The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Whereas you require my counsell after what order the voyage for Cola is to
be set forth, I answere that I know no better way then hath bene heretofore
vsed, which is after this maner. First of all we haue hired the ship by the
great, giuing so much for the wearing of the tackle and the hull of the
shippe, as the ship may be in bignesse: and if shee bee about the burden of
a hundred tunnes, we pay fourescore pound, and so after that rate: and
thereunto we doe vicual the ship our selues, and doe ship all our men our
selues, shipping no more men, nor giuing them more wages then we should doe
if they went of a merchants voyage, for it hath bene a great helpe to our
voiage hitherto, to haue our men to fish with one boate, & costing vs no
more charges then it should do, if our men should lie and doe nothing
sauing the charges of salt, & of lines, which is treble paid for againe.
For this last yere past our men killed with one boat betwixt 9. or 10.
thousand fish, which yeelded to vs in money with the oile that came of it,
about 15. or 16. score pounds, which is a great helpe to a voyage. And
besides all this, our ship did take in so much pile and other commodities
as we bestowed 100. whole clothes in. But because, as I doe suppose, it is
not the vse of London to take ships to fraight after that order before
prescribed, neither I think that the mariners wil take such paines as our
men will: Therefore my counsell is, if you thinke good, to freight some
ship of Hul or Newcastle, for I am sure that you may haue them there better
cheap to freight, then here at London. Besides al this, one may haue such
men as will take paines for their merchants. [Sidenote: Hull the best
market of England for sale of fish.] And furthermore when it shal please
God that the ship shal returne to come to discharge at Hull, which will be
the most for your profit for the sales of all such like commoditie as comes
from that place, as for fish, oyle, and Salmon chiefly, hee that will seeke
a better market for the sales then at Hull, he must seeke it out of
England, for the like is not in England. This is the best way that I can
deuise, and most for your profite, and if you will, I will also set you
downe all the commodities that are necessarie for such a voyage, and which
way also that the Hollanders may within two or three yeeres be forced to
leaue off the trade of Cola which may easily be done. For if my abilitie
were to my will, I would vse the matter so that they should either leaue
off the trade, or els cary light ships with them home againe.
* * * * *
A dedicatorie Epistle vnto the Queenes most excellent Maiestie, written by
Master William Burrough late Comptroller of Her Highnesse nauie, and
annexed vnto his exact and notable mappe of Russia, briefly containing
(amongst other matters) his great trauailes, obseruations, and
experiments both by sea and land, especially in those Northeastern parts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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