ABSTRACT
Sir John Burgh, a younger son of William, the fourth Lord Burgh of Gainsborough, and a brother of Thomas, the fifth Lord Burgh, Lord-Deputy in Ireland, was spent his early manhood soldiering in France and the Low Countries. Mystery, therefore, has long surrounded various brief references to a voyage to Guiana, Trinidad and La Margarita, which Burgh is alleged to have made in 1594. Sir Walter Ralegh to Guiana, no profit at all; and the year before Sir John Burgh with the like success. It is clear from Sir Walter Raleigh's statements that Burgh landed with a considerable force and was compelled to retire. The Spanish, as usual, exaggerate the strength of Burgh's shipping and manpower, but the governor put up a most effective resistance and compelled the English to retire before they had progressed far towards Asuncion.
