On The Return Of
The Spaniards To Their Own Country, They Found They Had Lost A Day In
Their Reckoning, Owing To The Course They Had Sailed; Whereas Had They
Gone By The East, And Returned By The West, They Would Have Gained A Day
In Their Course.
Another circumstance, which served to heighten the reputation of
Magellan, who deserves the sole honour of this voyage, was the
difficulty experienced by other able commanders, who endeavoured to
fellow the course he had pointed out.
The first who made the attempt
were two Genoese ships in 1526, but unsuccessfully. In 1528, Cortes, the
conqueror of Mexico, sent two ships with 400 men, to endeavour to find
their way through the straits of Magellan to the Moluccas, but without
effect. Sebastian Cabot tried the same thing, by order of Emanuel king
of Portugal, but was unable to succeed.
CHAPTER II.
VOYAGE BY SIR FRANCIS DRAKE ROUND THE WORLD, IN 1577-1580.[22]
* * * * *
SECTION I.
Introduction, and Preparation for the Voyage.
In his Annals of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the learned Cambden
informs us, that the father of the celebrated Sir Francis Drake was the
Rev. Edmund Drake, vicar of Upnore on the river Medway, and says he had
this information from Sir Francis himself. Yet the industrious John
Stowe says, that he was the eldest of twelve brethren, the sons of
Edmund Drake, mariner, at Tavistock in Devonshire, and was born in 1540.
Perhaps both accounts may be true; and Mr Edmund Drake, though a mariner
originally, may have had a competent share of learning, and may have
been admitted to orders on the final establishment of the Reformation.
[Footnote 22: Hakluyt, IV. 232. Harris, I. p. 14. Oxford Coll. II. sect.
xvi. Callender's Voy. I. 288. The original account of this voyage was
published at London, in 4to, in 1600, and reprinted in 1618. - E.]
This celebrated naval hero received the Christian name of Francis from
his godfather the earl of Bedford, but does not appear to have derived
any great patronage from that nobleman. He was sent young to sea, as an
apprentice to the master of a small bark, who traded with France and
Zealand; and his master, a bachelor, taking a great affection for him,
left him his bark at his death. At eighteen years of age, he was purser
of a ship on a voyage to the Bay of Biscay, and at twenty made a voyage
to the coast of Guinea. In all these voyages he distinguished himself by
extraordinary courage, and by a sagacity beyond his years. In 1565, his
laudable desire of glory induced him to venture his all in a voyage to
the West Indies, which had no success. In 1567, he served under his
kinsman Sir John Hawkins in the bay of Mexico, but was again
unfortunate, returning from the voyage rich in character and fame, but
with almost ruined circumstances. These disappointments served only to
increase his desire of bettering his fortunes at the expence of the
grand enemy of his country, against whom he made two other voyages into
these parts; the first in 1570 with two ships, the Dragon and Swan and
the second in 1571, in the Swan alone, chiefly for information, that he
might qualify himself for undertaking some enterprize of greater
importance; which he at length carried into execution with great courage
and perseverance.
His character for bravery and seamanship being now established, he soon
found a sufficient number of persons willing to adventure a part of
their fortunes in a privateering voyage which he proposed. He
accordingly sailed from Plymouth on the 24th May, 1572, in the Pasco, a
ship only of seventy tons, having for his consort the Swan of 250 tons,
commanded by his brother John Drake, with seventy-three men and boys,
and provisions for a year. Such were the mighty preparations he had made
for attacking the power of Spain in the West Indies, in which he
considered himself justified, in order to make reprisals for the losses
he had formerly sustained from the Spaniards. In this voyage he
surprised and plundered the famous town of Nombre de Dios; and soon
afterwards had a distant view of the South Sea from the top of a high
tree, which inflamed him with the desire of conducting an English ship
thither, which attempt he had perhaps never thought of but for that
circumstance.
In this expedition he acquired immense riches for his owners, and
considerable wealth for himself; and being of an honourable and generous
disposition, he scorned to avail himself of advantages, which most other
men would have considered as their right. Of this we have the following
remarkable instance. Having presented a cutlass to a captain or cacique
of the free Indians inhabiting the isthmus of Darien, the cacique gave
him in return four large ingots of gold, which he immediately threw into
the common stock, saying, "My owners gave me that cutlass, and it is
just they should receive their share of its produce." His return to
England from this successful expedition was equally fortunate, as he
sailed in twenty-three days from Cape Florida to the Scilly islands.
Arriving at Plymouth on Sunday, the 9th August, 1573, during divine
service, the news of his return was carried to church, on which few
persons remained with the preacher, all the congregation running out to
welcome the adventurous Drake, who had been absent fourteen months and
sixteen days in this voyage.
The wealth he gained in this expedition he generously expended in the
service of his country, equipping no less than three frigates at his own
expence, which he commanded in person, and with which he contributed
materially to the reduction of the rebellion in Ireland, under the
supreme command of the earl of Essex. After the death of that nobleman,
he chose Sir Christopher Hatton for his patron, then vice-chamberlain to
the queen, and afterwards lord high-chancellor of England.
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