· William St. John, Navel Captain of flag-ship, The Destiny:

Miss Agnes Latham of Pickering in North Yorkshire is at present engaged in preparing and

editing the complete letters of Ralegh for publication. In a letter to the Library concerning

Bute 8214, she writes: It must have been written when Ralegh was leaving on his last Guiana

voyage, in March 1617. Titc (or Tate) the anchor-smith had supplied ironwork for his flag-ship,

the Destiny. William St. John, of Highlight in Glamorgan was a naval captain, related to

Buckingham (George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham) who was acting Lord Admiral. He and Ralegh's cousin Herbert (I think a Powis Herbert, tenuously related to Lady Ralegh) had something to do with the financing of the voyage. When it turned out a complete disaster and Ralegh was under house-arrest for attacking a Spanish settlement he tried to escape to France, and St. John and Herbert hunted him down. The Destiny was confiscated and St. John begged her (presumably in return for services rendered), but Lionel Cranston advised Buckingham (George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham) to keep her and satisfy St. John some other way, since she was a superb vessel.