The principal nauigations, voyages, traffiques and discoueries of the English nation. [vols. 1-3] made by sea or ouer-land, to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres: deuided into three seuerall volumes, according to the positions of the regions, whereunto they were directed. The first volume containeth the worthy discoueries, &c. of the English ... The second volume comprehendeth the principall nauigations ... to the south and south-east parts of the world ... By Richard Hakluyt preacher, and sometime student of Christ-Church in Oxford.

A briefe relation of a voyage of The Delight a ship of Bristoll one of the consorts of M. Iohn Chidley esquire and M. Paul Wheele, made vnto the Straight of Magellan: with diuers accidents that happened vnto the company, during their 6. weekes abode there: Begun in the yeere 1589. Written by W. Magoths.

THe fift of August 1589. the worshipfull M. Iohn Chidley of Chidley in the countie of Deuon esquire, with M. Paul Wheele and Captaine Andrew Me∣ricke set forth from Plimmouth with three tall ships, and one called The wilde man of three hundred tunnes, wherein went for General the aforesaid M. Iohn Chidley and Beniamin Wood as Master, the other called The white Lion, whereof M. Paul Wheele was captaine and Iohn Ellis Master, of the burthen of 340. tunnes: the third The delight of Bristol, wherein went M. Andrew Merick as Captaine, and Robert Burnet Master, with two pinnesses of 14. or 15. tunnes a piece. The Generall in his ship had 180. persons: M. Paul Wheele had 140, in our owne ship we were 91. men and boyes. Our voyage was intended by The Streight of Magellan for The South Sea, and chiefly for the fa∣mous prouince of Arauco on the coast of Chili.* 1.1 We kept company together to the yles of the Ca∣naries and so forward to Cape Blanco standing neere the Northerly latitude of 20. degrees on the coast of Barbarie,* 1.2 where some of our people went on shoare finding nothing to their content. Within 12. dayes after our departure from this place The Delight,* 1.3 wherein I William Ma∣goths was, lost the company of the other two great ships, and the two small pinnesses. Howbeit we constantly kept our course according to our directions along the coast of Brasil, and by the Riuer of Plate, without touching any where on land vntill we came to Port desire in the latitude of 48. degrees to the Southward of the Equinoctial.* 1.4 Before we arriued at this place there died of our company by Gods visitation of sundry diseases 16. persons. Wee stayed in this harborough 17. dayes to graue our ship & refresh our wearied people, hoping here to haue met with our consorts: which fell out contrary to our expectations. During our abode in this place we found two little springs of fresh water,* 1.5 which were vpon the Northwesterly part of the land, & lighted vpon good store of seales both old and yong. From hence we sailed toward the Streight of Magelan,* 1.6 and en∣tred the same about the first of Ianuary. And comming to Penguin yland within the Streight we tooke and salted certaine hogsheads of Penguins, which must be eaten with speed: for wee found them to be of no long continuance; we also furnished our selues with fresh water. And here at the last sending off our boat to the yland for the rest of our prouision, wee lost her and 15. men in her by force of foule weather;* 1.7 but what became of them we could not tel. Here also in this storme we lost two anckers. From hence we passed farther into the Streight, and by Por•• famine we spake with a Spaniard,* 1.8 who told vs that he had liued in those parts 6. yeeres, and that he was one of the 400. men that were sent thither by the king of Spaine in the yere 1582. to fortifie and inhabit there, to hinder the passage of all strangers that way into the South sea. But that and the other Spanish colonie being both destroyed by famine, he said he had liued in an house by himselfe a long time, and relieued himselfe with his ••al•• euer vntil our comming thither. Here we made a boat of the bords of our chests; which being finished wee sent 7. armed men in the same on land on the North shore, being wafted on land by the Sauages with certaine white skinnes;* 1.9 who as soone as they came on shore were presently killed by an 100. of the wilde people in the sight of 2. of our men, which rowed them on shoare, which two onely escaped backe againe to vs with the boa••. After this traiterous slaughter of our men, we fell backe againe with our ship to the Northeastward of Port famine to a certaine road, where we refreshed our selues with muskles, and tooke in water & wood. At this time wee tooke in the Spaniard aforesaid, and so sailed forward againe into the Streight. Wee passed 7. or 8. times 10. leagues Westward beyond Cape Froward,* 1.10 being still encountered with mightie Northwest winds. These winds and the current were so vehement against vs, that they forced vs backe asmuch in two houres, as we were getting vp in 8. houres. Thus after wee had spent 6. weekes in the Streight striuing against the furie of the elements, and hauing at sundry times partly by casualtie, and partly by sicknes lost 38. of our bestmen, and 3. anckers, and nowe hauing but one ancker left vs, and small store of victuals, and, which was not the least mischiefe,

diuers of our company raising dangerous mutinies: we consulted, though some what with the la∣test, for the safegard of our liues to returne while there was some small hope remayning: and so set saile out of The Streight homeward about the 14. of Februarie 1590. We returned backe againe by The riuer of Plate;* 1.11 and sailing neere the cost of Brasill we met with a Portugal ship of 80. tunnes, which rode at an ancker vpon the coast, who as soone as she descried vs to chase her, in∣continently weyed, & ran her selfe on ground betwene the yland of S. Sebastian and the maine land.* 1.12 But we for want of a good boat, and by reason of the foule weather, were neither able to bord her, nor to goe on shore. Thence in extreme misery we shaped our course for the yles of Cape Verde, and so passing to the yles of The Açores, the Canaries being something out of our course; the first land that wee mette withall in our Narrow sea was The yle of Alderney. And hauing now but sixe men of all our company left aliue, the Master and his two mates and chiefe Mariners be∣ing dead, wee ran in with Monuille de Hage eight miles to the West of Cherbourg in Norman∣die.* 1.13 Where the next day after our comming to an ancker, hauing but one in all left, being the last of August 1590. by the foule weather that rose the ancker came home, and our ship draue on the rocks: And the Norma••s which were commanded by the gouernour of Cherbourg (who came downe to vs that night) to haue layd out another ancker for her, neglecting his commandement, suffered her miserably to be splitted, with desire to e••rich themselues by her wracke.* 1.14 Within few dayes after this last mischance foure of vs being Englishmen departed from Cherbourgh, and passed home for England in a barke of Weymouth, leauing the two strangers there behinde vs.

The names of vs sixe that returned of all our company were these.

• 1 William Magoths of Bristol.
• ...2 Richard Bush.
• ...3 Iohn Reade.
• 4 Richard Hodgkins of Westburie neere Bristol.

The two strangers.

• ...5 Gabriel Valerosa a Portugal.
• ...6 Peter, a Briton.

Notes

• * 1.1

  M. Chidleys voyage inten∣ded partly for Arauco in Chili.
• * 1.2

  Cape Blanco.
• * 1.3

  The Delight looseth the company of the rest of the Fleet.
• * 1.4

  Port desire.
• * 1.5

  Two springs of fresh water found at Port desire.
• * 1.6

  They enter me to the Streight of Magelan.
• * 1.7

  They loose 15. of their men by tempest.
• * 1.8

  A Spaniard taken at Port famine.
• * 1.9

  Seuen of our men killed by the treason of the Sauages on the North shore.
• * 1.10

  They passed 7 or 8 times ten leagues Westward of Cape Froward.
• * 1.11

  They returne homeward.
• * 1.12

  The yle of S. Sebastian in 24 degr. of south∣erly latitude on the coast of Brasil.
• * 1.13

  They land at Monuille de Hage 8. miles West of Che••∣bourg.
• * 1.14

  The wracke of the ship 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the malice of the Normans. The•• arriue in Bogland.