ABSTRACT
The story of the Edward Bonaventure, one of three ships which set out under Captain George Raymond for the East Indies in the spring of 1591, is recounted twice in the pages of Hakluyt—by Edmund Barker and Henry May. For the West Indies phase of the voyage Barker's account is fuller, since he remained with the ship almost to the end. It is clear from the accounts of Barker and May, as well as from French and Spanish sources, that the French at this time were conducting a considerable trade in the area they called 'Perou', in the north and west of Hispaniola. The plaintiffs, owners of the two French ships, contended that they were merchantmen and had been attacked by the Centaur; further, that Le Havre was not subject to the Catholic League at the time of their capture, having been reduced to obedience to Henry IV on 30 March 1594.
