A. D. 1590. ic)j 



terly incapable of carrying on the prefent war again ft the king of Spain ; 

 that at this very time their (hips, faiUng towards the Weft, and to France, 

 and returning, are dayly more and more pillaged and robbed by the queen's 

 fubjeds, who are fo cruel as to oblige the Hollanders, whom they rob, to 

 give it to them under their hands, that the goods they are robbed of 

 are fairly bought of them by the Englilh ; and in fine, that their peo- 

 ple can no longer endure fuch cruel ufage, which will in the end re- 

 dound to the difadvantage of her dominions : — wherefor, they urge her 

 to a fpeedy and effedual redrefs, &c. 



To thefe complaints the queen's council replied, that fuch as had 

 really fufFered damage, had either already had fatisfadion, or fliould 

 have it, upon proper application ; and that the queen would fpeedily 

 fend over to Holland a perfon of diftindion, in order to fettle with the 

 ftates all the matters complained of. 



The captures which the ftates called robberies, were the confequences 

 of the Dutch trading to the Spanifti territories, (here cautioufly hidden 

 under the words weftern parts), notwithftanding that the ftates, as well 

 as the queen, were at war with Spain. A pradice which the Dutch 

 have at all times not only ufed, but pleaded for, even in their offenfive 

 alliances with Great Britain, and much more when in a ftate of neu- 

 trality ; of which we have no need to produce inftances, becaufe they are 

 innumerable, and many very recent ones too. 



In the fame year 1590, a fecond voyage was made from London, 

 with the fame ftiip and pinnace as in the year 1588, to Benin in Africa, 

 which likewife was profperous. In both voyages their cargoes outward 

 were linen and woollen cloths, iron manufadures, bracelets of copper, 

 glafs beads, coral, hawks bells, horfes tails, hats, &c. and they brought 

 home Guinea pepper, elephants teeth, oil of palm, cotton cloth, and 

 cloth made of the bark of trees. 



In Giovanni Botero's fecond book of the Caufes of the magnificence 

 and greatnefs of cities, [c. 8] he tells us, that excellent fugars were pro- 

 duced in the ifland of Madeira, where at prefent in our days we hear of 

 none at all *. 



The fame year is memorable for the gallant behaviour often Englifli 

 merchant ftaips returning home from Conftantinople, Venice, &c. which 

 in the ftraits of Gibraltar fought twelve Spanifli galleys carrying 300 

 men each, and after fix hours made them fly, without lofing one man, 

 although the Spanifti galleys loft many men, and were greatly hurt. 



The province of Samoieda (the moft northerly part of the Ruflian 

 territories) was now brought under the Ruflian monarchy, it having 



* It is equally deferving of attention, that the ported to various countries, and efpfc'tally to Eng- 

 wine of Madeira about this time (viz. in ij88) land. The f^inc Portuguefe author alfo notes the ex- 

 had acquired the excellent charafter which it ftill ctllency of thcconfcclions and confervts of fugai in 

 retains; and that great quantities of it were ex- Madeira. [F/^a/J-Z/i;, mPwri-Aaj.Zf.viijf. 4, ^ 2.] it/. 



Vol. II. B b 



