England, and after the vessel had been partially looted, at £150,000. The Madre de Dios, which was of 1600 tons' burthen, was brought to England. Most of the profits of the venture were confiscated by the queen, in spite of the fact that only two of her ships had been concerned, and that of these the smaller alone had had a hand in the taking of the carrack. The adventuring merchants were, in consequence, greatly discontented.
Don Alonso de Bazan, who had been directed by his sovereign to proceed direct to Flores to await the coming of the carracks, had disobeyed his instructions, and had sailed instead, with twenty-three galleons, to St. Michael's, for which he had a consignment of guns, intending to go on to Flores later. When he heard of what had occurred, he pursued the English resolutely enough for a hundred leagues, but failing to catch them, he was, upon his return to Spain, and in spite of his great previous services, broken for his disobedience and negligence.
Cumberland's fifth expedition, which had thus united with Burgh, consisted of five vessels, none of which belonged to the navy. The earl did not accompany it, but gave the command to Captain Norton.
Other expeditions of 1592, were Christopher Newport's privateering voyage, in the course of which Ocoa, and two other towns in what is now Haiti, were sacked, Puerto Caballos, in the Bay of Honduras, was plundered, and several ships were taken or destroyed; and William King's voyage to the Gulf of Mexico. This was not less successful than Newport's venture, though King's operations were confined to the sea. The Amity, of London, Thomas White master, on her way home from a voyage to Barbary, fell in with two Spanish vessels, both of which, after a very stubborn fight, he took. They proved to be laden with quicksilver, wine, missals, and indulgences, and were extremely valuable prizes.[1]
The year 1593 witnessed the setting out of Richard Hawkyns's expedition to the South Sea.[2] The following year saw the inception of Lancaster and Venner's expedition to Brazil,[3] and of Dudley's voyage to Trinidad.[4]
Few purely naval events occurred in 1593, the year of the Treaty of Melun; but, in the course of it, the Earl of Cumberland went to sea in command of his sixth privateering expedition, with
