|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 53
Drake was born in Tavistock, in England, about 1540, and died off
Porto Bello in 1596. Before making his visit to the Pacific coast
he had served under Sir John Hawkins, as commander of a small
vessel, which went out against the Spanish; had visited the West
Indies and commanded a freebooting expedition in which he captured
an immense treasure, afterward abandoned; had burned a Spanish
vessel at Cartagena, and captured several ships; had crossed the
Isthmus of Panama and become the first Englishman to see the
Pacific, and had served in Ireland under the Earl of Essex.
It was in December, 1577, that he started on the expedition during
which he visited the Pacific coast as here described. It was a
freebooting enterprise. Drake sailed through the Strait of
Magellan. After visiting California he crossed the Pacific, and,
reaching England by way of the Cape of Good Hope in 1580, Drake
became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Queen
Elizabeth on his return knighted him on board his own ship. His
after career was equally notable, including as it did an important
command under Lord Howard in the great sea fight of July, 1588, in
which the Armada of Spain was overthrown In the English Channel.
HUDSON'S DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON RIVER
(1609)
BY ROBERT JUET, HUDSON'S SECRETARY[1]
The first of September [1609], faire weather, the wind variable
betweene east and south; we steered away north northwest. At noone we
found our height to bee 39 degrees, 3 minutes. The second, in the
morning, close weather, the winde at south in the morning; from twelve
untill two of the clocke we steered north northwest, and had sounding
one and twentie fathoms: and in running one glasse we had but sixteene
fathoms, then seventeene, and so shoalder and shoalder untill it came
to twelve fathoms. We saw a great fire, but could not see the land;
then we came to ten fathoms, whereupon we brought our tackes aboord,
and stood to the eastward east south-east, foure glasses. Then the
sunne arose, and wee steered away north againe, and saw the land from
the west by north to the northwest by north, all like broken
islands,[2] and our soundings were eleven and ten fathoms. Then wee
looft in for the shoare, and faire by the shoare we had seven fathoms.
The course along the land we found to be northeast by north. From the
land which we had first sight of, untill we came to a great lake of
water, as wee could judge it to bee, being drowned land, which made it
to rise like islands, which was in length ten leagues. The mouth of
that land hath many shoalds, and the sea breaketh on them as it is
cast out of the mouth of it. And from that lake or bay the land lyeth
north by east, and wee had a great streame out of the bay; and from
thence our sounding was ten fathoms two leagues from the land. At five
of the clocke we anchored, being little winde, and rode in eight
fathoms water; the night was faire. This night I found the land to
hail the compasse 8 degrees. For to the northward off us we saw high
hils. For the day before we found not above 2 degrees of variation.
This is a very good land to fall with, and a pleasant land to see.
The third, the morning mystie, untill ten of the clocke; then it
cleered, and the wind came to the south south-east, so wee weighed and
stood to the northward. The land[3] is very pleasant and high, and
bold to fall withall. At three of the clock in the after-noone, wee
came to three great rivers. So we stood along to the northermost,
thinking to have gone into it, but we found it to have a very shoald
barre before it, for we had but ten foot water. Then we cast about to
the southward, and found two fathoms, three fathoms, and three and a
quarter, till we came to the souther side of them; then we had five
and sixe fathoms, and anchored.
The fourth, in the morning, as soone as the day was light, wee saw
that it was good riding farther up. So we sent out boate to sound, and
found that it was a very good harbour, and foure and five fathomes,
two cables length from the shoare. Then we weighed and went in with
our ship. Then our boate went on land[4] with our net to fish, and
caught ten great mullets, of a foote and a halfe long a peese, and a
ray as great as foure men could hale into the ship. So wee trimmed our
boate and rode still all day. At night the wind blew hard at the
north-west, and our anchor came home, and we drove on shoare, but took
no hurt, thanked bee God, for the ground is soft sand and oze. This
day the people of the countrey came aboord of us, seeming very glad of
our comming, and brought greene tobacco, and gave us of it for knives
and beads. They goe in deere skins loose, well dressed. They have
yellow copper. They desire cloathes, and are very civill. They have
great store of maize, or Indian wheate, whereof they make good bread.
The countrey is full of great and tall oake.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|