forces.

None of these attacks seriously affected Spanish authority on the
island.

But although the island has never been taken, it has been sacked. It may
be said that it was pirates who did this, for while the commanders of
several of the expeditions against the island bore great names, they
were really little more or less than pirates.

The first to attack was no less than the famous English commander, Sir
Francis Drake, who had Elizabeth behind him. This was in 1595, and Drake
then scored his first failure, in spite of the fact that when he left
his ballast consisted of ducatoons, and the shops of San Juan were in
ruins.

It is rather a strange coincidence that Drake's failure was due to the
fact that the Spaniards had recourse to the same scheme that was so
daringly and successfully carried out by Lieutenant Hobson in the harbor
of Santiago.

They sunk a ship in the neck of San Juan harbor, thereby preventing
Drake's fleet from obtaining an entrance.

Dr. Griffin, the accomplished assistant librarian of the Congressional
Library in Washington, has recently been making a study of Porto Rican
literature which has been pregnant with interesting results.

Dr. Griffin discovered the following in an old English chronicle:

"Confession of John Austin, mariner of London, of the late company of
Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins.

"Directions were given that if any of the fleet lost company they should
make for Guadaloupe in the Indies; his ship did so, but having lost her
rudder failed, and was taken by five Spanish frigates and the crew
imprisoned in the Isle of St. John de Porto Rico. Sir Francis, who lost
company of Sir John Hawkins, was told of this by a bark which saw the
fight. The prisoners were examined and threatened with torture to tell
what the English forces were. The Spaniards sunk ships in the harbor to
hinder their entrance. Sir Francis summoned the town, and on their
refusing to yield sent fifteen vessels to burn the frigates in the
harbor. Two were fired, but the light thus made enabled the Spaniards to
fire on the English ships and drive them away. The English attacked the
fort, but Sir John Hawkins was killed. Sir Francis sent back to the
governor five prisoners whom he had taken, and begged that the English
might be well treated and sent home, in which there was an improvement
in their diet, etc. Sir Francis then went to the south of the island,
got provisions and water and went to Cart