Page images
PDF
EPUB

The 26th wee were under Cape One; there is good riding in the bay, and a small rocky island of the cape, which may bee sailed about on either side. The 27th wee were of Cape Falcon, and that day ly in sight of Busema castle. Behind the westwardmost point of the bay there is a high round hill, with a watch tower on it, that stands over the castle. The towne is a league up the bay; the whole country about forty miles round are subject to this towne, so that it is verry plentifully stor❜d with all manner of provisions, and a great quantity of corn shipt from hence yearly. We stood in nearer, and sent our ketch in. The 28th the ketch came of again, with a letter from the gouernour, and a small present; there came two small gallies out with her, bound for Spain; they saluted the admirall, and stood on their course. Wee understood no Hollanders to bee in the bay; some small French settees, one Englishman, the rest Spaniards. The 29th wee stood ouer for the coast of Spain. The 30th, about euening, wee were of Cartagena; that night wee lay by. The 31st we were of Cape Palos.

corn.

February 1st, wee came in sight of Alicant in the morning, hauing notice by a small Englishman that came from thence of five saile of Hollenders riding in the roade, loden with Wee went in with an easy sayl, purposing to set on them, but they had hald verry neare the town, and in verry shoald water. Wee came to an anchor within less then a mile of the towne, which is pretty large, and hath a verry strong castle built on the top of the high steep hill. The gouernour was so ciuill as to let us haue diuers things brought us to the mould hed, though he could giue us no product in the towne. The Spanish army, that had been rowted by the Portugese, was about eight leagues of. An English souldier, coming from thence, came aboard of us. The 2d and 3d wee rid here, hauing put the Dutch ships in sufficient fear, least wee should veare aboard them. The fourth, about two in the morning, wee wayhed, and stood of to sea. That day had a storm so violent that a Prouinçal prise wee had taken was like to haue founderd. The fift wee stood in again to Cape

6 Perhaps alluding to their defeat by the Portuguese, under the command of the Marquis of Marialva, at the battle of Montes Claros, on the 7th of June, 1665.

Palos. The 6th wee were of Cartagena. The 7th wee stood along the coast with an easy saile. The 8th wee sald in close with Table Round Bay; there is a tower on the eastermost point, and a castle in the bay, which is all sandy, and a good watering place. About three in the afternoon wee were close under the Round Table, a hill to the westward of the bay, that showes it selfe like a table. This night wee got about Cape de Gallo, and the 9th, in the morning, wee opened Almeria Bay, a large sandy bay, the pleasantest I euer saw. In the bottom of the bay layes the towne and castle of Almeria, and to the westward of it Roguetta. Wee stood in to the bay till noon, and then came out again. All this day wee sayled by a low sandy shore, but the land mountainous inward; that night wee past Modrill, Malaga, and Veles, hauing sent our ketch into Malaga. The 10th, in the morning, wee had sight of Gibralter hill, and stood ouer for the Barbary coast. About noon wee were of Ceuta Point, and sailed fair in with the shore; saw Ceuta in the bottom of the bay; it stands very low: there is a large place walld about on the hill, to the eastward of the bay, and another, but much les, to the westward, diuers watch towers to the land ward. Wee sayld by Apes Hill, a vast high rock, hauing nothing growing on it, but full of great clefts; there are two towers at the bottom of it. Something to the eastward wee saw Alcaser, and an old castle, on a hill; in the bay is another castle by the sea side. About five o'clock wee came by Tangier. All this afternoon wee had the greatest fret of wind I ever was in, at east: I judge the wind beeing forst between these two high lands to bee the cause of it. That night wee lay by, between Cape Sprat and Trafalgar. The 11th wee anchored of Rota, hauing driuen a French man of war from his anchor there, into more security nearer the towne of Cales. The 12th wee had order, with fower sail more, to cruse between Cales and the straits: wee waighed about four in the morning, and lay of St. Peters Island. About ten wee spied six small sails comeing about Cape Trafalgar. It proued our ketch, in return from Malaga, chasing five sail of settees; four of them hee brought by the lee, the fift was too swift of sail, and getting close under the shore had scapt him; wee man'd out two pinnaces, and forst

him a shore near St. Peters Island, and, at the flood, brought him of verry leaky. She was a French settee, called Nostredame de Carme, belonging to Martegues, in Prouence, now come from Oran, loden with corn for Cales; the master of her, Jaques Antoine, was brought aboard wounded, and died a day or two after. Wee had one man wounded in the dispute. Wee sent in the other fower settees, whereof one allso prou'd prise. The 13th, in the morning, wee sent in our settee, not being able to keep her longer aboue water. The 14th, wee chasd a bark with our boats; shee was loaden with corn for Cales; the Spaniards had left her, fearing us to bee Turks, but it was sent in and deliuerd them again. The 15th, went into Cales to Sir Jeremy; where wee had certain news of the Lion, Antelope, and Crown's arriuall in England, sore shattered, but no news of the Mitford. The 16th wee came out of Cales road betimes in the morning; that night were thwart of the straits mouth, it blowing extreamly hard out of the gut; an Englishman and our Prouincall prise lost company. The 17th, in the morning, being shot under the Barbary shore, wee had little wind, some shippes not halfe a mile a stern of us hauing as much as they could carry their topsails with. Wee chasd a ship in the after noon, shee was an Englishman come from Cales; this night wee had a great storme. About 7 in the morning Cape Sprat bore east and by south of us, about 7 or 8 leagues of; wee had lost company of our admirall, and could see but 8 sail of our whole fleet. Two verry large sharks and a grampus came verry near our ship, and some time after a large drift tree with the bows and leaues on it. About 9 or 10 we spied our admirall a hed, and that afternoon were all together again. The 19th being calme wee lay by most part of the day of the white cliffs betwen Arsilla and Larache. The 20th wee chasd an English shipp; shee was bound for Genoa, and told us of severall frigats ready to sail that were comeing to us from England. The 21st wee stood in within three leagues of Larache, which is a town of the Spaniards, standing with a great castle on the side of the south point of the bay, which hath allso a riuer running into it, though but shole; opposite to it on the north point of the bay are some buildings, or

rather ruins; on the top of the point there lyes a sand before the riuer's mouth, and is a place of little trading. They fired many gunns from the towne and castle whilst wee were before it; wee heard afterwards they were then hard beseeg'd by the Mores. This night wee tackt and stood to the norward. The 22d wee were of Cape Sprat, that night lay by. The 23d wee ly of the Barbary coast; being change day, riding under Cape Sprat NE, wee found the tide that came from the westward, 8 of the clock, and the estern tide to run until 2 o'clock, being calme; thus wee found the tide to shape its cours. Observed, that under Cape Sprat, riding in 20 fathom water, wee found that at 3 o'clock the currant came so strong toward the east that wee thwarted wholly up to the east; wee had good ground but coarse, the Cape NE and by N, about 4 leagues of. The 24th wee anchord in the bay to the southward of the Cape, a fine sandy bay, in the bottome of it a pleasant vally, all sowne with corn, the hills covered with woods, the bay full of diuers sorts of fishes, especially of porgues, of which wee took diuers, and some small nurses, the 25th, 26th, and 27th, being most spent in this exercise. The 28th wee waighed and came into Tangier Bay, where hauing got some water from the shore, the wind comeing easterly again, the 1st of March we waighd and stood to the westward. The 2nd the ketch went again to Tangier. The 3rd wee were betwen the Cape and Cape Trafalagar, somthing of to sea. The 4th wee came again into Tangier Bay; that night I went a shore and lay in the castle. The 5th, hauing walk't about the lines, seen the new towne at the coue, tooke some obseruation of the ruind stairs, and the mould, wee came abourd and that night waighed. The 6th wee were again under Cape Sprat, it blew hard at east. The 7th wee were of Arzyla, and stood in within fower leagues of it, not so near as to make any great obseruacions of it; it is under the command of Guyland, and one of his cheef seats, from whence, in the yeare......9 the Earle of Sandwich

7 The Porgee, or Porgy; Sparus Chrysops, Lin.

8

8 Some species of shark, or dog-fish; very probably Sq. Canicula, or Catulus. 9" August 20th, 1662. To my Lord Sandwich, whom I found in bed. Among other talk, he do tell me that he hath put me into commission with a great many persons in the business of Tangier, which is a very great honour to me, &c. I per

treated with him; tis said to bee pretty strong, though not verry large; all I could obserue of it is, that tis a square towne, standing on a small rising close by the sea side, with many turrets in it. The 8th wee past, with little worth obseruance, under the Barbary shore. The 9th wee stood ouer to the Spanish coast, and, hauing little wind, wee lay most of the day of Trafalagar and Conill, examining a small fleet which came from Cales, who were most of them Genoese. About eleven at night wee were alarmd with a fleet of eight sail of ships a hed; the admirall made his false fire, and wee were in a fighting posture presently, the wind comeing about wee were not able to reach them, and in great doubt what they were; they had made us sooner, and sent theyr boats aboard of us about six in the morning; they proued the Lion and Swallow, with six marchantmen and victuallers bound for Tangier. They stood on their course, and wee in with the shore, hauing with us a prise which the Lion tooke, coming from Lisbone, laden with sugar and tobacco. That afternoon came to an anchor in the Bay of Bulls, of Rota. The 11th wee waighed again, and came to an anchor in Cales roade.

Mr. Thomas Browne to his Father.

DEAR FATHER,

[MS. SLOAN. 1745.]

From aboard the Marie Rose, at the Buoy of the Middle Grounds, July 16, 1666.

If it were possible to get an opportunitie to send so often as I am desirous to write, you should heare more often from me, especially being now so neare the grand action, from which I would by no meanes bee absent; because it is gene

ceive there is yet good hopes of peace with Guyland, which is of great concernment to Tangier."-Pepys's Diary, &c. vol. i, p. 160.

"August 21st, 1663. Lord Teviott has received another attack from Guyland at Tangier, with ten thousand men; and at last, it is said, is come, after a personal treaty with him, to a good understanding and peace with him."-Pepys, vol. i, p. 247.

« PreviousContinue »