Expedition Of Thomas Cavendish

Thomas Candish or Cavendish, was a native of “Trimley in the country of Suffolke.”

His fleet had 3 vessels:

He left Plymouth July 21, 1586, with 123 men and provisions for 2 years.

Steering a general southwest course they reached the Strait of Magellan January 6, 1587.

In the strait they found the melancholy remains of a Spanish colony started 3 years before.

23 people out of 400 settlers, 2 of whom were women.

One named Hernando they took with them. This place the Englishmen appropriately named Port Famine.

Shortly after leaving the strait they found at an Indian settlement, under the Spanish, some “guinie wheat, which is called Maiz.”

The first capture was May 1—a boat of three hundred tons from Guaianel laden with timber and food.

Prizes after that were thick and fast, and the vessels were generally burned after being despoiled of valuables.

On July 9, near the coast of New Spain, a ship of 120 tons was taken, from one of the crew of which, Michael Sancius from Marseilles, they first heard of “the great ship The Santa Anna, which we afterward took coming from the Philippinas.”

After coasting along New Spain and California committing various depredations, among them the defacing of the Spanish churches, and various other piratical deeds, they met on the fourth of November with the “Santa Ana.” They pursued it for three or four hours and finally overtaking fought with and captured it. The fight is described as follows:

“In the afternoone we gat vp vnto them, giuing them the broad side with our great ordnance, and a volee of small shot, and presently laid the ship aboord, whereof the King of Spaine was owner, which was Admirall of the South-sea, called the S. Anna, and thought to be seuen hundred tvnnes in burthen.

Now as we were readie on their ships side to enter her, beeing not past fiftie or sixty men at the vttermost in our ship, we perceived that the Captain of the said ship had made fights fore and after, and laid their sailes close on their poope, their mid-ship, with their fore-castle, and hauing not one man to be seene, stood close vnder their fights, with Lances, Iauelings, Rapiers and Targets, and an innumerable sort of great stones, which they threw ouer boord vpon our heads, and into our ship so fast, and beeing so many of them, that they put vs off the shippe againe, with the losse of two of our men which were slaine, and with the hurting of foure or fiue. But for all this we new trimmed our sailes, and fitted euery man his furniture, and gaue them a fresh incounter with our great Ordnance, and also with our small shot, raking them thorough and thorough, to the killing and maiming of many of their men.

Their Captaine still like a valiant man with his companie, stood very stoutly vnto his close fights, not yeelding as yet. Our General incouraging his men afresh with the whole noyse of trumpets, gaue them the third encounter with our great Ordnance, and all our small shot to the great discomforting of our enemies, raking them through in diuerse places, killing and spoyling many.

They beeing thus discomforted, and their shippe beeing in hazard of sinking by reason of the great shot which were made, whereof some were vnder water, within fiue or sixe houres fight, set out a flagge of truce, and parled for mercie, desiring our Generall to saue their liues, and to take their goods, and that they would presently yeeld. Our Generall promised them mercy, and willed them to strike their sayles, and to hoyse out their boat, & to come aboord: which newes they were full glad to heare, and presently stroke their sailes, hoysed their boat out, and one of their chiefe marchants came aboord vnto our Generall: and falling downe vpon his knees, offered to haue kissed his feete, and craued mercie: the Captaine and their Pilote, at their comming vsed the like duetie and reuerence as the former did.

The Generall promised their liues and good vsage. They declared what goods they had within boord, to wit, an hundreth and two and twenty thousand pezos of gold: and the rest of the riches that the ship was laden with, was in Silkes, Sattens, Damasks, with Muske and diuers other marchandize, and great store of all manner of victualls, with the choice of many conserues of all sorts for to eate, and of sundry sorts of very good wines. These things beeing made knowne, they were commanded to stay aboord the Desire, and on the sixt day of Nouember following, we went into an harbour, which is called by the Spaniards, Aguada Segura, or Puerto Seguro.”

During the division of the booty, a mutiny broke out, especially in the ship “Content,” but was quelled.

190 Spaniards men and women were set ashore.

Ammunition and arms were left them, and the English departed. They took with them from the Spanish ship:

• 2 clever young Japanese
• 3 boys born in Manila
• a Portuguese
• Thomas de Ersola, a pilot from Acapulco.

The “Santa Ana” was burned on November 19, and the English turned toward home.

That same night the “Content” vanished and was seen no more.

January 3, 1588, the Ladrones were reached. They had the experiences with the natives that are so often described by the Spaniards, iron being the usual article bartered by the English.

The natives are described as “of a tawny colour, and maruellous fat, and bigger ordinarily of stature then the most part of our men in England, wearing their haire maruellous long: yet some of them haue it made vp, and tyed with a knot on the Crowne and some with two knots, much like vnto their Images which we faw carued in wood, and standing in the head of their boats, like vnto the Images of the deuill.”

January 14, they reached the Philippines at Cabo del Santo Espiritu, “which is of very great bigness and length.

It is short of the chiefest Island of the Philippinas called Manilla, about 60 leagues.

Manila is well planted and inhabited with 600-700 Spaniards which dwell in a town unwalled.

It has 3-4 Blocke-houses, part made of wood, and part stone, being indeed of no great strength:

They have 1-2 small Gallies belonging to the town.

It is a very rich place of Gold, and many other commodities.

They haue yeerely traffique from Alcapulco in Nueva Espanna, and also 20-30 ships from China, and from the Sangelys, which bring them many sorts of marchandize.

They bring great store of gold vvith them, vvhich they traffique and exchange for siluer, and give vveight for vveight.

These Sangelys are men of marvellous capacity, in deuising and making all manner of things, especially in all handiecrafts and sciences.

Every one is so expert, perfect, and skilfull in his facultie, as few or no Christians are able to go beyond them in that which they take in hand.

For drawing and imbroidering vpon Satten, Silke, or Lavvne, either beast, fovvle, fish, or vvorme, for liuelinesse and perfectnesse, both in Silke, Siluer, Gold, and Pearle, they excell.

Also the fourteenth day at night we entred the Straits between the Island of Luçon, and the Island of Camlaia.”

The natives imagining them Spaniards willingly traded their food with them.

At an anchorage Thomas Ersola, the Spanish pilot, was hanged for trying to inform the Spanish of the English.