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Above: Galleass, c1690
Above: & A Spanish Galleon
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& for individuals, from whom the magistrates take the price of the things traded, especially since such artisans were of the public's wages. It is held that these labors pay for the entire naval crew without costing the public anything. Besides this apparatus there are always fifty galleys at the mouth of the gulf for the guard, each of which is of thirty benches, & the general of thirty-five, painted & embellished with various ornaments, with six galleasses,[1] & as many galleons, each of five hundred tons. This army is commanded by an admiral of great authority, who changes every year, & also the Captains, so that all the gallant men exercise themselves both by sea & by land. As for the soldiers & other officers, they are to perpetual instruct the young Captains, & to prevent them (not yet having the practice) from doing anything wrong in so much as well traveled Pilots & Sailors know all the harbors, banks, reefs & know the seasons & changes of the weather, when it is good in one place, & when in another, where the air is unhealthy, & where it is healthy, something necessary for anyone who wants to practice |
| 1. A galleass was a warship that combined the sails and armament of a galleon with the maneuverability of the oared galley. |