Qiapo III. the R u s s I . 
that lafted long, and fuch Violence^ that her 
Crew were forced to give her up to the Mercy of the 
Winds, which in two Months Time brought her upon 
the Coaft of Ireland^ and into the Harbour of Dublin 5 
from whence flie fafely returned to Lisbon^ where, by 
Order of the King of Spain., all the Pilots Journals were 
taken from them and burnt, in order to prevent Stran- 
gers from becoming acquainted with fo Ihort a Cut into 
the South-Seas. I have not added or altered, magni- 
fied or dim|nifhed this Relation in the lead, but have 
reported it exaftly as I find it in my Author. 
It is indeed to be wifii’d, that we had a better Ac^ 
count of the Memoirs from which this Faft was taken, 
becaufe in them, perhaps, there might be other Cir- 
cumftances worth knowing, and which might be of 
Ufe to fix the Matter of Fatf beyond Difpute. In the 
mean time I muft obferve, that this has no Correfpon- 
dence whatever with the Relations heretofore publifhed 
of Perfons who have made that Paffage. The Portu- 
guefe Pilot Martin Chacke, who publifhed in 1573, an 
Account of his Return from the Eafi Indies, through 
the fame Paffage to Ireland, from whence he went to 
Lisbon, places his Voyage in the Year 1567, and there- 
fore it IS abfolutely impoffible that thele two Voyages 
Ihould be confounded, as at firfl; Sight might be ima- 
gined, from the Circumftance of their both putting into 
Ireland, and returning from thence to Lisbon •, on 
which, for the Reader’s Satisfaction, it may not be 
amifs to infill a little farther. 
In the firfl; Place, There is a very wide Difference 
in the Place from which the Ships failed, the former 
from the Eafi Indies, the latter from the JVefi ; the Size 
of the Ships alfo are very different ; the Portuguefe 
Veffel was of the Burthen only of 80 Tons ; the Aca- 
pulco Ship near ten times as big ; the Portuguefe Pilot 
failed in Company with four Ships of very large Burthen 
for Europe ; the Spanijh Ship failed alone for the Eafi- In- 
dies ; the Portuguefe^xd not put mio Dublin, but into a Port 
on the North'weft of Ireland, from whence he returned 
to Lisbon a Month or five Weeks before the other Ships 
in Company with which he failed from the EaU Indies : 
And befides the great Difference in Point of Time, 
which is no lefs than two and forty Years, it is very 
remarkable, that the Portuguefe Pilot returned home, 
and publifhed his Book under the Reign of Don Sebaf- 
tian. King of Portugal', whereas at the Time the Spa- 
fiijh Ship arrived at Lisbon, the Kingdom of Portugal 
was under the Power of the Crown of Spain ; of all 
which Circumflances the Reader may be convinced, by 
comparing this Relation with the Certificate relating 
to the Portuguefe Voyage, inferred in this Volume, 
Page 401. 
I muff further obferve, that if there be a North- weft 
Paffage, there is nothing incredible in the Voyage be- 
ing performed in fo fmall a Time j for from the JVel- 
come in Uudfon^%-P>2c^ to Ireland, is a Voyage only of 
three Weeks ; and if there be a Paffage, the like_Time 
might have fufficed for their coming through it from 
Acapulco. I might take Occafion to add to this, what 
is mentioned By that great Mathematician Mr. Henry 
Briggs, of a Spanijh Captain reported to have failed this 
Way to the Moluccas, in the Service of the Emperor 
Charles V. ; but, as I am perfuaded, that he only made 
fuch an Offer, and did not really attempt to perform it, 
I fiiall fay no more of it. Upon the whole, having 
Ihewn the Pofllbility, Probability, and Reality of fuch 
a Paffage, by Arguments as conclufive as the Nature 
of the Thing either require or will admit, I have No- 
thing more to add but my good Wifhes, that the Spirit 
lately raifed for Difcovery may not be allowed to fink, or 
the Light we have already obtained be left to extinguifh, 
before this Matter be profecuted to the utmoft Extent, 
and all the Places thoroughly fearched, where, with any 
Degree of Probability, fuch a Paffage may be look’d 
for. The Succefs of fuch an Undertaking would indeed 
contribute effeiftually to raife our Hopes, and efface our 
Apprehenfions, by opening not only a new, lliort and 
cafy, but a commodious, plealant, and wholfome Paf- 
fage to the Eafi Indies, which would at once contribute 
to encourage and promote our Induftry at Home, and 
. N Difcoveries. 1041 
extend our Commerce abroad, as well as increafe buf 
Shipping, and i.mprove our Navigation. 
Befides all this, we have great Reafon to hope, that 
fo fortunate an Enterprize would recover us out of that 
State of Supinefs and Luxury into which we are fallen, 
and inlpire us with a noble Defire of tranfmitting Wealth 
and Reputation to our Pofterity, rather than live as we 
do at prefent upon the Riches derived to us from our 
Anceftors, and the Credit that their known Succefs in 
Trade has given us with all our Neighbours. Thefe 
are Confiderations truly important, luch as ought to 
make Imprefiion on the Minds of all who have the Inte- 
rell of their Country at Heart, who wifh to fee her thrive 
beyond, and yet not at the Expence of other European 
Nations. Thefe are Confiderations that relate alike to 
all Ranks and Degrees of People, becaufe all Ranks and 
Degrees will receive Benefit from it, if properly weighed, 
carefully attended to, and pufh’d with Spirit and Succefs, 
thefe Confiderations would lead to the only effedlual Me- 
thods of repairing paft Miftakes, and opening a wide 
Profpedt to future Advantages, the Confequences of them 
would fpeedily enable us to difcharge our Debts, and 
thereby afford the Means of taking off our Taxes 5 they 
would alfo extinguifh Party Animofities, diffipate Fac- 
tion, and by opening fuitable Employment to every dif- 
ferent Genius, afford a proper Scene of Adion to all, 
without giving Difturbance to any. 
It may be therefore juftly prefumed, that thofe whofe 
peculiar Intereft it is tiiat their Countrymen may be made 
rich and happy by their Wildom and Care, and tranfmit 
the Memory of their glorious Adminiftration to latcft 
Times, will have a juft Regard to whatever hath a Ten- 
dency to promote fuch a Difpofition as this, which 
is always neceffary, and v/hich, however, may be 
faid to be more efpecially necefftry at this Juadure, 
when we receive repeated Accounts of the Pains, every 
where taken, to point out the Benefits of Difcovery, to 
magnify the Advantages of Commerce, and to kindle a 
Spirit of Induftry amongft thofe who have been remark- 
able for the Want of it through a long Senes of Ages* 
How poffible it is to enlighten even the cloudieft Heads, 
how pradicable to warm even the coldeft Mind ; and 
how foon fuch an heroick Flame gathers Force and 
Strength enough to carry all before it, the former Part 
of this Sedion has fully demonftrated. Neither would it 
be near fo hard a Task to fhew howeafily Commerce may 
decline, hovy certainly Virtue may wear out, and how 
fpeedily Frugality and Induftry may decay, if not warm’d 
and cherifh’d by proper Attention and due Encourage- 
ment, which are full as requifite to prefervethem as Food 
to Animals, Fuel to Fire, or Exercife to Health. 
Thus after a long but not unpleafant Excurfion, I return 
again to my Subjed, and having largely Ihewn when 
and how the firfl: Notions of Difcovery rofe, and how 
they have been conduded in Mufeovy, by what Hopes 
they have been promoted, how far they have been car- 
ried, what they have really brought to Light, what lies 
within, and what without their Reach, why they have 
been fo much retarded, whence, at other times they have 
been advanced, what Improvements are pradicable, and 
what Schemes of Extention are at Bottom but Chimeras ^ 
where the Affiftance of their Government may be applied 
with Effed, and where all the Force that could be exert- 
ed would fail, what other Nations have to apprehend 
from this new Turn of their Temper, how probable it is 
that we are not amongft the Number ; and that on the 
contrary, we might fiiare in whatever Profits they ob- 
tain j I have, laft of all, fet before the Reader, the only 
Means of anticipating their Views, by bringino- the 
Riches of both the Indies, by a Ihorter Route to all the 
Markets in Europe, than they can pretend to do, even if 
all their Efforts, Ihould be crowned with all the Succefs 
they can wifli j yet be it far from me to mingle with 
thefe Refledions any Spirit of Peeviflmefs, Prejudice or - 
Partiality they have a Right, no doubt, to all the Aq- 
quifitions they can make, but then we have the fame. 
I repine not at their Power, their Projeds, or their 
Progrefs •, all I aim at, is to make a right Ufe of their 
Example, in order to hinder my Countrymen from 
changing Place with the Ruffians, 
CON- 
