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Queen Elizabeth sent Francis Drake to destroy Spanish commerce

Source: Historical proof of the right of the Catholic King to the territory held to-day by the British King under the name of New Georgia #558

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2. Drake's Surprise Attack on San Juan de Pinos*[Arredondo note * Cardenas, Decada 8*. [ff. 161-163.]: Queen Elizabeth having declared herself the enemy of Spain two years afterward, by giving aid in soldiers and money to the Flemish rebels, sent to the West Indies Count Christopher Carlisle and Francis Drake, with a fleet of twenty-one ships and a landing-force of 2,300 men. After burning and sacking Santo Domingo, Cartagena, and Santiago de Cuba, undefended places, in the year 1586 on his way back to Europe he did the same by a surprise attack at San Juan de Pinos, a presidio of fourteen cannon, not yet finished, situated six leagues to the south of San Agustin. This town and its fortress in turn experienced the same destruction at his hands, because the Spaniards, having been told of the superiority of the enemy forces, had retreated to San Mateo, in order to be able, by uniting with the troops there, to repulse their opponents. The latter, learning of this move, again embarked and attempted to go to Santa Elena in order to attack it, but were compelled by a storm to go to Virginia. There they found the English in the settlement recently established by Walter Raleigh perishing of hunger and want, which forced Ralph Lane, its governor, to embark with his men on Drake's ship and abandon the country. 29.

Consequently the British occupation of it then came to an end. When the Spanish governor learned that the Count and Drake had contented themselves with the damage done to San Juan de Pinos and San Agustin and had entirely abandoned those coasts, he returned by land with all his soldiers and families and began to reconstruct the fort, which he finished completely with the aid of supplies sent to him from Havana.* [Arredondo note * Cardenas, Década 8*. [f. 163.]