402 James L Naval Expeditions, &c. of the English, Book III.

1604.With the

the Loss of a great Number of theirMen, and of their Commander, Captain

ctfJ heir ]Javls > himself.

The Fate of the Japonefe I have justStrangeFate m en tioned was so extraordinary, thatoj Æjapone e j- Cannot f, ut think a short Account of itmay be acceptable to the Reader. Toavoid the Fury of the Engli/h Cannon,which had lo miserably shattered hisCompanions, and the Flames of theCabbin, which would soon have con-sumed him, he jump’d over Board ; But,being near drowned, was taken into theShip again, where he entreated the En-glijh to cut him in Pieces. They didnot think fit to grant him this Request ;However, instead of it, they orderedhim to be hanged, (I suppose at the

1604.

Leigh’s- Voyage to Guiana.

-In this Year also, Captain Charles ^ a d ris ’•* Col.Leigh undertook a Voyage to Guiana, Purchas?^'at his own, and his Brother, Sir O/ave Vol. IV. p,Leigh's Charge. He had only one Bark l 2 5 °-of about fifty Tun, called the Olive- LefgS rjPlant, and in his Company six and forty age to Guia-Men and Boys. They set out from na >Woolwich, the twenty-first of March,with a Design to make a more com-pleat Discovery of the Country of Gui-ana, and to fix an Englijh Colony there.

The two and twentieth of May, they He arrivescame into the River of Wiapoco, in the *J ere -> ani ^Latitude of three Degrees and thirty “ehfel ssYard’s End ;) But, the Rope breaking, Minutes, to the North of the Line, and the Inhabi-

the Town of Wiapoco, which lies on the tants -Coast of Guiana, was the Place wherethey intended to take up their Abode.

Here the Captain came to an Agree-ment with the Inhabitants, who receiv-

he fell into the Sea, swam away, and,as it was believed, reached the Shoar.

Thus, in the Space of a very fewHours, he escaped Death (alone amongtwo and twenty,) by the Enemy’s Shot,he escaped Fire and Water, he escaped ed him very kindly, that they shouldbeing cut to Pieces, at his own Desire, allow him a good Space of Ground andhe escaped Hanging, and probably some Houses for the present, in Consi-drowning, a second Time. deration of which he was to affist them

The thirtieth of the fame Month, against their inveterate Enemies the Ca-

Two Chinese

being at Anchor near a little Island,they got Intelligence of a Chinese Fleetbeing expected there; And this was justwhat they wanted. The second of Ja-nuary, 1606. they saw two Sail makingtowards them, which, as they after-wards found, were Part of .this Fleet.These they boarded, after a short Dis-

pute, and

brought

them to Anchor.

Ships taken, q-p^y found Silks, raw Silk, and about sent to England .

ribbees.

This, Agreement was made byMeansof two of the Natives, who had beenbefore in England, and could speaksome Englijh ; And for the better Se-curity of the Performance of it, on thePart of the Savages, they consented togive five of their Body, among whomwere two of Note, as Pledges, to be

An Agree-ment madewith them.

Their first Settlement was on Partof the Mountain that lies on the West-side of the Entrance of the River, towhich they gave the Name of MountHoward. The Captain (fays my Au- Hjs Me ,thor) might have lived here a very mutiny.fortunate Life, and one very useful tohis Country too, had he not had a mu-tinous and discontented Company, theBane of most of the like Undertakings.

The next Year after the Captain’s The Shippostponing their private Interest, not to Arrival, he sent ( a ) his Ship to Eng-™ turns t0bring any Disaster upon their Country- land, in the Month os June, for fresh anfgoes'men. They, therefore, directed their Supplies of such Things as he wanted, hack again.Course homewards, and arrived at Ports- retaining five and thirty of his Menmouth Road, the nineteenth ( Purchas and Boys with him, to settle the Colo-says, the ninth) of July . ny; And her Return let this Colony

upon

fifty Tun of China- Silver on BoardBut, as they hoped to load their Shipto better Advantage, out of the Shipswhich were still behind, they dischar-ged them, taking little or nothing outof them. Soon after, they received In-telligence by some Dutch Ships, thatthe Englijh Merchants at Bantam wereTheirDefign i n g rea t Danger, on Account of theircfhinesef taking the Chinese Ships, which putFleet laid them from their Design on the Fleet,aside-

They return.

1 ,

(a) The Reader may find in Purchas a Letterfrom Captain Leigh, to his Brother Sir ClaveLeigh , sent by this Ship, winch gives a more par-ticular Account of what had occurred to him till

that Time, and of what he desired to be lent himfor the Establishment of his Colony, than I haveRoom ior here.