The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 23, July 1919 - April, 1920 Page: 207
319 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Gali and Rodriguez Cermenho
sioned. In 1586 Thomas Cavendish had set sail from England
with three ships, of respectively, 120, 60, and 40 tons, and with
123 men. Entering the Pacific in 1587, he sailed north, ravaging
the coasts of Peru and New Spain and capturing many. ships.
Learning that the galleon was soon expected--the richest prize of
all !-he betook himself with his two remaining ships to the Bay
of San Bernab6 at Cape San Lucas in the Californias. On Novem-
ber 4, 1587, the galleon of that year, the Santa Ana, a 700 ton
ship, laden with rich silks and other cargo, besides 122,000 pesos
in gold, hove into sight. Cavendish gave battle, and after a des-
perate fight took the prize. He thereupon transferred to his own
ships what he wanted of her cargo, burned the galleon, and set
sail for England. With one of his ships, he got across the Pacific,
and eventually around the world to England. The survivors of
the Santa Ana found that enough remained of the hulk for them
to make their way in it to Acapulco.
Now, more than ever, it seemed clear that something must be
done about occupying the Californias, for it was there that the
foreign ships had the best opportunity to lie in wait for the galleon
which was such an important element in the economic life of New
Spain. If action were not taken, then the achievements of Drake
and Cavendish would serve as an alluring inducement to others.
The worst of it was, that a mere handful of men seemed capable
of upsetting Spain's security in the Pacific. Steps were taken,
therefore, to discover a northern port along the California coast
where the galleon might receive notice whether the seas were clear
and perhaps the escort of a well armed vessel.
In 1591 Luis de Velasco, who had succeeded Villamanrique as
viceroy in 1590, wrote to the king that it was necessary to discover
and survey the ports of the Californias, if the Philippine ships
were to be adequately protected. Orders were therefore sent from
Spain, in 1593, for such a survey to be made in course of a voyage
of the galleon. The difficulty was to find the money, since a
careful exploration. would entail considerable additional expense.
It was arranged, however, with the consent of the government in
Spain, that a private individual should supply the funds, in re-
turn for which he was to receive concessions enabling him to make
a profit on his venture. Accordingly, in 1594, SebastiAn Rod-207
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 23, July 1919 - April, 1920, periodical, 1920; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101075/m1/213/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.