinese.
God send them a prosperous voyage, and that they may recover
the lost money.
Our own junk, the Sea Adventure, made another voyage
last year to Siam, Mr William Eaton being merchant; and has gone back
again this year. God send them a prosperous voyage.
Last year, the Hollanders sent a fleet of ships from the Moluccas to
Manilla, to fight the Spanish fleet: But the Spaniards kept safe in port
for five or six months, so that the Hollanders concluded they durst not
come out at all, and therefore separated to look out for Chinese junks,
of which some say they took and plundered twenty-five, while others say
thirty-five. It is certain that they took great riches, and all under
the assumed name of Englishmen. At length the Spanish fleet put to sea,
and set upon five or six of the Dutch ships, the admiral of which was
burnt and sank, together with two other ships, the rest escaping. The
Spaniards then separated their fleet, to seek out the remaining Dutch
ships. The Spanish vice-admiral fell in with two Dutch ships one morning
and fought them both all day; but was at length constrained to run his
ship ashore and set her on fire, that she might not be taken by the
Hollanders. These two Dutch ships, and one that was in the former fight,
came afterwards to Firando, together with two other large Dutch ships
from Bantam, as big as the Clove, intending to have intercepted the
Macao ship, which they narrowly missed. Thus five great Holland ships
came this year to Firando, the smallest of them being as large as the
Clove. One of these, called the Red Lion, which was she that rode beside
us at the Moluccas, was cast away in a storm at Firando, together with a
Chinese junk they brought in as a prize. All the goods were recovered,
but were all wet. The emperor allows them to make good prize of all they
take.
The Black Lion, one of their ships, of 900 tons burden, was sent away
for Bantam, fully laden with raw silk and other rich Chinese
commodities. Another, called the Flushing, of 700 or 800 tons, is gone
for the Moluccas, fully laden with provisions and money. The Sun, a ship
of 600 or 700 tons, with a galliass of above 400 tons, are left to scour
the coast of China, to make what booty they can, and to return next
monsoon. The galliass has sailed already, but the Sun waits for the
Macao ship departing from Nangasaki, that she may endeavour to take her.
The Macao ship had actually sailed, but seeing the galliass, she
returned to Nangasaki, and will, as I think, hardly venture to sail this
year. As I said before, the Dutch have always robbed the Chinese under
the name of Englishmen, which has greatly injured our endeavours to
procure trade in that country; so that we have been obliged to send
people to give notice to the Chinese governors, that they were
Hollanders who have taken and plundered their junks, and not Englishmen.
In fine, I have advised the worshipful company at large of every thing
of moment, which I doubt not will be communicated to you.
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