Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/155

 directing the course or nauigation: for the masters of the ships take charge of the freighting and preparing their ships, and to pay the mariners, and to doe all things needfull for the ship; for the pilot commeth not vnto the shippe, vntill the visitours come to visitie the same, to see whether he hath all things necessary for the voyage.

The visitours are foure men which are appoynted by the King, and these are men of great vnderstanding: and they come to visitie the shippes before they take in their lading, to see whether they be well prepared to make the voyage.

And after the ships bee laden, they returne again to visitie them the second time to see whether they haue all things necessary, according to the orders of the Contractation house: and whether they haue all their mariners, victuals, pouder, shot, and ordinance, and all other things necessary for the voyage. And if they want any thing, they charge them vpon grieuous penalties, to prouide the same before they set out of the hauen.

The ships that goe to the Indies are wont eche of them to haue with them a Notarie, whose charge is to keepe a note of rememberance of all the marchandize which is laden in the ship, and to take the marks thereof, therby to deliuer the commodities in the ship to their particular owners, after they haue finished their voyage, and he serueth likewise to make willes, and other instruments, which are wont to be made by a Notarie, if any man chanceth to fall sicke. And his wages in eche voyage is as much as the wages of two mariners.

The Generall of the fleetes vseth continually, after hee is arriued in the Indies, to send into Spaine a barke of Auiso, to aduertise the King of the state of his arriuall;

And after the fleetes be ready to come home, he dispatcheth another pinnesse of Auiso to certify them how the fleetes are now ready to set saile, with other particularities. There go with the fleetes two great ships, the one as Admirall, the other as Viceadmirall, of the burthen of 400 or 500 tunnes, which carry nothing but victuals and souldiers for the wafting of the rest of the fleete, and these are payed out of the marchancize which come in the Fleete, after the rate of one in the hundred, and sometime at one and an halfe in the hundred.