Mediterranean (The Straits)

Pedro. on 13 Nov 2004   Link to this

Straits of Gibraltar.

For a geological history see...
http://www.nasca.org.uk/Medit/medit.html

To see what Montagu would have to encounter, see a modern day crossing on...
http://www.sailnet.com/collections/articles/ind...

And an interesting description of a crossing around 1900 see...
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles04/spain28.shtml

Clement on 20 Jan 2005   Link to this

Bosphorus Straits
I suspect that the straights referred to in the Jan 19, 1662 entry, are the Bosphorus. Sam notes that "the Turks do take more and more of our ships..." meaning they were levying an increasingly heavy tax on goods passing through. This criticism of the Turks was perpetually voiced by nations shipping goods from the Black Sea.

vicenzo on 20 Jan 2005   Link to this

Sorry! do not agree, Clement, the darned Moors, they ranged right up to the English coast {Cormwall) to get cheap labor and bed warmers. They, the Moors are the cause for the occupation of Tangiers and creating defences, in order to have Trading ships sail around the Horn of Africa to the East Indies and not be pestered by the Corsairs of Algiers and Morroco.

dirk on 20 Jan 2005   Link to this

The Straits

Vicenzo is right here: it's Gibraltar and not the Bosphorus. Don't be deceived by the use of the word "Turks" in this context: what's meant are the North-African corsairs (pirates if you want, but "loosely" in the service of the Sultan in Istambul). The term "Turks" was applied generically by the nations of christian Europe to every harassment coming from the muslim world - here specifically the Algerian pirates who more or less undisturbed slipped through Gibraltar, and raided the Spanish, French and British coastlines for booty and slaves.

The Knights of St.John at Malta were very active against these corsairs - with good results - but they couldn't prevent some of them slipping through the Straits.

Clement on 20 Jan 2005   Link to this

Striking sail in the Straits
Yes, Gibralter is a stronger case. You're right about the broad use by Europeans of the terms Moors and Turks for any Muslim, but I find even further support for Sam's description. The Turkish Sultan sent Pashas to rule areas of Northern Africa until at least 1659, having gained a measure of control in the early 16th century supporting Barbarossa's contest against Spain.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer...
(1911 Britannica with scan error corrections)

vicenzo on 7 Feb 2005   Link to this

Modern pirates: Bloomberg News [google s] today LA Times stated that slayings in pirate attacks rise . Main Area of concern surrounds Aceh Province along with Nigeria with many incidents.

Pedro on 25 Jan 2008   Link to this

'Eureka!' Off Gibraltar: A Trove From 1694

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=...

Jim on 10 Apr 2012   Link to this

I'm inclined to Gibralter as well, knowing the English had forces there. And in fact, the entry on Thomas Allin says he sailed in 1664 in force to attempt a peace treaty with the Algerines.