Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-11-21
First Discovery Of California By ur,ke. /.

Plymouth with five ships. carving l64
men and officers, professedly on a VOYAGE
TO Alexandria, in Egypt, but reallv.w with
The intention Of sailing into the Pacific
Ocean, where the English flag had never
been seen before. After passing the
Cape de Verd Islands, he sailed during
fitiy-four days without the sight of land.
and then entered the River Plate. After
supplying his vessels with water from the
great river, Drake sailed souihwards, and
passing through the straits named after
the only circnmnayigstor Of the globe tho
had preceded him the Straits of MageI-
lan-he entered the Pacific Ocean on the
9th of September. He arrived off VAL
paraiso on the 29,h of November. He
p'"ndered the town Of s. Jago, where he
took booty of $4,000 piszos Of very pure
and fine geld. Proceeding th-rce 10 4
port named Tarapaca, he landed, and
found a Spaniard sleeping by the seaside,
with thirteen bars OF silver lying By him,
Of the value of 1000 ducats. He took the
silver and left the owner TO finish hi.
nap. Not far from thence. going inland
for water, his men met Spanisrd and On
Indian boy driving eight Lamas, or sheep
OF Peru, "which are as big as asses"
every one of which had on lis back two
bags of leather, each bag containing so ID.
weight Of fine silver. Bringing the La
mas and their burdens 10 The ship, they
found in all 8 cwt. Of silver Thence
they proceeded TO Africa, where thew
plundered vessel containing ffty-seven
wedges of silver, each weighing 20 lb.-
On the 2Oth OF February, they arrived at
Lima, where they plundered all the ships
in the harbor, in one of which they found
chest full of ria's Of silver, and a good
store Of silks and linen cloth. Here they
heard Of rich treasure ship named the
Cacaiuego, which had sailed TO Paita.-
They Immediately gave chase, but, on ar
irving at Paita, found that the Cacafuego
had sailed for Panama. They al once re-
newed the chase, ard in the course Of it
they picked up vessel which contained
sob. weight Of gold and crucifix Of the
same metal, with 'goodly great emeralds
set in It," Continuing the pursuit, they
at last came up with the Cacafuego, which
well repaid them for the trouble ii had
given them. Besides precious stones,
they found thirteen chests Of rials Of sill
yer, 80 ID. weight Of gold, and twenty
tones of uncoined silver. This rich cap
ture was made off Cape ST. Francisco,
about l5O leagues from Panama. From
this point they proceeded 10 Gua,ulco, and
thence to Ceno, where they careened their
ships. @4m
On leaving the Island Of Ceno, "which
is in eight degrees north la,i,ude," Drake
resumed his cruise, and took another rich
ship; and being now satisfied with his
booty, he determined TO return home by
the Islands Of the Mslucos, and ssthence 10
sail by the course Of the Portugals, by
the Cape Of Bona Esperanca. For this
purpose he ran northward for 500 leagues,
to get favorable wind, and on the 9th
day Of June, "being in 43 degrees towards
the Pole Arctic, being speedily come out
of extreme heat Drake found the air so
cold that his men being pinched with the
same complained Of the extr entity thereof.
and the further they went the more the
cold increased upon them. Whereupon
they thought it best 10 seek land, which
they found 10 he not mountainous, but
low plain land. We drew back again
(says the historian Of the voyagel without
landing, till we came within 80 degrees
towards the line. In which height it
pleased God TO send us into a fair and
good bay, with good wind 10 enter the
same" This country was no doubt the
country which has recently become so
famous under the name Of California, and
this bay was probably the great bay Of
San Francisco.
The inhabi,arhs came dow n 10 the shore
gave Drake a friendly reception, and The
king offered him the government Of The
country. Wherefore. in the name end
to the use Of her majesty (Queen Eliza
abeth he took the sceptre crown, ,and Dig
nifty Of the said country in his hands wish
ing that the riches and treasures thereof
might so conveniently be transported, 10
the enrIching Of her kirgd,m,as il aboun-
deih in the same" There il no part Of
earth here TO be taken up, wherein there
is not some special likelihood Of gold or
silver AT his departure from the coun-
try, Drake set up, as monument OF his
having been there, as also OF her Msjes-
tvs right and title 10 The same, "a plate,
nailed upon fair great post, wherenpon
was engraved her Majesty's (Queen Eliz-
abeth's) name, the day and year Of our ar
riva! there; with the free giving up Of the
province into her Majesty's hands ,tceeth-
er with her highness's picture and arms,
and piece Of sixpence Of current Eng
lish money! under the plate was also
written the name of Drake. at seemeih
(says the historian Of The voyage } that the
Spaniards hitherto had never been in this
part of the country; neither did ever dis
cover the land, by many degrees TO the
of this place" Such was the
account of this land Of gold, published III
England in The reign Of Queen Elizabeth.
1t certainly is one Of the curiosiiies Of his
.ory that the first land ever taken posses
sion OF by the English on the Continent Of
America should have been the now ia
nous California, and that il should have
been occupied some years before the first
attempt was made to colonize the proyin-
res, which have since grown TO he the
United States of America Baine's Hist.
A LITERAL SERVANT. Please, marm,
and what shall do with the bits of can.