A Discourse of the Commoditie of the Taking of the Straight of Magellans
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| Date | 1580 |
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Entry
STRAIGHT OF MAGELLANS," c. 1580.1 [S.P.D. Eliz., Vol. CCXXIX, No. 97.]
The perill that may ensue to all princes of Europe of the King of Spain be suffered to enioye Portingalle with the East Indies is so great as not on sodden to be sett downe, but is a matter of greate and [grave] 2 consideration, and because the 1This interesting document must have been written in or soon after 1580, in which year Philip II. of Spain annexed Portugal, and evidently owed its conception to Drake's famous voyage through the Straits of Magellan and round the world in 1577-79. The " Notes of the Straights of Magellan and the Islands within it receaved from the Maryners " are plainly based on the reports brought back by sailors of the Elizabeth, possibly by Edward Cliffe, whose account should be compared with these Notes. (See Hakluyt, Principal Navigations, Vol. XI., pp. 158-62.) Philip II. tried to forestall some such action as is here advocated by himself sending adetachment of 400 men to garrison the Straits in 1582, the sole survivor of whom was picked up by the Desire in 1589. (See ibid. , Vol . XI. , pp. 382-83. ) There was also a revival of interest in the North-East Passage in 1580 (see below, No. 11, p. 232). 2 The edge of the MS. is badly blotted in several places ; illegible words havebeenconjecturally supplied, where possible, in square brackets. VOL. III , matter requireth present consideration without delaye, of manywayes 3 principall there be, [which without] great charge and without open warre may worke mervelous effectes in this case of mischeefe and of the soddaine d[eath of the Russian, which are these (for of ayde to be giuen to Portingall [?] nation I meane not to write) :
And before I disclose what the 3 be, it is not altogether [strange] to the matter that I tell you, that yf the East and West Indies [belong] to Spaine and Portingalle, that is from Com henceforthe he will nether desire to have anie moditie of England nor yet [send] any Commoditie of his owne into England, hauing so many Commodities and seuerall Territories to make enterchange of the seuerall Comodities. Viz .:
1. That the straight of Magellanns be taken and fortefied, inhabited and kept. 2. That the Isle of St. Vincent in Brasill and the soylie adioyninge be taken and kept.
3. That the Northeast straight be discouered with all speed and drawen to trade.
I shewe how the straight may be with smale charges manned, fortified and victuelled and kept against all the force of Spaine.
The straight of Magellane is the gate and entrie into the treasure of bothe the East and west Indies, and who soeuer is Lord of this straight may account him selfe Lord of the west Indies, soe it may be vsed.
The greatest Nauie in the worlde may moste safely and moste quietly lye and harbour in this straight in all wethers and in all seasons of the yere. All the tract of America on Mare del Sur is voyde of fortificacion and of ordinaunce, and of Nauie of force, whereof followeth.
This straight is found to haue greate plentie of wood on bothe sides.
It hathe freshe water in the Ilandes as our men found at their being there. If it had not freshe water we have a deuise of the sea water to make greate plentie. The soyles adioyninge to the straightes have stagges and victuell, as appeareth by the rawe fleshe offered by the Sauages at the straightes to our men. The straights also have whales. The Cape St. Vincent in Brassill is distant from the straight -leages. The Iland of St. Vincent is easely to be wonne with -men by meane it is nether manned nor fortified. And beinge wonne it is to be kept with a--. This Island and the mayne adioyninge dothe so abound with victuell that it is able to victuell infinite multitudes of people, as our people reporte that were there with Drake, who had there Oxen, hogges, hens, Citrones, Lymons, Orenges, etc.
Distant from the mouthe of the straight of Magellane 30 leages within the straight is the Island of St. Georges, which yeldeth fowle infinite able to victuell armies. These flie not and maye easely be taken and eaten freshe or kept salte. These Islandes will yelde plentie of graine if they be sowed. These yeldeth plentie of good fishe within the straightes as it is coniectured.
But it is certaine that for the space of 40 myle in the straight towarde the sowthe there is easely to be gathered at the lowe water marke greate and moste delicate muskels, able to victuell a wholle army as for euer. The seales there be xv or xvj foote longe, with which the people may be clothed, and the soyle will yeldhempe and flaxe for lynnen.
There is a notable ryuer without the mouthe of the straight full of diuers kindes of good fishe in which ryuer Magellane lay with his Nauy. The Rockes also have plenty of the fish called Lympites, as broade as halfe Orenges; of these and of the greate muskels did our men victuell .
There is in the straightes on both sides Tymber for to bwilde howses and shippes more then may be spent. To the straightes of Magellane may be sent Clerke the pyrott vppon promise of pardon, and to culler the matter he maye goo as of him selfe and not with the countenance of thenglishe state ;
or some suche men may be sent. He may have with him certaine caste peeces of Iron, for the defence of the fortificacion to be made at the narrowest place of the straight. And he may have also a man skilfull in fortificacion, with platformes to be caried hence framed fitt for that place.
The Capes or pointes on eche syde may be fortefied with15fortes * of ragg stone and of earthe for the tyme for possessing the passage of the straight, and for defence againste all attemptes against the sauage and all others by land, till other further order may be taken therein.
Nowe to him that shall obiect that it shall not be enoughe to keep the two pointes in the narrowe of the straight without the keeping of the entrie into the streight both at thone and at thother end of the straight, which are places one hundred and odde leag[es] a sunder; and to him that shall saye that it requireth [no smale] nauie nor no smale charge nor no smale venter to [him who] shall goe about suche an enterprice, etc., I aunsweare [that the] effect shalbe wrought with greate ease in this sorte.
For the Symerones, a people detesting the prowde gouernment of the Spaniardes, will easely be transported by Drake or others of our nation to the straightes, and there may be planted by hundreds or thowsandes, as many as we shall require, and these shall easely be induced to live subiect to the gentle gouernment of the English and to be planted there for the defence of the straightes. And planting over them a few good English Captens, and mainteyninge in the bayes of the straightes a good nauie, there is no doute but that we shall make subiect to England all the golden mynes of Peru, and all the Coste and tract of that firme of America vppon the sea of Sur yet not fortefied, and worke the like effect on the hither side of that firme. And for the spaniarde, both for his breedinge in a hote region [and] for his delicacie in dyett and lodginge, he shall not be able to endure in the coldnes of that Climate of the straight. But the Symeron, althoughe borne in a hote region, yet by meane he hathe been bredd as a slaue in alltoyle farre from delicacie, he shalbe able to endure the clymate and thinke him selfe a happy man, when as by good prouision he shall finde him selfe plentifully fedde, warmely clothed and well lodged, and by our nation made free from the tyrannous Spaniard and quietly and curteousely gouerned by our nation. To those Symerons we may adde condemned englishemen and women, in whom there may be found hope of amendment. And vsinge pollicie we might enioye those benefittes as the spaniardes nowe doe and of many yeres haue. But admitt that we could not enioye the samelonge, but that the Englishe there would aspire to gouernmentes of themselues, yet were it better that it should be soe, then that the spaniard should withe the treasure of that Cuntrie torment all the Cuntries of Europe with warres and practises, as he hathe and will doe if it be not foreseen in tyme. But we might keepe the Cuntrie as well as the spaniardes doo and vse traffick with them.
The Northeast Straighte. Touching the northeast straight, I say that whensoeuer the rule and gouernment of the East and Weast Indies and their seuerall Isles and territories shalbe in one Prince, then nether will receaue englishe clothe nor yet care for vent of any of their Commodities to vs, hauing then so many places of their owne to make vent and enterchange of their Commodities. For the west Indies is a sufficient vent of all their wynes, oyles and of all their wolle indraped. In which respect and for that it is like that Spaine may (cominge greater in Affrike) cut of our vent of Clothe there, and for that by the deathe or Tyrany of the Muscouite our vent of clothe in Russia and in Persia may be also cut of, good pollecy wolde and good foresight requirethe that the discouery of the Northeast be taken in hand, not onely for auoydinge the greate intollerable mischeefe of lacke of vent which mayhappe, but also to cut Spaine from the trade of the Spicery, to the abatinge of hir Nauie, hir wealthe and highe Creditte in the world. In which respecte a present Consulta- tion wolde be had, aswell for a choice of vj or viij or x personnes to be sent up alonge the Coaste eastwarde of St. Nicholas] to- warde the greate riuer of Ob, and to seuer and some to passe vp to Kitay Lake and so Southewarde, some others to discouer estward alonge the tract of the sea till they come to the Ciuill nations, and all these to appoint a certaine returne of an aduertisement backward at a tyme and place certaine. And also to appoint certen Barkes and pynesses with flatte botomes to be made in Russia or England to be [illegible] to be ioyned with our shipwrightes in Russia. And vppon consultation it may appeare that the aduantage of the yere may be taken by spedier and by sooner departure from St. Nicholas, vppon the departure of the Ise in the breaking vp of winter. Then those barkes and pynesses for discouery to be made in Russia, or, if to be made in England, for [the] said aduantage of the sooner to be wintered in St. Nicholas in Russia, or in some more easterly porte if it may [MS. torn], and findinge eastward of St. Nicholas a passage by sea and the land bendinge to the southe or some greate riuer portable by which we may passe Southwarde, then will rise possibilitie, not onely of ample vent of the clothe and other Commodities of Englande,but also [increase] in the trade of the spicerie, with the interchange [of] all the Commodities of the East and Weast partes of the world.
Notes of the Straightes of M[agellan] and the Islandes within it rece[aued] from the Maryners.
The 4 Islandes lye within the mowthe of the Straight and westwarde of the moste straightest of the straight 18 or 20 leagues.
The biggest Isle in Compasse is by gesse 5 or 6 myle and of good Blacke mowlde and of deep grasse, and lyeth subiect to the east sonne in the morninge pleasantly, and on bothe sides defended with the greate hils of bothe sides the straightes. This Island is of the land, and the clyffes seame a toughe reddishe and brownishe claye and lyeth higher then the sea, the hie water marke in some places xx fadome and in some lowe.
This biggest they termed the Elizabethe. On this Island be some fowle, but not in that plentie as in St. Georges Island. Thother 2 Islandes are in Compasse eache of them 2 or 3 myle, and St. Georges Island is infinite in fowle, and the soyle is blacke mowlde and lyes moste southerly. The thirde Isle is moste easterly, vppon which we weare not. This we called Bartholmewe. Vppon all these be Seales and fowle, and the people of the mayne come thither to victuell them selues, as appeard by the signes of fyre and of the bare rawe bones lefte behind them there.
There hangeth on the stipe rockes of the straight toward the southe sea or Mare del Sur muskels of meruelous bignes and moste delicate, in suche plentie as were able to victuell an army for euer ; for this tract of muskels runneth and contineweth by the sides of bayes and rockes at the coast xl myle, and at the lowe water marke may be gathered with greate ease. Lympetes bigger thanhalfe Oranges did cleaue to the rockes in greateplenty, of which our men did eate. We did not seeke for other fishe there, but no dout not [sic] there is. There is from these Islandes within xx myle wode infynite by bothe the sydes of the straightes, which we could not be depriued of. And there is in these woodes trees as bigge as our elmes, and hard and sound tymber, so as we might make ships and botes of the same and make howses, etc. These Islandes may serue for Corne, being of good earthe and standeth in the eleuation of 53degrees 20 mynutes. These Islandes haue smale springes of good freshe water. So that sowing there grayne and hauing clothes you have whatsoeuer the life of man requireth. And the seales skinnes wold clothe, yf there were no sheepe.
About the middest of the straightes the sauages offered peeces of fleshe rawe with the skinne on, which seemed to be of stagges, and also peeces of Seales somewhat broyled with fyer, of which may be gathered that the mayne of the sides of the straightes wanteth not the stagge nor some other victuell for the relief of suche as should there plant them[selves). Gotes and Conies, brought to those rockes or the sides of the straightes, wold increase mightely in fewe yeres. Without the mouthe of the straight xx myles to the northe there is a freshe ryuer, in which Magellane with his fleet made above two monthes. This riuer is full of good fishe as Magellane reported of sundry sortes. St. Vincent, where the Portingales areplanted, lye[s] under the tropicke of Capricorne and 28 degrees [and] a halfe from the mouthe of the straight of (Magellan). This might easily be wonne and possessed [MS. blotted] and from thence might be brought to the straight Oranges and Lymmons and all thinges [needful].
Thomas Griggs of Plymmouthe, Steweard [?] ofthe [Elizabeth]
in the voyage to the straightes was on land [MS. blotted] the straight there ; he lyeth with his brother [MS. blotted], dwelling in Fleetstreet or in Holborne. This [man tarried] amongest the Portingales diuers dayes and [MS. blotted] thinges, can [?] discypher all thinges there.
The Seales then found vppon a bare Island [vppon the] Coste of America were xv or xvj foote longe and were very tame and innumerable. The skinnes [MS. blotted] for clokes and garmentes were to great purpose about the straightes. The oyle of the Seale in the northeast region they vse todrinke and may be vsed to many purposes.
