ROBERT TOMSON a.d. 



1556. 

 found some smal quantitie of gold. The principal coine 

 that they do trafique withal in that place, is blacke 

 money made of copper & brasse: and this they say 

 they do use not for that they lacke money of gold 

 and silver to trade withall out of the other parts of 

 India, but because if they should have good money, 

 the marchants that deale with them in trade, would 

 cary away their gold and silver, and let the countrey 

 commodities lie still. And thus much for S. Domingo. 

 So we were comming from the yles of Canaries to 

 S. Domingo, & there staying until the moneth of 

 December, which was 3. moneths. About the beginning 

 of January we departed thence towards the bay of 

 Mexico & new Spaine, toward which we set our course, 

 and so sailed 24. dayes till we came within 15. leagues 

 of S. John de Ullua, which was the port of Mexico of 

 our right discharge : And being so neere our said port, 

 there rose a storme of Northerly windes, which came off 

 from Terra Florida, which caused us to cast about into 

 the sea againe, for feare least that night we should be 

 cast upon the shoare before day did breake, and so put 

 our selves in danger of casting away ; the winde and 

 sea grew so foule and strong, that within two houres 

 after the storme began, eight ships that were together 

 were so dispersed, that we could not see one another. 

 One of the ships of our company being of the burthen 

 of 500. tun called the hulke of Carion, would not 

 cast about to sea as we did, but went that night with 

 the land, thinking in the morning to purchase the 

 port of S. John de Ullua, but missing the port went 

 with the shoare and was cast away. There were drowned 

 of that ship 75. persons, men, women and children, 

 and 64. were saved that could swim, and had meanes 

 to save themselves : among those that perished in that 

 ship, was a gentleman who had bene present the yere 

 before in S. Domingo, his wife and 4. daughters with 

 the rest of his servants & houshold. We with the 

 other 7. ships cast about into the sea, the storme 



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