CHAPTER III

ENGLISH AND DUTCH DISCOVERIES

28. English buccaneers. At the beginning of the sixteenth century Spain was stronger upon the sea than any other European nation. She had thus far outrivaled all of them in exploration and conquest and was at last reaping the harvest in vast quantities of gold, silver, and precious stones that poured into the country from America. Yet she had need of all this treasure to pay the expenses of her many wars in Europe and to defend her American colonies, the latter of which she was finding a costly burden. England, meanwhile, though a country of brave seamen, was as yet too weak to venture into any lands that Spain had settled.

But, little by little, Spain grew weaker,1 and England more powerful. In the middle of the sixteenth century English sea-captains began boldly to plunder fleets of Spanish treasure ships on their way from America to Spain, although at first the two countries were supposed to be at peace with each other. In our time we severely denounce and punish all sea robbers, or pirates; but in those days, when English "buccaneers," as they were called, came sailing into their home ports, with rich cargoes snatched from Spanish galleons, they were welcomed by their sovereign, and the people praised them as the nation's heroes. Through these sea robberies Spain each year met with enormous losses, while England grew more and more wealthy, and her sail

2

1 One of the serious troubles with Spain was that her people living at home were envious of the fortunes easily made by Spaniards in Mexico and Peru, and became restless. They did not now care for the slow gains of farming and manufacturing, and became a nation of speculators. The more sober-minded English then took up these neglected industries, sent the products to the markets formerly supplied by Spain, and profited thereby.

2 The largest Spanish ships were called "galleons"; the smaller sort, used by Columbus, "caravels."

ors gradually became the most warlike and skillful in Europe.

29. The Grand Armada. The Netherlands was then a rich and busy maritime nation, with fleets sailing to all the great seaports of Europe and Asia. It was, however, under the harsh and often cruel control of Spain. After a time the brave little nation rose in rebellion against her Spanish master, and England aided her during a fierce war that lasted through forty years. Spain had a difficult task in fighting these two seafaring nations at once, because at the same time she was obliged to protect her ships and her far-away American colonies from the terrible English buccaneers. In 1588 Spain hoped to demolish England by sending against her a great fleet of warships, called the "Grand Armada." But the Armada met with a disastrous defeat, and thenceforth plucky England was the "Queen of the Seas." No European rival could now prevent her from seeking a new road to India, or from exploring and settling whatever heathen lands she wished to add to her kingdom.

30. Drake's voyage. One of the most famous of the English buccaneers and sea rovers was Sir Francis Drake.1 Through a period of thirty years this daring man made many expeditions to America, trading with the Indians and attacking and burning Spanish ships and settlements. But the voyage of his in which we are most interested began in December, 1577, when he sailed westward with five ships, to follow the great Magellan's path around the world.2 Dashing up the South American coast, Drake pillaged Spanish towns in Chile and Peru, and robbed every Spanish treasure ship that he met. Landing in what is now California, he

1 When eighteen years old, Drake owned a ship. He went on long and daring voyages, dealing in African slaves, and made a business of fighting and robbing Spanish vessels and towns wherever he could find them. Returning from one of his many famous voyages (1572-73), he arrived at Plymouth, England, on a Sunday; the people were so eager to see him that they left the parson alone in the church, and crowded to the harbor to welcome the hero home. He died during one of his raids (1595), and was buried at sea, off Venezuela.

2 The map on page 21 shows the routes of both Magellan and Drake.

took possession of the country and called it "New Albion,"1 in honor of his native land. After some adventures with the Indians, he continued westward over the Pacific and Indian Oceans, doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived in England with but one ship, his others having been lost, after an absence of two years and ten months. Cabot's discovery had given England the right to claim

THE HALF MOON ON THE HUDSON
RIVER

This vessel was about 59 feet long on the waterline, 17

the east coast of North America; and now Drake claimed for her the west coast, with all of the great continent that lay between those distant shores- that is, all of North America north of Mexico.

31. Henry Hudson's discovery. The people of the Netherlands, whom we call the Dutch, carried on a large trading business with the East Indies, so called to distinguish them from the West Indies. They, too, wanted to find an all-sea trade route to Asia and for this search hired a brave and skillful English navi

feet wide, and 10 feet deep; displacement, 60 tons. gator named Henry Hudson, who had had much experience in arctic waters. In 1609 Hudson sailed northward in his ship, the Half Moon, and attempted to go around by the north of Europe, but was stopped by ice. Not at all discouraged, he crossed over to the west side of the North Atlantic and tried, as had several Englishmen before him, to find a passage to Asia through the heart of the American

1 "Albion" is the poetical name for England, just as "Columbia" is for the United States.

continent, somewhere north of Virginia. While upon this quest he discovered New York Bay1 and the great river here emptying into the sea from the north. The extent of this body of water caused him to believe that it must surely be the wished-for route, and he ascended it to a point near where Albany is now. But by this time Hudson saw his mistake and turned back, much disappointed. The name of this great explorer has ever since been given to the picturesque river that he made known to the civilized world. 2

Hudson's disappointment came from failure to find here a short route to Asia; but he was greatly pleased with the country that he had discovered. He and his men frequently went ashore and, in the words of an old narrative, found the land "pleasant with grass and flowers and as goodly trees as ever they had seen, and very sweet smells came from them." Sometimes the Indians came aboard the Half Moon, bringing to Hudson presents of furs and of grapes and pumpkins that they had grown; and once a chief "made him an oration" and " showed him all the country round about."

1 There is little doubt that, eighty-five years before this (in 1524), New York Bay had been discovered by an Italian navigator, Verrazano, who, in the employ of France, was making explorations along the coast from North Carolina to New England. Only a few people heard of his discovery, and it was soon forgotten probably Hudson never knew of it; the latter's discovery, however, was at once widely talked about in Europe, and settlers soon appeared in the region.

A full-sized reproduction of the Half Moon was in 1909 presented by Holland to New York City, on the occasion of the three-hundredth anniversary of Hudson's discovery of the river. The quaint little vessel was greeted in New York with great enthusiasm, and has been kept by the city.

2 In 1610, while in English employ, Hudson again tried to find the Northwest Passage, and discovered Hudson Bay. There, in the summer of 1611, his crew mutinied and set him adrift in a frail boat with his son, John, and five sick sailors. They were never again heard from.

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

1. Trace on a globe the route of Drake's memorable voyage.

2. Read about the "Grand Armada," and prepare to give your classmates an oral report.

3. Why did the English feel free after 1588 to make explorations in the New World?

4. Important date: 1609 - Discovery of the Hudson River.

5. Complete the following chronological outline of the most important events recorded in the first three chapters:

1. Write brief biographies of some of the greatest men you meet in American history. It is suggested that up to this point you take Columbus, John Cabot, Magellan, Hudson.

2. Impersonate Drake and tell Queen Elizabeth your adventures in the voyage around the world.

3. Two boys engage in conversation as they rest under an old oak on the Hudson. The age of the tree and the name of the river suggest events of long ago, which they talk over. Write the conversation.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

1. England grows rich and strong, while Spain becomes poor and weak.

2. Drake's voyages and their results.

3. England becomes the "Queen of the Seas."

4. Hudson's discoveries.