Long, Richard.

English sea captain and explorer of the Caribbean.

Long, in command of the man-of-war Rupert Prize, arrived in Darien in late 1699, shortly after the Scots, under William Paterson, had begun their settlement there. Although he had been sent out by special command of the king December 5, 1697 to explore unsettled parts of America and to search for sunken treasure ships, he also had instructions from the Crown to spy on and impede in any way possible the Paterson settlement at Darien. He explored the Darien area and traded with the Indians from whom he learned about the great gold mines of Cany, held by the Spaniards. He saw that if the gulf and river of Darien were held by another country, it would be detrimental to England and her trade.

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