Each Million Being Worth Ten Hundred
Thousand Ducats, Besides Gold, Pearls, And Other Precious Stones, Which
Were Not Registered.
The admiral and chief commander of these ships, and
of the whole fleet to which they belonged, was _Alvaro Flores de Quin
Quiniones_, who was sick of the Neapolitan disease, and was brought to
land; and of which malady he died soon afterwards at Seville.
He had
with him the kings commission under the great seal, giving him full
authority as general and commander in chief upon the seas, over all
fleets and ships, and in all places, lands, and islands, on shore
wherever he came; wherefore the governor of Tercera shewed him much
honour, and between them it was concerted, seeing the weakness of the
ships and the danger from the English, that they should send the ships
first empty of treasure to Seville or Lisbon, under a guard of soldiers,
when the king might give orders afterwards to fetch the silver home
under safe convoy. The said admiral Alvaro Flores staid there, under
colour of taking care of the silver, but chiefly because of his disease
and fear of the English. He had for his part alone, above the value of
50,000 ducats in pearls, which he shewed us, and sought to sell or
barter them with us for spices or bills of exchange. These two ships
sailed from Tercera with three or four hundred men, including those who
came with them from the Indies and soldiers; but while at sea in a
storm, the admiral split and sunk outright, not one man being saved; and
the vice-admiral, after cutting away her masts, ran aground hard by
Setubal, where she broke in pieces, some of the men saving themselves by
swimming, who brought the news of all the rest being drowned.
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