A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10: Arranged in systematic order: Forming a complete history of the origin and progress of navigation, discovery, and commerce, by sea and land, from the earliest ages to the present time.Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10: Arranged in systematic order: Forming a complete history of the origin and progress of navigation, discovery, and commerce, by sea and land, from the earliest ages to the present time.
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
As your favour heretofore hath been most greatly extended towards me, so
I humbly desire a continuance thereof; and though there be no means in
me to deserve the same, yet the uttermost of my services shall not be
wanting, whensoever it shall please your honour to dispose thereof. I am
humbly to desire your honour to make known unto her majesty the desire I
have had to do her majesty service in the performance of this voyage;
and, as it hath pleased God to give her the victory over part of her
enemies, so I trust, ere long, to see her overthrow them all. For the
places of their wealth, whereby they have maintained and made their
wars, are now perfectly discovered; and, if it please her majesty, with
a small power she may take and spoil them all.
It hath pleased the Almighty to suffer me to circumcompass all the whole
globe of the world, entering in at the Straits of Magellan, and
returning by the Cape of Buena Esperança. In which voyage I have either
discovered, or brought certain intelligence of, all the rich places of
the world that ever were known or discovered by any Christian. I
navigated along the coasts of Chili, Peru, and Nueva Espanna, where I
made great spoils. I burnt and sunk nineteen sail of ships, great and
small. All the villages and towns that ever I landed at, I burnt and
spoiled; and, had I not been discovered upon the coast, I had taken a
great quantity of treasure. The matter of most profit unto me was a
great ship of the king's, which I took at California, which ship came
from the Philippines, being one of the richest for merchandize that ever
passed these seas, as the royal register, accounts, and merchants did
shew; for it amounted in value to ***** in Mexico to be sold: which
goods, for that my ships were not able to contain the least part of
them, I was enforced to set on fire.
From the Cape of California, being the uppermost part of all New Spain,
I navigated to the Philippine islands, hard upon the coast of China, of
which country I have brought such intelligence as hath not been heard in
these parts; the stateliness and riches of which country I fear to make
report of; lest I should not be credited: for, if I had not known
sufficiently the incomparable wealth of that country, I should have been
as incredulous thereof as others will be that have not had the like
experience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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