4^0

j161'

Intrepid

Resolution.

Difficultiesof coming atthe Mine.

Keymisgives overthe Enter-prise.

Part of aLetter fromKeymis toSir Walter.

James I. Naval Expeditions., Scc, oj the English, Book II

seem but of little Defence, against sostrong a Power as the King of Spain’sGallions; Yet they would have giventhem their Hands full; For they wereall resolved to have burnt; and died bytheir Sides, rather than to have sub-mitted : But the Armada stay’d for themat Margarita, by which Island they ex-pected them to pass towards the Indies.

But to return to St. Thomas's, theSupplies (g) the Spaniards were in Ex-pectation of not being certain,they werenot numerous enough to defend boththe Town and the Passages to the Mines.They, therefore, quitted the Town,as I have said above, and fortified theWay to the Mines near the Town. Key-mis found the Passages leading to theMine he had in his Eye very difficult,and the River so low, that he could notapproach the Banks, in most Places,near the Mine, by a Mile ; And wherehe found an Ascent, a Volley of Mus-kets came from the Woods, and at oneTime flew two of the Rowers, hurt fixothers, and wounded Captain Thornhujlin the Head.

Keymis being so much Hazard in at-tempting to find the Mine, the Passageto it being full of thick and unpassableWoods; And thinking the English, whowere left in the Town of St. Thomas's,would not be able to defend it, especi-ally if the Enemy should be recruited,the Country being all in Alarm, hegave over the Enterprize and returned.

It has been said, that after the Ta-king of St. Thomas's, Keymis had noDesign to attempt the Discovery of theMine. But the contrary appears by aLetter he wrote to Sir IVtit er, theeighth of January, 1618. after theTaking of that Place, in which hewrites as follows:

" We have the Governour’s ServantCf Prisoner, who knows all Things that" concerned his Master. We find there" are four Refiners Houses in the" Town, which are the best Houses of" it. I have not seen one Piece of Coin" or Bullion, neither Gold nor Silver,<c a small Parcel of Plate only except-

ed.

" Captain IVhitney and WoolVaftone« are but now come to us, and we now

" purpose (Gon willing) without De- 161*?-" lay to visit the Mine, which is not" eight Miles from the Town, &c.

Besides the Difficulty of finding the EartherRea -Mine, he pretended, that if he had ^J/ti^thefound it, he had not Men to work it, Design.and being a great Way up in the Land,

Men would have been got thither with.great Danger and Difficulty. But thisshould have been thought of before,and it was ill-advised, to take so muchPains, and run so much Hazard, to getand possess that, which, when they hadit, they could not make Use of; So thatwhich Keymis pleaded, when he return-ed, for an Excuse, reflected upon him,as a great Miscarriage.

Sir JValter very much blamed him „. ,,,tor it, and among other Things told blames Key-him, if he had brought but one Hun- mis.dred Weight of the Ore, tho’ with theLoss of a Hundred Men, it would havegiven the King Satisfaction, and havepreserved hisReputation; And, besides,would have given the Nation Encou-ragement to have returned the nextYear, with a greater Force, and haveheld the Country for His Majesty, towhom it belonged.

As soon as they returned to St. Tho- St. Thomas^mas' s, the English pillaged the Town, taken and.carried away the best and most porta- hurnt -ble Things, and the Enemy not daringto appear for the Redemption of it,they set it on Fire, leaving behindthem an infinite Mass of Treasure,which, either for Want of Knowledgeor Power they could not attain to. Forthere were two Gold Mines and a Sil-ver-Mine near the Town, to fortify andpreserve which they employed all theirStrength and Industry; So that theyneeded not have gone so far up the Ri-ver to find a new Mine, when theyhad so many nearer them, that eitherIgnorance or Want of Strength madethem neglect.

Sir fruiter, with the News of hisSon’s Death, and Keymis 's Return, find-ing himself thereby disappointed of hisHopes, was perplexed to the very Soul,and threatned Keymis with the King’sIndignation, telling him he had undonehim, and wounded his Credit with HisMajesty past Recovery. This had such

an

/

[g) Upon the Information given to Spain ofSir IValter ’s Design, the King gave a Commissionfor the Raising of three Thousand Men, (more

probably three Hundred) to be sent from PuertoRicco , with ten Pieces of Ordnance, for the De-fence of Guiana.