The first Guiana voyage and the promise of El Dorado

The expedition first takes a Flemish vessel carrying Spanish wine, giving Raleigh a useful prize before he reaches the Caribbean. The 1595 voyage then shows him at his most capable when acting quickly and leading in person. He captures the Spanish settlement on Trinidad, advances into the Orinoco basin without losing men to disease, and establishes useful relations with Indigenous communities. The voyage nevertheless fails its financial test because it returns without the wealth Raleigh advertised. William Cecil, Lord Burghley, had invested in the voyage and was unhappy with the result. Raleigh’s published account magnifies the achievement and helps stimulate later British, French, and Dutch colonization in the Guianas.