for Sierra Leone.' After hanging some time about the CHAP XII coast, partly by the sword and partly by other means,' they collected three hundred negroes, and crossed the Atlantic to St. Domingo. Uncertain at first how he might be received, or not caring to avow the purpose of his voyage, Hawkins pretended on his arrival that he had been driven out of his course by stress of weather, that he was in want of food, and was without money to pay his men; he therefore requested permission to sell 'certain slaves which he had with him.' The opportunity was eagerly welcomed; the Governor, supposing apparently that his orders from home need not be construed too stringently, allowed two-thirds of the negroes to be sold; the remaining hundred, as it was uncertain what duty should be demanded on an unlicensed sale, were left as a deposit with the oidores or council of the island. Neither Hawkins nor the Governor anticipated any serious displeasure on the part of Philip. Hawkins invested his profits in a return cargo of hides, half of which he sent in Spanish vessels to Cadiz under the care of his partner, and he returned with the rest to England, as he supposed, with prosperous success and much gain to himself.'

Prosperous in point of money the voyage undoubtedly was, although the profits proved less than he anticipated. He had brought away with him a testimonial of good behaviour from the authorities at St. Domingo, who would gladly have seen him return on the same errand. The Spanish Government viewed the affair differently. Philip the Second, to whatever crimes he might be driven by religious bigotry, was not inclined to tolerate free trade in negroes, however large the duty which he

1 First voyage of Mr. John Hawkins.-HAKLUYT, vol. iii. p. 594.

of Philip.

CHAP XII could exact upon them; and the intrusion of the English 1563 into his transatlantic dominions, his experience of them nearer home made him particularly anxious to prohibit. On Hampton's arrival at Cadiz his cargo was confiscated and sold, he himself narrowly escaping the clutches of Displeasure the Inquisition; the negroes left at St. Domingo were forfeited, and Hawkins saw snatched from him a full moiety of his hard-earned prize. He estimated his loss at forty thousand ducats; he cursed, threatened, and implored with equal unsuccess; fearless of man or devil he thought at first of going in person to Madrid and of taking Philip by the beard in his own den; but Chaloner, to whom he wrote, told him with some sarcasm that he would do well not to come thither;' 'it was an ill time for obtaining any suit further than the right or justice of the cause would bear;' he advised him to attempt to obtain a part of the thing to be demanded by procuring some favourite about the King to ask for the whole as a forfeit confiscate;' he might then perhaps recover some part of his loss by a private arrangement.2

Neither by this however nor by any other means could Hawkins obtain one penny for his lost hides and negroes; and the result of his demands was only the despatch of a peremptory order to the West Indies that no English vessel should be allowed under any pretence to trade there. Foreseeing that when the road had been once opened hundreds would rush into it, Philip said distinctly to the ambassador that if the English persisted in going thither evil would come of it; and so impressed was Chaloner with the feelings of the Spanish Government

1 Hugh Tipton to Chaloner, December, 1563.-Spanish MSS., Rolls House. 2 Chaloner to Hawkins, July 6, 1564.-Spanish MSS.

on the subject, that he entreated Elizabeth earnestly to CHAP XII make her subjects respect their objections.1

The warning, if Elizabeth had possessed either power or inclination to act upon it, was not unneeded. Traces appear of more than one attempt to follow in Hawkins's track before he himself moved again; and the African tribes being now on their guard, the slave hunters had been received with poisoned arrows, and had found a difficulty in escaping with their lives."

1564

the sanction

Voyage with

of Queen and Council.

But Hawkins knew better what he was about; he Second understood how to catch negroes; he understood how to sell them to Spaniards, whatever Philip might please to say; he would not repeat the single mistake into which he had fallen; and the profits seemed so certain and promised to be so large that Lord Pembroke and others of the Council were ready to take shares in a second adventure. Even the Queen herself had no objection to turn a little honest money; and contenting herself with requiring a promise from him that he would do no injury to the Spaniards, she left the rest to his discretion and placed at his disposal one of the best ships in her service. Cecil alone-ever honourable, ever loathing cruelty and unrighteousness-though pressed to join with the rest, refused, having no liking for such proceedings."3

Thus encouraged and supported, Hawkins sailed once

Our folks must be narrowly looked to, and specially that they enterprise no trade or voyage to the Indies or islands of this king's navigation; which if they do, as already they have intelligence of some that do propose it, surely it will breed occasion of much matter of pick.'— Chaloner to Elizabeth, June 18, 1564. -MS. Ibid.

2 See Robert Baker's Metrical IIistory of Two Voyages to Guinea in 1562 and 1563, printed by HAKLUYT.

3 El secretário Cecil me ha dicho que á el le ofreciéron quando partió Achines que le admitirian como á los demas; pero que el lo habia rehusado porque no le contentáron semejantes negocios.'-De Silva to Philip, November 5, 1565. MS. Simancas.

1564

CHAP XII more from Plymouth on the 18th of October 1564, in the 'Jesus, of Lubeck,' a ship of 700 tons, armed to the teeth, his old vessel the 'Solomon,' enlarged somewhat, perhaps with a more roomy hold, and two small sloops to run up the shallow creeks.

A rival expedition sailed at the same time and for the same purpose from the Thames, under David Carlet, to whom the Queen had also given a ship. Carlet had three vessels, the 'Minion,' Elizabeth's present, the 'John the Baptist,' and the Merlin.' The 'Merlin had bad luck; she had the powder on board for the nigger hunt; fire got into the magazine and she was blown in pieces. Carlet therefore for a time attached himself with his two remaining ships to Hawkins, and the six vessels ran south together. Passing Teneriffe on the 29th of November, they touched first at the Cape de Verde Isles, where the natives 'being very gentle and loving, and more civil than any others,' it was proposed to take in a store of them. Either however the two commanders could not agree, or Hawkins claimed the lion's share of the spoil; they quarrelled, and the 'Minion's' men being jealous, gave the islanders to understand what was intended, so that they did avoid the snares laid for them.'

After so unworthy a proceeding the west countryman shook off his companion, and leaving Carlet to go his own way went down the coast past the Rio Grande, storing his hold as he went along among the islands and rivers. On one occasion he was played a trick by some Portuguese which might have had bad consequences: they offered to guide him to a village where he would find a hundred unprotected women and children, and they betrayed him into ambuscade when his men, who were scattered in search of plunder, were set upon by two

hundred negroes.

Seven were killed and seven-and- CHAP XII twenty wounded, and in return for their loss they carried 1564 off but ten slaves. Thus,' reported one of the party, 'we returned back somewhat discomforted, although the captain in a singular wise carried himself with countenance very cheerful outwardly, although his heart was inwardly broken at the loss of his men.'

But this was the single interruption of otherwise unbroken success. Between purchases from the Portuguese and the spoils of his own right arm, Hawkins in a few weeks had swept up about four hundred slaves; his ships were inconveniently crowded, symptoms of fever began to show among the crew, and the shore was no longer safe, 'the natives having laid a plan to entrap and kill them.' 'God however, who worketh all things for the best, would not have it so, and by Him they escaped danger, His name be praised.' The captain decided that he had done enough, and headed away for the West Indies. He was troubled at first with calms; he feared that the water might run short, and that part of his cargo might die or have to be thrown overboard. 'Almighty God however, who never suffers his elect to perish," sent a breeze in time, and the Indian islands were reached without the loss of a man. A second venture at St. Domingo was thought dangerous; Hawkins had arranged with the Council before he sailed 'not to send any ship or ships to any of those ports of the Indies that were privileged to any person or persons by the King of Spain ;" and precautions had probably been taken to make any further trade at the scene of his first visit impossible. He con

2

1 Narrative of the Second Voyage of Mr. John Hawkins, by one of the party. Printed by HAKLUYT.

2 Council Register MS.