Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is enclosed in _underscores_; boldface
text is enclosed in =equals signs=.
HALF HOURS
ON THE QUARTER-DECK
THE HALF HOUR LIBRARY.
_TRAVEL, NATURE, AND SCIENCE._
Handsomely bound, very fully Illustrated, 2s. 6d. each; gilt edges, 3s.
Half Hours in the Holy Land.
Travels in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria.
By NORMAN MACLEOD.
Half Hours in the Far North.
Life amid Snow and Ice.
Half Hours in the Wide West.
Over Mountains, Rivers, and Prairies.
Half Hours in the Far South.
The People and Scenery of the Tropics.
Half Hours in the Far East.
Among the People and Wonders of India.
Half Hours with a Naturalist.
Rambles near the Seashore.
By the Rev. J. G. WOOD.
Half Hours in the Deep.
The Nature and Wealth of the Sea.
Half Hours in the Tiny World.
Wonders of Insect Life.
Half Hours in Woods and Wilds.
Adventures of Sport and Travel.
Half Hours in Air and Sky.
Marvels of the Universe.
Half Hours Underground.
Volcanoes, Mines, and Caves.
By CHARLES KINGSLEY and others.
Half Hours at Sea.
Stories of Voyage, Adventure, and Wreck.
Half Hours in Many Lands.
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By the Rev. J. G. WOOD.
Half Hours on the Quarter-Deck.
Half Hours in Early Naval Adventure.
[Illustration:
_Frontispiece._] [_Page 41._
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE CALLS ON HIS COMRADES TO “PLAY OUT THE MATCH, FOR
THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME TO DO SO, AND TO BEAT THE SPANIARDS TOO.”]
THE HALF HOUR LIBRARY
_OF TRAVEL, NATURE, AND SCIENCE_
FOR YOUNG READERS
HALF HOURS ON
THE QUARTER-DECK
The Spanish Armada to Sir Cloudesley Shovel
1670
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
London
JAMES NISBET & CO. LIMITED
21 Berners Street, W.
1899
INTRODUCTION.
This is the second of a series of books on a subject of the greatest
interest to all young Englishmen--the Naval History of England. To the
sea England owes its greatness, and the Anglo-Saxon race its possession
of such large portions of the earth. Two-thirds of the surface of our
globe are covered with water, and the nations that have the chief
command of the seas must naturally have immense power in the world.
There is nothing more marvellous in the last century, great as has
been the progress in all directions, than the birth of new nations in
distant parts of the earth, sprung from our own people, and speaking
our own language. England and America bid fair to encompass the world
with their influence; because, centuries ago, England became, through
the bravery and endurance of her sailors, the chief ocean power.
From the earliest times, the command of the sea was eagerly sought
after. The Phœnicians, occupying a position of much importance as a
commercial centre between the great regions of Asia on the east and
the countries surrounding the Mediterranean on the west, made rapid
progress in navigation. The large ships they sent to Tarshish were
unequalled for size and speed. Their vessels effected wonderful things
in bringing together the varied treasures of distant countries. They
used the sea rather for commerce, and the sending forth of colonists
through whom they might extend their trade, than for purposes of
conquest. With the Romans, who succeeded them in the command of the
sea, especially after the fall of Carthage, the sea was a war-path,
and the subjugation of the world was the paramount idea, although
the vessels brought treasures from all parts to enrich the imperial
city. The Anglo-Saxons have used the seas, both east and west, as the
Phœnicians used the Mediterranean, for the extension of commerce and
the planting of colonies, but also, as the Romans, for the subjugation
and civilisation of great empires.
There is a great interest in observing the progress of events for a
century after the opening up of the great world by Columbus and others
of the same period. It seemed for a time as if Spain and Portugal were
to conquer and possess most of the magnificent territories discovered;
France seemed also likely to have a fair portion; but England, almost
nowhere at first, gradually led the way. This was due chiefly to the
wonderful feats and endurance and bravery of her sailors. One country
after another fell under our influence, till the great continent of
America in all its northern parts became peopled by the Anglo-Saxon
race--which has, in later periods, similarly spread over Australia and
New Zealand.
With the growth of the maritime power of England is associated a
splendid array of heroic names, and many of the humblest sailors were
equal in bravery to their renowned commanders. No history is more
intensely interesting than that of the daring perils and triumphs
of heroic seamen. The heroes, who have distinguished themselves in
the history and growth of the British Navy, furnish a gallery and
galaxy, bewildering in extent; the events of pith and moment, in which
they have been prominent actors, present fields too vast to be fully
traversed; they can only be touched at salient points.
CONTENTS
CHAP. WILLIAM, JOHN, AND RICHARD HAWKINS. PAGE
I. THREE GENERATIONS OF ADVENTURERS, 1
CHARLES HOWARD, BARON OF EFFINGHAM, AFTERWARDS EARL OF
NOTTINGHAM.
II. “BORN TO SERVE AND SAVE HIS COUNTRY,” 37
SIR MARTIN FROBISHER, NAVIGATOR, DISCOVERER, AND COMBATANT.
III. THE FIRST ENGLISH DISCOVERER OF GREENLAND, 47
THOMAS CAVENDISH, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER.
IV. THE SECOND ENGLISHMAN WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED THE GLOBE, 57
SIR WALTER RALEIGH, QUEEN ELIZABETH’S FAVOURITE MINISTER.
V. AMERICAN COLONISATION SCHEMES, 83
SIR WALTER RALEIGH, SAILOR, SCHOLAR, POET.
VI. NAVAL EXPEDITIONS--TRIAL AND EXECUTION, 130
THE PLANTING OF THE GREAT AMERICAN COLONIES.
VII. “TO FRAME SUCH JUST AND EQUAL LAWS AS SHALL BE MOST
CONVENIENT,” 173
OLIVER CROMWELL AND THE SEA-POWER OF ENGLAND.
VIII. A LONG INTERVAL IN NAVAL WARFARE ENDED, 181
ROBERT BLAKE, THE GREAT ADMIRAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
IX. HE ACHIEVED FOR ENGLAND THE TITLE, NEVER SINCE DISPUTED,
OF “MISTRESS OF THE SEA,” 186
GEORGE MONK, K.G., DUKE OF ALBEMARLE.
X. THE FRIEND OF CROMWELL, AND THE RESTORER OF CHARLES II., 230
EDWARD MONTAGU, EARL OF SANDWICH.
XI. NAVAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND THE DUTCH, 253
PRINCE RUPERT, NAVAL AND MILITARY COMMANDER.
XII. THE DUTCH DISCOVER ENGLISH COURAGE TO BE INVINCIBLE, 290
SIR EDWIN SPRAGGE, ONE BORN TO COMMAND.
XIII. THE DUTCH AVOW SUCH FIERCE FIGHTING NEVER TO HAVE BEEN
SEEN, 315
SIR THOMAS ALLEN.
XIV. THE PROMOTED PRIVATEER, 334
SIR JOHN HARMAN.
XV. “BOLD AS A LION, BUT ALSO WISE AND WARY,” 343
ADMIRAL BENBOW.
XVI. THE KING SAID, “WE MUST SPARE OUR BEAUX, AND SEND HONEST
BENBOW,” 346
SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL.
XVII. THE SHOEMAKER WHO ROSE TO BE REAR-ADMIRAL OF ENGLAND, 359
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE CALLING ON HIS COMRADES TO PLAY OUT
THE MATCH, AND TO BEAT THE SPANIARDS TOO, _Frontispiece_
SIR JOHN HAWKINS, 3
ROCHELLE, 11
SIR JOHN HAWKINS PURSUING THE SHIPS OF THE ARMADA, 19
CHATHAM EARLY IN THE 17TH CENTURY, 25
MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS IN THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN, 33
EARL OF EFFINGHAM, 38
LORD HOWARD DEFEATING A SPANISH FLEET, 43
SIR MARTIN FROBISHER, 49
SIR MARTIN FROBISHER PASSING GREENWICH, 53
THOMAS CAVENDISH, 59
PERILOUS POSITION IN THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN, 67
ROUNDING THE CAPE DE BUENA ESPERANÇA, 75
SIR WALTER RALEIGH, 85
RALEIGH SPREADING OUT HIS CLOAK TO PROTECT THE
QUEEN’S FEET FROM THE MUD, 93
EDMUND SPENSER, AUTHOR OF THE “FAERIE QUEENE,” 103
THE MADRE DE DIOS, 111
RALEIGH ON THE ORINOCO RIVER, 121
RALEIGH AS SAILOR, SCHOLAR, POET, 131
ENGLISH FLEET BEFORE CADIZ, 139
ST. HELIERS, JERSEY, 149
SIR WALTER RALEIGH CONFINED IN THE TOWER, 157
LORD FRANCIS BACON, 167
THE MAYFLOWER, 175
OLIVER CROMWELL, 183
ADMIRAL BLAKE, 193
BATTLE BETWEEN BLAKE AND VAN TROMP, 203
ADMIRAL VAN TROMP, 213
THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BLAKE, 225
GENERAL MONK, 233
DEFEAT OF THE DUTCH FLEET BY MONK, 241
SEA FIGHT WITH THE DUTCH, 249
EARL OF SANDWICH, DUKE OF YORK--BATTLE OF SOUTHWOLD
OR SOLE BAY, 257
DUNKIRK, 265
CASTLE OF TANGIERS, 273
ACTION BETWEEN THE EARL OF SANDWICH AND ADMIRAL
DE RUYTER, 283
PRINCE RUPERT AT EDGEHILL, 293
DEFEAT OF THE DUTCH OFF LOWESTOFT, 301
ADRIAN DE RUYTER, 309
THE DUTCH FLEET CAPTURES SHEERNESS, 319
ATTACKING A PIRATE OFF ALGIERS, 329
AN ALGERINE CORSAIR, 339
ADMIRAL BENBOW, 351
SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL, 361
CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE, 369
HALF HOURS ON THE QUARTER-DECK.
WILLIAM, JOHN, AND RICHARD HAWKINS.
CHAPTER I.
THREE GENERATIONS OF ADVENTURERS.
The proclivities of parents are not uniformly manifested in their
children, and the rule of “Like father, like son” has its exceptions.
The three generations of the Hawkins’ family, who distinguished
themselves as maritime adventurers in the reign of Henry VIII. and
Queen Elizabeth, while differing in character, disposition, and
attainments at divers points, were in common governed by a ruling
passion--love of the sea, and choice of it as a road to fame and
fortune.
William Hawkins, Esq., of Tavistock, was a man of much property,
acquired by inheritance, but chiefly by his good fortune as a
successful naval adventurer. He was regarded with great favour by
King Henry VIII. About the year 1530 he fitted up a ship of 250 tons
burthen, which he named the _Paul of Plymouth_, and in which he made
three voyages to Brazil, touching also at the coast of Guinea to buy
or capture human beings,--to make merchandise of them. He was probably
the first English adventurer that engaged in this horrible traffic.
Old chroniclers coolly record the fact that he traded successfully
and most profitably in “slaves, gold, and elephants’ teeth.” Brazil
was in those days under a quite different government to that of the
enlightened ex-Emperor Dom Pedro, or of the Republic that has recently
succeeded him. Its rulers were savage Indian chiefs, with whom Hawkins
was signally successful in ingratiating himself. On the occasion of his
second visit to the country, so complete was the confidence reposed
in him by these native princes, that one of them consented to return
with him to England, Hawkins leaving Martin Cockram of Plymouth, one
of his crew, as a hostage for the safe return of the prince. The
personal adornments of this aboriginal grandee were of a remarkable
character. According to Hakluyt’s account, “In his cheeks were holes,
made according to the savage manner, and therein small bones were
planted, standing an inch out from the surface, which in his country
was looked on as evidence of great bravery. He had another hole in
his lower lip, wherein was set a precious stone about the bigness of
a pea. All his apparel, behaviour, and gestures were very strange to
the beholders,” as may easily be believed. After remaining in England
for about a year, during which time the distinguished foreigner was a
repeated visitor at the court of Henry VIII., who was a warm patron
of Hawkins, the adventurer embarked to return to Brazil. Unhappily,
the Indian prince died on the passage, which naturally occasioned
serious apprehensions in Hawkins’ mind. He was sorry for the death of
his fellow-voyager, but more concerned on account of poor Cockram,
the hostage, whose life, he feared, was imperilled by the death of
the savage, for whose safe return he had been left as security. The
confiding barbarians, however, disappointed his fears; they accepted,
without doubt or hesitation, his account of the circumstances of the
chief’s death, and his assurance that all that was possible to skill and
care had been done to save his life. The friendly intercourse between
Hawkins and the natives continued; they traded freely upon mutually
satisfactory terms, and Hawkins returned to England freighted with a
valuable cargo. He was greatly enriched by his successive voyages to
the West Indies and Brazil, and at a mature age retired from active
life, in the enjoyment of the fortune he had amassed by his skill
and courage as a seaman, his wisdom and astuteness as a merchant,
his enterprise, fortitude, perseverance, and other qualities and
characteristics that distinguish most men who get on in the world.
[Illustration: SIR JOHN HAWKINS.]
John Hawkins, the second son of William Hawkins of Plymouth above
referred to, was born at Plymouth about the year 1520. His elementary
education was followed up in his early youth by assiduous study of
mathematics and navigation. Early in life he made voyages to Spain
and Portugal, and to the Canary Islands--the latter being considered
a rather formidable undertaking in those days. In his early life he
so diligently applied himself to his duties, and acquitted himself so
successfully in their discharge, as to achieve a good reputation, and
soon after the accession of Queen Elizabeth, an appointment in her
navy, as an officer of consideration. It is stated concerning him,
that as a young man he had engaging manners, and that at the Canaries,
to which he had made several trips, “he had, by his tenderness and
humanity, made himself very much beloved,” and had acquired a knowledge
of the slave trade, and of the mighty profits which even in those days
resulted from the sale of negroes in the West Indies. These glowing
accounts of a quick road to riches fired the ambition of the tender and
humane adventurer.
In 1562, when he had acquired much experience as a seaman, and was at
the best of his manhood’s years, he projected a great slave-trading
expedition. His design was to obtain subscriptions from the most
eminent London traders and other wealthy persons, to provide and
equip an adventure squadron. He proposed to proceed first to Guinea
for a cargo of slaves, to be procured by barter, purchase, capture,
or in any other way,--and the cheaper the better. With his freight
of slaves, his design was to proceed to Hispaniola, Porto Rico, and
other Spanish islands, and there to sell the slaves for money, or
barter them in exchange for sugar, hides, silver, and other produce.
He readily obtained, as his partners in this unscrupulous project, Sir
William Lodge, Sir William Winter, Mr. Bromson, and his (Hawkins’)
father-in-law, Mr. Gunson. The squadron consisted of the _Solomon_,
of 120 tons, Hawkins, commander; the _Swallow_, of 100 tons, captain,
Thomas Hampton; and the _Jonas_, a bark of 40 tons. The three vessels
carried in all one hundred men. The squadron sailed in October 1562,
and touched first at Teneriffe, from which they proceeded on to Guinea,
where landing, “by money, and where that failed, by the sword,”
Hawkins acquired three hundred negroes to be sold as slaves. These he
disposed of at enormous profits at Hispaniola and others of the Spanish
settlements, and returned to England,--to the enrichment, as the result
of his “famous voyage,” of himself and his unscrupulous co-proprietors.
“Nothing succeeds like success.” There was now no difficulty in
obtaining abundant support, in money and men, for further adventure,
on the same lines. Slave-trading was proved to be a paying pursuit, and
then as now, those who hasted to be rich were not fastidious, as to
the moral aspect and nature of the quickest method. Another expedition
was determined upon, and on a larger scale. Hawkins, the successful
conductor of the expedition, was highly popular. As eminent engineers
have taken in gentlemen apprentices in more modern times, Captain
Hawkins was beset with applications to take in gentlemen apprentices to
the art and mystery of slave-trade buccaneering. Among the youngsters
entrusted to his tutelage were several who afterwards achieved
distinction in the Royal Navy, including Mr. John Chester, son of Sir
Wm. Chester, afterwards a captain in the navy; Anthony Parkhurst,
who became a leading man in Bristol, and turned out an enterprising
adventurer; John Sparkes, an able writer on maritime enterprises, who
gave a graphic account of Hawkins’ second expedition, which Sparkes had
accompanied as an apprentice.
The squadron in the second expedition comprised the _Jesus of Lubeck_,
of 700 tons, a queen’s ship, Hawkins, commander; the _Solomon_; and
two barques, the _Tiger_ and the _Swallow_. The expedition sailed
from Plymouth on the 18th October 1564. The first endeavour of the
adventurers was to reach the coast of Guinea, for the nefarious purpose
of man-stealing, as before. An incident, that occurred on the day
after the squadron left Teneriffe, reflects credit on Hawkins in
showing his paternal care for the lives of his crew, although he held
the lives of Guinea negroes of little account, and in exhibiting also
his skill as a seaman. The pinnace of his own ship, with two men in
it, was capsized, and the upturned boat, with the two men struggling
in the water, was dropped out of sight, before sail could be taken in.
Hawkins ordered the jolly-boat to be let down and manned by twenty-four
able-bodied seamen, to whose leading man he gave steering directions.
After a long and stiff pull, the pinnace, with the two men riding
astride on the keel, was sighted, and their rescue effected.
The poor hunted savages sometimes sold their lives and liberties
dearly to their Christian captors. In one of his raids upon the
coast of Africa in this expedition, the taking of ten negroes cost
Hawkins six of his best men killed, and twenty-seven wounded. The
Rev. Mr. Hakluyt--affected with obliquity of moral vision it may
be--deliberately observes concerning Captain Hawkins and this disaster,
that “his countenance remained unclouded, and though he was naturally
a man of compassion, he made very light of his loss, that others
might not take it to heart.” A very large profit was realised by
this expedition, “a full cargo of very rich commodities” having been
collected in the trading with Jamaica, Cuba, and other West Indian
islands. On the return voyage another incident occurred illustrative
of Captain Hawkins’ punctilious regard to honesty in other directions
than that of negroes--having property rights in their own lives and
liberties. When off Newfoundland, which seemed to be rather round
circle sailing on their way home, the commander fell in with two French
fishing vessels. Hawkins’ squadron had run very short of provisions.
They boarded the Frenchmen, and, without leave asked or obtained,
helped themselves to as much of their stock of provisions, as they
thought would serve for the remainder of the voyage home. To the
amazement as much as the satisfaction of the Frenchmen, Hawkins paid
honourably for the salt junk and biscuits thus appropriated.
The squadron arrived at Padstow, Cornwall, on the 20th September 1565.
The idea of the brotherhood of man had not in that age been formulated,
and Hawkins was honoured for his achievements, in establishing a new
and lucrative branch of trade. Heraldic honours were conferred upon him
by Clarencieux, king at arms, who granted him, as an appropriate crest,
“a demi-moor bound with a cord or chain.”
[Illustration: ROCHELLE.]
In 1567 Hawkins sailed in charge of an expedition for the relief of
the French Protestants at Rochelle. This object was satisfactorily
effected, and he proceeded to prepare for a third voyage to the West
Indies. Before this expedition sailed, Hawkins, while off Cativater
waiting the queen’s orders, had an opportunity, of which he made
prompt and spirited use, for vindicating the honours of the queen’s
flag. A Spanish fleet of fifty sail, bound for Flanders, passed
comparatively near to the coast, and in sight of Hawkins’ squadron,
without saluting by lowering their top-sails, and taking in their
flags. Hawkins ordered a shot to be fired across the bows of the
leading ship. No notice was taken of this, whereupon he ordered another
to be fired, that would make its mark. The second shot went through the
hull of the admiral, whereupon the Spaniards struck sail and came to
an anchor. The Spanish general sent a messenger to demand the meaning
of this hostile demonstration. Hawkins would not accept the message,
or even permit the messenger to come on board. On the Spanish general
sending again, Hawkins sent him the explanation that he had not paid
the reverence due to the queen, that his coming in force without
doing so was suspicious; and he concluded his reply by ordering the
Spanish general to sheer off, or he would be treated as an enemy. On
coming together, and further parley, Hawkins and the Spaniard arrived
at an amicable understanding, and concluded their conferences in
reconciliation feasts and convivialities, on board and on shore.
The new expedition sailed on the 2nd October 1567. The squadron
consisted of the _Jesus of Lubeck_, the _Minion_, and four other
ships. As before, the adventurers made first for Guinea, the favourite
gathering-ground for the inhuman traffic, and collected there a crowd
of five hundred negroes, the hapless victims of their cupidity. The
greater number of these they disposed of at splendid prices, in money
or produce, in Spanish America. Touching at Rio Del Hacha, to Hawkins’
indignant surprise, the governor, believing it to be within his right,
refused to trade with him. Such arrogance was not to be submitted
to, and Hawkins landed a storming party, who assaulted and took the
town, which, if it did not exactly make things pleasant, compelled
submission, and, for the invading adventurers, a profitable trade.
Having made the most he could of Hacha, Hawkins next proceeded to
Carthagena, where he disposed, at good prices, of the remainder of the
five hundred slaves.
The adventurers were now (September 1568) in good condition for
returning home with riches, leaving honours out of consideration, but
the time had passed for their having their own will and way. Plain
sailing in smooth seas was over with them; storm and trouble, and
struggle for dear life, awaited them. Shortly after leaving Carthagena
the squadron was overtaken by violent storms, and for refuge they
made, as well as they could, for St. John de Ulloa, in the Gulf of
Mexico. While in the harbour, the Spanish fleet came up in force, and
was about to enter. Hawkins was in an awkward position. He liked not
the Spaniards, and would fain have given their vastly superior force
a wide berth. He tried what diplomacy would do. He sent a message to
the viceroy that the English were there only for provisions, for which
they would pay, and he asked the good offices of the viceroy, for the
preservation of an honourable peace. The terms proposed by Hawkins were
assented to, and hostages for the observance of the conditions were
exchanged. But he was dealing with deceivers. On Thursday, September
23rd, he noticed great activity in the carrying of ammunition to
the Spanish ships, and that a great many men were joining the ships
from the shore. He sent to the viceroy demanding the meaning of all
this, and had fair promises sent back in return. Again Hawkins sent
Robert Barret, master of the _Jesus_, who knew the Spanish language,
to demand whether it was not true that a large number of men were
concealed in a 900-ton ship that lay next to the _Minion_, and why it
was that the guns of the Spanish fleet were all pointed at the English
ships. The viceroy answered this demand by ordering Barret into irons,
and directing the trumpet to sound a charge. At this time Hawkins
was at dinner in his cabin with a treacherous guest, Don Augustine
de Villa Nueva, who had accepted the _rôle_ of Hawkins’ assassin.
John Chamberlain, of Hawkins’ bodyguard, detected the dagger up the
traitor’s sleeve, denounced him, and had him cared for. Going on deck,
Hawkins found the English attacked on all sides; an overpowering
crowd of enemies from the great Spanish ship alongside was pouring
into the _Minion_. With a loud voice he shouted, “God and St. George!
Fall upon those traitors, and rescue the _Minion_!” His men eagerly
answered the call, leaped out of the _Jesus_ into the _Minion_, and
made short work with the enemy, slaughtering them wholesale, and
driving out the remnant. Having cleared the _Minion_ of the enemy, they
did equally effective service with the ship’s guns; they sent a shot
into the Spanish vice-admiral’s ship that, probably from piercing the
powder-room, blew up the ship and three hundred men with it. On the
other hand, all the Englishmen who happened to be on shore were cut
off, except three who escaped by swimming from shore to their ships.
The English were overmatched to an enormous extent, by the fleet and
the attack from the shore. The Spaniards took the _Swallow_, and burnt
the _Angel_. The _Jesus_ had the fore-mast cut down by a shot, and
the main-mast shattered. The Spaniards set fire to two of their own
ships, with which they bore down upon the _Jesus_, with the desire
of setting it on fire. In dire extremity, and to avert the calamity
of having their ship burnt, the crew, without orders, cut the cables
and put to sea; they returned, however, to take Hawkins on board. The
English ships suffered greatly by the shots from the shore, as well as
from the fleet, but inflicted, considering the disparity in strength of
the combatants, much greater damage than they sustained. The ships of
the Spanish admiral and vice-admiral were both disabled,--the latter
destroyed; four other Spanish ships were sunk or burnt. Of the Spanish
fighting men,--fifteen hundred in number at the commencement of the
battle,--five hundred and forty, or more than a third, were killed or
wounded. The _Jesus_ and the _Minion_ fought themselves clear of the
Spaniards, but the former was so much damaged as to be unmanageable,
and the _Minion_, with Hawkins and most of his men on board, and the
_Judith_, of 50 tons, were the only ships that escaped. The sanguinary
action lasted from noon until evening. The wreckage to such an extent
of Hawkins’ fleet involved, of course, a heavy deduction from his
fortune.
After leaving St. John de Ulloa, the adventurers suffered great
privations. Their design to replenish their failing stock of provisions
had been frustrated, and Hawkins was now threatened with mutiny among
the crew, because of the famine that seemed imminent, and which he was
powerless to avert. They entered a creek in the Bay of Mexico, at the
mouth of the river Tampico. A number of the men demanded to be left on
shore, declaring that they would rather be on shore to eat dogs and
cats, parrots, rats, and monkeys, than remain on board to starve to
death. “Four score and sixteen” men thus elected to be left on shore.
Job Hortop, one of the crew, who left a narrative of the voyage, states
that Hawkins counselled the men he was leaving to “serve God and love
one another, and courteously bade them a sorrowful farewell.” On
the return voyage, Hawkins and the remnant with him, sustained great
hardships and privations. At Vigo, where he touched, he met with some
English ships, from which he was able to obtain, by arrangement, twelve
stout seamen, to assist his reduced and enfeebled crew, in the working
of his ships for the remainder of the homeward voyage. He sailed from
Vigo on the 20th January 1569, and reached Mount’s Bay, Cornwall,
on the 25th of the same month. Thus ended his third eventful and
disastrous expedition to El Dorado.
The poor fellows, left on shore in Mexico, entered upon a terrible
campaign of danger and suffering. The first party of Indians that
the castaways fell in with, slaughtered a number of them, but on
discovering that they were not Spaniards, whom the Indians hated
inveterately, spared the remainder, and directed them to the port of
Tampico. It is recorded of two of their number, Richard Brown and
Richard Twide, that they performed the wonderful feat, under such cruel
disadvantages and difficulties, of marching across the North American
continent from Mexico to Nova Scotia,--from which they were brought
home in a French ship. Others of the wanderers fell into the hands of
the Spaniards, who sent some of them prisoners to Mexico, and others
to Spain, where, by sentence of the Holy Inquisition, some were burnt
to death, and others consigned for long terms to imprisonment.
Miles Philips, one of the crew, reached England, after many perilous
adventures and hair-breadth ’scapes, in 1582. Job Hortop and John
Bone were sentenced to imprisonment for ten years. Hortop, after
twenty-three years’ absence from England, spent in Hawkins’ fleet, and
in wanderings, imprisonment, and divers perils, reached home in 1590,
and wrote an interesting account of the voyage, and of his personal
adventures.
[Illustration: SIR JOHN HAWKINS PURSUING THE SHIPS OF THE ARMADA.]
In his last expedition Hawkins had returned with impaired fortune, but
without dishonour. He had, indeed, added to the lustre of England, and
to his personal renown, by the skill and valour he had displayed in the
affair of St. John de Ulloa,--in which the glory was his, and infamy
attached to the treacherous Spaniards, whose immense superiority in
strength should have enabled them to extinguish their enemy, instead
of being beaten by him. In recognition of his valour, Hawkins was
granted by Clarencieux, king at arms, further heraldic honours, in an
augmentation of his arms; he was also appointed Treasurer to the Navy,
an office of great honour and profit.
Hawkins’ next great public service was rendered, as commander of Her
Majesty’s ship _Victory_, in the actions against the Spanish Armada in
1588. The commanders of the English squadrons in the Armada actions
and pursuit were the Lord High Admiral, and Sir Francis Drake, and
Sir John Hawkins, rear-admiral. Sir John was knighted by the Lord
High Admiral for his distinguished services; as was also Sir Martin
Frobisher. Sir John Hawkins shared largely in the dangers and honours
of the actions, and, in the pursuit of the Spaniards, he rendered
extraordinarily active and successful service, for which he was
particularly commended by Queen Elizabeth.
In 1590 Sir John Hawkins, in conjunction with Sir Martin
Frobisher,--each with a squadron of fifty ships,--was sent to harass
the Spanish coast, and to intercept and capture, if possible, the
Plate fleet. Suspecting this intention, the Spanish king contrived
to convey intelligence to India, ordering the fleet to winter there,
instead of coming home. Hawkins and Frobisher cruised about for six or
seven months, with no more definite result than humiliating Spain, and
detracting from its dignity and influence as a naval power.
Sir John Hawkins was next appointed in a joint expedition against Spain
with Sir Francis Drake. The design of the expedition, which sailed
from Plymouth on the 28th August 1595, was to burn Nombre-de-Dios, and
to march thence overland to Panama, and appropriate there the Spanish
treasure from Peru. The design proved abortive, partly from tempestuous
weather, but partly also from disagreement between the commanders. On
the 30th October, at a short distance from Dominica, the _Francis_, a
bark of 35 tons, the sternmost of Sir John Hawkins’ fleet,--and a long
way in the rear of the others,--was fallen in with by a squadron of
five Spanish frigates, and captured. This misfortune, in conjunction
with other depressing circumstances, and the hopelessness of the
enterprise, so much affected Sir John Hawkins as to cause his death on
the 21st November 1595--of a broken heart, it was believed.
The expeditions of Sir John Hawkins to the West Indies, his services
in connection with the Spanish Armada, his joint expeditions with
Frobisher and Drake, fall far short of filling up the story of his
life, or the measure of his usefulness as a public man. Of his home
life they tell nothing.
Sir John was twice married, and was three times elected a member of
Parliament, twice for Plymouth. He was a wise, liberal, and powerful
friend and supporter of the British Navy. He munificently provided,
at Chatham, an hospital for poor and distressed sailors. The “Chest”
at Chatham was instituted by Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis
Drake,--being a provident fund, formed from voluntary deductions from
sailors’ pay, applied to the relief of disabled and indigent comrades.
Sir John Hawkins was the author and promoter of many beneficial rules
and regulations for the government of the navy. He was an accomplished
mathematician, a skilful navigator, a courageous combatant; as
Treasurer of the Navy he proved an able administrator; and to these
qualities he added the enterprising spirit of a merchant prince,--he
and his brother William being joint owners at one time of a fleet of
thirty good stout ships. It was said of him by a contemporary that
he had been graceful in youth, and that he was grave and reverend in
advanced life. He was a man of great sagacity, unflinching courage,
sound judgment, and cool presence of mind, submissive to authority,
courteous to his peers, affable and amiable to his men, by whom he was
much beloved. His active life embraced a period of forty-eight years,
during which he, for longer or shorter periods, acted as a commander
at sea, including twenty-two years, during which he held the office of
Treasurer of the Navy.
Richard Hawkins, of the third generation of eminent navigators, and
son of Sir John Hawkins, was born at Plymouth about the year 1570. He
had a strong predilection for naval service, and when only a lad in
his teens had the command of a vessel, and was vice-admiral of a small
squadron commanded by his uncle, William Hawkins, Esq., of Plymouth,
that was employed in a “private expedition” to the West Indies--really
to “pick and steal” what they could from the Spaniards. He had an
early opportunity of showing his courage and confidence in his own
powers. The captain of one of the ships of the fleet, the _Bonner_,
complained that his ship was not seaworthy, and recommended that his
crew and himself should be shifted into a better ship, and that the
_Bonner_ should be sunk. Young Hawkins protested against the sacrifice
of the ship, and offered, if a good crew were allowed him, to carry
the _Bonner_ through the cruise, and then home. His success would, of
course, have disgraced the captain, who withdrew his recommendation,
and remained in his ship,--which justified young Hawkins’ protest by
continuing seaworthy for many years.
[Illustration: CHATHAM, 17TH CENTURY.]
In 1588 young Hawkins was captain of the queen’s ship _Swallow_, which
suffered most of any in the actions with the Spanish Armada. A fire
arrow that had been hid in a sail, burnt a hole in the beak-head of the
_Swallow_. Richard afterwards wrote an able account of the actions,
with a judicious criticism and defence of the strategy of the Earl of
Nottingham, Lord High Admiral,--in not laying the Spaniards aboard.
This Hawkins held would have been a dangerous course, from the greater
height of the Spanish ships, and from their having an army on board. By
keeping clear, the English ships could also take advantage of wind and
tide for manœuvring round the enemy. He held that, by lying alongside
of the Spaniards they would have risked defeat, and that the free
movement and fighting gave them a better chance of humiliating the
enemy.
In 1590 Richard Hawkins commanded the _Crane_, of 200 tons, in the
expedition of his father and Sir Martin Frobisher against Spain. The
commander of the _Crane_ did excellent service in the pursuit of
the Spanish squadron employed in carrying relief to the forces in
Brittany; and afterwards he so harassed the Spaniards at the Azores,
as to incite the merchants there to curse the Spanish ministers who
had brought about (or permitted) a war with such a powerful enemy as
England.
On returning from this expedition, Hawkins commenced preparations for a
bold buccaneering project against Spain. He built a ship of 350 tons,
to which his mother-in-law--who had assisted with funds--obstinately
persisted in giving the ominous name of the _Repentance_. Richard
Hawkins could not stand this name, and sold the ship to his father. The
_Repentance_, in spite of the name, did excellent service, and had very
good fortune. On return from an expedition, while lying at Deptford,
the _Repentance_ was surveyed by the queen, who rowed round the ship
in her barge, and graciously--acting probably upon a hint from Sir
John or his son Richard--re-named it the _Dainty_, whereupon Richard
bought back the ship from his father for service in his projected great
expedition. His plan included, in addition to plundering the Spaniards,
visits to Japan, the Moluccas, the Philippines, passage through the
Straits of Magellan, and return by the Cape of Good Hope. His ambitious
prospectus secured the admiration and approval of the greatest men of
the time, including the lord high admiral, Sir R. Cecil, Sir Walter
Raleigh, etc. On the 8th of April 1593, the _Dainty_ dropped down
the river to Gravesend, and on the 26th arrived at Plymouth, where
severe misfortune overtook the little squadron, consisting of the
_Dainty_, the _Hawk_, and the _Fancy_,--all of them the property of
Richard Hawkins, or of the Hawkins family. A tempest arose in which the
_Dainty_ sprang her main-mast, and the _Fancy_ was driven ashore and
knocked to pieces before the owner’s eyes. This misfortune magnified
the fears, and intensified the tender entreaties, of his young wife
that he would abandon the perilous enterprise,--but he was not to be
dissuaded. He said that there were “so many eyes upon the ball, that
he felt bound to dance on, even though he might only be able to hop at
last.”
On the 12th June 1593, Hawkins left Plymouth Sound, with his tiny
squadron of the _Dainty_ and tender. Before the end of the month
he arrived at Madeira, and on the 3rd July passed the Canaries,
and shortly after the Cape de Verd Islands, all well, and without
anything notable occurring to the squadron. Later, however, when
nearing the coast of Brazil, scurvy of a malignant type broke out
among the crew. Hawkins gave close attention to the men stricken,
personally superintended their treatment, and made notes,--from which
he afterwards wrote an elaborate paper on the disease, its causes,
nature, and cure. At a short distance south of the Equator he put in to
a Brazilian port for provisions. He sent a courteous letter, written in
Latin, to the governor, stating that he was in command of an English
ship, that he had met with contrary winds, and desired provisions, for
which he would gladly pay. The governor replied that their monarchs
were at war, and he could not supply his wants, but he politely gave
him three days to do his best and depart. The three days’ grace were
promptly taken advantage of to lay in a supply of oranges and other
fruit, when he again sailed southward. On the 20th November he arrived
at the Island of St. Ann, 20° 30’ south latitude, where--the provisions
and stores having been taken out of the _Hawk_--that vessel was burned.
He touched at other parts of the coast for provisions and water.
Hawkins had a difficult part to play in dealing with his crew, who were
impatient for plunder. Robert Tharlton, who commanded the _Fairy_,
and who had proved a traitor to Captain Thomas Cavendish, in the La
Plata, drew off a number of the men, with whom he deserted before they
reached the Straits of Magellan. Notwithstanding the discouragement
of Tharlton’s treachery and desertion, Hawkins courageously proceeded
with his hazardous enterprise. Sailing along the coast of Patagonia,
he gave names to several places, amongst others to Hawkins’ Maiden
Land,--because discovered by himself in the reign of a maiden queen.
In the course of his voyage southward, he made a prize of a Portuguese
ship. He found it to be the property of an old knight who was on
board, on his way to Angola, as governor. The old gentleman made a
piteous appeal to Hawkins, pleading that he had invested his all
in the ship and its cargo, and that the loss of it would be his
utter ruin. His petition was successful, and Hawkins let him go. On
the 10th February he reached the Straits of Magellan, and, passing
through, emerged into the South Pacific Ocean on the 29th March
1594. This was the sixth passage of the straits--the third by an
Englishman. He wrote an excellent account of the passage through the
straits, which he pronounced navigable during the whole year, but
the most favourable--or, it should rather perhaps be put, the least
unfavourable--seasons for the at best unpleasant voyage were the months
of November, December, and January. On the 19th April he anchored
for a short time under the Isle of Mocha. Resuming his voyage along
the coast of Chili, he encountered, in the so-called Pacific Ocean,
a violent storm, that lasted without intermission for ten days. His
men were becoming desperately impatient, and they insisted that they
should attempt to take everything floating that they sighted. Every
vessel in those waters, they believed, had gold or silver in them.
At Valparaiso they took four ships, much against Hawkins’ wish. He
exercised discrimination, and wished to reserve their strength, and
prevent alarm on shore, by waiting till a prize worth taking came in
their way. They got from the prizes an abundant supply of provisions,
but very little gold, and only trifling ransoms for the prisoners.
The small amount taken added greatly to Hawkins’ difficulties and
embarrassments. His bold buccaneers demanded that the third part of
the treasure should, according to contract, be given up to them,--then
and there. He resisted the demand, urged that they could not expend
anything profitably here and now, and that they would only gamble with
their shares, which would probably lead to quarrels and the ruin of the
expedition. It was at last agreed that the treasure should be placed in
a chest with three locks,--one key to be held by Hawkins, one by the
master, and the third by a representative appointed by the men.
[Illustration: MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS, STRAITS OF MAGELLAN.]
Arriving at Ariquipa, Hawkins ascertained by some means that Don Garcia
Hurtado de Mendoza, Viceroy of Peru, had received intelligence of
his being off the coast, and had sent out a squadron of six vessels
to capture him. Hawkins had in the _Dainty_, and in a little Indian
vessel he had taken, and which he had fitted up as a pinnace, a
combined crew of seventy-five men and boys--a lamentably small force
to resist a well-manned squadron of six men-of-war ships. About the
middle of May the Spanish squadron was sighted near Civite. Hawkins,
who was to windward, stood out to sea. The Spanish ships, under the
command of Don Bertrand de Castro, followed. The wind freshened
greatly; the Spanish admiral lost his main-mast, the vice-admiral split
his main-sail, and the rear-admiral’s main-yard tumbled down. The
Spaniards were thrown into utter confusion, and Hawkins escaped. On
returning to port with his damaged ships, and without the diminutive
enemy he had gone out to capture, De Castro and the other commanders
were received with humiliating and exasperating derision. De Castro’s
earnest petition to be allowed to go to sea again was granted, and he
sailed with two ships and a pinnace,--all fully manned with picked
men. On the 20th June the Spanish squadron came in sight. Hawkins’
ungovernable crew would have him chase everything they sighted; they
would have it that the armed cruisers were the Peruvian plate fleet,
laden with the treasure for which they had come, and for which they had
so long toiled and waited. They were soon undeceived by the Spanish
attack, which they met with dogged bravery. The Spanish ships were
manned by about thirteen hundred of the best men in the service,--and
it seems marvellous that Hawkins and his bull-dogs could have stood
out so long. The fight lasted for two whole days and part of a third.
Hawkins had received six wounds, two of them dangerous, and was at
last completely disabled. Besides the killed, there were forty of his
men wounded, and his ship was sinking. On the afternoon of 22nd June,
this was his deplorable plight:--the whole of his sails were rent,
the masts shattered, eight feet of water in the hold, and the pumps
rent and useless; scarcely a single unwounded man was left in the
ship, and all were so fatigued that they could not stand. Helpless
as was their plight, and desperate their condition, Hawkins was able
to obtain honourable conditions of surrender, namely, that himself
and all on board should have a free passage to England, as soon as
possible. De Castro swore by his knighthood that the conditions would
be faithfully observed, in token of which he sent his glove to Hawkins,
and took possession of the shattered _Dainty_, without inflicting the
slightest humiliation on his brave fallen enemy, or permitting his crew
to express triumph over them. On the 9th July, the Spanish squadron,
with Hawkins on board De Castro’s ship, arrived at Panama, which
was brilliantly illuminated in celebration of the “famous victory.”
Despatches, to allay apprehensions concerning the terrible enemy, were
sent off to the viceroys of New Spain and Peru. Hawkins was allowed to
send letters home to his father and other friends, and to the queen.
From Don Bertrand, Hawkins learned that the King of Spain had received
from England full and minute particulars, concerning the strength and
equipment of Hawkins’ little squadron before it sailed, showing that
the King of Spain had spies in England. The _Dainty_ prize was repaired
and re-named the _Visitation_, because surrendered on the day of the
feast of the blessed Virgin. Hawkins was long kept in captivity. He
was for two years in Peru and adjacent provinces, and was then sent
to Europe and kept a prisoner at Seville and Madrid. His release was
claimed on the ground of Don Bertrand’s knightly pledge, but the reply
was given that he had received his authority from the Viceroy of Peru,
not from the King of Spain, upon whom his engagement was not binding.
The Count de Miranda, President of the Council, however, at last gave
judgment, that the promise of a Spanish general in the king’s name
should be kept, and Hawkins was set at liberty, and returned to England.
During his captivity he wrote a detailed account of his voyage,
entitled _The Observations of Richard Hawkins, Knight, in his Voyage
into the South Sea, 1593_. It was published in London in 1622, the year
in which Hawkins died of apoplexy,--at somewhere near fifty years of
age.
Sir Richard Hawkins possessed powers that fitted him for great
achievements. With resources at command, and a fitting field for
their use, corresponding with his courage and ability, he would have
distinguished himself by mighty deeds. His ill-fated voyage to the
South Sea was like the light cavalry charge at Balaclava--it was
magnificent, but it was not war!
CHARLES HOWARD,
BARON OF EFFINGHAM, AFTERWARDS EARL OF NOTTINGHAM.