With drinking of tobacco it is said, that the _Roebucke_ was burned in the range of Dartmouth.
The _Primrose_, of London, was fired with a candle, at Tilbery-hope, and nothing saved but her kele.
And another ship bound for Barbary, at Wapping.
The _Jesus of Lubecke_ had her gunner-roome set on fire with a match, and had beene burnt without redemption, if that my father, Sir John Hawkins, knight, then generall [By hooping and scutling of caske.] in her, had not commaunded her sloppers[81] to be stopt, and the men to come to the pumpes, wherof shee had two which went with chaynes; and plying them, in a moment there was three or foure inches of water upon the decke, which with scoopes, swabbles,[82] and platters, they threw upon the fire, and so quenched it, and delivered both ship and men out of no small danger.
Great care is to be had also in cleaving of wood, in hooping or scuttling[83] of caske, and in any businesse where violence is to be used with instruments of iron, steele, or stone: and especially in opening of powder, these are not to be used, but mallets of wood; for many mischances happen beyond all expectation.
I have beene credibly enformed by divers persons, that comming out of the Indies, with scuttling a butt of water, the water hath taken fire, and flamed up, and put all in hazard. And a servant of mine, Thomas Gray, told me, that in the shippe wherein he came out of the Indies, anno 1600, there happened the like; and that if with mantles they had not smothered the fire, they had bin all burned with a pipe of water, which in scutling tooke fire.
Master John Hazlelocke reported, that in the arsenall of Venice happened the like, he being present. For mine [By nature of waters.] own part, I am of opinion, that some waters have this propertie, and especially such as have their passage by mines of brimstone, or other mineralls, which, as all men know, give extraordinary properties unto the waters by which they runne. Or it may be that the water being in wine caske, and kept close, may retayne an extraordinary propertie of the wine.[84] Yea, I have drunke fountaine and river waters many times, which have had a savour as that of brimstone.
Three leagues from Bayon, in France, I have proved of a fountaine that hath this savour, and is medicinable for many diseases. In the South sea, in a river some five leagues from Cape Saint Francisco, in one degree and a halfe to the northwardes of the lyne, in the bay of Atacames, is a river of fresh water, which hath the like savour. Of this I shall have occasion to speake in another place, treating of the divers properties of fountaines and rivers; and therefore to our purpose.