21 8 The Discoveries and S e t t l- e m e h t s Book L 
Purpofes. in former Reigns there had been little Gate 
taken to explore the Riches of this Kingdom ^ but now 
every Part of it was examined, and every kind of Im- 
provement fet on foot. The Lord-Treafurer fent for fe- 
veral Germans over, who were employed in ereding Iron- 
works, in difcovering and working Lead Mines^ and in 
making Saltpetre. We formerly exported moil; of our 
Commodities raw and unwrought, but now the Perfe- 
cution in the Low-Countries funiilhed us with Multitudes 
of able Workmen in every Branch of the Woollen Manip 
fadory, who had all imaginable Encouragement given 
them, and with very confiderable Privileges Were fettled 
in different Parts of the Kingdom, more efpecially at 
London^ Norwich^ Colchefier.^ and Canterhurj. The like 
Care was taken with refped to other Trades, and this was 
attended with fuchSuccefs, that, whereas in the Beginning 
of the Queen’s Reign we bought our Artillery abroad, to- 
wards the End of it we furnilhed all Europ with Ordnance ; 
fo that at length if grew a Queftion, Whether it might 
not be requifite for the public Safety, to put a Stop to 
the Exportation of Iron Cannon. 
There was now fcarce a Seffion of Parliament held in 
which there were not Ads paffed for promoting new 
Branches ot Trade, or for preferving or regulating the 
Old ; and though it may be, and I believe is, true, that 
feme of the Laws, then made, have become in Procefs 
of Time rather dangerous and deftrudive, than profita- 
ble or advantageous, to Commerce^ yet certainly they 
Were made with a good Intent •, and we have Reafon to 
believe were well enough fuited to thofe Times, fo that 
we have no Reafon to cenfure thofe who made them, on 
Account of the Inconvenicncies they produce, but ought 
rather to blame ourfelves for not repealing them. By 
thefe Steps the Face of Things in this Country was quite 
changed : Inftead of being ferved by the Venetians and 
Genoefcy with all the Commodities of the Eaft, we 
brought them Home ourfelves, and even furnilhed them 
to others j inftead of fuffering all our Domeftic Trade to 
be managed as formerly by Germans and other Foreigners, 
we began to fettle Fadories abroad, and there was 
hardly a Nation in the known World, with which be- 
fore the Death of this Queen we had not fome Cor- 
refpondence. 
Yet inftead of fetting down quietly with thefe Acqui- 
fitions, and falling into a nominal Trade amongft our- 
felves, like the Modern Stock-Jobbing ; we were then con- 
tinually contriving and executing new Schemes, either 
for improving our Country, or exporting its Produce ^ 
our People, even then, began to think the Trading 
World too narrow for them, and admired nothing fo 
much as finding Out new Markets, where Goods al- 
ways fell beft, where Novelty and Variety often procure 
high Prices, even for indifferent Commodities. We need 
not at all wonder, therefore, that in thefe Times there 
were Men of fuch extenfive Abilities produced, as feemed 
to grafp the v/hole Circle of commercial Knowledge ; 
fuch as Sir IValter Raleigh, Sir Robert Dudley, Sir E horn as- 
Grejham, and many others ; fome of whom have left us 
Treatifes in this way, that are both read and admired in 
more enlightened Times. We may therefore fafely pro- 
nounce, that the Seeds of all our Traffic, which have 
fince fo happily come up, and from which the Nation has 
reaped fuch mighty Profits, v/ere fown in this Reign, 
and cultivated, when they needed Cultivation moft, by 
the Royal Hand of the matchlefs Elizabeth ; the Mother 
of her Subjeds, the Terror of her Enemies, and the 
Benefador of Pofterity. 
1 6. We are now to take a View of the State of Englijh 
Affairs in regard to America, atthe Clofe of this Queen’s 
Reign, when it will appear, that there was fcarce any 
Part of it, whether of the Northern or Southern Conti- 
nent, or Elands, with which we had not fome Acquaintance •, 
though we had made no Settlements any where. Drake 
and Candijh examined the whole Backfide of America from 
South to North, and it appears very clearly from Sir 
Richard Hawkins’s Hijiory of his own Voyage, that we were 
almoft as well acquainted with thofe Countries as the Spa- 
niards themfelves ; this will appear lefs ftrange, when it is 
obferved, that fome of our Seamen being furprifed, others 
being fent affiore by their Commanders, and feveral 
ftraggling when landed in Parties, on particular Defigns, 
fell into the hands of the Spaniards ; and being fent from 
Place to Place j travelled through more Countries than 
moft of the Spaniards that were fent thither by their 
Government, or were driven thither by their Necef- 
fities, fome of whomi, coming home, related, and' feverai 
of them, particularly Miles Phillips and David Ingram, 
wrote Accounts of, their Adventures, as we fliall have 
Occafion to ffiew in another Place. 
By this Means we gained very clear and diftinfl De- 
feriptions of the Countries bordering on the Str eights of 
Magellan, oL Chili, Peru, th.t Bay of Panama, the fevera! 
Provinces of the Kingdom of Old Mexico, fome Know- 
ledge of the New, and even of California : Nor were we 
lefs acquainted with the other Side of the Continent, as 
the Reader may learn from the Englifo Voyages of the 
firft Chapter of this Work, in which are contained very 
diftinft Accounts of the moft Southern Parts, from the 
River of Plata to the Mouth of Magellan’ 's, Streights. We 
have likewife a fufficient Knowledge of the great Country 
of Brazil, from Mr. Knivet, and other Travellers ; 
though it muft be allowed that they gave great Scope 
to their Imagination, in what they have written, or 
at leaft what is publiffied by Purchas, if it was by 
them written, upon this SubjeSl. As to Guiana, or the 
Country of the Amazons, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Capt. 
Laurence Keymijh, whom he fent thither foon after his Re- 
turn, have written as good Deferiptions of them, if hot 
better, than any that are extant in other Languages. 
As for the Coaft, from the Eland of Erinity up to 
Carthagena, it was the chief Scene of moft of our Pri- 
vateer Expeditions in this Reign, fo that we had repeated 
Relations of all that was neceflary to make this Part of 
the new World perfeftly known. The remaining Part of 
the Coaft, as far as the Gulph of Honduras, was likewife 
explained and deferibed by feveral Englijhmen, who had 
vifited thofe Coafts, particularly Capt. Barker \ and as for 
the Bay of Mexico, it was often reforted to •, but more 
particularly by Captain, (afterwards) Eivjohn, Hawkinsfvtx 
the Year 1568, at which time he fet on ffiore David In- 
gram, before-mentioned, at about one hundred and 
forty Leagues Weft- by-north from the Cape of Florida, 
From thence he travelled v/ith feveral other Perfons of his 
Com.pany by Land, to within fixty Leagues of Cape Bre- 
ton where they found a Paffage home by a French Ship, 
in 1369, and foon after their Arrival, David Ingram, 
Richard Brown, . and Richard E wede went to vifit Capt. 
Hawkins, who had fet them on ffiore, and related to him 
their Adventures. I have been more particular on this 
Head, becaufe this Ingram has given the cleareft Ac- 
count of any Man concerning the North-weft Paffage, as. 
the Reader will fee hereafter in its proper Place, where I 
ffiall give his Account at large. The remaining Part of 
the Coaft of North America, from the Cape of Florida to 
the utmoft Extent of the Continent northward, was ex- 
amined by feveral of our Seamen, as appears by what has 
been already faid in this Sedlion, and will farther appear 
from the Account we are yet to give of fomie Voyages 
that were made in the laft Years of the Qiieen, and which 
I thought proper to referve for this Place, 
The firft of thefe, in Order of Time, is the glorious 
Expedition of Capt. William Parker of Plymouth, who 
undertook, at the Expence of a few private Perfons, an 
Enterprize againft the Spaniards, in which he was accom- 
panied by Capt. Giles and Capt. Ward, Land Officers ;■ 
and by the Captains Fugars, Loriman, Ajhly, and feveral. 
other Gentlemen as Volunteers, which, 'all Circumftances 
confidered, will appear one of the hardeft Undertakings,, 
as well as one of the moft fuccefsful, in that Reign, or in- 
deed ever attempted by our own Nation or any other of 
which there remains an Account in Hiftory, This Squadron 
of his confifted but of three fmall Barks, fcarce equal in. 
Strength to a Fifth-rate Man- of War ; of thefe intPrudencey^ 
ftiled the Admiral, was of the Burden of one hundred 
Tons, and a hundred and thirty Men, commanded by 
Nix. Parker himfelf ; Cm Pearl, Vice-Admiral, of" fixty 
Tons, and fixty Men, C2cpt. Robert Rawlins Comm2.ndev-, 
the Pinnace of twenty Tons and eighteen Men. They 
failed. 
