I call as witness Captain Marolin de Juan, Pilot-General of the Armada. We know that the San Calderon hulk, with Chief Purser Coco Calderon, reached Havre de Grâce on September 23, "and all spoiled ships drift thither, and all disastrous things," through the late autumn and early winter. The Pilot-General was there, when, on December 26, some Scottish vessels brought thirtytwo Spanish soldiers and certain sailors, waifs of the great Venetian vessel the Valencera, (1100 tons, Don Alonzo de Luzon commanding, Colonel of the tercio of Naples). On September 14 she was wrecked on the Irish coast, off the Blasquets. How infamously the English betrayed, robbed, and slaughtered many officers and men may be read in the examination of her commander, Don Alonzo de Luzon.1

There is 8 much more full and vivid description of the sufferings by Juan de Nova.2 "A savage gentleman, O'Cahan" (O'Callaghan ?), with his people, harboured 100 men who escaped-"feeding them and waiting on them hand and foot." O'Callaghan was blinded papist! He forwarded his guests to another "savage

8

They were all harboured and passed on by Scottish gentleman to Scottish gentleman, were clothed and fed at Edinburgh by gentle King Jamie (or rather by the town at his orders), Lord Claude Hamilton, and Sir John Seton, and finally the King sent them to France in four Scottish ships. Among these waifs of the crew and soldiers of the Valencera were the thirty-two Spanish soldiers and the sailors who, coming to Havre de Grâce on December 26, gave their Scottish news to the PilotGeneral of the Armada.3 In that news was the secret of Tobermory Bay; in the words of the Pilot-General (December 27): "The Ship San Juan Bautista of Ragusa, 800 tons, was burned in a Scottish port with Don Diego Manrique on board. They say that the only persons who escaped were 15 who were on shore at the time.'

" 4

Now no Spanish vessel was "burned in a Scottish port "

except the galleon burned in Tobermory Bay. The bringers of the news had been both among the savage gentlemen who spoke Latin on the west Scottish coast, and also for a month, at least, in Edinburgh. They knew the talk of the day. They said not a word of the Florencia, but only of the San Juan Bautista of Ragusa (800 tons), burned in a Scottish harbour. They mentioned Don Diego Manrique as "on board," but while three of his surname were in Ireland, and one, Antonio, reached Scotland, I find but one Diego Manrique who came back to Spain,1 and think that Don Diego Enrique or Enriquez is intended, for he, while he lived, commanded the San Juan Bautista of 800 tons.2

Now, what do we know of the San Juan Bautista of 800 tons, doubtless the San Juan burned in Tobermory Bay, according to the old tradition of Mull?

Our ship is the San Juan Bautista of Sicily, 800 tons, 279 soldiers, which was in the Levantine squadron at Lisbon on May 9. On July 13 she was at Corunna (238 soldiers), and was with the Guipuzcoan squadron under Admiral Pedro de Valdes. On July 31, in a fight off the English coast, the flagship of Valdes, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, broke her bowsprit and her foremast in

1 Duro, vol. ii. p. 333.

a collision with the Santa Catalina, could not be extricated, and was captured,- Valdes, pay - chest (52,000 ducats), soldiers, sailors, and all.3

On August 2 the Duke of Medina Sidonia placed Don Diego Tellez Enriquez in command of the San Juan Bautista of Sicily, and on "the galleon San Juan" he put "Don Diego Enriquez, son of the Viceroy of Peru." According to Purser Coco, and Medina Sidonia himself, the Duke also gave the command of the whole of Valdes' squadron to "Don Diego Enriquez, son of the Viceroy of Peru." 5 On August 8 both the Enriquez commanders were engaged, and displayed great valour, while, on board the San Juan Bautista of Sicily, Don Pedro, the brother of Diego Tellez Enriquez, "had a hand shot away."6

Now let us clearly distinguish the two Diego Enriquez and their two ships of the same name, San Juan Bautista. The position is this: Don Diego Enriquez, son of the Governor of Peru, in a San Juan Bautista of the squadron of Diego Flores, on August 2 takes over command of the squadron of Valdes, who, with pay-chest and flagship, is a prisoner in English hands.

Meanwhile Don Diego Tellez Enriquez, son of the Commandant of Alcantara, commands the San Juan Bautista

Ibid., p. 445. Coco's narrative.

of Sicily, a ship in the squadron which Valdes had led before his capture.1 Don Diego Enriquez, son of the Viceroy of Peru, was lost off the coast of Ireland.2

Thus we are left with Diego Tellez Enriquez, commanding the San Juan Bautista of Sicily, in Valdes' squadron. Of her we read that, fighting gallantly on August 8, "she suffered to such an extent that every one of her sails had to be replaced."3 On August 19, in the dim seas vexed with mists of the North, some sixteen ships collected; but, says Purser Coco, "we looked anxiously for the San Juan Bautista of Sicily, on board of which was Don Diego Tellez Enriquez, who had fought so bravely. She had been so much damaged that not a spar of her sails was serviceable" (though we have just learned that they "had to be replaced"). "It is feared she may be lost."4 I have identified in her the Tobermory galleon.5

True, Captain Marolin de Juan calls her "of Ragusa."

But, even in 1588, the Tobermory galleon was described, we shall see, as "Venetian"; and Ragusa was was Venetian. Sicily probably chartered or bought the ship as her contribution to the Armada. Again, the Pilot - General speaks of the commanding officer on board her (en que iba Don Diego) as "Don Diego de Manrique," not not "Enrique.'

But between error of his informants (not eye-witnesses), the transcriber of his letter, and the compositors, "Enriquez" might easily become "Manrique," and I find no Don Diego Manrique in the Armada, save one who came home.

Finally, while correcting the proof-sheets of this paper I receive the following extract from a letter (undated by Duro) of Mendoza, the Spanish Ambassador in Paris, to Philip II. :—

"La San Juan Bautista, en que iba Don Diego Manrique, entro en el puerto de Tobermory, de la isla incendiaron sin que escaparon mas Mull, en Escocia; los naturales la de quince personas."

That does not need to be translated. The "Diego Manrique" is manifestly "Diego Enriquez," and evidence of 1588, 1589, proves that many more than fifteen persons escaped with their lives.1

Sie transit Florencia! Escaping from the storm of mid-September, which strewed the Irish shore with wrecks, the San Juan Bautista arrived at Islay, whence, with a native pilot, she could sail up the Sound of Jura into the Sound of Mull. Lauchlan Maclean of Duart sent the news to James VI., and Asheby, of the English Embassy to Scotland, apprised Walsingham thus :

W. ASHEBY TO [WALSINGHAM].

"EDINB., 23 Sept. '88. "[Postscript.]-As I had writt this lettre S William Kith sent me wourd that Mack Cleiden [sic] an Irishe Lord writ to the K. that on Fridaie the 13 of September there arrived a greate ship of Spayne of 1400 tuns, having 800 soldiours and there commanders; at an Iland called Ila on the west part of Scotland, thether driven by wether, thei thinke that the rest of the Fleet is driven on the north part of Ireland; I will make further inquirie and presentlie certifie yo honor with speed: thei reporte this ship to be fournished wth 80 brasse pieces, she beaten wth shotes and wether." 2

Walsingham, who received this news (the size of the ship and numbers of men and guns are much exaggerated), was the astute head of Elizabeth's

To

Secret Service; everywhere he had his agents and spies: it was he who deliberately led Mary Stuart into the conspiracy with Babington. destroy the Spanish ship was his object, and in John Smollett, a burgess of Dumbarton, and ancestor of Tobias Smollett the novelist, he found a miscreant who worked his will on the San Juan Bautista. This I proceed to prove. Here my evidence is that of William Asheby of the English Embassy to Holyrood. Writing to Walsingham on November 6, he says that "a great ship of Spain" has been for some six weeks on the west coast, is now off Mull in Maclean's country, is unable to sail, is supplied by "those Yrishe people with victuals, but they are not able to possess her, for she is well furnished with shott and men. If there be anie (English) shippes of warr in Ireland they might have a great praie of this ship, for she is thought to be verie riche." Here began the rumour of the wealth of the vessel. Next

week, Nov. 13, Asheby writes: "The Spanish ship. . . is burnt, as it is here reported by the treachery of the Yrishes, and almost all the men within it consumed by fire; it is thought to be one of the principalle shippes, and some one of great account within, for he was always, as they say, served in silver."3

2 Calig. D. 1, f. 297.

Asheby must soon have known that the treachery was not that of "the Yrishes," but of Walsingham. A letter from Edinburgh, by Roger Aston to his brother in England, is written in a very difficult hand, and the original is a half-burned fragment (Cotton MSS. Caligula D. 1, f. 232). There is a copy in the Harleian MSS. (4647, f. 15), but this is misdated "xviii March 1588." The true date is November 18, 1588. Here is Roger's plain tale:

ROGER ASTON TO HIS BROTHER.

"EDINB., 18 Nov. 1588.

"This day word is come that the great ship that lay in the West Isles is blown in the air by a device of John Smallet's; most part of the men are slein; the manner was thus: McLean entertaining great friendship wth them, desired the borrowing of 2 cannons and 100 Hagbuttes to besiege a house of Angus Maculleis, and delivered a foster son of his in pledge for the safe delivery of them again. In the mean time John Smallet, a man that had great trust among the Spaniards, entered the ship and cast in the powder room a piece of Lunt and so departed. Within a short time after the Lunt took fire and burnt ship and men. Whether this be true or not I am not sure, but so his Majesty is informed." 1

We next find Asheby writing in this cool fashion to Walsingham on November 26:

WM. ASHEBY TO F. WALSINGHAM. "EDINB., 26 Nov. '88.

"There arrived the 24 of this present 24 Spaniards, that were taken out of the ship burnt in the

Isle of Mull on the West of Scotland: the particularities thereof I partie that laide the traine, whom thinke yo honor understandes by the we here saie to be comed into England, the man knowen to yor honor and called Smallet."a

As

"The man knowen to your honour" had done his business and gone to London to report to his employer. he had incidentally blown up Maclean's foster-son, he could not be too far from that chief.

Perhaps Burleigh was not in the secrets of Walsingham in this matter. At all events, a year later, Asheby writes to Burleigh thus :

WM. ASHEBY TO BURLEIGH,

66 EDINB., 13 Nov. '89. "Here are some 100 Spaniards readie to imbarque at Lythe for Sp: there course intended is to cast about the north of Scotland for feare of interrupcion by the Hollanders; thei appeare to be men of better service than those wch past awaie from hense the last somer being the cheife men culled out of 500 by Maclane, for his service against one of the Lds of the Isles; the remnant perished the last yere together wh there ship at the Isle Mula by mischance of gunpowder whiles theise were enterteined by Maclane in service by land, as I remembre I then advertised the winter past." 3

in November 1588 was that What Asheby "advertised " Smollett had blown up the ship, and would be with Walsingham in advance of his own letter ! The wretched Smollett had ingratiated himself with the Spaniards, on Wal

2

Calig., D. 1, f. 229.

3 Egerton MS., 2598, f. 161.