Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
There landed while I was here four ships out of Spain, being all full
of soldiers and ordnance, of which number there were 200 men landed
here, and four great brass pieces of ordnance, although the castle were
before sufficiently provided; 200 men more were sent to Campechy, and
certain ordnance; 200 to Florida with ordnance; and 100 lastly to St.
John de Ullua. As for ordnance, there they have sufficient, and of the
very same which was ours which we had in the Jesus, and those others
which we had planted in the place, where the Viceroy betrayed Master
Hawkins, our general, as hath been declared. The sending of those
soldiers to every of those posts, and the strengthening of them, was
done by commandment from the King of Spain, who wrote also by them to
the general of his fleet, giving him in charge so to do, as also
directing him what course he should keep in his coming home into Spain,
charging him at any hand not to come nigh to the isles of Azores, but
to keep his course more to the northward, advertising him withal what
number and power of French ships of war and other Don Anthony had at
that time at the Tercera and isles aforesaid, which the general of the
fleet well considering, and what great store of riches he had to bring
home with him into Spain, did in all very dutifully observe and obey;
for in truth he had in his said fleet 37 sail of ships, and in every of
them there was as good as 30 pipes of silver, one with another, besides
great store of gold, cochineal, sugars, hides, and Cana Fistula, with
other apothecary drugs. This our general, who was called Don Pedro de
Guzman, did providently take order for, for their most strength and
defence, if needs should be, to the uttermost of his power, and
commanded upon pain of death that neither passenger or soldier should
come aboard without his sword and harquebuse, with shot and powder, to
the end that they might be the better able to encounter the fleet of
Don Anthony if they should hap to meet with them, or any of them. And
ever as the weather was fair, this said general would himself go aboard
from one ship to another to see that every man had his full provision
according to the commandment given.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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