Page:Craik History of British Commerce Vol 1.djvu/185

Some documents, printed by Rymer, relating to an application made to King Edward by some Spanish merchants in 1470, for compensation on account of the loss of several vessels and cargoes which they alleged had been piratically taken from them by the people of Sandwich, Dartmouth, Plymouth, and Jersey, furnish some information respecting the ordinary size of the trading-vessels of those times, and the value both of the ships and their cargoes. The ships in question were laden with iron, wine, wool, raisins, liquorice, spicery, incense, oranges, marfac, and a small quantity of cheese—all the produce of the north of Spain. They were seven in number, of which one, called a carvel,^[1] of 110 tons, valued at 150l., and having wool, iron, &c. on board, to the amount of 2350l. more, was bound for Flanders: the cargoes of the others, whose destination was England, were all of much less value. They were, a carvel of 120 tons, valued at 180l., with a cargo valued at 270l.; a ship of 120 tons, valued at 110l., with a cargo valued at 190l.; a carvel of 110 tons, valued at 140l., with a cargo valued at 240l.; a ship of 100 tons, valued at 107l. 10s., with a cargo valued at 457l. 10s.; a ship of 70 tons, valued at 100l., with a cargo valued at 250l.; and a carvel of 40 tons, valued at 70l., with a cargo valued at 180l.^[2] These statements may be compared with those in the documents contained in a preceding volume of the same collection relating to the dispute with the Hanse Towns, which was at length settled, as mentioned above, by the treaty of 1409. In the latter we find mention made of a Newcastle ship of 200 tons, valued at 400l.; of a cog belonging to Hull, which, with its cargo of cloth, was valued at 200l.; of another, laden with oil, wax, and werke (?), valued at 300l.; of a barge belonging to Falmouth, laden with salt and canvass of Britany, valued at 333l. 6s. 8d.; of another Yarmouth vessel, laden with salt, cloth, and salmon, valued at 40l.; of four vessels

1. Carvel, or Caravel, from the Spanish Caravela, is explained by Johnson to be a kind of ship, with a square poop, formerly used in Spain.
2. Fœdera, xi. 671, 672.