THE TREASURE SHIP OF GUNWALLO. 107 



It is thus a curious coincidence that two treasure ships should 

 have been wrecked at the same spot. 



However, this may be, there can be no doubt as to what the 

 Portuguese ship contained ; for a careful inventory drawn up by the 

 King of Portugal's factor is still extant. 



It appears from his statement, that in January, 152.6, a ship 

 called the Saint Andrew, belonging to the King of Portugal, freighted 

 with Bullion, Silver Plate, and other treasures, sailed from Flanders 

 for Lisbon, but by "outrageous tempest of the sea," was driven 

 ashore at Gunwallo; and there utterly perished ; although as Francis 

 Porson (the factor before mentioned) states, "by the grace and mercy 

 of Almighty God, the greater part of the crew got safely to land," 

 and not only so, but he states that, assisted by some of the inhabitants, 

 they saved a great part of the cargo, and this was extremely valuable. 



It comprised amongst other things : 



Eight thousand cakes of copper, worth £32245 Eighteen 

 blocks of silver bullion, worth £22 50 ; silver vessels, plate, ewers 

 and pots, pearls, precious stones, chains, brooches, and jewels of gold ; 

 together with a chest of ready money containing £6240. 



Then there was cloth of arras, tapestry, rich hangings, satins, 

 velvets, silks, chamlets, sayes, satins of Bruges, and Flemish and 

 English cloth. 



Then the most curious entry of all occurs, twenty-one hundred 

 barbers' basins, and following it 3200 laten candlesticks 5 a great chest 

 of shalmers and other instruments of music, four sets of armour for 

 the King of Portugal, and harness for his horses, etc. ; the whole 

 amounting to more than £16000 in value, equal to about £150,000 

 in present money. Porson — in his declaration — goes on to state, 

 that shortly after they landed: Thomas Seynt Aubyn, William Godol- 

 phin, and John Milliton arrived on the scene, with about sixty 

 retainers, armed in manner of war with bows and swords, and made 

 an assault on the shipwrecked sailors, and put them in great fear 

 and jeopardy ; and eventually took from them all they had saved 

 from the wreck, amounting to £10,000 worth of treasure, which 

 they will not return, although they have been called on to do so. 



But a different complexion is given to the affair by the account 

 written by Thomas Seynt Aubyn himself. 



