Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-09
RARE AMERICANA
TELLS Of ATTACK
ON PUERTO RICO
Deaths of Sir Francis Drake
and Sir John Hawkins
Are Related.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
SHOWS OLD MANUSCRIPT
Diary of slyph's Captain Relates
Items in Boston Block
ade of 1914.

The picturesque careers of Sir Francis
Drake and Sir John Hawkins, scourgers
of the Spanish Main, ended in drab,
forgotten battle in a futile attempt to
capture a West Indian settlement.
The end of the two famous sailors is
told in a manuscript report of the Span
iSh general. Pardo y Osorio, who was in
command of the defense garrison of the
city of Puerto Rico at the time Of
brakes attack in November, 1895. The
manuscript now is on exhibition at the
Library of Congress, part of an exhibit
or rare Americana loaned by Maggs
Brothers of London, which contains 1923
items.
Drake. with Hawkins second in COM
f1and, attacked with 25 ships, 1900 sail
ors and 5000 infantrymen. The Span
ish general had 1900 persons under
his command, with $50 soldiers, 70 guns.
and group of frigates manned by 800
sailors. AS further protection he
sank frigate across the harbor
"Our men," reads the translation,
fired many guns from the ramparts, so
many they caused some damage and We
afterwards learned We had killed Juan a
Guines (Sir John Hawkins) and that
one cannon ball had blown away the
table at which Sir Francis Drake was
dining and killed one of the persons
who was with him.
Drake Is RepuIsed.
After his first repulse, Drake attacked
again with Is launches, each with so to
so armed men, in an effort to burn the
Spanish frigate. The launches, accord
ing to the generals report, ran under
the artillery fire and threw fire bombs
at the ships. The attack took place at
night. The sailors fought back with
ARTILLERY, musketS and stones" Finally
the English succeeded in firing one of
the frigates and thus brought about
their own defeat. The blazing ship lit
was able to direct its fire on the
launches. More than 400 men were
killed. The Spanish lost 40. Some OF
these were prisoners the English had
rescued from the burning ship.
Two mornings later the English fleet
had disappeared under cover of dark
ness A Spanish prisoner had been re-
leased with a letter from Drake to
Osirio asking mercy for the Is English
prisoners held in the city.
AS there ars soldiers and gentle
men in your CITY," the great sailor
wrote, 81 do not doubt they will be
given liberty by virtue of honest war
fare, and also shall do what is right"
This attack on Puerto Rico was
brakes last gesture. Barely two months
later, January &c. 1896, he died on his
flagship, the Defiance.
Happier War Picture.
A happier picture of war is contained
in the manuscript diary of Capt. Henry
Napier, on board the British warship
Sylph during the blockade of Boston
in 1914 He describes raid into Scit-
uate Harbor, in which the Sylph de-
stroyed all the shipping except for one
ship, "the skipper of which was a
Democrat and traitor, but for his good
service to us was restored. 1t is good
TO keep ones word, but I question
whether the destruction of such ras-
cal would not justify breaking it."
A few days later the Sylph, always in
fear of reprisals from the American
warship Constitution, sailed into AnnlS-
guam Harbor and burned two vessels,
but let one go clear because she be-
longed to an old man with a wife and
eight children. We spared another be-
cause she was aground alongside the
town and I could neither get her off
nor set fire to her without burning a
lot of poor peoples houses. We saw
down to the boat. A fine little gi1i,
seeing what was going on and fearful
for her flock, came down and drove
them away in the face of about ID
armed men and big gum"
The young navy officer had an eye
for a pretty girl and records with
great glee when the Sylph captured a
fishing Sloop on which were three wom-
en-, one of them young and handsome.
The people on shore, he records, were
quite friendly to the British, but were
inclined to profiteer on Struggled sup
plies. He had only contempt for the
treason which he saw on every hand
and his notes are full of defiance OF
the Constitution which, it was reported,
was installing a plant "to cast balls
on board" The Sylph, he reported
was leaving the fishermen unmolested
but made the Yankees give us food
at a marked price, which is only fair. y
He was quite sarcastic with the Quakers
on the Island of Nantucket whose pro-
testations of good will, he suspected
were made entirely with an eye to
business.
Cites Wonderful City.
The collection includes the second
report of his operations in Mexico
fernando Cortes, and is quantity head
ed: Letter of information to his
sacred majesty, the emperor, by the
captain general of New Spain in which
he gives an account of the lands anc
people newly discovered in Yucatan II
1919 and subjected to the royal crown
of his sacred majesty" In part, nj
gives a relation of a visit to very
wealthy province called Culva, where
there are many great cities and Won
derful buildings. Among these Is
CITY more wonderful and wealthy thar
all others, called TimiXitian, winch i
built by marvellous art upon grea
lagoon. The king Of the city ant
province is very great ruler nanee
mutecuma, and here events which arr
terrible to hear of have befallen lE'
captain and the Spanish.
Another valuable bit of early Amerl
cana is a compendium of geograph!
published at Cracow, Poland, IN 1918
touching upon the first voyage O
An1erigo VeSpucci in I50l-l503 and try
ing to show that tropic lands are no
1Ininhabitable. 1.-THE same thing ]
found" Halter says, "by those who Il
the wear 1901 were sent out by IN
King of Portugal to explore the island
of the world and above all the Origin
of pepper. 1hey Salleu peSollo tli
Equator and beheld both heavens ant
stars and discovered where peppe
comes from in the place they cal III
New World"
An interesting sidelight is thrown o.
later history in the letter OF Sir WI
liam johnson describing the battle Q
Lake George in 1855. johnson was Il
command to a twin expedition of the Ill
fated Braddock expedition which LEI
Alexandria and was wiped out at For
Duuuesne. The northern party cam
near meeting the same fate, but turne'
defeat into victory.
Advance Party Wiped Out.