ART. V.-COMMERCIAL VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES.

CHAPTER VI.

VOYAGE OF WILLIAM RUTTER-METRICAL NARRATIVE OF A VOYAGE BY ROBERT BAKERHIS ADVENTURES IN AN OPEN BOAT-VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN DAVID CARLET, 1564-PROGRESS OF ENGLISH COMMERCE-SPANISH JEALOUSY AND FRAUD-GALLANT ADVENTURE OF THE PRIMROSE-TWO VOYAGES TO BENIN, BEYOND GUINEA, BY JAMES WELSH.

NUMEROUS accounts of voyages from this time, which we have not space even to mention, are preserved in Hakluyt, and other voluminous collections. Among the rest a voyage was made to Guinea in 1562, by William Rutter, which had the advantage of being described both in verse and prose. The metrical version was made by Robert Baker, one of the factors; the other was contained in a letter from Rutter to his principal. The first was published in the first edition of Hakluyt, but was left out and its place supplied by Rutter's letter in the second edition.

The expedition, which consisted of the Minion and Primrose, does not seem to have been very successful. They met with the usual sea adventures of those days, when there reigned a continual state of warfare upon the ocean, no matter what were the relations of the different nations of Europe on shore. The best friends by land appear to have attacked each other without any compunction at sea. It is true that the continual succession of wars furnished them often with a good excuse for violence, and led them to suspect in every strange sail an enemy; but there were repeated instances where inveterate hostilities were carried on between trading ships of nations who were notoriously on the most amicable terms; and the commercial expeditions of the day were generally fitted out with an eye to plunder as well as trade.

Rutter had several fights with Portuguese ships, and with the negroes, and succeeded in obtaining two butts of grain and one hundred and sixtysix elephant's teeth. His crews, as in most all African voyages at the time and since, suffered severely from the climate, not over twenty of his men being left able to work the ships.

The next year, Baker, author of the poetical account of Rutter's adventures, who at the time had resolved never again to encounter the dangers and difficulties of an African voyage, was induced to take charge of another expedition. Leaving England, they came across two French ships, attacked the largest, and after a hard fight captured her, and took her into a port in Spain, where they disposed of her cargo.

Arrived on the coast of Guinea, Captain Baker got out his boat, and with eight men started for the shore to open a trade. When near the shore a violent gale arose, which forced the ships from their anchors and drove them out to sea. The boat sought some place of shelter along shore, but not finding any, was compelled to lie to in momentary expectation of swamping during the whole storm. Next morning the ships returned to the station, and remained for some time looking for the boat, but the mist prevented them from seeing, and concluding that it must have been lost, they gave up the search, and set sail for England.

"Captain Baker, and his companions in distress, having been three days without any food, at length landed, and having exchanged some wares for roots and such other provisions as they had, put to sea again in pursuit of the ships which they still supposed to be before them. Thus they continued twelve days ranging the shore, where they saw nothing but thick

woods and deserts full of wild beasts, which often appeared, and at sunset came in herds to the seaside, where they lay down or played upon the sand, and sometimes to cool themselves flounced into the water. It would have been diverting at another time to see how archly the elephant would fill his trunk and then spout it upon the rest. Besides deer, wild boars, and antelopes, Mr. Baker saw many strange kinds of creatures which he never before beheld."

They landed frequently and had communication with the natives, purchasing from them water, palm wine, fish, and honey, by which they were kept from starving. But their strength was rapidly reduced by grief, fatigue, and want of rest. Working along shore, they found that they had arrived at the gold-coast, which they ascertained from the negroes speaking Portuguese, and from their coming with weights and scales to trade. Their visiters inquired after the ships to which they belonged, and were told that they were a little distance at sea and would soon arrive. It was now necessary to take some resolution as to the course they were to pursue. All further search for the ships was useless. They had now been twenty days huddled together, without space to stir or lie down, frequently without food for three days, and exposed to the exhausting heats by day and violent squalls and rains at night. Their joints began to swell with the scurvy, and their legs to be paralyzed from want of exercise. In this condition, Mr. Baker addressed his companions, telling them that it was evident that they could not keep to the boat much longer, and that something must be decided upon, and that a choice of three courses was before them. "The first was to repair to the castle of the Mina, which was not far, and deliver themselves up to the Portuguese, who were Christians, if they could expect any more humanity from them on that account. However, he told them that the worst that could happen to them would be to be hanged out of their misery. The next course was to throw themselves upon the courtesy of the negroes. As to this expedient, Mr. Baker told them that it was a very discouraging one, for that he could not see what favor was to be hoped for from a beastly savage people, whose condition was worse than that of any slave; that possibly they might be cannibals, and then they were to go to pot at once without ceremony; that in case they should not, their customs were so opposite to the European, that they could not possibly comply with them. That it was not to be imagined that they who had always fed upon the flesh of animals could live upon roots and herbs. That being accustomed to wear clothes, they could not for shame go naked, and expose those parts of their bodies to view which from infancy had been covered: that in case they could get the better of their modesty in this point, yet for want of that defence against the sunbeams which they had always been used to, their bodies would be grievously tormented, as well as emaciated, and their spirits exhausted by the scorching heats.

"The last course they had to take, was to stay in the boat and die miserably there. But as they seemed willing to run any risk by land rather than continue pent up in such a narrow compass, subject to all the inclemencies of the weather, day and night, as well as liable to be famished for want of victuals, Mr. Baker, in conclusion, gave it as his opinion with regard to the other two methods, that more trust and confidence was to be put in the Portuguese, who had been baptized, than in the negroes, who lived in a brutish manner.”

Ar.

The result showed that Mr. Baker was very much mistaken in his opinion. Adopting his advice, they hoisted sail and directed their course towards the Portuguese castle, which was twenty leagues distant. rived close into the castle, their hearts failed them, and they would have returned, but a shot fired by the Portuguese fell within a yard of them, and they judged it best to row quickly to the shore and learn their fate. To their great surprise, as they came on the Portuguese commenced firing into them, but at length they got close to the castle walls and beneath the cannon; but the assault continued with stones thrown from the castle, and bodies of negroes began to attack them with arrows. This uncivil treatment demanded some return, and the Englishmen went to work with their bows and fire-arms. After dropping a few of the negroes and some of the Portuguese, who flourished about upon the walls in long white shirts, they coolly hoisted sail and stood off in search of a more friendly place.

Having had so rough a reception from the Portuguese, they resolved to try the negroes. Sailing back about thirty leagues, they cast anchor and opened a communication with the natives, by whom they were well received. To those who came off to them they gave presents. ،، The news of the arrival of such generous strangers brought the king's son on board. As soon as he came, Mr. Baker began movingly to explain their case to him, making great lamentations, and giving him to understand by signs that they were quite undone, had lost their ships, and were almost famished; at the same time offering him all the goods they had in the boat, provided he would take them under his protection.

"The negro chief, moved by the tears which fell plentifully from the eyes of all, refused the present, and bade them be comforted. He forthwith went ashore to know his father's pleasure, and presently returning, invited them to land." This they undertook to do, but the sea running high, their boat capsized, and they were with difficulty rescued by the negroes from the surf. Provisions were furnished them, and in a short time they recovered from their fatigue. The negroes, however, in time grew careless of their wants, and although they offered not to molest them, they suffered them to shift for themselves, and get a living as they best could, which was rather a difficult matter for the natives themselves. They were compelled to range the woods for berries and roots, and to go naked, as their clothes in time dropped off from them in rags. Their privations and exposure aided the effects of the climate, and in a short time they were reduced by death to three. At length, when abandoned by hope, a French ship appeared, received them on board and conveyed them to France, where they were detained as prisoners, and where Mr. Baker composed his metrical narrative of his adventures.

In 1564 an expedition was got up under the command of Captain David Carlet. No regular narrative was written, and all that is known of the voyage is from extracts from Sir John Hawkins' Second Voyage to the West Indies, preserved in Hakluyt, who also gives the terms of an agreement entered into at a meeting of the projectors. The ships were the Minion, a queen's ship, the John Baptist, of London, and the Merlin, owned by Mr. Genson.

"The chief adventurers were Sir William Gerard, Sir William Chester, Sir Thomas Lodge, Anthony Hickman, and Edward Castelin. They all met on the eleventh of July, 1564, at Sir William Gerard's, to consult measures for setting forward the voyage; at which meeting they came to

several resolutions. First, that Francis Ashbie should be sent to Deptford to Mr. Genson, for his letters to Peter Pet to set about rigging the Minion, at the charges of the queen. After which he was to repair to Gellingham, with money to defray the adventurers' charges there. Second, that each of the five partners should call upon their partners to advance, towards new rigging and victualling, £29 10s. 6d. out of every hundred. Third, that each of the five partners should deposit fifty pounds towards the said occasions. Fourth, in case Mr. Genson gave his consent that the Merlin should be brought round from Bristol to Hampton, that a letter should be obtained under his hand before order was given for the same."

A few leagues from port this expedition was encountered by the one under Hawkins, afterwards Sir John, who was making his second voyage to the West Indies, in command of the Jesus, of Lubec, and three other ships. The squadrons saluted each other, when the Minion put back to ascertain the reason why the Merlin lagged so far behind. A storm came on and separated the ships, and Hawkins putting into Ferrol, in Spain, was joined by the Minion, from whom he learned the accident that had happened to the Merlin. Through carelessness her magazine had exploded, killing several men, and shattering her so that she soon sunk. Her crew were fortunately saved by a brigantine which happened to be

near.

Both squadrons left Ferrol together, and kept company together until they came within sight of Teneriffe, when the Minion and John Baptist stopped at the islands, and the Jesus and her companions stood on their course to the West Indies.

Hawkins afterwards learned from Captain Bon Temps, of the Green Dragon, a French vessel, which had met the Minion on the coast of Guinea, that the ships were driven off by the Portuguese galleys, that Captain Carlet, with his boat's crew, had been betrayed by the negroes into the hands of the Portuguese, by whom they were made prisoners, and that the ships had lost so many men from the climate and from the want of fresh water, that it was doubtful if those that remained would be strong enough to work the vessels home, so that the voyage was a complete failure.

The progress of English commercial enterprise had by this time fully aroused the jealousy of the Spanish and Portuguese, who were now united under one government, and all possible means were resorted to to prevent the extension of their trade. The Spaniards are accused of having recourse to all kinds of fraud when force would not answer, and with violating without scruple the most solemn oaths and engagements. But as these are all exparte statements, they must be received with some grains of allowance; or rather they must be considered in connection with the violence and injustice with which in many instances the faults of the Spaniards were repaid. All merchant ships had to go armed, until at last, as the editor of Astley states, "the resentment of the nation being inflamed by their repeated treacheries and depredations, they began to send out fleets on purpose to annoy their coasts and disturb their navigation.' Nothing is in this intimated of the irresistible temptation to plunder afforded by the rich Spanish treasure-ships, which generally fully repaid, if it did not induce, most of the maritime expeditions of the English.

Hakluyt gives the translation of an order of the Spanish king, apprising the governors of the different provinces, that it was his intention to fit out a great fleet in the Tagus, and directing them to seize with all

secrecy and dissimulation upon any vessels that were then, or might be afterwards, upon the coast or in the ports belonging to Holland, Ireland, Germany, England, and other provinces in rebellion against him, and upon their goods, arms, and munitions.

The enforcement of this order gave occasion to the crew of an English merchant vessel to perform a feat, which is perhaps worthy of notice. The account is to be found in Astley, and is justly entitled "The gallant behavior and escape of the Primrose, of London, from Bilboa, in Biscay."

This vessel, the Primrose, of one hundred and fifty tons, arrived off Bilboa on the twenty-fifth of May, 1585, and was immediately boarded by the corregidor of the province, and six others seeming to be merchants. They brought with them some spirit, and were very polite and courteous in their demeanor to Mr. Foster, the master, who entertained them very politely in return. His suspicions were however excited by the return of two or three of the party to the shore, but he did not choose to exhibit any distrust before his remaining guests, although "he told his mind to some of his ship's crew." In a short time there came towards them a ship's boat containing seventy persons, merchants and others, and a little astern another with twenty-four persons. They came up alongside, and the corregidor, with three or four men, stepped on board. Mr. Foster requested that no more might be allowed to come on board, which was readily promised, but in a moment or two the Spaniards poured in after their leaders, with their rapiers and other weapons.

ner.

They immediately took possession of every thing in a tumultuous manSome planted themselves under the deck, some entered the cabins, and others looked about for their prey. Then the corregidor, having an officer with him who bore a white rod in his hand, spoke thus to the mas ter of the ship: "Yield yourself, for you are the king's prisoner." Hereupon the master said to his men, "We are betrayed." Forthwith some of the Spaniards set daggers to his heart, making a show as if they would kill him, which put him into a terrible consternation, as well as the ship's crew, who concluded they should all be instantly slain. Their interest however was not to murder, but to bring them to shore. However, some of them, roused by the danger they saw the master was in, and reflecting that they could hope for nothing but present death if once they landed among the Spaniards, resolved to rescue themselves out of their hands, or die in the attempt.

"This resolution was no sooner taken, but they immediately laid hold of the javelins, lances, boar-spears, and fire-arms which they had set in readiness before, encouraging one another to exert their valor. They had five calivers ready charged, which was all their small shot. Of a sudden, those that were under the hatches let fly at the Spaniards, who were over their heads, which so amazed them that they could hardly tell which way to run, imagining that the English were much better provided with powder and shot than was the case. Others dealt about them so courageously with their cutting weapons, that they disabled two or three Spaniards at every stroke. Hereupon some of them desired the master to command his men to hold their hands, but he answered that such was the resolution of the English in their own defence, that they would slay them and him too if he should propose the thing to them.

"By this time their blood ran in streams about the ship; some of them were shot in between the legs, the bullets issuing forth at their breasts—