No. 3. THE VOYAGE MADE BY SIR RICHARD GREENVILLE, FOR SIR WALTER RALEIGH, ΤΟ VIRGINIA. IN THE YEAR 1585. [Reprinted from HAKLUYT, Vol. III., page 251]. [The southern part of what is now the United States had received from the Spaniards the general name of Florida. We have seen that the portion next north of it received from Elizabeth the name of Virginia, which at first included a large extent of country, embracing, in fact, our northern and north-eastern coast states. The more northern part received from the French the name of Canada. Subsequently, the name of New England was applied to a part of our country, which still retains it. The first three great divisions were at this time known to Europeans by the names here mentioned. Sir Richard Greenville (or, as it is sometimes written Grenville, or Granville,) was the cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh. "This officer," says Tytler, "whose life was as enterprising as his death was heroic, had, in his early years, served against the Turks; and after sharing in the glory of the battle of Lepanto, returned to England with the reputation of an experienced soldier, which he increased by his conduct during the Irish rebellion. The queen promoted him to be sheriff of Cork; and on his coming to England, he was chosen to represent the county of Cornwall in parliament, in which he exhibited uncommon talents and energy." The "heroic death" here alluded to presents one of the most extraordinary records of naval warfare to be found in history. Indeed, were not the story well attested, one might be pardoned for some incredulity of circumstances so remarkable. Of its authenticity, however, no room is left for reasonable doubt, and Sir Walter himself was among those who, because it was so remarkable, employed his pen in preserving the facts it embodied. In the times of Greenville, the hostility between England and Spain was of the most embittered character. England had commenced her naval career, and Spain was her only dangerous rival on the seas. About the year 1591, Admiral Lord Thomas Howard sailed to intercept the Plate fleet of Spain, at the Azores. His squadron consisted of six of the queen's ships, six victuallers of London (supply ships), and two or three pinnaces. Sir Richard Greenville was Vice-Admiral, and commanded the "Revenge." The squadron reached Flores (one of the Azores), and there awaited the arrival of the Spanish treasure ships. The king of Spain, having intelligence of this, dispatched a fleet of fifty-three sail to the Azores, to protect his vessels from America and convoy them home. The Spanish squadron was in sight before the English knew it was on the seas. It took them by surprise: a part of many of the crews of the English ships were on shore procuring water and other necessaries when the Spaniards hove in sight; and of those on board more than half were on the sick list, and unfit for service. The English had scarcely time to weigh anchor, and Greenville was the last to do so, because he was unwilling to leave his crew on shore, of whom ninety were at the time lying sick upon the island; and after all were on board, he could muster but one hundred men fit for service. The Spaniards were on his weather-bow in large numbers, and his only chance was to trust to the sailing of his ship. But he indignantly rejected the thought of such a resort, and protested that he would rather die than run from an enemy. He then addressed his men, and told them that he would fight his way through the Spanish ships, which now formed two squadrons. He accordingly bore down on the nearest, and forced them to "spring their luff" and fall under his lee; but while thus occupied, the San Philip (a very large ship) had succeeded in getting the wind of him, and so becalmed him that his ship could neither make way nor answer her helm. The San Philip was a ship of three tiers of guns. While the Revenge was thus entangled, four others of the enemy came up, two on the larboard, and two on the starboard side. This was the state of things about three o'clock in the afternoon, when the fight began. The San Philip was soon crippled and obliged to withdraw, and some said she foundered. The fight was continued with great fury, and as often as the Spaniards attempted to board, they were beaten back into their own ships or knocked into the sea. At last night came, but the fight still continued until a late hour, when there was a pause. Some of the Spanish ships were sunk, in others immense numbers were slain, and the brave handful on board the Revenge was sadly diminished. Greenville himself had been slightly wounded in the commencement of the fight, but never left the deck for eight hours; at the expiration of that time a musket ball entered his body, and while the surgeon was dressing the wound, another shot struck him in the head, and the surgeon was killed by his side. Still he fought on, and as fast as one Spanish vessel was disabled and hauled off, another took her place; so that when morning dawned, the Revenge had actually been engaged, at close quarters, for fifteen consecutive hours with fifteen different ships of the enemy, and repulsed them all. When daylight came, all that remained of her was a naked hull, riddled with shot, for she had received eight hundred discharges of artillery, and some of her wounds were under water. She had six feet of water in her hold; her deck was covered with the limbs and carcases of forty of her brave crew; not a living man on board was without a wound, and some, unable to move, were stretched |