way was a great high bushy tree which seemed to have no leaves.  The 10th we sailed E. and E. by S. 14 leagues along shore, the whole coast being so thick of woods that in my judgment a person would have much difficulty in passing through them.  Towards night we anchored in 7 fathoms.  The 11th we sailed E. by S. and 3 leagues from shore we had only 5 fathoms water, all the wood along shore being as even as if it had been clipt by gardeners sheers.  After running 2 leagues, we saw a high tuft of trees on a brow of land like the head of a porpoise.  A league farther on we had a very low head land full of trees; and a great way from the land we had very shallow water, on which we hauled off to seaward to get deeper water, and then anchored in 5 fathoms, athwart the mouth of the river Jayo.  The 12th we sent the pinnace and the boat to land with the merchants, and they did not return till next morning.  The shallowest part of this river is toward the west, where there is only 4-1/2 fathoms, and it is very broad.

[Footnote 310:  Rio de Lagoa—­Hakluyt.—­Probably that now called Lagos, in long. 2 deg. 40’ E. from Greenwich, in the Bight of Benin.—­E.]

Thursday the 13th we set sail going S.S.E. along shore, the trees being wonderfully even, the east shore being higher than the west shore[311].  After sailing 18 leagues we had sight of a great river, called Rio de Benin, off which we anchored in 3-1/2 fathoms, the sea being here very shallow two leagues from the main[312].  The 15th we sent the pinnace and boat with the merchants into the river; and as we rode in shallow water, we made sail with the starboard tacks aboard till we came to 5 fathoms water, where we anchored having the current to the westwards.  The west part of the land was high-browed, much like the head of a Gurnard, and the eastermost land was lower, having three tufts of trees like stacks of corn.  Next day we only saw two of these trees, having removed more to the eastwards.  We rode here from the 14th of February till the 14th of April, having the wind always at S.W.

[Footnote 311:  This is only to be understood as implying that the shore was now higher in the eastern part of the voyage along the coast, than formerly to the west on the coast of Mina; the east shore and the west shore referring to the bight or bay of Benin.—­E.]

[Footnote 312:  It is probable that the two rivers mentioned in the text under the names of Rio de Lagoa and Rio de Benin, are those now called the Lagos creek and the great river Formosa, both in the negro kingdom of Benin.—­E.]

The 17th February our merchants weighed their goods and put them aboard the pinnace to go into the river, on which day there came a great current out of the river setting to the westwards.  The 16th March our pinnace came on board with Anthony Ingram the chief factor, bringing 94 bags of pepper and 28 elephants teeth.  All his company were sick.  The 19th our pinnace went again into the river, having the purser