o
have been the chief promoter of the attempt, undertook a voyage to
Guinea, with three ships having an hundred and forty men; and having
traded for some time on the coast for gold, they went to Benin to load
pepper: But both the commanders and most of the men dying of sickness,
occasioned by the climate, the rest returned to Plymouth with one ship
only, having burnt the other two for want of hands, and brought back no
great riches. In 1554, Mr John Lok made a voyage with three ships to the
coast of Guinea, whence he brought back a considerable quantity of gold
and ivory. These voyages appear to have been succeeded by others almost
every year. At length, upon application to Queen Elizabeth, two patents
were granted to certain merchants. One in 1585, for the Barbary or
Morocco trade, and the other in 1588, for the trade to Guinea between
the rivers Senegal and Gambia[181]. In 1592, a third patent was granted
to other persons, taking in the coast from the river _Nonnia_ to the
south of Sierra Leona, for the space of 100 leagues, which patents gave
rise to the African company. In all their voyages to the coast of Africa
they had disputes with the Portuguese. Several of these voyages have
been preserved by Hakluyt, and will be found inserted in this chapter,
as forerunners to the English voyages to the East Indies.

[Footnote 181: The former for twelve years, was granted to the Earls of
Leicester and Warwick, and certain merchants of London, to the number of
32 in all. The other for ten years to eight persons of Exeter, London,
and other places. By this latter patent, it appears that this trade was
advised by the Portuguese residing in London, and one voyage had been
made before the grant. See Hakluyt, II. part 2. pp. 114 and 123.--Astl.
I. 139. a.]

"The views of the English extending with experience and success, and
finding the long attempted north-east and north-west passages to India
impracticable, they at length determined to proceed for that distant
region round Africa by the same course with the Portuguese. In 1591,
that voyage was undertaken for the first time by three large ships under
the command of Captain Raymond; and in 1596, another fleet of three
ships set out on the same design under Captain Wood, but with bad
success. In the mean time several navigators were employed to discover
this course to the East Indies. At length in 1600, a charter was
obtained from Queen Elizabeth by a body of merchants, to the num