Notes |
- MILITARY: Office> Field Marshall to the state of Venice. (Bradney, History of Monmouthshire, vol. 4 pt. 1 p. 126)
- (Research):Gio. Battista Nani, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
Sir [John] Douglas has just been to tell me that he has found a way to raise one and perhaps two regiments, of about 700 men, who are in the island of Gerze [probably Jersey], ready to go wherever they are ordered, and has found another individual of my acquaintance who is ready to perform the rest. As he is a parliamentarian and with a great following, he will find it easier than any one else to get them out of England a few at a time. He is going to Scotland and will await my reply there. He offers cautions for the money in Paris, and says he will not touch any till after the embarcation. The terms are 15 thalers a head, if ships are sent to England or Scotland to fetch the troops. As this is both hazardous and costly at the present time, he is ready to take them to the Texel at his own risk for 5 thalers a head in addition. Your Serenity will furnish the ships there and food for the voyage to Corfu, upon the same terms as were arranged for the levy of Romorantin and others.
The troops who are in Gerze moreover have three or four ships of war, which they also offer to serve in the fleet.
Paris, the 18th December, 1646.
=========
"A Note made by me, Michael Lock, the elder, touching the strait of sea, commonly called Fretum Anian, in the South Sea, through the northwest passage of Meta Incognita.
"When I was at Venice, in April, 1596, happily arrived there an old man, about sixty years of age, called commonly Juan de Fuca, but named properly Apostolos Valerianus, of nation a Greek, born in Cephalonia, of profession a mariner, and an ancient pilot of ships. This man, being come lately out of Spain, arrived first at Leghorn, and went thence to Florence, where he found one John Douglas, an Englishman, a famous mariner, ready coming for Venice, to be pilot of a Venetian ship for England, in whose company they came both together to Venice. And John Douglas being acquainted with me before, he gave me knowledge of this Greek pilot, and brought him to my speech; and in long talks and conference between us, in presence of John Douglas, this Greek pilot declared, in the Italian and Spanish languages, thus much in effect as followeth :
"First: he said that he had been in the West Indies of Spain forty years, and had sailed to and from many places thereof, in the service of the Spaniards.
|