/ 
Chap. IlL of the ENGLISH m AMERICA." 
lour of refuting this ChargCj a difiind Account of Sir 
true Defign, and^of the Force with which he 
was to undertake it ; in which he had but too great Suc- 
cefs i for Sir IValter giving the King a Ihort but true 
'Scheme of v/hat he intended, that very Paper was de- 
livered to the Spanijh Embaffador, and found its Way 
to Guiana long before Sir Walter Raleigh. 
The Commiffion granted to this excellent Man was 
very full, and free from Limitations, which has been 
generally underftood to be defigned to his Prejudice, 
But I mufb confefs I fee no Reafon for that Opinion. 
On the contrary, I am perfuaded that Sir Walter himfelf 
was well fatisfied with his Commiffion ; and that in re- 
-iped: to the Law of the Land, and the Law of Nations, 
it fully juftified the Defign he went upon, and all that 
followed in the Execution of it. Certain it is that the 
Contents of his Commiffion were no Secrets, fince, by 
publiffiing them, he brought Numbers at home and 
abroad to fubfcribe large Sums towards the Support of 
his Undertaking *, which he could never have done, if 
the Form or Words of that Commiffion had been liable 
to Exception. It was feven Months after his Commiff 
fion was granted before his Fleet was in Condition to put 
to Sea. 
As to the Strength of this Fleet, it is clear from a 
Survey taken by the Order of the Earl of Nottingham, 
then Lord High-Admiral, that it confifted of feven Sail, 
of feveral Sizes. It appears that the firft of them, or 
Admiral, a fine Ship built by Raleigh himfelf, was 
flamed the Deftiny, of four hundred and forty Tons, and 
thirty-fix Pieces or more of Ordnance, Sir Walter Ra- 
leigh General, and his Son Walter Captain, befides two 
hundred Men, whereof fourfcore were Gentlemen Vo- 
lunteers and Adventurers, moft of them Sir Walter’s 
Relations •, which Number was afterwards encreafed. 
Second, the Jafon of London, two hundred and forty 
Tons, and twenty-five Pieces of Ordnance, Captain 
John Pennington Nice.- A^mw2L\, eighty Men, one Gentle- 
man, and no more. Third, the Encounter, one hundred 
and fixty Tons, feventeen Pieces of Ordnance, Edward 
Haftings Captain (no Men more except the Mailer men- 
tioned) ; but he dying in the Indies, was fucceeded in the 
Command by Captain Whitney. Fourth, the Lhunder, 
. one hundred and fifty Tons, twenty Pieces of Ord- 
nance, Sir Warhani Sentlegor Captain, fix Gentlemen, 
fixty Soldiers, ten Landmen. Fifth, the Flying-Joan, 
one hundred and twenty Tons, fourteen Pieces of Ord- 
nance, John Chidley Captain, twenty-five Men. Sixth, 
the Southampton, eighty Tons, and fix Pieces of Ord- 
nance, John Bayley Captain, twenty-five Mariners, two 
Gentlemen. Seventh, the Page, a Pinnace, twenty-five 
Tons, three Rabnets of Brafs, James Barker Captain, 
and eight Sailors. But before Raleigh left the Coafi; of 
England, he was joined by as many Ships more ; fo that 
this whole Fleet confifted of thirteen Sail, befides his 
own Ship. 
But for this remaining Part of his Fleet he waited 
O 
long, and it had been better if he had left them behind, 
for they proved a Burden to him, and fome of them de- 
ferred the Expedition. It was the beginning of July 
before he left the Coaft of England, and meeting with 
a Storm, was obliged to put into Cork, from whence 
‘he failed on the 19th of Augufi following. He pro- 
ceeded from thence to the Canaries, where, though in- 
fulted by the Spaniards, he committed no Hoftilities ; 
■but, on the contrary, behaved fo well that he obtained 
'a Certificate thereof from the Governour. After this 
his Ships grew very fickly ; and before he arrived atTr/- 
nidada, he had loft many of his Men, and was himfelf 
dangeroufiy ill. In this weak and low Condition they 
arrived at the North Cape of JVyapoco on the nth of 
November. 
The firft thing he did after his Arrival was, to endea- 
vour to find out Leonard the Indian, who had been in 
England three or four Years with him, but was removed 
fo tar up into the Country there w^as no procuring him j 
therefore he ftood away for Caliana on the Coaft of Gui- 
una, at ^ the firft Difcovery called Port-Howard, where 
the Cazique was alfo his Servant, and had lived with him 
in the Tower ot London two Years. There he arrived in 
a Day or two, having paffed the liland noted fof its 
Multitude of Birds and Silk-bearing Trees ; and froitl 
thence fent for his Servant, Harry the Indian^ who wdth 
other Caziques came and brought him great ftore of Gaft 
favi-Bread, and roafted Mullets, with Plantains, Pines, 
and Piftachio’s. But Raleigh ventured not to eat of 
the Pines, which tempted- him exceedingly, till after a 
Day or two’s airing on the Shore, in a Tent which was 
there pitched for him.- Then he alfo eat fome Armadillo 
and a little Pork, and begun to gather Strength. Here 
he alfo landed his fick Men, and recovered many •, and 
here he buried Captain Edward Hajiings, (the Lord 
Huntington’ s Brother) who died ten Days, or more, be- 
fore and with him his Serjeant-Major Hart, and 
Captain Henry Snedale, the Charge of whofe Ship Raleigh 
gave to his Servant Captain Robert Smith of Cornwall 
Here he alfo fet up his Barges and Shallops, which they 
brought from England in Quarters, cleanfed his Ship, 
trimmed up his Cafks and fupplied them with "Water, 
fixed up a Forge, and made fuch Iron Works as they 
wanted. Thus on that Shore and this River they em- 
ployed and refreffied themfelves for about three Weeks, 
during which time Raleigh was very much careffed by 
the Indians, of his old Acquaintance aforefaid, and other 
Natives of this Place, who furniffied him daily with the 
beft Provifions that the Country yielded, and offered 
him all kind of Obedience, even to the making him their 
Sovereign Prince and Ruler, if he would abide and fettle 
among them ; fo freffi continued his Memory, and fuch 
Impreffions of Homage and Refpedl had his former 
Behaviour ftill left upon them ; which offer, he menti- 
ons, with the greateft Modefty and Indifference, in the 
Difpatch he fent foon after this to England, 
On the 4th of December they left this River, and on 
the 5th came to the Triangle Blands, where Raleigh’s 
Ship ran on Shore ; and was, with Difficulty, got off. 
Here they held a Council to confider what they fhould 
do next, and as Sir Walter was extremely ill, and it was 
found impoffible to carry the larger Ships any higher, it 
was refolved that the five fmaller Veffels, with as many 
Companies of Foot, of fifty Men each, fiiould enter the 
River. According to this Determination the Fleet was 
divided *, that is to fay. Captain Whitney, in the Encoun- 
ter ; Woolafton, in the Confidence ; King-, in the Supply ; 
Smith, in a Prick, and Hall in a Caravel. The Compa- 
nies had for their Leaders Captain Charles Parker and 
Captain North (Brothers to the Lord Mounteagle and the 
Lord North) young Raleigh, Captain Thornhurji of Kent.g 
Captain Pennington’s Lieutenant, who feems to be ano- 
ther Hall, and Captain Chidley’s Lieutenant PrideauXa 
Sir Warham St. Legar, Raleigh’s Lieutenant, who had 
the Charge of thefe Companies, fell fick at Caliana, fo 
it was conferred on George Raleigh, Sir Walter’s Nephew^ 
who had ferved with great Commendation in the Low 
Countries ; and Captain Keymijh had the chief Charge for 
their landing within the River : But Keymijh having laid 
down the Plan of his intended Attempt upon the Mine, 
and undertaking to difcover it with fix or eight Perfons iu 
Sir John Feme’s Shallop Raleigh, upon Co'nfideration, 
difliked that Method of Proceedure, determined to alter 
it, and therefore gave him his Inftru6lions to go to the 
Mine, bring him a Sample, and avoid fighting the Spa- 
niards if poffible. 
With thefe Inftruflions thofe five Ships fet forward, 
parting from Raleigh and the reft of the Fleet at the 
Ifiands aforefaid, with a Month’s Provifion, on the loth 
of December. But when they found a new Spanijh Town, 
called St. Thomas, confifting of about one hundred and 
forty Houfes, though ffightly built, with a Chapel, a 
Convent of Francifcans, and a Garrifon, eredled on the 
main Channel of Oronoco, about twenty Miles diftant 
from the Place *, where Antonio Berreo, the Governor, 
taken by Raleigh in his firft Difcovery and Conqueft 
here, endeavoured to plant > Keymijlo and the reft, thought 
themfelves obliged, through fear of leaving the Enemy 
between them and the Boats, to deviate from their In- 
ftrudlions, which enjoined them firft to take a fmall Party 
to make trial of the Mine, under a Shelter of their own 
Camp i and then to deal with the Town as it ffiouid 
give caufe fo they concluded to land in one Body, and 
encamps 
