_=Thomas Peche=. Attempt of =La Sound= to cross the =Isthmus of
America=. Voyage of =Antonio de Vea= to the =Strait of
Magalhanes=. Various Adventures of the Buccaneers, in the
=West Indies=, to the year 1679._
[Sidenote: 1673. Thomas Peche.] In 1673, Thomas Peche, an Englishman,
fitted out a ship in _England_ for a piratical voyage to the _South Sea_
against the Spaniards. Previous to this, Peche had been many years a
Buccaneer in the _West Indies_, and therefore his voyage to the _South
Sea_ is mentioned as a Buccaneer expedition; but it was in no manner
connected with any enterprise in or from the _West Indies_. The only
information we have of Peche's voyage is from a Spanish author, _Seixas y
Lovera_; and by that it may be conjectured that Peche sailed to the
_Aleutian Isles_.[12]
[Sidenote: 1675.] About this time the French West-India Company was
suppressed; but another Company was at the same time erected in its stead,
and under the unpromising title of _Compagnie des Fermiers du domaine
d'Occident_.
[Sidenote: La Sound attempts to cross the Isthmus.] Since the plundering
of _Panama_, the imaginations of the Buccaneers had been continually
running on expeditions to the _South Sea_. This was well known to the
Spaniards, and produced many forebodings and prophecies, in _Spain_ as
well as in _Peru_, of great invasions both by sea and land. The alarm was
increased by an attempt of a French Buccaneer, named La Sound, with a
small body of men, to cross over land to the _South Sea_. La Sound got no
farther than the town of _Cheapo_, and was driven back. Dampier relates,
'Before my going to the _South Seas_, I being then on board a privateer
off _Portobel_, we took a packet from _Carthagena_. We opened a great many
of the merchants' letters, several of which informed their correspondents
of a certain prophecy that went about _Spain_ that year, the tenor of
which was, _That the English privateers in the West Indies would that year
open a door into the South Seas_.'
[Sidenote: Voyage of Ant. de Vea to the Strait of Magalhanes.] In 1675, it
was reported and believed in _Peru_, that strange ships, supposed to be
Pirates, had been seen on the coast of _Chili_, and it was apprehended
that they designed to form an establishment there. In consequence of this
information or rumour, the Viceroy sent a ship from _Peru_, under the
command of Don Antonio de Vea, accompanied with small barks as tenders, to
reconnoitre the _Gulf de la Santissima Trinidada_, and to proceed thence
to the West entrance of the _Strait of Magalhanes_. De Vea made
examination at those places, and was convinced, from the poverty of the
land, that no settlement of Europeans could be maintained there. One of
the Spanish barks, with a crew of sixteen men, was wrecked on the small
Islands called _Evangelists_, at the West entrance of the _Strait_. De Vea
returned to _Callao_ in April 1676[13].
[Sidenote: 1676.] The cattle in _Hispaniola_ had again multiplied so much
as to revive the business of hunting and the _boucan_. In 1676, some
French who had habitations in the _Peninsula of Samana_ (the NE part of
_Hispaniola_) made incursions on the Spaniards, and plundered one of their
villages. Not long afterwards, the Spaniards learnt that in _Samana_ there
were only women and children, the men being all absent on the chace; and
that it would be easy to surprise not only the habitations, but the
hunters also, who had a boucan at a place called the _Round Mountain_.
[Sidenote: Massacre of the French in Samana.] This the Spaniards
executed, and with such full indulgence to their wish to extirpate the
French in _Hispaniola_, that they put to the sword every one they found at
both the places. The French, in consequence of this misfortune,
strengthened their fortifications at _Cape Francois_, and made it their
principal establishment in the Island.
[Sidenote: 1678. French Fleet wrecked on the Isles de Aves.] In 1678, the
French again undertook an expedition against the Dutch Island _Curacao_,
with a large fleet of the French king's ships, under the command of
Admiral the Count d'Etrees. The French Court were so earnest for the
conquest of _Curacao_, to wipe off the disgrace of the former failure,
that the Governor of _Tortuga_ was ordered to raise 1200 men to join the
Admiral d'Etrees. The king's troops within his government did not exceed
300 men; nevertheless, the Governor collected the number required, the
Flibustiers willingly engaging in the expedition. Part of them embarked on
board the king's ships, and part in their own cruising vessels. By mistake
in the navigation, d'Etrees ran ashore in the middle of the night on some
small Isles to the East of _Curacao_, called _de Aves_, which are
surrounded with breakers, and eighteen of his ships, besides some of the
Flibustier vessels, were wrecked. The crews were saved, excepting about
300 men.
The _Curacao_ expedition being thus terminated, the Flibustiers who had
engaged in it, after saving as much as they could of the wrecks, went on
expeditions of their own planning, to seek compensation for their
disappointment and loss. [Sidenote: Granmont.] Some landed on _Cuba_, and
pillaged _Puerto del Principe_. One party, under Granmont, a leader noted
for the success of his enterprises, went to the Gulf of _Venezuela_, and
the ill-fated towns _Maracaibo_ and _Gibraltar_ were again plundered; but
what the Buccaneers obtained was not of much value. In August this year,
_France_ concluded a treaty of peace with _Spain_ and _Holland_.
The Government in _Jamaica_ had by this time relapsed to its former
propensities, and again encouraged the Buccaneers, and shared in their
gains. One crew of Buccaneers carried there a vessel taken from the
Spaniards, the cargo of which produced for each man's share to the value
of 400_l._ After disposing of the cargo, they burnt the vessel; and
'having paid the Governor his duties, they embarked for _England_, where,'
added the author, 'some of them live in good reputation to this day[14].'
As long as the war had lasted between _France_ and _Spain_, the French
Buccaneers had the advantage of being lawful privateers. An English
Buccaneer relates, 'We met a French private ship of war, mounting eight
guns, who kept in our company some days. Her commission was only for three
months. We shewed him our commission, which was for three years to come.
This we had purchased at a cheap rate, having given for it only ten pieces
of eight; but the truth of the thing was, that our commission was made out
at first only for three months, the same date as the Frenchman's, whereas
among ourselves we contrived to make it that it should serve for three
years, for with this we were resolved to seek our fortunes.' Whenever
_Spain_ was at war with another European Power, adventurers of any country
found no difficulty in the _West Indies_ in procuring commissions to war
against the Spaniards; with which commission, and carrying aloft the flag
of the nation hostile to _Spain_, they assumed that they were lawful
enemies. Such pretensions did them small service if they fell into the
hands of the Spaniards; but they were allowed in the ports of neutral
nations, which benefited by being made the mart of the Buccaneer prize
goods; and the Buccaneers thought themselves well recompensed in having a
ready market, and the security of the port.
[Sidenote: 1678. Darien Indians.] The enterprises of the Buccaneers on the
_Tierra Firma_ and other parts of the American Continent, brought them
into frequent intercourse with the natives of those parts, and produced
friendships, and sometimes alliances against the Spaniards, with whom each
were alike at constant enmity. But there sometimes happened disagreements
between them and the natives. The Buccaneers, if they wanted provisions or
assistance from the Indians, had no objection to pay for it when they had
the means; nor had the natives objection to supply them on that condition,
and occasionally out of pure good will. The Buccaneers nevertheless, did
not always refrain from helping themselves, with no other leave than their
own. Sometime before Morgan's expedition to _Panama_, they had given the
Indians of _Darien_ much offence; but shortly after that expedition, they
were reconciled, in consequence of which, the Darien Indians had assisted
La Sound. In 1678, they gave assistance to another party of Flibustiers
which went against _Cheapo_, under a French Captain named Bournano, and
offered to conduct them to a place called _Tocamoro_, where they said the
Spaniards had much gold. Bournano did not think his force sufficient to
take advantage of their offer, but promised he would come again and be
better provided.
[Sidenote: 1679. Porto Bello surprised by the Buccaneers.] In 1679, three
Buccaneer vessels (two of them English, and one French) joined in an
attempt to plunder _Porto Bello_. They landed 200 men at such a distance
from the town, that it occupied them three nights in travelling, for
during the day they lay concealed in the woods, before they reached it.
Just as they came to the town, they were discovered by a negro, who ran
before to give intelligence of their coming; but the Buccaneers were so
quickly after him, that they got possession of the town before the
inhabitants could take any step for their defence, and, being
unacquainted with the strength of the enemy, they all fled. The Buccaneers
remained in the town collecting plunder two days and two nights, all the
time in apprehension that the Spaniards would; 'pour in the country' upon
their small force, or intercept their retreat. They got back however to
their ships unmolested, and, on a division of the booty, shared 160 pieces
of eight to each man.