suffered severely, the English vessels made their way back to England.[1]
In the meantime there were apprehensions of renewed Spanish attempts upon a large scale against England. There was some small foundation for the rumours which prevailed, but the report received unmerited attention, especially in Ireland, where local disaffection was always in haste to credit foreign enemies with more than Irish hatred for Elizabeth and her representatives.
These apprehensions led to the fitting out, in the summer of 1594,[2] of a small English squadron, which, designed to cruise in home waters, effected nothing, and met with no extraordinary adventures; for, although an insignificant Spanish force of four galleys did, in fact, make a descent in July upon Mount's Bay, and burnt Mousehole, Newlyn, and Penzance, the English squadron was not then in the neighbourhood, and the enemy escaped without interruption. The affair was relatively of small importance, and did not cost a single Englishman either his life or his liberty.[3] It was, indeed, a mere momentary raid.
Another squadron, designed to act against the Spanish possessions in the West Indies and Central America, was placed in 1595 under the command of Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkyns, and consisted of six-and-twenty vessels, of which the following, and possibly others, were ships of her majesty:—
| Ships. | Tons. | Men. | Guns. | Commanders. |
| Defiance | 500 | 250 | 46 | Sir Francis Drake. |
| Garland | 700 | 300 | 45 | Sir John Hawkyns. |
| Hope | 600 | 250 | 48 | Captain Gilbert Yorke. |
| Bonaventure | 600 | 250 | 47 | Captain Troughton. |
| Foresight | 300 | 160 | 37 | Captain Wynter. |
| Adventure | 250 | 120 | 26 | Captain Thomas Drake. |
The land forces embarked were commanded by Sir Thomas Baskerville.
This squadron was fitted out upon the express recommendation of Drake and Hawkyns. Both were, no doubt, animated by a sincere and patriotic desire to injure Spain, as well as by the
