Hawkins, Sir Richard (c.1560-1622).

first edition. ''One of the most graphic and readable of all Tudor narratives... a dramatic story of a gallant failure, written with strong descriptive power and imagination'' (Boies Penrose). Over 100 years were to pass before there were any further English trading voyages in the Pacific. The author was the only son of the famous Sir John Hawkins, and like him greatly distinguished himself at the defeat of the Spanish Armada. His next employment was in this 'Voyage of Discovery to the South Seas', and while coasting up the western side of South America he encountered a Spanish squadron of superior strength, to which, after making a brave resistance and receiving some severe wounds, he was obliged to yield. He was taken prisoner, and did not regain his liberty for many years, which accounts for the lapse of time between the date of his Voyage (1593) and this publication of his experiences. He died in 1622, either just before or after the publication of his book. The volume contains some interesting details regarding the Indians of Florida and the Caribbean Islands, and parts of South America.