He Has Himself Given An Account Of His
Adventures, And Two Of His Companions, Christopho Fioravente And Nicolo Di
Michiel, Did The Same.
Both of these journals are to be found in the
collection of Ramusio; and extracts have been published from them by
Hieronimus Megiserus, in a work entitled, Septentrio Novantiquus, printed
in 8vo, at Leipsic in 1613.
- Forst.
[1] Forster, Voy. and Disc. in the North, p. 209.
SECTION I.
Voyage and Shipwreck of Quirini.
On the 25th of April 1431, Pietro Quirini set sail from Candia, steering
westwards to the straits of Gibraltar; but, owing to contrary winds, he was
obliged to keep near the coast of Barbary. On the 2d of June, he passed the
straits, and, through the ignorance of the pilot, the ship got upon the
shoals of St Peter, in consequence of which accident the rudder was thrown
off the hinges, and the ship admitted water in three several places;
insomuch that it was with great difficulty they could save the vessel from
sinking, and get her into Cadiz. The vessel was here unloaded; and, having
given her a thorough repair, the lading was again put on board in
twenty-five days after their arrival. Having learned in the meantime that
the republic of Venice had entered into a war with Genoa, he thought proper
to augment the number of his men, so that his crew in all amounted to
sixty-eight. He set sail again on the 14th of July, and endeavoured to bear
up for Cape St Vincent; but, owing to a strong north-east wind, which on
that coast is called Agione, he was forced to beat up to windward
forty-five days at a great distance from land, and was driven into
dangerous and unknown seas near the Canary islands. When at length their
stock of provisions was nearly exhausted, they got a fair wind from the
south-west, and directed their course towards the north-east; and the iron
work about their rudder giving way, they mended it up as well as they
could, and arrived safe at Lisbon on the 25th of August.
Having here carefully repaired the iron work of their rudder, and taken in
a fresh stock of provisions, they again set sail on the 14th of September;
and were a second time baffled by contrary winds, insomuch that they had to
put in at the port of Mures in Spain, whence Quirini went with thirteen of
his crew to perform his devotions at the shrine of St Jago di Compostella.
They returned from thence with all speed, and again set sail with a fair
wind at south-west, and kept at the distance of 200 miles from the land, in
hopes the wind might continue. But on the 5th November the wind shifting to
the east and south-east, prevented them from entering the English channel,
and forced them beyond the Scilly islands. The wind now again increased in
violence, and on the 10th November carried the rudder a second time from
its hinges.
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