CAVENDISH, or CANDISII, THOMAS, was the son of n gentle man of fortune In Suffolk. It appears from Harris that he was of ago and Inherited his father's property in 1555, immediately after which be equipped a "stout bark of 120 tons" on his own amount, and accompanied Sir Richard Grenville In his voyage to Virginia and the NVest Indies. His outlay on this voyage was a serious inroad Into his fortune : he derived no profit from it. According to some of his biographers, Cavendish, on his return from Virginia, still further reduced his property by becoming a courtier, mud embarking in the extravagances of the gallants of Queen Elizabeth's days ; and they etato that his first grand voyage was undertaken (as the second undoubtedly was) to recruit his finances. The practice was common enough iu his time, and men of rank and family thought it no disgrace to retrieve their fortunes by plundering on the Spanish Main. Their system to us appears to be scarcely better than that of buce.aneeriug; but the cruelties of the Spaniards almost justified oven the buccaneers: and it is to be remembered that in the days of Elizabeth there was open war with Spain, and while that power sent armadas to invade England, it was quite fair that England should attack Spain in the richest and most exposed of her transatlantic colonies.
The expedition, which was mainly fitted out at the expense of Cavendish, who sold or mortgaged the remainder of his estates for the purpose, consisted only of three small vessels—one of 120 tons, one of GO tons, and the third of 40 tons; and the united crews, men and officers, did not exceed 123. But the mind of every ono of these adventurers was inflamed with ideas of wealth to be obtained in n predatory voyage against the Spauiards, and they had full confidence iu the valour and generosity of their young commander. Cavendish embarked in the largest ship, and sailed from Plymouth ou the 21st of July 1556. Crossing the Atlantic, ho ran along all the continent of South America as far as the Straits of Idagalhaens, into which ho boldly sailed on the 6th of January 1557. It took him thirty-three days to clear the Straits, but part of that time was well employed in surveying the coasts, rocks, &e, which were hitherto little known. As soon as he reached the Pacific Ocean (21th of February) ho turned northward, and soon came to the scene of action which he had selected as likely to furnish most booty. The men fought and plundered bravely, but not without sufferiug considerable loss. They burnt Taira, Acapulco, and other aottlements on or near the coast ; they took smite Spanish ships, destroyed others, and ravaged the sea-board of Chili, Peru, and NOW Spain. But the crowning blow of the expedition, nud that on which Cavendish counted for wealth and honour, was the capture of the annual galleon, the St. Anna, which was loaded with valuable merchandise, and contained 122,000 Spanish dollars in hard cash. This ship was 700 tons burden, and well manned; yet, after
lying in ambush for her under Cape Lucas on tho coast of California, the English, whose number, small at first, had been greatly reduced by battle and sickness, nttacked her, and carried her by bo.usling. After this Cavendish, starting from California, crossed the Pacific to the Ladrone Islands ; from the Ladrones he sailed through the Indian Archipelago and the Straits of Java to the Cape of Good Hope; from the Cape he made for England, and ho reached Plymouth on the 9th of September 1533, having been absent two years, one month, and a few days.
The circumnavigation of the globe had not before been performed in so short a time. In addition to despatch, Cavondieh had the merit of making some geographical corrections : he reduced to its proper length the distance from Java to the Cape of Good hope, which the Portuguese had greatly exaggerated; and he did a good deal, as already stated, towards the hydrography of the Straits of Magalhaens. He was also the first to point out to the English the local advantages of St. Helena, which before had been resorted to only by tho Portuguese He touched at that island, which he described as a delicious place, then covered with trees. On his return from this voyage he wrote a curious letter to Lord Hounsdon, a chamberlain and favourite of Quecu Elizabeth. After telling the courtier how ho had gniood victory over hor majesty's enemies, he sums up :—" I burnt and sunk ninetocu sail of ships, small and great; and all the villages and town, that over I landed at I burned and spoiled." Elizabeth knighted the successful depredator, and from the portion of the spoils that fell to his share ns capitalist and commander, Sir Thomas Cavendish was said, in the language of the time, to have been "rich enough to purchase a fair oarld om." But in three years Cavendish was a poor man again, and to bettor his fortunes ho once more turned his oyes to the New World. Au expedition was prepared, not as formerly by himself almost alone, but by a sort of joint-stock of money, bravery, and adventure—an associ ation which diminished his authority, and proved fatal to discipline ; for those who had contributed as much as he had.pretended to an equality of command with him. Quarrels and dissensions arose; and in addition to this misfortune the "three tall ships and two barques,' which are maid to have been well quipped, had to encounter tempests not met with In the former voyage. Their only success was the capture of the town of Santos iu Brazil, but their reverses were numerous. Cavendish was obliged, by the mutinous spirit of his men, to abandon his bold plans here. Worn out by disappointments and vexatious of all kinds, the hardy navigator died at sea ou his return towards England In 1593.
(Harris, Collection of Voyages and Travels.)