|g| [ijy[rijillruiirrui3fnn]frirgrr^ THE LIBRARIES 1 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 1 1 1 I 1 i Ei nnJliugfiijilfpjgrruflrnjiJirinirri^ WORKS ISSUED BY Cj^e ^nUn^t ^onetg* VOYAGES OF SIR JAMES LANCASTEE TO THE EAST INDIES. ETC. FIRST SERIES. NO. LVI-MDCCCLXXVII THE VOYAGES OP Sm JAMES LANCASTER, K^ TO THB EAST INDIES, ABSTRACTS OF JOURNALS OF VOYAGES TO THE EAST INDIES, DURING THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, PRESERVED IN THE INDIA OFFICE. VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN JOHN KNIGHT (1606), TO SEEK THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM, C.B., F.RS. BURT FRANKLIN, PUBLISHER NEW YORK, NEW YORK Published by BURT FRANKLIN 514 West 113th Street New York 25, N. Y. 9lo. 6 hud. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY REPRINTED BY PERMISSION 3 Xd^l ivj PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. CONTENTS, Dedication. P.Vlili Introduction . , , i Narrative of the First Voyage of Sir James Lancaster, by- Edmund Barker, Lieutenant . ,1 Narrative of the First Voyage of Sir James Lancaster, by Henry May . .25 of The Voyage Captain James Lancaster to Pernambuco , ."5 The First Voyage made to East Lidia by Master .laiues Lancaster for of (now Knight) the Merchants London, Anno 1600 . 57 ABSTRACTS, of — I , The Voyage Captains Keelinge and Hawkins . 108 1^ 11 11 iX, -lii „ „ III , 113 Tile of — I Voyage Captain Sharpeigh , .120 „ II . 126 The Sixth Voyage set forth by the East India Company : In- structions to the Factors , .131 Commission to Sir Middleton for the Henry Sixth Voyage , 137 CO^' TENTS. The Second Voyage of iSir Henry Middleton, being the bixth set forth by the East India Company . 146 Journal of the Sixth Voyage, by Thomas Love . 147 Journal of the Sixth Voyage, kept by Nicholas Downton (1610- 1613) . .161 Journal of Ralph Crosse, Purser of the Hoseander iu the Tenth Voyage . .228 A Calendar of the Ships' Journals preserved in the India Office (written within the seventeenth century) . 263 Journal of the Voyage of John Knight to seek the North-West Passage, 1606 . .281 A List of Ships of the East India Company (employed during the Seventeenth Century) .... 296 Index . ,303 DEDICATION TO COMMANDER A. DUNDAS TAYLOR (late h.i.n.), SUPERINTENDENT OF MARINE SURVEYS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. My deae Taylor, I inscribe to you, as one who has, through a long and useful career, been instrumental in upholding the reputation of the Indian Navy, this volume containing the narratives of voyages of some of the earliest of your predecessors. Lancaster, Middleton, Downton, Best, and the other famous seamen who showed England the way to India, commence the long and glorious roll of public servants who made the history of the Indian Marine; while the great names of Davis and BaflBn, famous alike in the Arctic Regions and in the Indian Ocean, stand at the head of the list of Indian Marine Surveyors. It has been your good fortune, after that most useful branch of the Public Service—the Indian Navy—had been recklessly abolished, and after the surveys had been entirely neglected for twelve years, to restore' them to DEDICATION. efficiency. That you may succeed in maintaining that efficiency, and tlius achieve a work which I know to be as near to your heart, as it is important to the interests of England and of India, is the earnest hope of your sincere friend and well-wisher, Clements R. Makkham. INTKODUCTION. The Council of the Hakluyt Society have resolved to of the of Sir James reprint the narratives voyages Lancaster, from the collections of Hakluyt and Purchas, in order that they may be brought together in one volume. Lancaster was one of the leading seamen of the two the reign of Elizabeth, and he commanded East Indies. was first English voyages to the He afterwards on the direction of the East India Com- he was a of of dis- pany ; great promoter voyages as his name was immortalised covery ; and, such, by William Baffin, who called one of the chief portals of the Arctic Regions—"Sir James Lancaster, his Sound". We learn from himself that, in his early years, he had been in Portugal in the capacities of a soldier and afterwards of a merchant. In 1591 he sailed on his Indies and two accounts of first voyage to the East ; this adventurous expedition, and of its disastrous ter- mination among the West Indian Islands, were pub- lished by Hakluyt.^ The first was written by Hakluyt from the mouth of Edmund Barker of Ipswich,^ a lieutenant; and the second by Henry May.^ Lancaster ' Part 102 and Hakluyt ii, li, p. {2nd edition, ii, p. 586) ; iii, p. 571 (2nd edition, iii, p. 52). 3 2 Page 1. Page 25. 11 INTRODUCTION. returned to En_o;land in May 1594, after an absence of more than three years. In the autumn of 1594, Lancaster was again in com- mand of three ships fitted out by Aldermen of London, with his old lieutenant, Edmund Barker, in the vice- admiral. On this occasion, a successful piratical attack, in which Barker lost his life, was made on the Portuguese settlement of Pernambuco. The expedition returned to Black wall in July 1595.^ In 1599, the full report of Dr. Thorne, who resided at Seville, on the advantages of a trade with India, and other information, including that obtained by Lancaster during his first voyage, induced the mer- chants and adventurers of London to project an expe- dition, and eventually to form a Company, with the object of establishing a trade with the East Indies. A sum of £30,000 was at once subscribed. On Oc- tober 16th, 1599, Queen Elizabeth's gracious accept- ance of the voyage was reported, and the Lord Treasurer recommended Sir Edward Michelborne as principal commander. But the promoters resolved " not to employ any gentleman" in any place of charge or command in the voyage, because they desired to "sort their business with men of their own quality". All through the autumn the preparations for the voy- age were energetically pushed forward, and a total sum of £72,000 was subscribed. On the 10th of De- cember, Captain James Lancaster was appointed General of the Fleet, with a commission of martial 1 is Page 35. This also a reprint from Hakluyt, iii, p. 709 (2nd edition, iv, p, 207). INTRODUCTION. lU law from the Queen. John Middleton was in the vice-admiral, and that glorious Arctic navigator, John Davis, was Pilot-Major. The ships were nearly ready for sea when, on the 31st of December, 1599, the Charter of Incorporation of the East India Com- pany was granted, being a privilege for fifteen years to certain adventurers for the discovery of the trade for the East Indies, namely, George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, and 215 knights, aldermen, and mer- chants. Alderman Sir Thomas Smith was chosen as the first Governor of the Company, and the names of James Lancaster and John Middleton appear among those of the twenty-four Directors. All through the month of January 1600 the expedi- tion was being fitted out in the Thames. Each ship and was provided with twelve streamers, two flags, one ancient. Stores and provisions of all kinds were merchants were supplied, as well as merchandise, and the appointed to the diff'erent ships to superintend of recom- trading operations. The Queen gave letters mendation to the Princes of India, and presents were provided, consisting of "two fair, costly looking- silver two glasses", a basin and ewer, standing cups, four silver cups, and other things of less value. A sufficient account of the scale of victualling, stores, armament, and merchandise for the Company's ships in the early voyages, and of their cost, has already been given by Mr. Rundall.^ Mr. Richard Hakluyt furnished much useful information and instructions ^ Narratives of Voyages towards the Horth-West (Appendix), Hakluyt Society's volume for 1849. IV INTRODUCTION. " touching the preparing of the voyage", and also supplied three maps. The officers and others received "bills of adventure" upon the gain of the voyage. Thus the Pilot-Major, John Davis, was to have £500 if the voyage yielded two for one, £1000 if three for one, £1500 if four for one, £2000 if five for one. The expedition sailed from Woolwich on the 13th of February 1600, with 480 men. The General, James Lancaster, was on board the Dragon. This vessel was bought from the Earl of Cumberland for £3,700, her former name having been the Malice Scourge. She was launched on the 11th of December 1599, and rechristened the Red Dragon, being a vessel of 600 tons, with a crew of 202 men.^ John Middleton was on board the vice-admiral, the Hector, of 300 tons, with a crew of 108 men. The Ascension, commanded by William Brand, was a vessel of 260 tons, with a the crew of 82 men ; and Susan^oi 240 tons, under John Heyward, had 88 men. The Guest, of 130 tons, was added as a victualler. The original manuscript journals of this memorable voyage are lost. The narrative, as given by Purchas, is now reprinted.^ It describes all the events from the departure of the expedition in February 1600, to its return to the Downs on the 11th of September 1603. The gallant commander of the expedition received the ^ There is a drawing of the Red Dragon under sail facing- page 1 of Sir Henry Middleton's Voyage, being the Hakluyt Society's volume for 1855. 2 lib. Page 57. See Purchas, iii, cap. iii, p. 47; and Harris, i, p. 62. INTRODUCTION. V honour of knighthood and became Sir James Lancaster.