10 Drake’s Circumnavigation (1580)
Sir Francis Drake (1540-96) was a second cousin and protégé of Sir John Hawkins. He attacked the ships of Spain as a privateer and was vice admiral and second in command of the Royal Navy when it defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. He is best known as being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe in an expedition that began in 1577 and ended in 1580. Drake’s fleet was the first English expedition to sail through the Straits of Magellan and enter the Pacific Ocean, which until this time was considered an exclusively Spanish possession under the Treaty of Tordesillas. Drake landed on the California coast and claimed the entire region, which he named New Albion, for England. Queen Elizabeth I knighted him in 1581 and he was elected mayor of Plymouth. King Philip II of Spain offered a 20,000 ducat reward for his head (about $8.8 million in today’s money), but he died of dysentery in 1596 after attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The 17th day of January [1578] we arrived at Cape Blanco where we found a ship riding at anchor within the Cape and but two simple Mariners in her. Which ship we took and carried her further into the harbor where we remained 4 days. And in that space our General mustered and trained his men on land in warlike manner, to make them fit for all occasions. Being departed from these islands, we drew towards the line where we were becalmed the space of 3 weeks but yet subject to divers great storms, terrible lightnings, and much thunder. From the first day of our departure from the Islands of Cape Verde, we sailed 54 days without sight of land and the first land that we fell with was the coast of Brasil, which we saw the fifth of April in the height of 33 degrees towards the pole Antarctic.
From hence we went our course to 36 degrees and entered the great river of Plate [Río de la Plata, Argentina] and ran into 54 and 53 fathoms and a half of fresh water where we filled our water by the ship’s side. But our General finding here no good harborage as he thought he should, bare out again to sea the 27th of April. The twentieth of June we harbored ourselves again in a very good harborage, called by Magellan Port St. Julian, where we found a gibbet standing upon the main which we supposed to be the place where Magellan did execution upon some of his disobedient and rebellious company. The 17th day of August we departed the port of St. Julian and the 20th day we fell with the Strait of Magellan going into the South sea [Pacific Ocean]. The 21st day we entered the strait, which we found to have many turnings by means whereof we had the wind often against us, so that some of the fleet recovering a cape or point of land, others should be forced to turn back again and to come to an anchor where they could.
The 6th day of September we entered the South Sea at the cape or head shore. Our General seeing this, stayed here no longer but weighed anchor and set sail towards the coast of Chili [Chile]. And drawing towards it, we met near to the shore an Indian in a canoe who thinking us to have been Spaniards, came to us and told us that at a place called Santiago there was a great Spanish ship laden from the kingdom of Peru. For which good news our General gave him divers trifles, whereof he was glad and went along with us and brought us to the place which is called the port of Valparaiso. They of the town being not above 9 households, presently fled away and abandoned the town. Our General rifled it. When we were at sea, our General rifled the [captured Spanish] ship and found in her good store of the wine of Chili and 25,000 pesos of very pure and fine gold of Valdivia, amounting in value to 37,000 ducats of Spanish money and above. So going on our course, we arrived next at a place called Coquimbo where our General sent 14 of his men on land to fetch water. But they were espied by the Spaniards, who came with 300 horsemen and 200 footmen and slew one of our men with a piece [firearm]. From hence we went to a certain port called Tarapaca, where being landed we found by the seaside a Spaniard lying asleep who had lying by him 13 bars of silver which weighed 4,000 ducats Spanish. We took the silver and left the man. Not far from hence going on land for fresh water, we met with a Spaniard and an Indian boy drilling 8 llamas or sheep of Peru which are as big as asses. Every of which sheep had on his back 2 bags of leather, each bag containing 50 lb. weight of fine silver. So that bringing both the sheep and their burden to the ships, we found in all the bags 800 weight of silver.
Here hence we sailed to a place called Arica and being entered the port we found there three small barks which we rifled and found in one of them 57 wedges of silver, each of them weighing about 20 pound weight. To Lima we came the 13th day of February and being entered the haven, we found there about twelve sail of ships lying fast, moored at an anchor, having all their sails carried on shore. For the masters and merchants were here most secure, having never been assaulted by enemies and at this time feared the approach of none such as we were. Our General rifled these ships and found in one of them a chest full of royals of plate [silver coins called Rials, or pieces of eight] and good store of silks and linen cloth. In which ship he had news of another ship called the Cacafuego which was gone towards Paita, and that the same ship was laden with treasure. Whereupon we stayed no longer here, but cutting all the cables of the ships in the haven, with all speed we followed the Cacafuego toward Paita.
When our General had done what he would with this Cacafuego, he cast her off and we went on our course still towards the West, and not long after met with a ship laden with linen cloth and fine China-dishes of white earth [porcelain] and great store of China-silks, of all which things we took. And while we were here, we espied a ship and set sail after her and took her and found in her two pilots and a Spanish Governor, going for the islands of the Philippines. We searched the ship and took some of her merchandizes, and so let her go. Our General at this place and time, thinking himself both in respect of his private injuries received from the Spaniards as also of their contempts and indignities offered to our country and Prince in general, sufficiently satisfied and revenged and supposing that her Majesty at his return would rest contented with his service, proposed to continue no longer upon the Spanish coasts, but began to consider and to consult of the best way for his Country.
He thought it not good to return by the Straits for two special causes. The one, lest the Spaniards should there wait and attend for him in great number and strength. The other cause was the dangerous situation of the mouth of the straits in the South Sea, where continual storms raining and blustering as he found by experience. He resolved therefore to avoid these hazards, to go forward to the islands of the Malucos and there hence to sail the course of the Portugals by the Cape of Buena Esperanza [Good Hope, South Africa].
Upon this resolution, he began to think of his best way to the Malucos and finding himself where he now was becalmed, he saw that of necessity he must be forced to take a Spanish course, namely to sail somewhat Northerly to get a wind. We therefore set sail and sailed 600 leagues at the least for a good wind. The 5th day of June, being in 43 degrees towards the pole Arctic, we found the air so cold that our men being grievously pinched with the same, complained of the extremity thereof. And the further we went, the more the cold increased upon us. Whereupon it pleased God to send us into a fair and good bay with a good wind to enter the same [California, probably San Francisco Bay]. Our General called this country Nova Albion.
We arrived in England the third of November 1580, being the third year of our departure.
Source: “The Famous Voyage of Sir Francis Drake about the Whole Globe (1577-1580)” by Francis Pretty (1589) (Pretty was a Suffolk gentleman, one of Drake’s company.) Richard Hakluyt, Principall Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation III (London, 1599-1600), 730-742. Alfred Bushnell Hart, American History Told by Contemporaries, 1897, 81-8. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.45493/page/n101/mode/2up
