A. D. 1577. 159 



Commiffioners were alfo appointed to inquire into the complaints of 

 fome Scottifh merchants, whofe (hipping had been plundered by feme 

 Englifli vefTels, and to make fatisfadion at the expenfe of the offenders. 

 [Fcedera, V. xv, p. 779.] 



Queen Elizabeth fent Mr. Edmund Hogan as her envoy to Muley 

 Abdelmelek emperor of Morocco, in which country there were already 

 fome Englifh merchants refident, for whom certain commercial privileges 

 were now obtained. There he found alfo Spanifh, Portuguefe, and 

 French merchants. Sir William Monfon, in his Naval trads, obferves, 

 that by degrees the Englifh have beaten the Portuguefe out of that 

 trade, though at firft they laboured to do the like by us. 



The ingenious author of the prefent State of England (in 8vo, 

 1683), obferves, that about this time pocket watches were firft brought 

 into England from Germany. Nurenberg is ufually afligned for 

 the place where watches were firft invented, though the time be very 

 uncertain. 



15-78 The fuppofed gold ore which Frobifher brought home in 



former voyages from Meta-incognita (as Queen Elizabeth had named . 

 the countries about Frobifher's ftraits), together with the hopes of a 

 north-weft paffage to Cathai (i. e. China), encouraged the queen to ap- 

 point commiffioners for thofe ends, who at firft making a fuppofed 

 proof of that ore, and alfo aftigning certain grounds for the probability 

 of a pafiage, Frobifher was thereupon, in the year 1578, fent out a 

 third time, with fifteen fhips, and with miners for the ore, which they 

 were to bring home, and to leave 120 perfons to inhabit Meta-incog- 

 nita, with three fhips to attend them. They arrived at the entrance of 

 Frobifher's ftraits, loft one of their fhips, fpent their provifions, and re- 

 turned home, without leaving any perfons (as they had intended) to 

 fettle in the country, or making any ufeful difcovery, or even fo much 

 as going into the ftraits. They however loaded their fhips with 300 

 tons of the fuppofed treafure, and after much hazard by ice and ftorms 

 returned home one by one. Their fuppofed gold ore, brought home in 

 this and former voyages, was at length found to be of no value, being, 

 only a glittering fand. 



Hakluyt gives us an account of the Newfoundland fifhers from Eu- 

 rope in the preceding year (1577), viz. 100 fhips from Spain, 50 from 

 Portugal, 150 from France, and 15 from England: That the Englifh 

 had the beft fhips, and therefor gave the law to the reft, being in the 

 bays the protectors of others ; for which it was then, and had been of 

 old, a cuftom to make tuem fome fort of acknowlegment as admirals , 

 fuch as a boat-load of fi\lt, for guarding them from pirates, and other 

 violem intruders, who often drive them from a good harbour, &c. 

 He fays, the fifuery of the Englifli at Iceland was the reafon we had not 

 then fuch numbers of fhips at Newfoundland ; that the Spaniards had.. 



