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AFTERWARDS LORD ANSON ; COMMANDER IN CHIEF OP A SQUADKUN OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS, SENT UPON AW EXPEDITION TO THE SOUTH SEAS. WITH A MAP, SHEWING THE TRACK OF THE CENTURION ROUND THE WORLD. r Comyilelr from i^to payers anir iBaUvialu, BY RICHARD WALTER, M.A. CHAPLAIN OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP, TIIK CENTURION, IN THAT EXPEDITION. tl A NEW EDITION. 32297 LONDON: I PRINTED FOR THB SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE; SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORY, % GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, AND BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1845. pnoi^Emnr of e»IVERStTY OF WATERLOa IHE LIBRARY JL A i ' *. LONDON : R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. INTRODUCTION. i • Notwithstanding the great improvement of navigation within the last two centuries, a Voyage round the World is still considered as an enterprise of so very singular a nature, that the public have never failed to be extremely inquisitive about the various accidents, with which this uncommon attempt is generally attended. And though the amusement expected in these narrations, is doubt- less one great source of that curiosity with the bulk of readers, yet the more intelligent part of mankind have always agreed, that from accounts of this nature, if faithfully executed, the more important purposes of navigation, commerce, and national interest may be greatly promoted: for every authentic desjription of foreign coasts rnd countries will contribute to one or more of these great ends, in proportion to the wealth, wants, or commodities of those countries, and our igno- rance of those coasts ; and therefore a Voyage round the World promises a species of information of all . others the most desirable and interesting, since great part of it is performed in seas with which we are as yet but very imperfectly acquainted, and in the neigh- bourhood of a country renowned for the abundance of IV INTRODUCTION. its wealth, though it is, at the same time, stigmatized for its poverty in the necessaries and conveniences of civilized life. These considerations have occasioned the compiling the ensuing work, which, in gratifying the inquisitive disposition of mankind, and contributing to the safety and success of future navigators, and to the extension of our commerce and power, may doubtless vie with any narration of this kind hitherto made public ; since it may well be supposed, that the general curiosity hath been strongly excited by the circumstances of this undertaking already known to the world ; for whether we consider the force of the squadron sent on this service, or the diversified distresses that each single ship was separately involved in, or the uncommon instances of varying success which attended the whole enterprise, each of llicce articles, I conceive, must, from its rude, well-known outlines, appear worthy of a completer and more finished delineation. There are hereafter, occasionally, interspersed some accounts of Spanish transactions, and many observations relating to the disposition of the American Spaniards, and to the condition of the countries bordering on the South Seas ; and as herein I may appear to differ greatly from the opinions generally established, I think it behoves me particularly to recite the authorities I have been guided by in these matters, that I may not be censured as having given way, either to a thoughtless credulity on one hand, or what would be a much more criminal imputation, to a wilful and deliberate misrepresentation on the other. Mr. Anson, before he set sail upon this expedition, besides the printed journals to those parts, took care to « *. INTRODUCTION. lion Ion, to tl furnish himself with the best manuscript accounts he tould procure of all the Spanish settlements upon the coasts of Chili, Peru, and Mexico : these he carefully compared with the examinations of his prisoners, and the information of several intelligent persons, who fell into his hands in the South Seas. He had likewise the advantage, in some of his captures, to possess him- self of a great number of letters and papers of a public nature, many of them written by the Viceroy of Peru to the Vicoroy of Santa Fe, to the Presidents of Pa- nama and Chili, to Don Blass de Lezo, admiral of the galeons, and to divers other persons in considerable employments ; and in these letters there was usually inserted a recital of those they were intended to answer ; so that they contained no small part of the correspondence between those officers for some time previous to our arrival on that coast : we took, besides, many letters sent from persons entrusted by the Spanish government to their friends and correspondents, which were frequently filled with narrations of public business, and sometimes contained undisguised animadversions on the views and conduct of their superiors. From these materials those accounts of the Spanish affairs are drawn, which may at first sight appear the most ex- ceptionable. In particular, the history of the various casualties which befel Pizarro*8 squadron, is for the most part composed from intercepted letters. Though, indeed, the relation of the insurrection of Orellana and his followers is founded on rather a less disputable authority; for it was taken from the mouth of an English gentleman, then on board with Pizarro, who often conversed with Orellana; and it was, upon inquiry, confirmed in its principal circumstances by others who VI INTRODUCTION. r- were in the ship at the same time ; so that the fact, how- ever extraordinary, is, I conceive, not to be contested. And, on this occasion, I cannot but mention, that though I have endeavoured, with my utmost care, to adhere strictly to truth in every article of the ensuing narration ; yet I am apprehensive, that, in so compli- cated a work, some oversights must have been com- mitted, by the inattention to which at times all mankind are liable. However, I am, as yet, conscious of none but literal and insignificant mistakes; and if there are others more considerable which have escaped me, I flatter myself they are not of moment enough to affect any material transaction, and therefore I hope they may justly claim the reader's indulgence. After this general account of the ensuing work, it might be expected, perhaps, that I should proceed to the work itself; but I cannot finish this introduction, without adding a few reflections on a matter very nearly connected with the present subject, and, as I conceive, neither destitute of utility, nor unworthy the attention of the public ; I mean, the animating my countrymen, both in their public and private stations, to the encou- ragement and pursuit of all kinds of geographical and nautical observations, and of every species of mechanical .jdnd commercial information. It is by a settled attach- " ment to these seemingly-minute particulars, that our '^mbitious neighbours have established some part of that power with which we are now struggling : and as we have the means in our hands of pursuing these subjects more effectually than they can, it would be a dishonour to us longer to neglect so easy and beneficial a practice. For as we have a navy much more numerous than theirs, great part of which is always employed in very V INTRODUCTION. Tii .'I distant nations, cither in the protection of our colonies and commerce, or in assisting our allies against the common enemy ; this gives us frequent opportunities of furnishing ourselves with such kind of materials as are here recommended, and such «s might turn greatly to our advantage either in war or peace : since not to mention what might be expected from the officers of the navy, if their application to these subjects was properly encouraged, it would create no new expense to the government to establish a particular regulation for this purpose ; as all that would be requisite would be con- stantly to embark on board some of our men-of-war, which are sent on these distant cruises, a person who, with the character of an engineer, and the skill and talents necessary to that profession, should be employed in drawing such coasts, and planning such harbours, as the ship should touch at, and in making such other observations of all kinds, as might either prove of ad- vantage to future navigators, or might any ways tend to promote the public service. Persons habituated to these operations (which could not fail at the same time of improving them in their proper business) would be extremely useful in many other lights, besides those already mentioned, and might tend to secure our fleets from those disgraces with which their attempts against places on shore have been often attended. And in a nation like ours, where all sciences are more eagerly and universally pursued, and better understood, than in any other part of the world; proper subjects for these employments could not long be wanting, if due encou- ragement were given to them. This method here recommended is known to have been frequently prac- tised by the French ; particularly in the instance of Vlll INTRODUCTION. Mons. Frazier, nn engineer, who has published a cele- brated voyage to the South Seas : for this person, in the year 1711, was purposely sent, by the French king, into that country, on board a merchantman, that he might examine and describe the coast, and take plans of all the fortified places ; the better to enable the French to prosecute their illicit trade, or, on a rupture between them and the court of Spain, to form their enterprises in those seas with more readiness and cer- tainty. Should we pursue this method, we might hope, that the emulation amongst those who were commis- sioned for the^e undertakings, and the experience which, even in the most peaceable intervals, they would hereby acquire, might at length procure us a proper number of able engineers, and might efface the national scandal, which our deficiency in that species of men has sometimes exposed us to : and, surely, every step to encourage and imj^rove them is of great moment to the public ; as no peidons, when they are properly in- structed, make better returns in war, for the distinc- tions and emoluments bestowed on them in time of peace. Of which the advantages the French have reaped from their dexterity (too numerous and recent to be soon forgot,) are an ample confirmation. And having mentioned engineers, or such as are skilled in drawing, and the other usual practices of that profession, as the properest persons to be employed in these foreign inquiries, I cannot, as it oflP^rs itself so naturally to the subject in hand, but lament, how ver-f' imperfect many of our accounts of distant cour^^ries ar.^ rendered, by the relators being unskilled in urawing, and in the general principles of surveying, even where other abilities have not been wanting. Had more of ■ *♦ INTRODUCTION. Ix our travellers been initiated in these acquirements, and had there been added thereto some little skill in the common astronomical observations, all which a person of ordinary talents might attain with a very moderate share of application, we should by thin time have seen the geography of the globe much correcter than we now find it ; the dangers of navigation would have been considerably lessened, and the manners, arts, and pro- duce of foreign countries would have been better known to us than they are. Indeed, when I consider the strong incitements that all travellers have to pursue, some part at least of these qualifications, especially drawiiig ; when I consider how much it will facilitate their observations, assist and strengthen their memories, and of how tedioii? . nn«l ^'ten unintelligible, a load of descri^ tion it would rid tiir#» ' cannot but wonder that any pr -^n who intends to visiv '^'^^»nt countries, with a view of intufiiil. ^^^ either himself "tr ot^heru, ithould be wanting in so necessary a pi«^o*» «>f nkin. And in enforce this* arguii)t?nt still furthei, f inubt add that besides the uses of t^ rawing, already m riti,/ne St. Helc^, I conceive the history of these alterations is a deti^^ecessary to be made public, both for the honour of thoM who first planned and promoted this enterprise, B • r^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I and for the justification of those who have been entrusted % with its execution ; since it will from hence appear, that the accidents the expedition was afterwards exposed to, and which prevented it from producing all the na- tional advantages the strength of the squadron and the expectation of the public seemed to presage, were prin- cipally owing to a series of interruptions, which delayed the commander in the course of his preparations, and which it exceeded his utmost industry either to avoid or to get removed. When, in the latter end of the summer of the year 1739, it was foreseen that a war with Spain was inevit- able, it was the opinion of some considerable persons then trusted with the administration of affairs, that the most prudent step the nation could take, on the breaking out of the war, was attacking that crown in her distant set- tlements ; for by this means (as, at that time, there was the greatest probability of success) it was supposed that we should cut off the principal resources of the enemy, and should reduce them to the necessity of sincerely de- siring a peace, as they, would hereby be deprived of the returns of that treasure, by which alone they could be enabled to carry on a war. In pursuance of these sentiments, several projects were examined, and several resolutions were taken by the council, and in all these deliberations it was from the first determined, that George Anson, Esq., then captain of the Centurion, should be employed as commander-in- chief of an expedition of this kind; and he at that time being absent on a cruise, a vessel was despatched to his station so early as the beginning of September, to order him to return with his ship to Portsmouth. And soon after he came there, that is, on the 10th of November following, he received a letter from Sir Charles Wager, directing him to repair to London, and to attend the Board of Admiralty : where, when he arrived, he was informed by Sir Charles that two squadrons would be immediately fitted out for two secret expeditions, which. I 4 » Chaf. I.] EQUIPMENT OP THE SQUADRON. 3 were y the the ptain r-in- time his lorder soon iber [ager, the was be dch, however, would have some connexion with each other ; that he, Mr. Anson, was intended to command one of them, and Mr. Cornwall (who hath since lost his life glo- riously in the defence of his country's honour) the other; that the squadron under Mr. Anson was to take on board three independent companies of a hundred men each, and Bland's regiment of foot ; that Colonel Bland was like- wise to embark with his regiment, and to command the land-forces ; and that, as soon as this squadron could be fitted for the sea, they were to set sail, with express or- ders to touch at no place till they came to Java Head, in the East Indies ; that there they were only to stop to take in water, and thence to proceed directly to the city of Manilla, situated on Luconia, one of the Philippine Islands ; that the other squadron was to be of equal force with this commanded by Mr. Anson, and was in- tended to pass round Cape Horn into the South Seas, to range along that coast ; and, after cruising upon the enemy in those parts, and attempting their settlements, this squadron in its return was to rendezvous at Manilla, there to join the squadron under Mr. Anson, where they were to refresh their men and refit their ships, and, per- haps, receive orders for other considerable enterprises. This scheme was doubtless extremely well projected, and could not but greatly advance the public service and the reputation and fortune of those concerned in its exe- cution ; for, had Mr. Anson proceeded for Manilla at the time and in the manner proposed by Sir Charles Wager, he would in all probability have arrived there before they had received any advice of the war between us and Spain, and, consequently, before they had been in the least pre- pared for the reception of an enemy, or had any appre- hensions of their danger. The city of Manilla might be well supposed to have been at that time in the same de- fenceless condition with all the other Spanish settlements, just at the breaking out of the war : that is to say, their fortifications neglected, and in many places decayed ; their cannon dismounted, or rendered useless by the b2 I 4 VOYAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book 1. mouldering of their carriages ; their magazines, whether of military stores or provision, all empty ; thei/ garrisons unpaid, and con3e(iuently thin, ill-affected, anr' dispirited; and the royal chests in Peru, whence alone a.l these dis- orders could receive their redress, drained to the very bottom. This, from the intercepted letters of their vice- roys and governors, is well known to have been the defenceless state of Panama, and the other Spanish places on the coast of the South Sea, for near a twelvemonth after our declaration of war. And il cannot be supposed that the city of Manilla, removed still farther by almost half the circumference of the globe, should have expe- rienced from the Spanish government a greater share of attention and concern for its security than Panama, and the other important ports in Peru and Chili, on which their possession of that immense empire depends. In- deed it is well known that Manilla was at that time incapable of making any considerable defence, and in all probability would have surrendered only on the appear- ance of our squadron before it. The consequence of this city, and the island it stands on, may be in some measure estimated from the known healthiness of its air, the -ex- cellency of its port and bay, the number and wealth of its inhabitants, and the very extensive and beneficial commerce which it carries on to the principal ports in the East Indies and China, and its exclusive trade to Acapulco, the returns for which, being made in silver, are, upon the lowest valuation, not less than three mil- lions of dollars per annum. On this scheme Sir Charles Wager was so intent, that in a few days after this first conference, that is, on No- vember 18, Mr. Anson received an order to take under his command the Argyle, Severn, Pearl, Wager, and Tryal sloop ; and other orders were issued to him in the same month, and in the December following, relating to the victualling of this squadron. But. Mr. Anson at- tending the Admiralty the beginning of January, he was informed by Sir Charles Wager, that, for reasons with ^. Chap. I] EQUIPMENT OF THE SQUADRON. 5 't whicli he, Sir Charles, was not acquainted, the expedition to Manilla was laid aside. It may be conceived that Mr. Anson was extremely chagrined at the losing the command of so honourable, and in every respect so de- sirable Jin enterprise, especially, too, as he had already, at a very great expense, made the necessary provision for his own accommodation in this voyage, which, he had reason to expect, would prove a very long one. However, Sir Charles, to render this disappointment in some degree more tolerable, informed him that the ex- pedition to the South Seas was still intended ; and that he, Mr. Anson, and his squadron, as their first destina- tion was now countermanded, should be employed in that service : and on the 10th of January he received his commission, appointing him commander-in-chief of the fore-mentioned squadron, which (the Argyle being, in the course of their preparation, changed for the Oloucester) was the same he sailed with above eight months after from St. Helen'c On this change of des- tination, the equipment of the squadron was still prose- cuted with as much vigour as ever ; and the victualling, ancl whatever depended on the Commodore, was soon so far advanced, that he conceived the ships might be capable of putting to sea the instant he should receive his final orders, of which he was in daily expectation. And at last, on the 28th of June, 1740, the Duke of Newcastle, Principal Secretary of State, delivered to him his Majesty's instructions, dated January 31, 1739, with an additional instruction from the Lords Justices, dated June 19, 1740. On the receipt of these, Mr. Anson immediately repaired to Spithead, with a resolution to sail with the first fair wind, flattering himself that all his difficulties were now at an end. For through he knew by the musters that his squadron wanted three hundred seamen of their complement (a deficiency which, with all his assiduity, he had not been able to ger -^up- pli6d), yet, as Sir Charles Wager informed km tha: an order from the Board of Admiralty wai de5patck€fd to 6 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. Sir John Norris to spare him the numbers which he wanted, he doubted not of its being complied with. But, on his arrival at Portsmouth, he found himself greatly mistaken and disappointed in this persuasion ; for, on his application, Sir John Norris told him he could spare him none, for he wanted men for his own fleet. This occasioned an inevitable and a very considerable delay, for it was the end of July before this deficiency was by any means supplied ; and all that was then done was extremely short of his necessities and expectation. For Admiral Balchen, who succeeded to the command at Spithead, after Sir John Norris had sailed to the west- ward, instead of three hundred able sailors, which Mr. Anson wanted of his complement, ord( ed on board the squadron a hundred and seventy men only, of which thirty-two were from the hospital and sick quarter, thirty-seven from the Salisbury, with three officers of Colonel Lowther's regiment, and ninety-eight marines ; and these were all that were ever granted to make up the fore-mentioned deficiency. But the Commodore's mortification did not end here. It has been already observed, that it was at first intended that Colonel Bland's regiment, and three independent companies of a hundred men each, should embark as land forces on board the squadron. But this disposition was now changed, and all the land forces that were to be allowed were five hundred invalids, to be collected from the out-pensioners of Chelsea Hospital. As these out- pensioners consist of soldiers who, from their age, wounds, or other infirmities, are incapable of service in marching regiments, Mr. Anson was greatly chagrined at having such a decrepit detachment allotted to him ; for he was fully persuaded that the greatest part of them would perish long before they arrived at the scene of action, since the delays he had already encountered necessarily confined his passage round Cape Horn to the most rigorous season of the year. Sir Charles Wager, too, joined in opinion with the Commodore, that invalids were VHkr. L] RQUIPMBNT OF TIIR SQUADRON. no ways proper for this serviicc, and solicited strenuously to have them exchanged ; hut he was told that persons who were supposed to be better judges of soldiers than he or Mr. Anson, thought them the properest men that could V>e employed on this occasion. And upon this de- termination they were ordered on board the squadron on the 5th of August ; but, instead of five hundred, there came on board no more than two hundred and fifty-nine, for all those who had limbs and strength to walk out of Portsmouth deserted, leaving behind them only such as were literally invalids, most of them being sixty years of age, and some of them upwards of seventy. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive a more moving scene than the embarkation of these unhappy veterans : they were them- selves extremely averse to the service they were engaged in, and fully apprised of all the disasters they were after- wards exposed to, the apprehensions of which were strongly marked by the concern that appeared in their countenances : which was mixed with no small degree of indignation, to be thus hurried from their repose into a fatiguing employ, to which neither the strength of their bodies nor the vigour of their minds were any ways pro- portioned, and where, without seeing the face of an enemy, or in the least promoting the success of the enterprise, they would, in all probability, uselessly perish by linger- ing and painful diseases ; and this, too, after they had spent the activity and strength of their youth in their country's service. I cannot but observe on this melancholy incident, ho\f extremely unfortunate it was, both to this aged and diseased detachment, and to the expedition they were employed in, that, amongst all the out-pensioners of Chelsea Hospital, which were supposed to amount to two thousand men, the most crazy and infirm only should be culled out for so laborious and perilous an undertaking; for it was well known that, however unfit invalids in general might be for this service, yet, by a prudent choice, there might have been found amongst them five 8 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. hundred men who had some remains of vigour left ; and Mr. Anson fully expected that the best of them would have been allotted him : whereas the whole detachment that was sent to him seemed to be made up of the most decrepid and miserable objects that could be collected out of the whole body ; and, by the desertion above men- tioned, these were a second time cleared of that little health and strength which were to be found amongst them, and he was to take up with such as were much fitter for an infirmary than for any military duty. And here it is necessary to mention another material particular in the equipment of this squadron. It was proposed to Mr. Anson, after it was resolved that he should be sent to the South Seas, to take with him two persons under the denomination of agent- victuallers. Those who were mentioned for this employment had for- merly been in the Spanish West Indies, in the South Sea Company's service ; and it was supposed that, by their knowledge and intelligence on that coast, they might often procure provisions for him by compact with the inhabitants, when they were not to be got by force of arms : these agent-victuallers were, for this purpose, to be allowed to carry to the value of 15,000^. in merchan- dize on board the squadron ; for they had represented that it would be much easier for them to procure provi- sions with goods than with the value of the same goods in money. Whatever colours were given to this scheme, it was difficult to persuade the generality of mankind that it was not principally intended for the enrichment of the agents, by the beneficial commerce they proposed to carry on upon that coast. Mr. Anson, from the be- ginning, objected both to the appointment of agent- victuallers, and the allowing them to carry a cargo on board the squadron ; for he conceived that, in those few amicable ports where the squadron might touch, he needed not their assistance to )n tract for any provisions the place afforded ; and, on the enemy's coast, he did not imagine that they could ever procure him the neces- Chap. I.] EQUIPMENT OF THE SQUADRON. 9 saries he should want, unless (which he was resolved not to comply with) the military operations of his squadron were to ^e regulated by the ridiculous views of their trading projects. All that he thought the government ought to ha\e done on this occasion was to put on board to the value of 2,000/. or 3,000/. only of such goods as the Indians, or the Spanish planters in the less cultivated part of the coast, might be tempted with ; since it was in such places only that he imagined it would be worth while to truck with the enemy for provisions ; and in these places it was sufficiently evident a very small cargo would suffice. • ' But though the Commodore objected both to the ap- pointment of these officers and to their project, of the success of which he had no opinion, yet, as they had insinuated that their scheme, besides victualling the squadron, might contribute to settling a trade upon that coast, which might be afterwards carried on without difficulty, and might thereby prove a very considerable national advantage, they were much listened to by some considerable persons ; and of the 15,000/. which was to be the amount of their cargo, the government agreed to advance them 10,000/. upon imprest, and the remaining 5,000/. they raised on bottomry bonds ; and the goods purchased with this sum were all tha^ were taken to sea by the squadron, how much soever the amount of them might be afterwards magnified by common report. This cargo was at first shipped on board the Wager store ship, and one of the victuallers, no part of it being admitted on board the men-of-war. But when the Commodore was at St. Catherine's, he considered that, in case the squadron should be separated, it might be pretended that some of the ships were disappointed of provisions, for want of a cargo to truck with ; and there- fore he distributed some of the least bulky commodities on board the men of war, leaving the remainder princi- pally on board the Wager, where it was lost : and more of the goods perishing by various accidents, to be recited 10 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLP. [Book I. hereafter, and no part of them being disposed of upon the coast, the few that came home to England did not produce, when sold, above a fourth part of the original price. So true was the Commodore's judgment of the event of this project, which had been by many considered as infallibly productive of immense gains. — But to return to the transactions at Portsmouth. To supply the place of the two hundred and forty in- valids which had deserted, as is mentioned above, there were ordered on board two hundred and ten marines, detached from different regiments ; these were raw and undisciplined men, for they were just raised, and had ^ scarcely any thing more of the soldier than their regi- mentals, none of them having been so far trained as to be permitted to fire. The last detachment of these marines came on board the 8th of August, and on the 10th the squadron sailed from Spithead to St. Helen's, there to wait for a wind to proceed on the expedition. But the delays we' had already suffered had not yet spent all their influence ; for we were now advanced into a season of the year when the westerly winds are usually very constant, and very violent ; and it was thought proper that we should put to sea in company with the fleet commanded by Admiral Balchen, and the expedi-^ tion under Lord Cathcart. As we made up, in all, twenty-one men-of-war, and a hundred and twenty-four sail of merchantmen and transports, we had no hopes of getting out of the Channel with so large a number of ships, without the continuance of a fair wind, for some considerable time. This was what we had every day less and less reason to expect, as the time of the equinox drew near ; so that our golden dreams, and our ideal possession of the Peruvian treasures, grew each day more t faint ; and the difficulties and dangers of the passage round Cape Horn in the winter season, filled our ima- ginations in their room. For it was forty days from our arrival at St. Helen's, to our final departure from thence ; and even then, (having orders to proceed without Lord Chap. I.] DEPARTURE FROM ST. HELENS. 11 Cathcart,) we tided it down the Channel with a contrary wind. But this interval of forty days was not free from the displeasing fatigue of often setting sail, and being as often obliged to return; not exempt from dangers, greater than have been sometimes undergone in sur- rounding the globe. For the wind coming fair for the first time on the 23d of August, we got under sail, and Mr. Balchen showed himself truly solicitous to have proceeded to sea ; but the wind, soon returning to its old quarter, obliged us to put back to St. Helen's, not without considerable hazard, and some damage received by two of the transports, who, in tacking, ran foul of each other. Besides this, we made two or three more attempts to sail, but without any better success : and, on the 6 th of September, being returned to an anchor at St. Helen's after one of these fruitless efforts, the wind blew so fresh, that the whole fleet struck their yards and topmasts, to prevent driving ; yet, notwithstanding this precaution, the Centurion drove the next evening, and brought both cables, a-head ; and we were in no small danger of driving foul of the Prince Frederick, a seventy- gun ship, moored at a small distance under our stern, though we happily escaped, by her driving at the same time, and so preserved her distance ; but we did not think ourselves secure till we at last let go the sheet anchor, which fortunately brought us up. However, on the 9th of September, we were in som^. degree relieved from this lirigering vexatious situation, by an order, which Mr. Anson received from the Lords Jus- tices, to put to sea the first opportunity with his own squadron only, if Lord Cathcart should not be ready. Being thus freed from the troublesome company of so large a fleet, our Commodore resolved to weigh, and tide it down the Channel, as soon as the weather should be- come sufficiently moderate ; and this might easily have been done with our own squadron alone, full two months sooner, had the orders of the Admiralty for supplying US with seamen been punctually complied with, and had 12 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [dooK I. j-iife met with none o^ those other delays mentioned in this narration. It is true, our hopes of a speedy depar- ture were even now somewhat damped, hy a subsequent order, which Mr. Anson received on the 12 th of Sep- tember ; for, by that, he was required to take under his convoy the St. Alban's, with the Turkey fleet, and to join the Dragon and the Winchester with the Straits and the American trade, at Torbay, or Plymouth, and to proceed with them to sea as far as their way and ours lay together. This incumbrance of a convoy gave us some uneasiness, as we feared it might prove the means of lengthening our passage to the Madeiras. However, Mr. Anson, now having the command himself, resolved to adhere to his former determination, and to tide it down the Channel with the first moderate weather ; and, that the junction of his convoy might occasion as little ' loss of time as possible, he immediately sent directions to Torbay, that the fleets he was there to take under his care might be in readiness to join him instantly on his approach ; and, at last, on the 18th of September, he weighed from St. Helen's, and though the wind was at first contrary, got clear of the Channel in four days, as will be more particularly related in the ensuing chapter. Having thus gone through the respective steps taken in the equipment of this squadron, it is sufficiently ob- vious how different an aspect this expedition bore at its first appointment in the beginning of January, from what it had in the latter end of September, when it left the Channel ; and how much its numbers, its strength, and the probability of its success were diminished by the various incidents which took place in that interval. For, instead of having all our old and ordinary seamen ex- changed for such as were young and able (which the Commodore was at first promised), and having our num- bers completed to their full complement, we were obliged to retain our first crews, which were very indifierent ; and a deficiency of three hundred men in our numbers Chap. I.] DEPARTURE FROM ST. HELENAS. 13 was no otherwise made up to us, than by sending us on board a hundred and seventy men, the greatest part composed of such as were discharged from hospitals, or new-raised marines, who had never been at sea before. And, in the land-forces allotted us, the change was still more disadvantageous ; for there, instead of three inde- pendent companies of a hundred laen each, and Bland's regiment of foot, which was an old one, we had only four hundred and seventy invalids and marines, one part of them incapable of action by their age and infirmities, and the other part useless by their ignorance of their duty. But the diminishing the strength of the squadron was not the greatest inconvenience which attended these alterations ; for the contests, representations, and difii- culties, which they continually produced, (as we have above seen that, in these cases, the authority of the Admiralty was not always submitted to,) occasioned a delay and waste of time, which, in its consequences, was the source of all the disasters to which this enterprise was afterwards exposed ; for, by this means, we were obliged to make our passage round Cape Horn in the most tempestuous season of the year ; whence proceeded the separation of our squadron, the loss of numbers of our men, and the imminent hazard of our total de- struction. By this delay, too, the enemy had been so well informed of our designs, that a person who had been employed in the South-Sea Company's service, and arrived from Panama three or four days before we left Portsmouth, was able to relate to Mr. Anson most of the particulars of the destination and strength of our squadron, from what he had learnt amongst the Spaniards before he left them. And this was afterwards confirmed by a more extraordinary circumstance ; for we shall fiind, that when the Spaniards (fully satisfied that our expe- dition was intended for the South Seas) had fitted out a squadron to oppose us, which had so far got the start of us as to arrive before us off the island of Madeira, the commander of this squadron was so well instructed iji u VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. the form and make of Mr. Anson's broad pendant, and had imitated it so exactly, that he thereby decoyed the Pearl, one of our squadron, within gun-shot of him, before the captain of the Pearl was able to discover his mistake. CHAPTER II. The Passage from St. Helen's to the Island of Madeira ; with a short Account of that Island, and of our Stay there. On the 18th of September, 1740, the squadron, as we have observed in the preceding chapter, weighed from St. Helen's with a contrary wind, the Commodore pro- posing to tide it down the Channel ; as he dreaded less the inconveniences he should thereby have to struggle with, than the risk he should run of ruining the enter- prise by an uncertain, and, in all probability, a tedious attendance for a fair wind. The squadron allotted to this service consisted of five men-of-war, a sloop of war, and two victualling ships. They were the Centurion, of sixty guns, four hundred men, George Anson, Esq. commander; the Gloucester, of fifty guns, three hundred men, Richan] Norris, com- mander ; the Severn, of fifty guns, three hundred men, the Honourable Edward Legg, commander; the Pearl, of forty guns, two hundred and fifty men, Matthew Mitchell, commander ; the Wager, of twenty-eight guns, one hundred and sixty men, Daniel Kidd, commander ; and the Tryal sloop of eight guns, one hundred men, the Honourable John Murray, commander; the two victuallers were pinks, the largest of about four hun- dred, and the other of about two hundred tons bur- then. These were to attend us till the provisions we had taken on board were so far consumed as to make room for the additional quantity they carried with them^ which when we had taken into our ships, they were to CHAP. II.] PASSAGE TO THE ISLAND OP MADEIRA. 15 be discharged. Besides the complement of men borne by the above-mentioned ships as their crews, there were embarked on board the squadron about four hundred and seventy invalids and marines, under the denomina- tion of land-forces, (as has been particularly mentioned in the preceding chapter,) which were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Cracherode. With this squadron, together with the St. Alban's and the Lark, and the trade under their convoy, Mr, Anson, after weighing from St. Helen's, tided it down the Channel for the first forty- eight hours ; and, on the 20th, in the morning, we dis- covered off the Ram-head, the Dragon, Winchester, South-Sea Castle, and Rye, with a number of mer- chantment under their convoy : these we joined about noon the same day, our Commodore having orders to see them (together with the St. Alban*s and Lark) as far into the sea as their course and ours lay together. When we came in sight of this last-mentioned fleet, Mr. Anson first hoisted his broad pendant, and was saluted by all the men-of-war ir company. When we had joined this last convoy, we made up eleven men-of-war, and about one hundred and fifty sail of merchantmen, consisting of the Turkey, the Straits, and the American trade. Mr. Anson, the same day, made a signal for all the captains of the men-of-war to come on board him, where he delivered them their fight- ing and sailing instructions, and then, with a fair wind, we all stood towards the south-west ; and the next day at noon, being the 21st, we had run forty leagues from the Ram-head. Being now clear of the land, our Com- modore, to render our view more extensive, ordered Captain Mitchell, in the Pearl, to make sail two leagues a-head of the fleet every morning, and to repair to his station every evening. Thus we proceeded till the 25th, when the Winchester and the American convoy made the concerted signal for leave to separate, which being iftnswered by the Commodore, they left us ; as the St. Alban's and the Dragon, with the Turkey and Straits 16 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. convoy, did on the 29th ; after which separation, there remained in company only our own squadron, and our two victuallers, with which we kept on our course for the island of Madeira. But the winds were so contrary that we had the mortification to be fortv days in our passage thither from St. Helen's, though ii, _ known to be often done in ten or twelve. This delay was a most unpleasing circumstance, productive of much discontent and ill-humour amongst our people, of which those only can have a tolerable idea who have had the experience of a like situation. For, besides the peevishness and despondency which foul and contrary winds, and a lin- gering voyage, never fail to create on all occasions, we, in particular, had very substantial reasons to be greatly alarmed at this unexpected impediment ; since, as we had departed from England much later than we ought to have done, we had placed almost all our hopes of success in the chance of retrieving, in some measure, at sea, the time we had so unhappily wasted at Spithead and St. Helen's. However, at last, on Monday, October the 25th, at five in the morning, we, to our great joy, made the* land, and in the afternoon came to an anchor in Madeira road, in forty-fathom water ; the Brazen-head bearing from us E. by S., the Loo NN.W., and the great church NN.E. We had hardly let go our anchor, when an English privateer sloop ran under our stem, and saluted the Commodore with nine guns, which we returned with five : and, the next day, the Consul of the island visiting the Commodore, we saluted him with nine guns on his coming on board. This island of Madeira, where we are now arrived, is famous through all our American settlements for its ex- cellent wines, which seem to be designed by Providence for the refreshment of the inhabitants of the torrid zone. It is situated in a fine climate, in the latitude of 32" 27' north ; and in the longitude from London (by our different reckonings) of 18^° to 19^° west, though laid down in the charts 17°. It is composed of one continued hill, of Chap. II.] PB0CEEDIN08 OF THE ENEMY. 17 a considerable height, extending itself from east to west ; the declivity of which, on the south side, is cultivated and interspersed with vineyards ; and in the midst of this slope the merchants have fixed their country seats, which help to form a very agreeable prospect. There is but one considerable town in the whole island ; it is named Funchal, and is seated on the south part of the island, at the bottom of a large bay. Towards the sea it is de- fended by a high wall, with a battery of cannon, besides a castle on the Loo, which is a rock standing in the water at a small distance from the shore. Funchal is the only place of trade, and, indeed, the only place where it is possible for a boat to land ; and even here the beach is covered with large stoneu, and a violent surf continually beats upon it ; so that the Commodore did not care to venture the ships' long-boats to fetch the water off, there was so much danger of their being lost ; and, therefore, ordered the captains of the squadron to employ Portu- guese boats on that service. We continued about a week at this island, watering our ships, and providing the squadron with wine and other refreshments. Here, on the 3d of November^ Captain Richard Norris signified, by a letter to the Com- modore, his desire to quit his command on board the Gloucester, in order to return to England for the reco- very of his health. This request the Commodore com- plied with, and thereupon was pleased to appoint Captain Matthew Mitchell to command the Gloucester in his room, and to remove Captain Kidd from the Wager to the Pearl, and Captain Murray from the Tryal sloop to the Wager, giving the command of the Tryal to Lieutenant Cheap. These promotions being settled, with other changes in the lieutenancies, the Commodore, on the following dav, gave to the captains their orders, appointing St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd islands, to be the first place of rendezvous in case of separation ; and directing them, if they did not meet the Centurion there, to make the best of their way to the island of St. Catherine, o^ the coast 18 VOTAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. of Brazil. The water for the squadron being the same day completed, and each ship supplied with as much wine and other refreshments as they could take in, we weighed anchor in the afternoon, and took our leave of the island of Madeira. — But, before I go on with the narration of our own transactions, I think it necessary to give some account of the proceedings of the enemy, and of the measures they had taken to render all our designs abortive. When Mr. Anson visited the Governor of Madeira, here- ceived information from him that, for three or four days in the latter end of October, there had appeared to the west- ward of the island seven or eight ships of the line, and a patache, which last was sent every day close in to make the land. The Governor assured the Commodore, upon his honour, that none upon the island had either given them intelligence, or had in any sort communicated with them ; but that he believed them to be either French or Spanish, but was rather inclined to think them Spanish. On this intelligence, Mr. Anson sent an officer in a clean sloop eight leagues to the westward, to reconnoitre them, and, if possible, to discover what they were ; but the officer returned without being able to get a sight of them, so that we still remained in uncertainty. However, we could not but conjecture that this fleet was intended to put a stop to our expedition, which had they cruised to the eastward of the island instead of the westward, they could not but have executed with great facility ; for as, in that case, they must have certainly fallen in with us, we should have been obliged to throw overboard vast quantities of provision to clear our ships for an engage- ment ; and this alone, without any regard to the event of the action, would have effectually prevented our pro- gress. This was so obvious a measure, that we could not help imagining reasons which might have prevented them from pursuing it ; and we, therefore, supposed that this French or Spanish squadron was sc jt out upon advice of our sailing in company with Admiral Balchen and Lord CHAr.IIl.] HISTORY OP THE 8P«^»i^H SqiTAPROW. If Gathcart's expedition ; and thenct, iSrom an apjyffrfwiitsioB of being over-matched, they might ii(;,t think it adYi««yii« to meet with us till we had parted company, ^hich they might judge would not happen before our arrir;*! at tim island. These were our speculatio s at that time, and from hence we had reason to suppose that we might still fall in with them in our way to the Cape de Verd islandi. We afterwards, in the course of our expedition, weru persuaded that this was the Spanish squadron, commanded by Don Joseph Pizarro, which was sent out purposely to traverse the views and enterprises of our squadron, to which in strength they were greatly superior. As this Spanish armament, then, was so nearly connected with our expedition, and as the catastrophe it underwent, though not effected by our force, was yet a considerable advantage to this nation, produced in consequence of our equipment, I have in the following chapter given a sum- mary account of their proceedings, from their first setting out from Spain, in the year 1740, till the Asia, the only ship of the whole squadron which returned to Europe, arrived at the Groyne, in the beginning of the year 1746. CHAPTER III. The History of the Spanish Squadron, commanded by Don Joseph Pizarro. The squadron fitted out by the court of Spain to attend our motions and traverse our projects, we supposed to have been the ships seen off Madeira, as mentioned in the preceding chapter. As this force was sent out particu- larly against our expedition, I cannot but imagine that the following history of the casualties it met with, as far as by intercepted letters and other information the same has come to my knowledge, k a very essential part of the present work ; for hence it will appear, that we were 20 YOYAQE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. the occafjion that a considerable part of the naval power of Spain was diverted from the prosecution of the am- bitious views of that court in Europe. And whatever men and ships were lost by the enemy in this under- taking, were lost in consequence of the precautions they took to secure themselves against our enterprises. This squadron (besides two ships intended for the West Indies, which did not part company till after they had left .the Madeiras) was composed of the following men-of-war, commanded by Don Joseph Pizarro : — The Asia, of sixty-six guns, and seven hundred men : this was the Admiral's ship. The Guipuscoa, of seventy-four guns, and seven hundred men. The Hermiona, of fifty-four guns, and five hundred men. The Esperanza, of fifty guns, and four hundred and fifty men. The St. Estevan, of forty guns, and three hundred and fifty men. And a Patache, of twenty guns. These ships, over and above their completnent of sailors and marines, had on board an old Spanish regi- ment of foot, intended to reinforce the garrisons on the coast of the South Seas. When this fieet had cruised for some days to the leeward of the Madeiras, as is men- tioned in the preceding chapter, they left that station in the beginning of November, and steered for the river of Plata, where they arrived the 5th of January, O.S., and coming to an anchor in the bay of Maldonado, at the mouth of that river, their admiral, Pizarro, sent imme- diately to Buenos Ayres for a supply of provisions ; for they had departed from Spain with only four months' provisions on board. While they lay here expecting this supply, they received intelligence, by the treachery of the Portuguese governor of St. Catharine's, of Mr. An- son's having arrived at that island on the 2 1st of December preceding, and of his preparing to put to sea again with CiiAF.III] HISTORY OF THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 21 the utmost expedition. Pizarro, notwithstanding his superior force, had his reasons (and, as some say, his orders, likewise) for avoiding our squadron anywhere short of the South Seas ; he was, besides, extremely de- sirous of getting round Cape Horn before us, as he imagined that step alone would effectually baffle all our designs : and, therefore, on hearing that we were m his neighbourhood, and that we should soon be ready to pro- ceed for Cape Horn, he weighed anchor A/ith the five large ships (the Patache being disabled and condemned, and the men taken out of her), after a stay of seventeen days only ; and got under sail without his provisions, which arrived at Maldonado within a day or two after his departure. But, notwithstanding the precipitation with which he departed, we put to sea from St. Catha- rine*s four days before him ; and in some part of our passage to Cape Horn, the two squadrons were so near together, that the Pearl, one of our ships, being sepa- rated from the rest, fell in with the Spanish fleets and, mistaking the Asia for the Centurion, had got within gun-shot of Pizarro before she discovered her error, and narrowly escaped being taken. It being the 22d of January when the Spaniards weighed from Maldonado (as has been already men- tioned), they could not expect to get into the latitude of Cape Horn before the equinox ; and, as they had reason to apprehend very tempestuous weather in doubling it at that season, and as the Spanish sailors, being for the most part accustomed to a fair-weather country, might be ex- pected to be very averse to so dangerous and fatiguing a navigation, the better to encourage them, some part of their pay was advanced to them in European goods, which they were to be permitted to dispose of in the South Seas j that so the hopes of the great profit each man was to make on his venture might animate him in his duty, and render him less disposed to repine at the labour, the hardships, and the perils he would in all probability meet with before his arrival on the coast of Peru. 22 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. Pizarro, with his squadron, having, towards the latter end of February, run the length of Cape Horn, he then stood to the westward, in order to double it : but in the night of the last day of February, O.S., while with this view they were turning to windward, the Guipuscoa, the Hermiona, and the Esperanza, were separated from the Admiral ; and on the 6th of March following, the Guipuscoa was separated from the other two ; and on the 7th (being the day after we had passed Straits le Maire), there came on a most iiirious storm at N.W., which, in spite of all their efforts, drove the whole squadron to the eastward, and, after several fruitless attempts, obliged them to bear away for the river Plata, where Pizarro, in the Asia, arrived about the middle of May, and a few days after him the Esperanza and the Estevan. The Hermiona was supposed to founder at sea, for she was never heard of more; and the Guipuscoa was run ashore and sunk on the coast of Brazil. The calamities of all kinds which this squadron underwent in this unsuccessful navigation, can only be paralleled by what we ourselves experienced in the same climate, when buffeted by the same storms. There was, indeed, some diversity in our distresses, which rendered it difficult to decide whose situation waa most worthy of commisera- tion ; for, to all the misfortunes we had in common with each other, as shattered rigging, leaky ships, and the fatigues and despondency which necessarily attend these disasters, there was superadded, on board our squadron, the ravage of a most destructive and incurable disease, and on board the Spanish squadron, the devastation of famine. For this squadron, either from Oie hurry of their out- set, their presumption of a supply at Buenos Ayres, or from other less obvious motives, departed from Spain, as has been already observed, with no more than four months* provision on board, and even that, as it is said, at short allowance only : so that when, by the storms they met with off Cape Horn, their continuance at sea was pro- longed a month or more beyond their expectation, they Chap. III.] HISTORY OF THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 23 were reduced to such infinite distress, that rats, when they could be caught, were sold for four dollars a-piece ; and a sailor who died on board, had his death concealed for some days by his brother, who during that time, lay in the same hammock with the corpse, only to receive the dead man's allowance of provisions. In this dread- ful situation they were alarmed (if their horrors were capable of augmentation) by the discovery of a conspiracy among the marines on board the Asia, the Admiral's ship. This had taken its rise chiefly from the miseries they endured ; for, though no less was proposed by the conspirators than the massacring the officers and the whole crew, yet their motive for this bloody resolution seemed to be no more than their desire of relieving their hunger, by appropriating the whole ship's provisions to themselves ; but their designs were prevented when just upon the point of execution, by means of one of their confessors ; and three of their ringleaders were imme- diately put to death. However, though the conspiracy was suppressed, their other calamities admitted of no alleviation, but grew each day more and more destructive, so that, by the complicated distress of fatigue, sickness, and hanger, the three ships which escaped lost the greatest part of their men ; the Asia, their Admiral's ship, arrived at Monte Video, in the river Plata, with half her crew only ; the St. Estevan had lost, in like manner, half her hands when she anchored in the bay of Barragan ; the Esperanza, a fifty-gun ship, was still more unfortunate, for, of four hundred and fifty hands which she brought from Spain, only fifty-eight remained alive, and the whole regiment of foot perished, except sixty But to give the reader a more distinct and parti- men. cular idea of what they underweixt upon this occasion, 1 shall lay before him a short account of the fate of the Gdipuscoa, extracted from a letter written by Don Joseph Mindinuetta, her captain, to a person of distinction at Lima, a copy of which fell into our hands afterwards, in the South Seas. . 24 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book 1. i He mentions, that he separated from the Hermiona and the Esperanza, in a fog, on the 6th of March, being then, as I suppose, to the S.E. of Staten Land) and plying to the westward ; that in the night after it blew a furious storm at N.W., which, at half an hour after ten, split his main-sail, and obliged him to bear away with his fore-sail ; that the ship went ten knots an hour with a prodigious sea, and often ran her gangway under water ; that he likewise sprung his main-mast, and the ship made so much water that, with four pumps and baling, he could not free her ; that on the 9th it was calm, but the sea continued so high that the ship, in rolling, opened all her upper works and seams, and started the butt ends of her planking and the greatest part of her top timbers, the bolts being drawn by the violence of her roll ; that in this condition, with other additional disasters to the hull and rigging, they continued beating to the westward till the 12th ; that they were then in sixty degrees of south latitude, in great want of provisions, numbers every day perishing by the fatigue of pumping, and those who survived being quite dispirited by labour, hunger, and the severity of the weather, they having two spans of snow upon the decks ; that then, finding the wind fixed in the western quarter and blowing strong, and conse- quently their passage to the westward impossible, they resolved to bear away for the river ?lata ; that on the 22d they were obliged to throve overboard all the upper- deck guns and an anchor, ir.l to take six turns of the cable round the ship to pre^ ent her opening ; that on the 4th of April, it being calm, but a very high sea, the ship rolled so much that the mainmast came by the board, and in a few hours after she lost, in like manner, her fore-mast and her mizen-mast ; and that, to accumulate their misfortunes, they were soon obliged to cut away their bowsprit, to diminish, if possible, the leakage at her head ; that, by this time, he had lost two hundred and fifty men by hunger and fatigue, for those who were capable of working at the pumps (at which every officer, f : Ca\P.IIl.] HISTORY OF THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 25 withoui exception, took his turn) were allowed only an ounce and a half of biscuit per diem, and those who were so sick or so weak that they could not assist in this ne- cessary labour, had no more than an ounce of wheat ; so that it was common for the men to fall down dead at the pumps : that, including the officers, they could only muster from eighty to a hundred persons capable of duty ; that the south-west winds blew so fresh, after they had lost their masts, that they could not immediately set up jury-masts, but were obliged to drive like a wreck, be- tween the latitudes of 32" and 2S% till the 24th of April, when they made the coast of Brazil, at Rio de Plata, ten leagues to the southward of the island of St. Catharine ; that here they came to an anchor, and that the captain was very desirous of proceeding to St. Catharine's, if possible, in order to save the hull of the ship, and the guns and stores on board her ; but the crew instantly left off pumping, and, being enraged at the hardships they had suffered and the numbers they had lost (there being at that time no less than thirty dead bodies lying on the deck), they all, with one voice, cried out, " on SHORE, ON SHORE," and obliged the captain to run the ship in directly for the land, where, the fifth day after, she sunk, with her stores and all her furniture on board her, but the remainder of the crew, whom hunger and fatigue had spared, to the number of four hundred, got safe on shore. From this account of the adventures and catastrophe of the Guipuscoa, we may form some conjecture of the manner in which the Hermiona was lost, and of the dis- tresses endured by the three remaining ships of the squadron, which ^ot into the river Plata. These last being in great want of masts, yards, rigging, and all kind of naval stores, and having no supply at Buenos Ayres, nor in any of their neighbouring settlements, Pizarro despatched an ad'''^'ce-boat with a letter of credit to Rio Janeiro, to purchase what was wanting from the Portu- guese. He, at the same time, sent an express across the 26 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. continent to St. Jago, in Chili, to be thence forwarded to the viceroy of Peru, informing him of the disasters that had befallen his squadron, and desiring a remittance of 200,000 dollars from the royal chests at Lima, to enable him to victual and refit his remaining ships, that he might be again in a condition to attempt the passage to the South Seas, as soon as the season of the year should be more favourable. It is mentioned by the Spaniards as a most extraordinary circumstance, that the Indian charged with this express (though it was then the depth of winter, when the Cordilleras are esteemed impassable on account of the snow) was only thirteen days in his journey from Buenos Ayres to St. Jago, in Chili, though these places are distant three hundred Spanish leagues, near forty of which are amongst the snows and precipices of the Cor- dilleras. The return to this despatch of Pizarro's, from the viceroy of Peru, was no ways favourable; instead of 200,000 dollars, the sum demanded, the viceroy remitted him only 100,000, telling him that it was with great difficulty he was able to procure him even that ; though the inhabitants at Lima, who considered the presence of Pizarro as absolutely necessary to their security, were much discontented at this procedure, and did not fail to assert that it was not the want of money, but the inter- ested views of some of the viceroy's confidants, that pre- vented Pizarro from having the whole sum he had asked for. The advice-boat sent to Rio Janeiro also executed her commission but imperfectly ; for though she brought back a considerable quantity of pitch, tar, and cordage, yet she could not procure either masts or yards ; and, as an additional misfortune, Pizarro was disappointed of some masts he expected from Paraguay ; for a carpenter whom he entrusted with a large sum of money, and had sent there to cut masts, instead of prosecuting the busi- ness he was employed in, had married in the country, imd refused to return. However, by removing the masts Chap. III.] HISTORY OF THE SPANISH SQUADROi^. 27 rwarded to asters that littance of t to enable t he might ge to the should be liards as a n charged of winter, Q account •ney from Bse places r forty of the Oor- from the istead of remitted tt great though Jsence of were fail to e inter- lat pre- d asked ■y, ■w of the Esperanza into the Asia, and making use of what spare masts and yards they had on board, they made a shift to refit the Asia and the St. Estevan ; and in the October following, Pizarro was preparing to put to sea with these two ships, in order to attempt the passage round Cape Horn a second time j but the St. Estevan, in coming down the river Plata, ran on a shoal and beat off her rudder, on which, and other damages she received, she was condemned and broke up, and Pizarro, in the Asia, proceeded to sea without her. Having now the summer before him, and the winds favourable, no doubt was made of his having a fortunate and speedy passage ; but, being off Cape Horn, and going right before the wind in very moderate weather, though in a swelling sea, by some misconduct of the officer of the watch, the ship rolled away her masts, and was a second time obliged to put back to the river Plata in great distress. The Asia, having considerably suffered in this second unfortunate expedition, the Esperanza, which had been left behind at Monte Video, was ordered to be refitted, the command of her being given to Mindinuetta, who was captain of the Guipuscoa, when she was lost. He, in the November of the succeeding year, that is, in November, 1742, sailed from the river Plata for the South Seas, and arrived safe on the coast of Chili, where his commodore, Pizarro, passing over-land from Buenos Ayres, met him. There were great animosities and contests between these two gentlemen at their meeting, occasioned, principally, by the claim of Pizarro to com- mand the Esperanza, which Mindinuetta had brought round; for Mindinuetta refused to deliver her up to him, insisting, that as he came into the South Seas alone, and under no superior, it was not now in the power of Pizarro to resume that authority which he had, once parted with. However, the President of Chili inter- posing and declaring for Pizarro, Mindinuetta, after a long and obstinate struggle, was obliged to submit. But Pizarro had not yet completed the series of hi» 28 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. adventures; for, when he and Mindinuetta came back by land from Chili to Buenos Ayres, in the year 1745, they found at Monte Video the Asia, which, near three years before, they had left there. This ship they re- solved, if possible, to carry to Europe ; and, with this view, they refitted her in the best manner they could. But their great difficulty was to procure a sufficient number of hands to navigate her; for all the remaining sailors of the squadron to be met with in the neighbour- hood of Buenos Ayres, did not amount to a hundred men. They endeavoured to supply this defect by press- ing many of the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres, and putting on board besides, all the English prisoners then in their 'custody, together with a number of Portuguese smug- glers, which they had taken at different times, and some of the Indians of the country. Among these last, there was a chief, and ten of his followers, who had been sur- prised by a party of Spanish soldiers about three months before. The name of this chief was Orellana; he be- longed to a very powerful tribe, which had committed great ravages in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres. With this motley crew, (all of them, except the European Spaniards, extremely averse to the voyage,) Pizarro set sail from Monte Video, in the river Plata, about the beginning of November, 1745 ; and the native Spaniards, being no strangers to the d' satisfaction of their forced men, treated both these, the English prisoners and the Indians, with great insolence and barbarity ; but more particularly the Indians, for it was common for the meanest officers in the ship to beat them most cruelly on the slightest pretences, and oftentimes only to exert their superiority. Orellana and his followers, though in appearance sufficiently patient and submissive, medi- tated a severe revenge for all these inhumanities. As he conversed very well in Spanish, (these Indians havinff in time of peace a great intercourse with Buenos Ayres,) he affected to talk with such of the English as understood that language, and seemed very desirous of being in- 1 Chap, in.] HISTORY OP THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 29 formed how many Englishmen there were on board, and which they were. As he knew that the English were as much enemies to the Spaniards as himself) he had, doubtless, an intention of disclosing his purposes to them, and making them partners in the scheme he had pro- ijected for revenging his wrongs, and recovering his liberty ; but, having sounded them at a distance, and not finding them so precipitate and vindictive as he ex- pected, he proceeded no further with them, but resolved to trust alone to the resolution of his ten faithful fol- lowers. These, it should seem, readily engaged to observe his directions, and to execute whatever com- mands he gave them j and having agreed on the measures necessary to be taken, they first furnished themselves with Dutch knives, sharp at the point, which being the common knives used in the ship, they found no difficulty in procuring. Besides this, they employed their leisure in secretly cutting out thongs from raw hides, of which there were great numbers on board, and in fixing to each end of these thongs the double-headed shot of the small quarter-deck guns ; this, when swung round their heads, according to the practice of their country, was a most mischievous weapon, in the use of which the Indians about Buenos Ayres are trained from their infancy, and consequently are very expert. These particulars being in good forwardness, the execution of their scheme was, perhaps, precipitated by a particular outrage committed on Orellana himself For one of the officers, who was a very brutal fellow, ordered Orellana aloft, which being what he was incapable of performing, the officer, under pretence of his disobedience, beat him with such violence that he left him bleeding on the deck, and stupified for some time with his bruises and wounds. This usage undoubtedly heightened his thirst for revenge, and made him eager and impatient till the means of executing it were in his power j so that, within a day or two after this incident, he and his followers opened their desperate resolves in the ensuing manner. 30 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. I It was about nine in the evening, when many of the principal officers were on the quarter-deck indulging in the freshness of the night air ; the waste of the ship was filled with live cattle, and the fore-castle was manned with its customary watch. Orellana and his companions, under cover of the night, having prepared their weapons and thrown off their trowsers and the more cumbrous part of their dress, came altogether on the quarter- deck, and drew towards the door of the great cabin. The boatswain immediately reprimanded them, and or- dered them to be gone. On this, Orellana spoke to his followers in his native language, when four of them drew off, two towards each gangway, and the chief and the six remaining Indians seemed to be slowly quitting the quarter-deck. When the detached Indians had taken possession of the gangway, Orellana placed his hands hollow to his mouth and bellowed out the war-cry used by those savages, which is said to be the harshest and most terrifying sound known in nature. This hideous yell was the signal for beginning the massacre ; for, on this, they all drew their knives, and brandished their prepared double-headed shot; and the six, with their chief, which remained on the quarter-deck, immediately fell on the Spaniards, who were intermingled with them, and laid near forty of them at their feet, of which above twenty were killed on the sp' t, and the rest disabled. Many of the officers, in the oeginning of the tumult, pushed into the great cabin, where they put out the lights and barricadoed the door ; whilst of the others who had avoided the first fury of the Indians, some en- deavoured to escape along the gangways into the fore- castle, where the Indians, placed on purpose, stabbed the greatest part of them as they attempted to pass by, or forced them off the gangways into the waste. Some threw themselvfes voluntarily over the barricadoes into the waste, and thought themselves fortunate to lie cont cealed amongst the cattle ; but the greatest part escaped up the main shrouds, and sheltered themselves either in '^^, Chap. Ill] HISTORY OF THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 31 \ny of the lulging in e ship was IS manned mpanions, r weapons cumbrous quarter- 3at cabin, i, and or- jke to his bem drew ' and the itting the ad taken lis hands -cry used ihest and 3 hideous ; for, on ted their th their lediatelj 1 them, 1 above isabled. tumult, out the others )me en- le fore- tabbed •ass by, Some Bs into ie con- scaped iher in the tops or rigging. And though the Indians attacked only the quarter-deck, yet the watch in the forecastle finding their communication cut off, and being terrified by the wounds of the few who, not being killed on the spot, had strength sufficient to force their passage, and not knowing either who their enemies were, or what were their numbers, they likewise gave all over for lost, and in great confusion ran up into the rigging of the foremast and bowsprit. Thus these eleven Indians, with a resolution perhaps without example, possessed themselves, almost in an 32 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. instant, of the quarter-deck of a ship mounting sixty-six gunS) and manned with near five hundred hands, and continued in peaceable possession of this post a consi- derable time. For the officers in the great cabin, (amongst whom were Pizarro and Mindinuetta,) the crew between decks, and those who had escaped into the tops and rig- ging, were only anxious for their own safety, and were for a long time incapable of forming any project for sup- pressing the insurrection, and recovering the possession of the ship. It is true, the yells of the Indians, the groans of the wounded, and the confused clamours of the crew, all heightened by the obscurity of the night, had at first greatly magnified their danger, and had filled them with imaginary terrors, which darkness, disorder, and an ignorance of the real strength of an enemy never fail to produce. For, as the Spaniards were sensible of the disaffection of their prest hands, and were also con- scious of their barbarity to their prisoners, they imagined the conspiracy was general, and considered their own destruction as inevitable ; so that, it is said some of them had once taken the resolution of leaping into the sea, but were prevented by their companions. However, when the Indians had entirely cleared the quarter-deck, the tumult in a great measure subsided ; for those who had escaped were kept silent by their fears, and the Indians were incapable of pursuing them to renew the disorder. Orellana, when he saw himself master of the quarter-deck, broke open the arm-chest, which, on a slight suspicion of mutiny, had been ordered there a few days before, as to a place of the greatest security. Here he took it for granted he should find cutlasses sufiicient for himself and his companions, in the use of which wea- pon they were all extremely skilful, and with these it was imagined they proposed to have forced the great cabin ; but, on opening the chest, there appeared nothing but fire-arms, which to them were of no use. There were indeed cutlasses in the chest, but they were hid by the fire-arms being laid over them. This was a sensible Chap. III.] HIBTOBT OP THE SPANISH SQUADRON. 33 sixty-six nds, and a consi- (amongst between and rig- and were for sup- ossession ians, the rs of the ?ht, had ad filled disorder, ny never nsible of ilso con- magined leir own 1 of them sea, but red the bsided ; |ir fears, renew ster of disappointment to them ; and, by this time, Pizarro and his companions in the great cabin were capable of con- versing aloud through the cabin windows and port-holes with those in the gun-rooms and between decks, and from hence they learnt that the English (whom they ^principally suspected) were all safe below, and had not intermeddled in this mutiny; and, by other particulars, they at last discovered that none were concerned in it but Orellana and his people. On this, Pizarro and the officers resolved to attack them on the quarter-deck, before any of the discontented on board should so far recover their first surprise as to reflect on the facility and certainty of seizing the ship by a junction with the Indians in the present emergency. With this view. Pizarro got together what arms were in the cabin, and distributed them to those who were with him : but there were no other fire-arms to be met with but pistols, and for these they had neither powder nor ball. However, aving now settled a correspondence with the gun-room, hey lowered down a bucket out of the cabin window. Into which the gunner, out of one of the gun-room ports, put a quantity of pistol cartridges. When they had thus procured ammunition, and had loaded their pistols, they set the cabin door partly open, and fired several shot amongst the Indians on the quarter-deck, though at first |Without effect ; but, at last, Mindin\\etta, whom v^e have ften mentioned, had the good fortune to shoot Orellana ead on the spot; on which his faithful companions, bandoning all thoughts of farther resistance, instantly eaped into the sea, where every man perished. Thus as this insurrection quelled, and the possession of the uarter-deck regained, after it had been fiiU two hours n the power of this great and daring chief, and his gal- ant unhappy countrymen. Pizarro, having escaped this imminent peril, steered for Europe, and arrived safe on the coast of Gallicia in the beginning of the year 1746, after having been ab- sent between four and five years, and having, by his 34 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. ^ attendance on our expedition, diminished the naval power of Spain by above three thousand hands (the liower of their sailors), and by four considerable ships of war and a patache. For we have seen, that the Her- miona foundered at sea ; the Guipuscoa was stranded, and sunk on the coast of Brazil ; the St. Estevan was condemned, and broke up in the river Plata ; and the E^peranza, being left in the South Seas, is, doubtless, by this time, incapable of returning to Spain. So thai the Asia only, with less than one hundred hands, may be re- garded as all the remains of that squadron with which Pizarro first put to sea. And whoever considers the very large proportion which this squadron bore to the whole navy of Spain, will, I believe, confess that, had our undertaking been attended with no other advantages than that of ruining so great a part of the sea-force of so dangerous an enemy, this alone would be a sufficient equivalent for ov equipment, and an incontestable proof of the service w' the nation has thence received. Hav- ing thus concluucu this summary of Pizarro's adventures, 1 shall now return again to the narration of our own transactions. ■kv CHAPTER IV. From Ma(?eira to St. Catharine's. I HAVE already mentioned that on the 3d of November we weighed from Madeira, after orders had been given to the captains to rendezvous at St. Jago, one of the Cape de Yerd islands, in case the squadron was separated. But the next day, when we got to sea, the Commodore considering that the season was far advanced, and that touching at St. Jago would create a new delay, he, for this reason, thought proper to alter his rendezvous, and 'o appoint the island of St. Catharine, on the coast of [Book I. ^H c„Ap. iv.] FBOM MADEIRA TO ST. CATIIARINfi's. 35 the naval lands (the le ships of the Her- stranded, iteyan was ; and the ibtless, by that the nay be re- ith which siders the )re to the that, had dvantages force of 80 sufficient able proof ved. Hav- dventures, [ our own ToTember en given the Cape 3parated. modore nd that he, for lous, and coast of Brazil, to be the first place to which the ships of the squadron were to repair, in case of separation. In our passage to the island of St. Catharine, we bund the direction of the trade-winds to differ consider- bly from what we had reason to expect, both from the eneral histories given of these winds, and the experience f former navigators. For the learned Dr. Halley, in >iis account of the trade-winds, which take place in the Dthiopic and Atlantic Ocean, tells us that, from the lati- itude of 28" N., to the latitude of 10" N., there is gene- ally a fresh gale of N.E. wind, which, towards the kfrican side, rarely comes to the eastward of E.N.E., or asses to the northward of NN.E. j but on the Ame- ican side, the wind is somewhat more easterly, though ost commonly, even there, it is a point or two to the orthward of the east: that from 10" N. to 4" N. the c ilms and tornadoes take place ; and from 4" N. to 30° S. he winds are generally and perpetually between the uth and the east. This account we expected to have erified by our own experience ; but we found consider- ble variations from it, both in respect to the steadiness f the winds, and the quarter from whence they blew : r, though we met with a N.E. wind about the latitude f 28" N., yet, from the latitude of 25" to the 'a itude of 8" N., the wind was never once to the northward of the st, but, on the contrary, almost constantly to the south- ard of it. However, from thence to the latitude of 6" 20' . we had it usually to the northward of the east, though ot entirely, it having for a short time changed to E.S.E. rom hence to about 4" 46' N. the weather was very un- ettled ; sometimes the wind was N.E., then changed to .E., and sometimes we had a dead calm, attended with mall rain and lightning. After this the wind continued Imost invariably between the S. and E. to the latitude f 7° 30' S. ; and then, again, as invariably between the ". and E., to the latitude of 15"30'S. / then E. and S.E., to 21" 37' S. But after this, even to the latitude of 27" 44' S., the wmd was never once between the S. 36 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. and tlie E., though we had it at times in all the other quarters of the compass. But this last circumstance may be in some measure accounted for from our approach to the main continent of the Brazils. I mention not these particulars with a view of cavilling at the received accounts of these trade-winds, which, I doubt not, are in general sufficiently accurate ; but I thought it a matter worthy of public notice, that such deviations from the established rules do sometimes take place. Besides, this observation may not only be of service to navigators, by putting them on their guard against these hitherto un- expected irregularities, but is a circumstance necessary to b 3 attended to in the solution of that great question about the causes of trade-winds and monsoons, a question which, in my opinion, has not been hitherto discussed "vvith that clearness and accuracy which its importance - (whether it be considered as a naval or philosophical in- quiry) seems to demand. On the 16th of November one of our victuallers made a signal to speak with the Commodore, and we shortened sail for her to come up with us. The master came on board, and acquainted Mr. Anson that he had complied with the terms of his charter-party, and desired to be unloaded and dismissed. Mr. Anson, on consulting the captains of the squadron, found all the ships had still such quantities of provision between their decks, and were withal so deep, that they could not without great difficulty take in their several proportions of brandy from the Industry Pink, one of the victuallers only ; conse- quently, he was obliged to continue the other of them, the Anna Pink, in the service of attending the squadron. This being resolved on, the Commodore the next day made a signal for the ships to bring to, and to take on board their shares of the brandy from the Industry Pink ; and in this the long-boats of the squadron were employed the three following days, that is, till the 19 th, in the evening, when the Pink being unloaded, she parted com- pany with us^ being bound for Barbadoes, there to take Chap. IV.] FROM MADEIEA TO ST. CATHARINE S. 87 in a freight for England. Most of the officers of the squadron took the opportunity of writing to their friends at home by this ship ; but she was afterwards, as I have been since informed, unhappily taken by the Spaniards. On the 20th of November the captains of the squadron epresented to the Commodore that their ships' compa- ies were very sickly, and that it was their own opinion s well as their surgeons', that it would tend to the pre- ervation of the men to let in more air between decks ; ut that their ships were so deep, they could not possibly pen their lower ports. On this representation the Com- odore ordered six air scuttles to be cut in such places here they would least weaken it. And, on this occasion, I cannot but observe how much t is the duty of all those who, either by office or authority, ave any influence in the direction of our naval affairs, to ttend to f is important article, the preservation of the ives and h 1th of our seamen. If it could be supposed hat the motives of humanity are insufficient for this ipurpose, yet policy, and a regard to the success of our rms, and the interest and honour of each particular ommander, should naturally lead us to a careful and impartial examination of every probable method proposed ^f or maintaining a ship's crew in health and vigour. But has this been always done? Have the late-invented plain and obvious methods of keeping our ships sweet and clean, by a constant supply of fresh air, been con- bidered with that candour and temper which the great benefits promised ^ oreby ought naturally to have in- spired? On the contrary, have not these salutary Bchemes been often treated with neglect and contempt ? And have not some of those who have been entrusted with experimenting their effects been guilty of the most indefensible partiality in the accounts they have given of these trials ? Indeed, it must be confessed that many distinguished persons, both in the direction and com- mand of our fleets, have exerted themselves on these occasions with a judicious and dispassionate examination, I 38 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. TBoox I. becoming the interesting nature of the inquiry; but the wonder is, that any could be found irrational enough to act a contrary part, in spite of the strongest dictates of prudence and humanity. I must, however, own, that I do not believe this conduct to have arisen from motives so savage as the first reflection thereon does naturally suggest ; but I ra+hei '^ute it to an obstinate and, in some degree, superstiti, ^c attachment to such practices as have been long established, and to a settled contempt and hatred of all kinds of innovations, especially such as are projected by landmen and persons residing on shore. But let us return from this, I hope, not impertinent di- gression. We crossed the equinoctial with a fine fresh gale at S.E., on Friday, the 28th of November, at four in the morning, being then in the longitude of 27° 59' west from London ; and on the 2d of December, in the morn- ing, we saw a sail in the N.W. quarter, and made the Gloucester's and Tryal's signa^, to chase; and half an hour after we let out our reefs and chased with the squadron; and about noon a signal was made for the Wager to take our remaining victualler, th-^ Anna Pink, in tow. But, at seven in the evening, findin^^ we did not near the chase, and that the Wager was very lar astern, we shortened sail, and made a signal for the cruisers to join the squadron. The next day but one we again dia- oovered a sail, which, on a nearer approach, we judged to be the same vessel. We chased her the whole day, and, though we rather gained upon her, yet night came on before we could overtake her, which obliged us to give over the chase, to collect our scattered squadron. We were much chagrined at the escape of this vessel, as we then apprehended her to be an advice-boat from Old Spain to Buenos Ayres, with notice of our expedition. But we have since learnt that we were deceived in this conjecture, and that it was our East India Oompany*^ packet bound to St. Helona. * '^; On the 10th of December, being, by our accounts, & .:^. Chap. IV.] FROM MADEIRA TO ST. CATHARINE S. $9 the latitude of 20" S. and 36° 30' longitude west from London, the Tryal fired a gun to denote soundings. We immediately sounded, and found sixty fathom water, the bottom coarse ground with broken shells. The Tryal, beinff ahead of us, had at one time thirty -seven fathom, which afterwards increased to ninety ; and then she found no bottom, which happened to us, too, on our second trial, though we sounded with a hundred and fifty fathom of line. This is the shoal which is laid down in most harts by the name of the AbroUos ; and it appeared we ere upon the very edge of it : perhaps farther in it may e extremely dangerous. Wo were then, by our difierent counts, from ninety to sixty leagues ea:t of the coast f Brazil. The next day but one we spoke with a Por- uguese brigantine, from Rio Janeiro, bound to Bahia del odos Santos, who informed us that we were thirty-four eagues from Cape St. Thomas, and forty leagues from ape Frio ; which last bore from us W.S.W. By our ccounts we were near eighty leagues from Cape Frio : and though, on the information of this brigantine, we Itered our course, and stood more to the southward, yet y our coming in with the land afterwards, we were fully onvinced that our reckoning was much corrector than .our Portuguese intelligence. We found a considerable urrent setting to the southward after we had passed the atitude of 16° S. ; and the same took place all along the coast of Brazil, and even to the southward of the river Plata, it amounting sometimes to thirty miles in twenty- four hours, and once to above forty miles. If this current is occasioned (as it is most probable) by the running off of the water accumulated on the coast of Brazil by the constant sweeping of the eastern trade- wind over the Ethiopic Ocean, then it is most natural to suppose that its general course is determined by the bearings of the adjacent shore. Perhaps, too, in almost every other instance of currents, the same may hold true, as I believe no examples occur of considerable currents being observed at any great distance from land. If this. 40 YOTAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book I. then, could be laid down for a. great principle, it. would be always easy to correct the reckoning by the observed latitude. But it were much to be wished, for the general interests of navigation, that the actual settings of the different currents, which are known to take place in various parts of the world, were examined more fre- quently and accurately than hitherto appears to have been done. We now began to grow impatient for a sight of land both for the recovery of our sick and for the refreshment and security of those who, as yet, continued healthy. When we departed from St. Helen's we were in so good a condition that we lost but two men on board the Cen- turion in our long passage to Madeira ; but in this pre- sent run between Madeira and St. Catharine's, we were remarkably sickly, so that many died, and great numbers were confined to their hammocks, both in our own ship and in the rest of the squadron, and several of these past all hopes of recovery. The disorders they in general laboured under were such as are common to hot climates^ and what most ships bound to the southward experience in a greater or less degree. These are those kind of fevers >vhich they usually call calentures, a disease which was not only terrible in its first instance, but even the remains of it often proved fatal to those who considered themselves as recovered from it ;. for it always left them in a very weak and helpless condition, and usually afflicted them either with fluxes or tenesmuses. By our con- tinuance at sea all these complaints were every day increasing, so that it was with great joy we discovered the coast of Brazil on the 16th of December, at seven in the morning. The coast of Brazil appeared high and mountainous land, extending from W. to W.S.W., and, when we first saw it, it was about seventeen leagues distant. At noon we perceived a low double land, bearing W.S.W., about ten leagues distant, which we took to be the island of St. Catharine. That afternoon and the next mornings : i Chap. IV.] ARRIVAL AT ST. CATHARINE'S. 41 ht of land Bfreshmeiit d healthy, in so good d the Cen- tt this pre- i, we were it numbers ' own ship these past n general b climates, xperience 3 kind of ase which even the onsidered left them rafflfcted our con- ^ery day scovered seven in the wind being NN.W., we gained very little to wind- ward, and were apprehensive of being driven to the [leeward of the island; but a little before noon the next [day the wind came about to the southward, and enabled ius to steer in between the north point of St. Catharine md the neighbouring island of Alvoredo. As we stood for the land we had regular soundings, gradually de- 3reasing from thirty-six to twelve fathom, all muddy rround. In this last depth of water we let go our anchor it five o'clock in the evening of the 18th, the north-west )oint of the island of St. Catharine bearing SS.W., Idistant three miles j and the island Alvoredo NN.E., pistant two leagues. Here we found the tide to set 5S.E. and NN.W. at the rate of two knots, the tide of lood coming from the southward. We could, from our ^hips, observe two fortifications at a considerable distance dthin us, which seemed designed to prevent the passage )f an enemy between the island of St. Catharine and the main; and we could soon perceive that our squadron lad alarmed the coast, for we saw the two forts hoist bheir colours and fire several guns, which we supposed rere signals for assembling the inhabitants. To prevent ^|liny confusion, the Commodore immediately sent a boat fwith an officer on shore, to compliment the governor, md to desire a pilot to carry us into the road. The governor returned a very civil answer, and ordered us a )ilot! On the morriing of the 20th we weighed and jtood in, and towards noon the pilot came on board us, rho, the same afternoon, brought us to an anchor in five Ifathom and a half, in a large commodious bay on the [continent side, called by the French Bon Port. In standing from our last anchorage to this place we every- where found an oozy bottom, with a depth of water first regularly decreasing to five fathom, and then increasing to seven, after which we had six and five fathom alter- nately. The next morning we weighed again with the squadron, in order to run above the two fortifications we have mentioned, which are called the castles of Santa 42 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. Cruz and St. Juan. Our soundings now, between the island and the main, were four, five, and six fathom with muddy ground. As we passed by the castle of S?nta Cruz we saluted it with eleven guns, and were an- swered by an equal number; and at one in the afternoon the squadron came to an anchor in five fathom and a half, the governor's island bearing NN.W., St. Juan*s castle N.E. ^ B., and the island of St. Antonio S. In this position we moored at the island of St. Catharine, on Sunday, the 21st of December, the whole squadron being, as I have already mentioned, sickly, and in great want of refreshments; both which inconveniences we hoped to have soon removed at this settlement, celebrated by former navigators for its healthiness, and the plenty of its provisions, and for the freedom, indulgence, and friendly assistance there given to the ships of all Euro- pean nations in amity with the crown of Portugal. CHAPTER V. Proceedings at St. Catharine's, and a Description of the Place, with a short Account of Brazil. Our first care, after having moored our ships, was to get our sick men on shore, preparatory to which each ship was ordered by the Commodore to erect two tents ; one of them for the reception of the diseased, and the other for the accommodation of the surgeon and his as- sistants. We sent about ei^ty sick from the Centurion, and the other ships, I belike, sent nearly as many, in proportion to the number of their hands. As soon as we had performed this necessary duty, we scraped our decks and gave our ship a thorough cleaning; then smoked it between- decks, and, after all, washed every part well with vinegar. These operations were extremely neces- sary for correcting the noisome stench on board, and destroying the vermin; for, from the number of our men Chap. V.] DESCRIPTION OP ST. CATHARINE S. 48 , vrith a short and the heat of the climate, both these nuisances had increased upon us to a very loathsome degree, and, be- sides being most intolerably offensive, they were, doubt- less, in some sort productive of the sickness we had ilaboured under for a considerable time before our arrival |at this island. Our next employment was wooding and watering our jqaadron, caulking our ships' sides and decks, overhaul- ing our rigging, and securing our masts against the tem- )estuous weather we were, in all probability, to meet dth in our passage round Cape Horn, in so advanced md inconvenient a season. But before I engage in the particulars of these transactions it will not be improper bo give some account of the present state of the^island of 5t. Catharine and of the neighbouring coun^, both IS the circumstances of this place are now greatly changed rom what they were in the time of former writers, and IS these changes laid us under many more difficulties md perplexities than we had reason to expect, or than )ther British ships hereafter bound to the South Seas, lay, perhaps, think it prudent to struggle with. This island is esteemed by the natives to be nowhere ibove two leagues in breadth, though about nine in (ength ; it lies in 49" 45' of west longitude of London, md extends from the south latitude of 27° 35' to that of )8°. Although it be of a considerable height, yet it is scarce discernible at the distance of ten leagues, beiog then obscured under the continent of Brazil, whose [mountains are exceeding high; but on a nearer approach [it is easy to be distinguished, and may be readily known [by a number of small islands lying at each end, and [scattered along the east side of it. Frazer has given a draught of this island of St. Catharine, and of the neighbouring coast, and the minuter isles adjacent; but he has, by mistake, called the island of AlvoredO the isle de Gal, whereas the true isle de Gal lies seven or eight miles tct the north-westward of it, and is much smaller. He has also called an island to the southward of St. 44 VOYAGE ROUND THE WOELD. [Book I. Catharine, Alvoredo, and has omitted the island Masa- quira; in other respects his plan is sufficiently exact. The north entrance of the harbour is in breadth about five miles, and the distance from thence to the island of St. Antonio is eight miles, and the course, from the en- trance to St. Antonio, is SS.W. ^ W. About the middle of the island the harbour is contracted by two points of land to a narrow channel, no more than a quarter of a mile broad ; and, to defend this passage, a battery was erecting on the point of land on the island side. But this seems to be a very useless work, as the channel has no more than two fathom water, and consequently is navi- gable only for barks and boats, and therefore seems to be a passage that an enemy could have no inducement to attempt, especially as the common passage to the north end of the island is so broad and safe, that no squadron can be prevented from coming in by any of their fortifi- cations when the sea-breeze is made. However, the Brigadier Don Jose Sylva de Paz, the governor of this settlement, is esteemed an expert engineer, and he, doubtless, understands one branch of his business very well, which is the advantages which new works bring to those who are entrusted with the care of erecting them; for, besides the battery mentioned above, there are three other forts carrying on for the defence of the harbour, none of which are yet completed. The first of these, called St. Juan, is built on a point of St. Catharine's, near Parrot island ; the second, in form of a half moon, is on the island of St. Antonio ; and the third, which seems to be the chief, and has some appearance of a re- gular fortification, is on an island near the continent, where the governor resides. The soil of the island is truly luxuriant, producing fruits of many kinds spontaneously; and the ground is covered over with one continued forest of trees of a per- petual verdure, which, from the exuberance of the soil, are so entangled with briers, thorns, and underwood, as to form a thicket absolutely impenetrable, except by some. Chap. V.] DESCRIPTION OF ST. CATHARINE S. 45 and Masa- exact, dth about 3 island of •ni the en- he middle > points of arter of a itterj was But this el has no y is navi- > seems to ducement the north squadron eir fortifi- ever, the or of this and he, ness very 5 bring to ag them; are three harbour, of these, tharine's. If moon, d, which of a re- mtinent, narrow pathways, which the inhabitants have made for their own convenience. These, with a few spots, cleared for plantations along the shore facing the continent, are the only uncovered parts of the island. The woods are extremely fragrant, from the many aromatic trees and shrubs with which they abound ; and the fruits and vege- tables of all climates thrive here almost without culture, and are to be procured in great plenty ; so that here is no want of pine-apples, peaches, grapes, oranges, lemons, citrons, melons, apricots, nor plantains. There are, be- sides, great abundance of two other productions of no small consideration for a sea-store, I mean onions and potatoes. The flesh provisions are, however, much in- ferior to the vegetables : there are, indeed, small wild cattle to be purchased, somewhat like buffaloes, but these are very indifferent food, their flesh being of a loose contex- ture, and generally of a disagreeable flavour, which is probably owing to the wild calabash on which they feed. ■ There are, likewise, great plenty of pheasants, but they [are not to be compared in taste to those we have in Eng- land. The other provisions of the place are monkeys, parrots, and, above all, fish of various sorts ; these abound i in the harbour, are exceeding good, and are easily caught, for there are a great number of small sandy bays very [convenient for hauling the seine. The water, both on the island and the opposite conti- nent, is excellent, and preserves at sea as well as that of the Thames ; for, after it has been in the cask a day or two, it begins to purge itself, and stinks most intolerably, and is soon covered over with a green scum; but this in a few days subsides to the bottom, and leaves the water as clear as crystal, and perfectly sweet. The French (who, during their South Sea trade, in Queen Anne's reign, first brought this place into repute) usually wooded and watered in Bon Port, on the cr ntinent side, where they anchored with great safety, in six fathom water : and this is doubtless the most commodious road for such ships as intend to make only a short stay. But we watered on 46 % '%r YOTAOE ROUND THE WOBLD. [Book I. the St. Oatharine^s side, at a plantation opposite to the island of St. Antonio. These are the advantages of the island of St. Catha- rine; but there are many inconveniences attending it, partly from its climate, but more from its new regulations, and the hie form of government established there. With regard to the cliinate, it must be remembered that the woods and hills which surround the harbour prevent a free circulation of the air. And the vigorous vegetation which constantly takes place there, furnishes such a pro* digious quantity of vapour, that all the night, and a great part of the morning, a thick fog covers the whole coun- try, and continues till either the sun gathers strength to dissipate it, or it is dispersed by a brisk sea-breeze. This renders the place close and humid, and probably occa- sioned the many fevers and fluxes we were there afflicted with. To these exceptions I must not omit to add, that all the day we were pestered with great numbers of mus- quitos, which are not much unlike the gnats in England, but more venomous in their stings. And at sunset, when the musquitos ^etiied, they were succeeded by an infinity of sand-flies, which, though scarce discernible to the naked eye, make a mighty buzzing, and wherever they bite, raise a small bump in the flesh, which is soon attended with a painful itching, like that arising from the bite of an English harvest-bug. But as the only light in which this place deserves our consi- deration is its favourable situation for supplying and refreshing our cruisers intended for the South Seas ; in this view its greatest inconveniences remain still to be related : and to do this more distinctly, it will not be amiss to consider the changes which it has lately undergone, both in its inhabitants, its police, and its governor. In the time of Frezier and Shelvocke, this place served only as a retreat to vagabonds and outlaws, who fled thither from all parts of Brazil. They did, indeed, ac- knowledge a subjection to the crown of Portugal, and [Book I. :)site to the St. Catha- tending it, egulations, lere. With id that the prevent a vegetation uch a pro* nd a great hole coun- trength to eze. This ably occa- re afflicted 3 add, that rs of mus- L England, iset, when m infinity )le to the •ever they is soon sing from as the ur consi- ying and h Seas ; still to will not as lately and its Be served who fled ieed, ac- , and Chap, v.] DESCRIPTION OF ST. CATHARINE S. 47 had a person among them whom they called their captain, who was considered in some sort as their governor ; but [both their allegiance to iheir king and their obedience to [their captain seemed to be little more than verbal : for, [as they had plenty of provisions, but no money, they Iwere in a condition to support themselves without the issistance of any neighbouring settlements, and had not imongst them the means of tempting any adjacent governor to busy his authority about them. In this situation they were extremely hospitable and friendly to ^uch foreign ships as came amongst them ; for these *3hip8, wanting only provisions, of which the natives had jreat store, and the natives wanting clothes (for they jften despised money, and refused to take it), which the ships furnished them with, in exchange for their provi- sions, both sides found their account in this traffic ; and their captain, or governor, had neither pov/er nor interest to restrain it or to tax it. But of late (for reasons which ihall be hereafter mentioned) these honest vagabonds "bave been obliged to receive amongst them a new colony, md to submit to new laws and new forms of government, [nstead of their former ragged, bare-legged captain (whom, however, they took care to keep innocent), they Save now the honour to be governed by Don Jose Sylva le Paz, a brigadier in the armies of Poi (^^ugal. This fgentleman has with him a garrison of soldiers, and has, |consequently, a more extensive and a better-supported I power than any of his predecessors ; and, as he wears i better clothes, and lives more splendidly, and has, besides I a much better knowledge of the importance of money [than they could ever pretend to ; so he puts in practice certain methods of procuring it, with which they were utterly unacquainted. But it may be much doubted, if the inhabitants consider these methods as tending to pro- mote either their interests, or that of their sovereign, the king of Portugal. This is certain, that his behaviour cannot but be extremely embarrassing to such British ships as touch there in their way to the South Seas : for 48 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book I. one of his practices was, placing sentinels at all the ave- nues, to prevent the poople from selling us any refresh- ments, except at such exorbitant rates as we could not aflford to give. His pretence for this extraordinary stretch of power was, that he was obliged to preserve their provisions for upwards of a hundred families, which they daily expected to reinforce their colony. Hence he appears to be no novice in his profession, by his readi- ness at inventing a plausible pretence for his interested management. However, this, though sufficiently pro- voking, was far from being the most exceptionable part of his conduct ; for, by the neighbourhood of the river Plata, a considerable smuggling traffic is carried on be- tween the Portuguese and the Spaniards, especially in the exchanging gold for silver, by which both princes are defrauded of their fifths; and in this prohibited commerce Don Jose was so deeply engaged, that, in order to ingra- tiate himself with his Spanish correspondents (for no other reason can be given for this procedure), he treacherously despatched an express to Buenos Ayres, in the river Plata, where Pizarro then lay, with an ac'^ount of our arrival, and v^f the strong ':h of our squadron ; particularly mentioning the number of ships, guns, and men, and every circumstance which he could suppose our enemy d \drous of being acquainted with. And the same perfidy every British cruiser may expect who touches at St. Ca- tharine's, while it is under the government of Don Jose Sylva de Paz. Thus much, with what we shall be necessitated to relate in the course of our own proceedings, may suffice as to the present state of St. Catharine's, and the cha- racter of its governor. But, as the reader may be desi- rous of kuowi ^.jr to Y.'hat causes the late new modelling of this settleiueat is owing, to satisfy him in this particular, it will be necessary to give a short account of the adja- cent convinent of Brazil, and of the wonderful discoveries which have been made there within these last forty years, which, from a country of but mean estimation, has ren- ^ [Chap V.] 8H0BT AOOOUMT OF BRAZIL. 40 aU the ave- ny refresh - 9 could not traordinary to preserve ilies, which Hence he ' his readi- I interested iently pro- ►nable part •f the river ried on be- pecially in princes are I commerce jrto ingra- br no other acherously the river mt of our irticularly men, and ►ur enemy ne perfidy at St. Ca- Don Jose dtated to Lay suffice the cha- Y be desi- delling of articular, the adja- scoveries ty years, has ren- lered it now, perhaps, the most considerable colony on the face of the globe. This country was first discovered by Americus Ves- mtio, a • Florentine, who had the good fortune to be lonoured with giving his name to the immense continent, )me time before found out by Columbus. Vesputio ,eing in the service of the Portuguese, it was settled and llanted by that nation, and, with the other dominions of Portugal, devolved to the crown of Spain, when that kingdom became subject to it. During the long wa]^ be- reen Spain and the States of Holland, the Dutch pos- ssed themselves of the northernmost part of Brazil, id 'rtcre masters of it for some years ; but when the fortuguese revolted from the Spanish government, this [>untry took part in the revolt, and soon possessed them- ^Ives of the places the Dutch had taken ; since which me it has continued, without interruption, under the rown of Portugal, being, till the beginning of the pre- knt century, only productive of sugar and tobacco, and few other commodities of very little account. But this country, which for many years was only con- iered for the produce of its plantations, has been lately bscovered to abound with the two minerals which man- |ind hold in the greatest esteem, and which they exert leir utmost art and industry in acquiring, I mean gold id diamonds. Gold was first found in the mountains ^hich lie adjacent to the city of Rio Janeiro. The oc- iion of its discovery is variously related, but the most )mmon account is, that the Indians, lying on the back \f the Portuguese settlements, were observed, by the )ldiers employed in an expedition against them, to make ise. of this metal for their fish-hooks ; and their manner ^f procuring it being inquired into, it appeared that great quantities of it were annually washed from the hills, and left amongst the sand and gravel which remained in the ^alleys after the running off or evaporation of the water. [t is now little more than forty years since any quantities )f gold worth notice have been imported to Europe from II 50 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. Brazil ; but since that time the annual imports from thence have been continually augmented, by the discovery of places in other provinces, where it is to be met with as P'lentifully as at first about Bio Janeiro. And it is now said that there is a small slender vein of it spread through all the country, at about twenty-four feet from the sur- face, but that this vein is too thin and poor to answer the expense of digging : however, where the rivers or rains have had any course for a considerable time, there gold is always to be collected, the water having separated the metal from the earth, and deposited it in the sands, thereby saving the expense of digging ; so that it is es- teemed an infallible gain to be able to divert a stream from its channel, and to ransack its bed. From this account of gathering this metal, it should follow that there are, properly, no gold mines in Brazil ; and this the governor of Rio Gtrande (who, being at St. Catharine's, frequently visited M**. Anson) did most confidently affirm, assuring us that the gold was all collected either from rivers or from the beds of torrents after floods. It is, indeed, asserted, that in the mountains large rocks are found '^bounding with this metal ; and I myself have seen the fragment of one of these rocks with a considerable lump of gold entangled in it ; but, even in this case, the work- men break off the rocks, and do not properly mine into them ; and the great expense in subsisting among these mountains, and afterwards in separating the metal from the stone, makes this method of procuritfg gold to be but rarely put in practice. The examining the bottoms of rivers, and the gullies of torrents, and the washing the gold found therein from the sand and dii't, with which it is always mixed, are works performed by slaves, who are principally negroes, kept in great numbers by the Portuguese, for these purposes. The regulation of the duty of these slaves is singular ; for they are, each of them, obliged to furnish their master with the eighth part of an ounce of gold per diem ; and, if they are either so fortunate or indus- nports from he discovery met with as nd it is now ead through om the sur- ►r to answer le rivers or time, there ig separated tt the sands, hat it is es- stream from ihis account t there are, he gov6rnor , frequently m, assuring m rivers or is, indeed, are found ve seen the rable lump , the work- mine into nong these netal from 1 to be but he gullies erein from lixed, are y negroes, for these e slaves is bo furnish se of gold or indus- ^HAP. v.] METHOD OP COLLECTING GOLD IN BRAZIL. 51 rious as to collect a greater quantity, the surplus is lonsidered as their own property, and they have the berty of disposing of it as they think fit. So that, it said, some negroes, who have accidentally fallen upon ch washing-places, have themselves purchased slaves, id have lived afterwards in great splendour; and their iginal master having no other demand on them than e daily supply of the forementioned eighth, which, as e Portuguese ounce is somewhat lighter than our troy lince, may amount to about nine shillings sterling. * The quantity of gold thus collected in the Brazils, d returned annually to Lisbon, may be, in some gree, estimated from the amount of the king's fifth. lis has of late been esteemed, one year with another, be one hundred and fifty arroves of 321b. Portuguese ight each, which, at 4:1. the troy ounce, makes very r 300,000^. sterling ; and, consequently, the. capital, which this is the fifth, is about a million and a half rling. It is obvious, that the annual return of gold Lisbon cannot be less than this, though it be difiicult determine how much it exceeds it ; perhaps we may be very much mistaken in our conjecture, if we pose the gold exchanged for silver with the Spaniards Buenos Ayres, and what is brought privily to Europe, d escapes the duty, amounts to near half a million re, which will make the whole annual produce of the azilian gold near two millions sterling ; a prodigious m to be found in a country, which, a few years since, s Dot known to furnish a single grain. I have already mentioned that, besides gold, this untry does likewise produce diamonds. The disco- ry of these valuable stones is much more recent than at of gold, it being as yet scarce twenty years since e first were brought to Europe. They are found in e same manner as the gold, in the gullies of torrents nd beds of rivers ; but only in particular pi ices, and ot so universally spread through the countr;/. They ere often found in washing the gold, before they werei 52 VOYAGE BOUND THB WOBLD. [Book I. known to be diamonds, and were, consequently, thrown away with the sand and gravel separated from it. And it is very well remembered, that numbers of very large stones, which would have made the fortunes of the pos- sessors, have passed unregarded through the hands of those, who now, with impatience, support the mortifying reflection. However, about twenty years since, a person acquainted with the appearance of rough diamonds, con- ceived that these pebbles, as they were then esteemed, were of the same kind : but it is said, that there was a considerable interval between the first starting of this opinion, and the confirmation of it by proper trials and examination, it proving difficult to persuade the inha- bitants, that what they had been long accustomed to despise, could be of the importance represented by this discovery ; and I have been informed, that in this in- terval, a governor of one of their places procured a good number of these stones, which he pretended to make use of at cards to mark with, instead of counters. But it was at last confirmed by skilful jewellers in Europe, consulted on this occasion, that the stones thus found in Brazil were truly diamonds, many of which were not inferior, either in lustre or any other quality, to those of the East Indies. On this determination, the Portu- guese, in the neighbourhood of those places where they had first been observed, set themselves to search for them with great assiduity : and they were not without great hopes of discovering considerable mt^sses of them ; as they found large rocks of crystal in many of the mountains, from whence the streams came which washed down the diamonds. But it was soon represented to the king uf Portugal, that, if such plenty of diamonds should be met with as their sanguine conjectures seemed to indicate, this would so debase their value, and diminish their estimation, that, besides ruining all the Europeans who had any quantity of Indian diamonds in their possession, it would render the discovery itself of no importance, and would prevent :haj. v.] DIAMOND COMPANY IN BBAZIL. 53 Qtly, thrown om it. And )f very large 3 of the pos- )he hands of e mortifying ice^ a person unonds, con- 3n esteemed, i there was a rting of this er trials and de the inha- customed to nted hy this b in this in- sured a good to make use ers. But it in Europe, us found in h were not ity, to those the Portu- where they search for t without s of them ; any of the ich washed If Portugal, let with as this would latioD, that, ly quantity )uld render lid prevent ds Majesty from receiving any advantages from it. And, these considerations, his Maje;; y has thought proper restrain the general search of diamonds, and has rected a Diamond Company for that purpose, with an iclusive charter. This Company, in consideration of sum paid to the king, is vested with the property of all bamonds found in Brazil : but, to hinder their coUect- ig too large quantities, and thereby reducing their due, they are prohibited from employing above eight andred slaves in searching after them. And, to pro- mt any of his other subjects from acting the same part, id likewise to secure the Company from being de- luded by the interfering of interlopers in their trade id property, he has depopulated a large town, and a msiderable district round it, and has obliged the inha- Itants, who are said to amount to six thousand, to ^move to another part of the country ; for this town ring in the neighbourhood of the diamonds, it was lought impossible to prevent such a number of people, 10 were on the spot, from frequently smuggling. In consequence of these important discoveries in razil, new laws, new governments, and new regula- Hons have been established in many parts of the country ; ?r, not long since, a considerable tract, possessed b}'' set of inhabitants, who, from their principal settlement, ^ere called Paulists, was almost independent of the rown of Portugal, to which it scarcely acknowledged lore than a rominal allegiance. These Paulists are lid to be descendants of those Portuguese who retired rom the northern part of Brazil, when it was mvaded id possessed by the Dutch. As from the confusion of le times, they were long neglected by their superiors, ^nd were obliged to provide for their own security and lefence, the necessity of their affairs produced a kind of jovernment amongst them, which they found sufficient for the confined manner of life to which they were inured : and, being thus habituated to their own regu- lations they at length grew fond of their independency ; 5i VOYAQE KOUND THE WORLD. [Book 1. SO that, rejecting and despising the mandates of the court of Lisbon, they were often engaged in a state of downright rebellion; and tin mountains surrounding their country, and the difficulty of clearing the few pas- sages that open into it, generally put it in their power to make their own terms before they submitted. But, as gold was found to abound in this country of the Paulists, the present king of Portugal (during whose reign almost the whole discoveries I have mentioned were begun and completed) thought it incumbent on him to reduce this province, which now became of great consequence, to the same dependency and obedience with the rest of the country, which, I am told, he has at last, though with great difficulty, happily effected. And the same motives which induced his Majesty to undertake the reduction of the Paulists, has also occasioned the changes I have mentioned to have taken place at the island of St. Catharine. For the governor of Rio Grande, of whom I have already spoken, assured us, that, in the neighbourhood of this island, there were consi- derable rivers which were found to be extremely rich, and that this was the reason that a garrison, a mili- tary governor, and a new colony, was settled there. And, as the harbour at this island is by much the securest and the most capacious of any on the coast, it is not improbable, if the riches of the neighbourhood answer their expectation, but it may become, in time, the principal settlement in Brazil, and the most con- siderable port in all South America. Thus much I have thought necessary to insert, in relation to the present state of Brazil, and of the island of St. Catharine : for, as this last place has been generally recommended as the most eligible port for our cruisers to refresh at, which are bound to the South Seas, I believed it to be my duty to instruct my country- men in the hitherto unsuspected inconveniences which attend that place. And, as the Brazilian gold and dia- monds are subjects about which, from their novelty, very ^ Chap. V.] PI^OCEEDINOS AT ST. OATHABINE S. 5b lates of the 1 a state of lurrounding ;he few pas- their power tted. But, itrj of the ring whose mentioned umbent on me of great dience with has at last, And the undertake Lsioned the lace at the or of Rio ed us, that, yere consi- mely rich, )n, a mili- led there, much the e coast, it ibourhood , in time, most con- insert, in the island bas been rt for our be South r country- 5es which and dia- elty, very few particulars have been hitherto published, I conceived this account I had collected of them, would appear to the reader to be neither a trifling nor a useless digres- These subjects being thus despatched, I shall now sion. return to the series of our own proceedings. When we first arrived at St. Oatharine^s, we were employed in refreshing our sick on shore, in wooding land watering the squadron, cleansing our ships, and examining and securing our masts and rigging, as I have already observed in the foregoing chapter. At the • same time, Mr. Anson gave directions that the ships' 3;companies should j supplied with fresh meat, and that Ithey should be victualled with whole allowance of all |.the kinds of provision. In consequence of these orders, ,^we had fresh beef sent on board us continually for our .^daily expense; and what was wanting to make up our >allowance we received from our victualler, the Anna Pink, in order to preserve the provisions on board our .^quadron entire for our future service. The season of Jihe year growing each day less favourable for our pas- sage round Cape Horn, Mr. Anson was very desirous of . Reaving this place as soon as possible ; and we were first in hopes that our whole business would be done, and we should be in readiness to sail, in about a fortnight from our arrival ; but on examining the Tryal's masts, we, to our no small vexation, found inevitable employ- ment for twice that time : for, on a survey, it was found i that the main-mast was sprung ?t the upper woulding, though it was thought capable of being secured by a couple of fishes ; but the fore-mast was reported to be unfit for service, and thereupon the carpenters were sent into the woods, to endeavour to find a stick proper for a fore-mast: but, after a search of four days, they returned without having been able to meet with any tree fit for the purpose. This obliged them to come to a second consultation about the old fore-mast, when it was agreed to endeavour to secure it by casing it with three fishes; and in this work the carpenters were 5^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. \ employed; till #itbin a day or two of our sailing. In the mean time, the Commodore, thinking it necessary to have a clean vessel on our arrival in the South Seas, ordered the Tryal to be hove down, as this would not occasion any loss of time, but might be completed while the carpenters were refitting their masts, which was done on shore. On the 27th of December we discovered a sail in the offing ; and not knowing but she might be a Spaniard, the eighteen-oared boat was manned and armed, and sent, under the command of our second lieutenant, to examine her, before she arrived within the protection of the forts : she proved to be a Portuguese brigantine, from Rio Grande. And though our officer, as it appeared on inquiry, had behaved with the utmost civility to the master, and had refused to accept a calf, which the master would have forced upon him as a present, yet the go- vernor took great offence at our sending our boat, and talked of it in a high strain, as a violation of the peace subsisting between the crowns of Great Britain and Por- tugal. We, at first, imputed this ridiculous blustering to no deeper a cause than Don Jose's insolence ; but as we found he proceeded so far as to charge our officer with behaving rudely, and opening letters, and, particularly, with an attempt to take out of the vessel by violence the very calf which we knew he had refused to receive as a present (a circumstance which we were satisfied the go- vernor was well acquainted with), we had hence reason to suspect that he purposely sought this quarrel, and had more important motives for engaging in it than the mere captious bias of his temper. What these motives were, it was not so easy for us to determine at that time ; but, as we afterwards found, by letters which fell into our hands in the South Seas, that he had despatched an ex- press to Buenos Ayres, where Pizarro then lay, with an account of our squadron's arrival at St. Catharine's, to- gether with the most ample and circumstantial intelli- gence of our force and condition, we thence conjectured [Book I. \'Mchap.V.1 DEPAETUBE pitWM ST. CATHAHIITe's. 57 sailing. In necessary to South Seas, s would not pleted while which was I sail in the a Spaniard, inned, and jutenant, to rotection of brigantine, it appeared ility to the the master et the go- boat, and ' the peace n and Por- ustering to but as we fficer with rticularlj, iolence the 3ceive as a id the go- ice reason 1; and had I the mere ives were, ime ; but, into our ed an ex- 'j with an rine'g, to- al intelli- njectured that Don Jose had raised this groundless damour only to prevent our visiting the brigantine when she should put to sea again, lest we might there find proofs of his per- fidious behaviour, and perhaps, at the same time, discover the secret of his smuggling correspondence with his neighbouring governors, and the Spaniards at Buenos Ayres. But, to proceed : — It was near a month before the Tryal was refitted ; .for, not only her lower masts were defective, as has been lilready mentioned, but her main top-mast and fore-yard ^ere likewise decayed and rotten. While this work was Jlcarrying on, the other ships of the squadron fixed new Standing rigging, and set up a sufficient number of pre- enter-shrouds to each mast, to secure them in the most tlefiectual manner. And in order to render the ships tiffer, and to enable them to carry more sail abroad, and prevent their straining their upper works in hard gales f wind, each captain had orders given him to strike down |Bome of their great guns into the hold. These precautions eing complied with, and each ship having taken in as luch wood and water as there was room for, the Tryal was at last completed, and the whole squadron was ready for sea ; on which the tents on shore were struck, and all the sick were received on board. And here we had a melancholy proof how much the healthiness of this place had been overrated by former writers ; for we found, that though theOenturionalonehad buried no less than twenty- eight men since our arrival, yet the number of her sick was, in the same interval, increased from eighty to ninety- six. When our crews were embarked, and e»ery thing was prepared for our departure, the Commodore made a signal for all captains, and delivered them their orders, containing the successive places of rendezvous from hence to the coast of China; and then, on the next day, being the 18th of January, the signal was made for weighing, and the squadron put to sea, leaving, without regret, this island of St. Catharine, where we had been so extremely disappointed in our refreshments, in our accommoda- 5S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. tions, and in the humane and friendly offices which we had heen taught to expect, in a place which has been so much celebrated for its hospitality, freedom, and con- veniency. CHAPTER VI. The Run Arom St. Catharine's to Port St. Julian, with some Account of that Port, and of the Country to the southward of the River Plata. In leaving St. Catharine's we left the last amicable port we proposed to touch at, and were now proceeding to a hostile, or at best, a desert and inhospitable coast ; and, as we were to expect a more boisterous climate to the southward than any we had yet experienced, not only our danger of separation would, by this means, be much greater than it had been hitherto, but other accidents, of a more mischievous nature, were likewise to be appre- hended, and as much as possible to be provided against. Mr. Anson, therefore, in appointing the various stations at which the ships of the squadron were to rendezvous, had considered that it was possible his own ship mis^ht be disabled from getting round Cape Horn, or might be lost, and had given proper direction that, even in that case, the expedition should not be abandoned. For the orders delivered to the captains, the day before we sailed from St. Catharine's, were, that, in case of separation, which they were with the utmost care to endeavour to avoid, the first place of rendezvous should be the bay of Port St. Julian ; describing the place from Sir John Narborough's account of it. There they were to supply themselves with as much salt as they could take in, both for their own use and for the use of the squadron ; and if, after a stay of ten days, they were not joined by the Commo- dore, they were then to proceed through Straits le Maire, round Cape Horn, into the South Seas, where the next place of rendezvous was to be the island of Nostra pes which we ich has been om, and con- IChap. VI.] EUN TO POaT ST. JULIAN. 59 Account of that er Plata. licable port seeding to a joast; and, aate to the I, not only s, be much ccidents, of be appre- ed against, us stations endezvous, hip might ' might be I that case, the orders tiled from >n, which avoid, the Port St. borough's lemselves for their ff after a Commo- le Maire, the next Nostra Senora del Socoro, in the latitude of 45" south, and longi- ude from the Lizard 71" 12' west. They were to bring his island to bear E.N.E., and to cruise from five to welve leagues distance from it, as long as their store of rood and water would permit, both which they were to „xpend with the utmost frugality : and when they were under an absolute necessity of a fresh supply, they were o stand in, and endeavour to fi*id out an anchoring- )lace ; and in case they could not, and the weather made it dangerous to supply their ships by standing off and on, ;hey were then to make the best of their way to the island >f Juan Fernandez, in the latitude of 33" 37' south. Ai ;his island, as soon as they had recruited their wood and ater, they were to continue cruising off the anchoring- lace for fifty-six days ; in which time, if they were not oined by the Commodore, they might conclude that ome accident had befallen him, and they were forthwith put themselves under the command of the senior fficer, who was to use his utmost endeavours to annoy ;he enemy both by sea and land. With these views, the lew Commodore was to continue in those seas as long as liis provisions lasted, or as long as they were recruited by iwhat he should take from the enemy, reserving only a J^ufficient quantity to carry him and the ships under his command to Macao, at the entrance of the river of Can- ton on the coast of China, where, having supplied himself with a new stock of provisions, he was thence, without delay, to make the best of his way to England. And as it was found impossible, as yet, to unload our victualler, the Anna Pink, the Commodore gave the master of her the same rendezvous, and the same orders to put himself under the command of the remaining senior ofiicer. Under these orders, the squadron sailed from St. Ca- tharine's on Sunday, the 18th of January, as hath been already mentioned in the preceding chapter. The next day we had very squally weather, attended with rain, lightning, and thunder, but it soon became fair again, with light breezes, and continued thus till Wednesday 60 VOYAGE ROUND TE*J r.^RLD. [Book I. evening, when it blew fresh again ; and increasing all night, by eight the next morning it became a most vio- lent storm, and we had with it so thick a fog, that it was impossi^/le to see at the distance of two ships' length, so that the whole squadron disappeared. On this a signal was made, by firing guns, to bring-to with the larboard tacks, the wind being then due east. We ouiselves im- mediately handed the top-sails, bunted the main-sail, and lay-to under a reefed mizen till noon, when the fog dispersed, and we soon discovered all the ships of the pquadron, except the Pearl, who did not join us till near a month afterwards. Indeed the Tryal sloop was a great way to leeward, having lost her main-mast in the squall, and having been obliged, for fear of bilging, to cut away the raft. We, therefore, bore down with our squadron to her relief, and the Gloucester was ordered to take her in tow ; for the weather did not entirely abate till the day after, and, even then, a great swell continued from the eastward, in consequence of the preceding storm. After this accident we stood to the southward with little interruption, and here we experienced the same setting of the current which we had observed before our arrival at St. Catharine's ; that is, we generally found ourselves to the southward of our reckoning, by about twenty miles each day. This deviation, with a little inequality, lasted till we had passed the latitude of the river Plata ; and even then we discovered that the same current, however difiicult to be accounted for, did yet undoubtedly take place; for we were not satisfied in deducing it from the error in our reckoning, but we actually tried it more than once, when a calm made it practicable. As soon as we had passed the latitude of the river Plata, we had soundings, which continued all along the coast of Patagonia : these soundings, when well ascer- tained, being of great use in determining the position of the ship, and we having tried them more frequently, and m [Book I. creasing all a most vio- that it was s' length, flo his a signal be larboard iiselves im- ' main-sail, lien the fog nps of the us till near w&a a great the squall, cut away • squadron >d to take abate till continued preceding tvard with the same before our % found by about ti a little de of the the same , did yet bisfied in but we made it he river long the U ascer- sition of tly, and Chaf. VI.] RUN TO PORT 8T. JULIAN. 61 in greater depths, and with more attention, than I be- lieve has been done before us ; I shall recite our obser- vations as succinctly as I can. In the latitude of 36° 62', f we had sixty fathom of water, with a bottom of fine black i and grey sand : from thence to 39^55' we varied our I depths from fifty to eighty fathom, though we had con- stantly the same bottom as before. Between the last- , mentioned latitude and 43" 16', we had only fine grey I sand, with the same variations of depths, except that we, )'^ once or twice, lessened our water to forty fathom. After this we continued in forty fathom for about half a de- ^gree, having a bottom of coarse sand and broken shells, fat which time we were in sight of land, and not above 48even leagues from it. As we edged from the land we Inet with a variety of soundings — ^first black sand, then muddy, and, soon after, rough ground, with stones ; but, I when we had increased our water to forty-eight fEithom, I we had a muddy bottom to the latitude of 46" 10'. (Hence, drawing towards the shore, we had first thirty- six fathcn, and still kept shoaling our water, till at length fwe came into twelve fathom, having constantly small stones and pebbles at the bottom. Part of this time we had a view of Cape Blanco, which lies in about the lati- i^ tude of 47° 10', and longitude west from London 69". ;| This is the most remarkable land upon the coast. Steer- vi ing from hence, S. by E. nearly, we, in a run of about ^ thirty leagues, deepened our water to fifty fathom, with- I out once altering the bottom ; and then, drawing towards the shore with a S. W. course, varying rather to the west- ward, we had constantly a sandy bottom, till our coming into thirty fathom, where we had again a sight of land, distant from us about eight leagues, lying in the lati- tude of 48" 31'. We made this land on the 17th of February, and at five, that afternoon, we came to an an- chor, having the same soundings as before, in the latitude of 48" 58', the southernmost land then in view bearing SS.W., the northernmost N. ^ E., a small island KW., and the westernmost hummock W.S.W. In this station 62 VOYAOE ROUNI> THi; WOELD. [Book I, we found the tide to set S. by W. ; and weighing again at five the next morning, wc, an hour afterwards, dis- covered a sail, upon which the Severn and Gloucester were both directed to give chase ; but we soon perceived it to be the Pearl, which separated from us a few days after we left St. Catharine's ; and, on this, we made a signal for the Severn to rejoin the squadron, leaving the Gloucester alone in the pursuit. And now we were sur- prised to see that, on the Gloucester's approach, the people on board the Pearl increased their sail, and stood from her. However, the Gloucester came up with them, but found them with their hammocks in their nettings, and every thing ready for an engagement. At two in the afternoon the Pearl joined us, and, running up under our stern, Lieutenant Salt hailed the Commodore, and acquainted him that Captain Kidd died on the 31st of January. He likewise informed us that he had seen five large ships on the 10th instant, which he for some time imagined to be our squadron ; so that he suffered the commanding ship, which wore a red broad pendant, ex- actly resembling that of the Commodore, at the main top- mast-head, to come within gun-shot of him, before he discovered his mistake; but then, finding it not to be the Centurion, he hauled close upon the wind, and crowded from them with all his sail, and standing cross a rippling^ where they hesitated to follow him, he happily escaped. He made them to be five Spanish men-of-war, one of thsiji exceedingly like the Gloucester, which was the occasion of his apprehensions when the Gloucester chased him. By their appearance he thought they consisted of two ships of seventy, two of fifty, and one of forty guns. It seems the whole squadron continued in chase of him all that day, but at night, finding they could not get near him, they gave over the chase, and directed their course to the southward. Had it not been for the necessity we were under of refitting the Tryal, this piece of intelligence would have prevented our making any stay at St. Julian's ; but as it fBooK r. ighing again Twardfl, dis- i Gloucester 3n perceived J a few days we made a leaving the ve were sur- h the people stood from them, but ttings, and two in the up under lodore, and he 31st of id seen five some time iffered the idant, ex- main top- before he ' to be the I crowded rippling, ' escaped. B of theiii occasion sed him. 1 of two [uns. It ' him all get near r course Chap. VI.] PORT ST. JULIAN. 63 was impossible for that sloop to proceed round the Cape in her present condition, some stay there was inevitable; and therefore, the same evening, we came to an anchor Again in twenty-five fathom water, the bottom a mixture oi' mud and sand, and the high hummock bearing S.W. hy W. ; and weighing at nine in the morning, we sent >|he two cutters belonging to the Centurion and Severn in shore, to discover the harbour of St. Julian, while the Ihips kept standing along the coast, about the distance #f a league from the land. At six o'clock we anchored in the bay of St. Julian, in nineteen fathom, the bottom pu(l(^y ground with sand, the northernmost land in sight iKjaring N. and by E., the southernmost S. ^ E., and |he high hummock, to which Sir John Narborough for- lerly gave the name of Wood's Mount, W.S.W. Soon fter, the cutter returned on board, having discovered le harbour, which did not appear to us in our situation, ie northernmost point shutting in upon the southern- lost, and, in appearance, closing the entrance. Being come to an anchor in this bay of St. Julian, |)rincipally with a view of refitting the Tryal, the car- penters were immediately employed in that business, and Continued so during our whole stay at the place. The l^ryal's main-mast having been carried away about twelve (Teet below the cap, they contrived to make the remain- ing part of the mast serve again ; and the Wager was ordered to supply her with a spare main top-mast, which [ ^he carpenters converted into a new fore-mast. And I lyannot help observing, tbat this accident to the Tryal's ftnast, which gave us so much uneasiness at that time, on account of the delay it occasioned, was, in all pro- , bability, the means of preserving the sloop, and all her icrew. For, before this, her masts, how well soever pro- portioned to a better climate, were much too lofty for these high southern latitudes; so that, had they wea- thered the preceding storm, it would have been impos- sible for them to have stood against those seas and tempests we afterwards encountered in passing round 64 TOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book I. Cape Horn ; and the loss of masts in that boisterous climate would scarcely have been attended with less than the loss of the vessel, and of every man on board her ; since it would have been impracticable for the other ships to have given them any relief during the continuance of those impetuous storms. Whilst we stayed at this place, the Commodore ap- pointed the Honourable Captain Murray to succeed to the Pearl, and Captain Cheap to the Wager; and he promoted Mr. Charles Saunders, his first lieutenant, to the command of the Tryal sloop. But Captain Saunders lying dangerously ill of a fever on board the Centurion, and it being the opinion of the surgeons that the remov- ing him on board 7ris own ship, in his present condition, might tend to the tkazard of his life, Mr. Anson gave an order to Mr. Saumarez, first lieutenant of the Centurion, to act as master and commander of the Tryal, during the illness of Captain Saunders. Here the Commodore, too, in order to ease the expe- dition of all unnecessary expense, held a further consult- ation with his captains about unloading uthemmost part of South America, which is unpos- ifessed by the Spaniards, extending from their settlements lb the Straits of Magellan. This country on the east side k extremely remarkable for a peculiarity not to be paral- bled in any other known part of the globe; for, though ^e whole territory to the northward of the river Plata ll full of wood, and stored with immense quantities of Mrge timber-trees, yet, to the southward of the river, W) trees of any kind are to be met with, except a few lieach trees, first planted and cultivated by the Spaniards hk the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres ; so that, on the whole eastam coast of Patagonia, extending near four luindred leagues in length, and reaching as far back as j|ay discoveries have yet been made, no other wood has jteen found than a few insignificant shrubs. Sir John arborough in particular, who was sent out by King arles the Second expressly to examine this country, d the Straits of Magellan, and who, in pursuance of is orders, wintered upon this coast in Port St. Julian d Port Desire, in the year 1 670 ; Sir John Ns-rborough, say, tells us that he never saw a stick of wood in the ountry large enough to make the handle of an hatchet. But though the country be so destitute of wood, it bounds with pasture ; for the land appears in general be made up of downs of a light, dry, gravelly soil, and 66 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. produces great quantities of long coarse grass, which grows in tufts, interspersed with large barren spots of gravel between them. This grass, in many places, feeds immense herds of cattle : for the Spaniards at Buenos Ayres having, soon after their first settlement there, brought over a few black cattle from Europe, they have thriven prodigiously by the plenty of herbage which they everywhere met with ; and are now increased to that degree, and are extended so far into different parts of Patagonia, that they are not considered as private pro- perty, but many thousands at a time are slaughtered every year by the hunters, only for their hides and tal- low. The manner of killing these cattle, being a prac- tice peculiar to that part of the world, merits a more circumstantial description. The hunters employed on this occasion being all of them mounted on horseback, (and both Spaniards and Indians in that part of the world are usually most excellent horsemen,) they arm themseives with a kind of spear, which, at its end, in- stead of a blade fixed in the same line with the wood in the usual manner, has its blade fixed across : with this instrurjient they ride at a beast and surround him, when the hunter that comes behind him ham-strings him ; and as, after this operation, the beast soon tumbles without being able to raise himself again, they leave him on the ground and pursue otherb, whom they serve in the same manner. Sometimes there is a second party, who attend the hunters to skin the cattle as they fall : but it is said that, at other times, the hunters choose to let them lan- guish in torment till the next day, from an opinion that the anguish which the animal in the mean time enduree, may burst the lymphatics, and thereby facilitate the st^paration of the skin from the carcase ; and though their priests have loudly condemned this most barbarous prac- tice, and have gone so far, if my memory does not fail me, as to excommunicate those who follow it, yet all their efforts to put an entire stop to it have hitherto proved ineffectual. H :hap.vi.i mode of catching wild cattle. 67 rass, which •en spots of places, feeds ) at Buenos ment there, J, they have 1 which they -sed to that ent parts of private pro- slaughtered des and tal- eing a prac- jrits a more mployed on I horseback, part of the J they arm its end, in- ithe wood in : with this him, when ^s him; and •les without him on the in the same who attend ut it is said t them Ian- pinion that ne endurep, eilitate the lough their arous prac- es not fail et all their jrto proved Besides the numbers of cattle which are every year Slaughtered for their hides and tallow in the manner ulready described, it is often necessary, for the use of Igriculture and for other purposes, to take them alive ll^^ithout wounding them : this is perfDrmed with a most Ironderful, and almost incredible dexterity, and prin- ipally by the use of a machine, which the English who ve resided at Buenos Ayres generally denominate a ,sh. It is made of a thong of several fathoms in length, d very strong, with a running noose at one end of it ; is the hunters (who in this case are also mounted on rseback) take in their right hands, it being first pro- rly coiled up, and having its end opposed to the noose stened to the saddle ; and, thus prepared, they ride at herd of cattle. When they arrive within a certain dis- ^nce of a beast, they throw their thong at him with such actne^ ^, that they never fail of fixing the noose about is horns. The beast, when he finds himself entangled, ne^ally runs ; but the horse, being swifter, attends im, and prevents the thong from being too much strained ; 11 a second hunter, who follows the game, throws ano- er noose about one of its hind legs ; and this being one, both horses (for they are trained to this practice) stantly turn different ways in order to strain the two Jhongs in contrary directions, on which the beast, by fheir opposite pulls, is presently overthrown ; and then ^c horses stop, keeping the thong still upon the stretch, peing thus on the ground, and incapable of resistance, ^OT he is extended between the t\vo horses,) the hunters flight, and secure him in such a manner that they after- ^Wards easily convey him to whatever place they please. JThey in like manner noose horses, and, as it is said, even pigers; and however strange this last circumstance may l^ppear, there are n:>t wanting persons of credit who ;^assert it. Indeed, it must be owned that the address ^both of the Spaniards and Indians in that part of the S world in use of this lash, or noose, and the certainty ^1 with which they throw it, and fix it on any intended part QS VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. of the beast at a considerable distance, are matters only to be believed from the repeated and concurrent testi- mony of all who have frequented that country, and might reasonably be questioned, did it rely on a single report, or had it been ever contradicted or denied by any one who had resided at Buenos Ayres. The cattle which are killed in this manner, I have already observed, are slaughtered only for their hides and tallow, to which sometimes are added their tongues ; but the rest of their flesh is left to putrify, or to be de- voured by the birds and wild beasts. The greater part of this carrion falls to the share of the wild dogs, of which there are immense numbers to be found in that country. These are supposed to have been originally produced by Spanish dogs from Buenos Ayres, who, allured by the great quantity of carrion, and the facility they had by that means of subsisting, left their masters and ran wild amongst the cattle ; for they are plainly of the breed of the European dogs, an animal not originally found in America. But though these dogs are said to be some thousands in a company, they, hitherto, neither diminish nor prevent the increase of the cattle ; not daring to attack the herds, by reason of the numbers which con- stantly feed together, but contenting themselves with the currion left them by the hunters, and perhaps, now and then, by a few stragglers who, by accident, are separated from the main body they belong to. Besides the wild cattle which have spread themselves in such vast herds from Buenos Ayres towards the soutli- ward, the same country is in like :nanner furnished with horses. These, too, were first brought from Spain, and are also prodigiously increased, and run wild to a much greater distance than the black cattle ; and though many of them are excellent, yet their number makes them of little value, the best of them being often sold in the neighbouring sc-i-ileaifats, where money is plenty and commodities vory dear, I'or not more than a dollar Chap. VI.] WILD CATTLE — PENGUINS. 69 aatters only irrenfc testi- y and might igle report, by any one ler, I have their hides jir tongues ; or to be de- ^reater part Id dogs, of tnd in that r y produced allured by ;y they had rs and ran f the breed ly found in be some diminish daring to svhich con- es with the , now and separated hemselves the soutli- ished with pain, and a much igh many them of Id in the enty and a dollar apiece. It is not, as yet, certain how far to the southward these heras of wild cattle and horses have extended th'^mselves ; but there is some reason to con- jecture that stragglers, of both kinds, are to be met with very near the Straits of Magellan ; and they will in time, doubtles.;, fill all the southern part of this continent with their breed, which cannot fail of proving of considerable advantage to such ships as may touch upon the coast; for the horses themselves are said to be very good eat- ing, and as such are preferred, by some of the Indians, 0ven before the black cattle. But whatever plenty of iiesh provisions may be herf^after found here, there is one material refreshment which this easterr side of jPatagonia seems to be very defective in, and that is fresh water ; for the land being generally of a nitrous |ind saline nature, the pools and streams are frequently Ibrackish. However, as good water has been iound Ihere, though in small quantities, it is not improbable Ibut, on a further search, this inconvenience may be IPemoved. To the account already given, I must add that there $re, in all parts of this country, a good number of iricunnas, or Peruvian sheep ; but these, by reason of fheir shyness and swiftness, are killed with difficulty. On the eastern coast, too, there are found immense quantities of seals, and a vast variety of sea-fowl, amongst ijrhich the most remarkable are the Penguins ; they are in size and shape like a goose, but instead of wings they §ave short stumps like fins, which are of no use to them, ^xcept in the water j their bills are narrow, like that of p,n albatross, and they stand and walk in an erect posture. From this, and their white bellies. Sir John Narborough |bas, whimsically, likened them to little children standing lip in white aprons. Tho inhabitants of this eastern coast (to which I have all along hitherto confined my relation) appear to be but ^ few, and have rarely been seen more than two or three at a time, by any ships that have touched here. We, 70 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. . [Book I. durinjp; ou^ stay at the port of St. Julian, saw none. However, >wards Buenos Ayres they are sufficiently numerous, and oftentimes very troublesome to the Spa- niards j but there the greater breadth and variety of the country, and a milder climate, yield them a better pro- tection ; for, in that place, the continent is between three and four hundred leagues in breadth, whereas at Port St. Julian it is little more than a, hundred : so that I conceive the same Indians who frequent the western coast of Patagonia and the Straits of Magellan, often ramble to this side. As the Indians near Buenos Ayres exceed these southern Indians in number, so they greatly surpass them in activity and spirit ; and seem, in their manners, to be nearly allied to those gallant Chilian Indians, who have long set the whole Spanish power at defiance, have often ravaged their country, and remain to this hour independent. For the Indians about Buenos Ayres have learnt to be excellent horsemen, and are ex- tremely expert in the management of all cutting weapons, though ignorant of the use of fire arms, which the Sprv- niards are very solicitous to keep out of their hands. And of the vigour and resolution of these Indians, the behaviour of Orellana and his followers, whom we have formerly mentioned, is a memorable instance. Indeed, were we disposed to aim at the utter subversion of the Spanish power in America, no means seem more probable to effect it, than due encouragement and assistance given to these Indians and those of Chili, Thus much may suffice in relation to the eastern coast of Patagonia. The western coast is of less extent ; and by reason of the Andes, which skirt it and stretch quite down to the water, is a very rocky and dangerous shore. However, I shall be hereafter necessitated to make further mention of it, and therefore shall not enlarge thereon at this time; but shall conclude this account with a short description of the harbour of St. Julian. But it must be remembered that the bar, which is at the entrance, is often shifting, and has many holes in it. i - [Book I. saw none. suflSciently ;o the Spa- riety of the better pro- bween three jas at Port : so that I he western jllan, often enos Ayres hey greatly m, in their nt Chilian h power at ind remain out Buenos irid are ex- kg weapons, h the Spr,- leir hands, dians, the m we have Indeed, iion of the e probable assistance Jtern coast tent ; and etch quite 'ous shore, to make )t enlarge is account 5t. Julian, h is at the des in it. Chap. VII] DEPARTURE FROM ST. JULIAN. 71 The tide flows here north and south, and at full and change rises four fathom. We, on our first arrival here, sent an officer on shore to the salt-pond, in order to procure a quantity of salt for the use of the squadron ; Sir John Narborough having observed, when he was here, that the salt produced in that place was very white and good ; and that, in Fe- bruary, there was enough of it to fill a thousand ships : but our officer returned with a sample which was very bad, and he told us, that even of this there was but little to be got ; I suppose the weather had been more rainy ^ than ordinary, and had destroyed it. CHAPTER VII. Departure from the Bay of St. Julian, and the passage from thence to the Straits Le Maire. The Tryal being nearly refitted, which was our principal occupation at this bay of St. Julian, and the sole occasion of our stay, the Commodore thought it necessary, as we were now directly bound for the South Seas, and the enemy's coasts, to fix the plan of his first operation ; and therefore, on the 24th of February, a signal was made for all captains, and a council of war was held on board the Centurion, at which were present the Honourable Edward Legg, Captain Matthew Mitchell, the Honour- able George Murray, Captain David Cheap, together with Colonel Mordaunt Cracherode, commander of the land forces. At this council, Mr. Anson proposed that their first attempt, after their arrival in the South Seas, should be the attack of the town and harbour of Baldivia, the principal frontier of the district of Chili ; Mr. Anson informing them, at the same time, that it was an article contained in his Majesty's instructions to him, to endea- vour to secure some port in the South Seas, where the ships of the squadron might be careened and refitted. 72 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. To this proposition made by the Comraodore, the council unanimously and readily agreed ; and, in consequence of this resolution, new instructions were given to the captains of the squadron, by which, though they were still directed, in case of separation, to make the best of their way to the island of Nuestra Senora del Socoro, yet (notwithstanding the orders they had formerly given them at St. Catharine's) they were to cruise off that island only ten days ; from whence, if not joined by the Commodore, they were to proceed and cruise off the harbour of Baldivia, making the land between the lati- tudes of 40", and 40° 30', and taking care to keep to the southward of the port ; and if in fourteen days they were not joined by the rest of the squadron, they were then to quit this station, and to direct their course to the island of Juan Fernandez ; after which they were to regulate their further proceedings by their former orders. The same directions were also given to the master of the Anna Pink, who was not to fail in answering the signals made by any ship of the squadron, and was to be very careful to destroy his papers and orders, if he should be so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of the enemy. And, as the separation of the squadron might prove of the \Ttmost prejudice to his Majesty's service, each cap- tain was ordered to give it in charge to the respective officers of the watch, not to keep their ship at a greater distance from the Centurion than two miles, as they would answer it at their peril ; and if any captiain should find his ship beyond the distance specified, he was to acquaint the Commodore with the name of the officer who had thus neglected his duty. These necessary regulations being established, and the Tryal sloop completed, the squadron weighed on Friday, the 27 th of February, at seven in the morning, and stood to the sea ; the Gloucester, indeed, found a difficulty in purchasing her anchor, and was left a considerable way astern, so that in the night we fired several guns as a signal to her captain to make sail ; but he did not come Chap. VII.] PASSAGE TO STRAITS LE MAIRE, 73 the council consequence iven to the I thej were the best of del Socoro, nerly given ie off that ned by the ise off the 3n the lati- teep to the J they were were then rse to the y were to ner orders, ster of the he signals io be very should be le enemy. prove of each cap- respective a greater as they in should was to le officer and the Friday, nd stood iculty in ible way ins as a lot come up to us till the next morning, when we found that they had been obliged to cut their cable, and leave their best bower behind them. At ten in the morning, thi day after our departure. Wood's Mount, the high land over St. Julian, bore from us N. by W., distant ten leagues, and we had fifty-two fathom of water : and now standing to the southward, we had great expectation of falling in , with Pizarro's squadron ; for during our stay at Port I St. Julian, there had generally been harof gales between the W.N.W. and S.W., so that we had reason to con- clude the Spaniards had gained no ground upon us in that interval. Indeed, it was the prospect of meeting with them that had occasioned our Commodore to be so very solicitous to prevent the separation of our ships; for had we been solely intent upon getting round Cape Horn in ^1 the shortest time, the properest method for this purpose A would have been to h?.ve ordered each ship to have made I the best of her way t y the rendezvous, without waiting I for the rest. f From our departure from St. Julian to the 4th of March, we had little wind, with thick hazy weather, and some rain; and our soundings were generally from forty to fifty fathom, with a bottom of black and grey sand, J sometimes intermixed with pebble stones. On the 4th * of March, we were in sight of Cape Virgin Mary, and not more than six or seven leagues distant from it : this Cape is the northern boundary of the entrance of the j Straits of Magellan ; it lies in the latitude of 52° 21' south, and longitude from London 71" 44' west, and seems to be a low flat land, ending in a point. Off this Cape our depth of water was from thirty-five to forty- eight fathom. The afternoon of this day was very bright and clear, with small breezes of wind, inclinable to a calm ; and most of the captains took the opportu- nity of this favourable weather to pay a visit to the Commodore ; but while they were in company together, they were all greatly alarmed by a sudden flame, which burst out on board the Gloucester, and which was sue- 74 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. ceeded by a cloud of smoke. However, they were soon relieved from their apprehensions, by receiving informa- tion that the blast was occasioned by a spark of fire from the forge, lighting on some gunpowder, and other com- bustibles, which an officer on board was preparing for use, in case we should fall in with the Spanish fleet ; and that it had been extinguished, without any damage to the ship. We here found, what was constantly verified by all our observations in these high latitudes, that fair weather was always of an exceeding short duration ; and that when it was remarkably fine, it was a certain presage of a succeeding storm ; for the calm and sunshine of our afternoon ended in a most turbulent night, the wind freshening from the S.W. as the night came on, and increasing its violence continually till nine in the morn- ing the next day, when it blew so hard that we were obliged to bring to with the squadron, and to continue under a reefed mizen till eleven at night, having in that time from forty-three to fifty-seven fathom water, with black sand and gravel ; and by an observation we had at noon, we concluded a current had set us twelve miles to the southward of our reckoning. Towards midnight, the wind abating, we made sail again; and steering south, we discovered in the morning, for the first time, the land called Terra del Fuego, stretching from the S. by W. to the S. E. ^ E. This, indeed, afforded us but a very uncomfortable prospect, it appearing of a stupendous height, covered everywhere with snow. We steered along this shore all day, having soundings from forty to fifty fathom, with stones and gravel. And as we intended to pass through Straits Le Maire next day, we lay-to at night, that we might not overshoot them, and took this opportunity to prepare ourselves for the tempestuous climate we were soon to be engaged in; with which view, we employed ourselves good part of the night in bending an entire new suit of sails to the yards. At four the next morning, being the 7th of [Book I. r were soon ig informa- of fire from other com- jparing for iiish fleet; nj damage fied bj all lir weather ; and that presage of ine of our the wind *J on, and the mom- it we were > continue ng in that ater, with )n we had elve miles midnight, i steering first time, from the forded us ring of a low. We ings from And as next day, )ot them, iS for the aged in; 1 part of ils to the e 7th of Chap. VII.] TERRA DEL FUEGO. 75 March, we made sail, and at eight saw the land ; and soon after we began :o open the Straits, at which time Cape St. James bore from us E. S. E. Capo St. Vincent S. E. i E., the middlemost of the Three Brothers S. an^^ W., Montgorda S., and Cape St. Bartholomew, whi' h is the southernmost point of Staten-land, E. S. E. And here I must observe, that though Frezier has given us a very correct prospect of the part of Terra del Fuego which borders on the Straits, yet he has omitted that of Staten-land, which forms the opposite shore : hence we found it difficult to determine exactly where the Straits lay, till they began to open to our view ; and for want of this, if we had not happened to have coasted a con- siderable way along shore, we might have missed the Straits, and have got to the eastward of Staten-land before we knew it. This is an accident that has hap- pened to many ships, particularly, as Frezier mentions, to the Incarnation and Concord; who, intending to pass through Straits Le Maire, were deceived by three hills on Staten-land like the Three Brothers, and some creeks resembling those of Terra del Fuego, and thereby over- shot the Straits. Though Terra del Fuego had an aspect extremely barren and desolate, yet this island of Staten-land far surpasses it in the wildness and horror of its appearance; it seeming to be entirely composed of inaccessible rocks, without the least mixture of earth or mould between them. These rocks terminate in a vast number of ragged points, which spire up to a prodigious height, and are all of them covered with everlasting snow ; the points themselves are, on every side, surrounded v^ith frightful precipices, and often overhang in a most astonishing manner ; and the hills which bear them are generally separated from each other by narrow clefts, which appear as if the country had been frequently rent by earth- quakes ; for these chasms are nearly perpendicular, and extend through the substance of the main rocks almost to their very bottoms ; so that nothing can be imagined W\ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) t/^ 1.0 1.1 lU Ul ili ■ 22 ■ 2.0 ||l.25 IJU 1.6 ^ 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WBST MAIN STRiET WIBSTIR,N.Y. 145S0 (716)«72-4S03 v'V ^ 76 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. more savage and gloomy than the whole aspect of this coast. But to proceed : I have above mentioned, that, on the 7th of March, in the morning, we opened Straits Le Maire, and soon after, or about ten o'clock, the Pearl and the Tryal being ordered to keep a-head of the squa- dron, we entered them with fair weather and a brisk gale, and were hurried through by the rapidity of the tide in about two hours, though they are between seven and eight leagues in length. As these Straits are often esteemed to be the boundary between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and as we presumed we had nothing before us from hence but an open sea, till we arrived on those opulent coasts wl ere all our hopes and wishes centred, we could not help persuading ourselves that the greatest difficulty of our vogage was now at an end, and that our most sanguine dreams were upon the point of being realized ; and hence we indulged our ima- ginations in those romantic schemes which the fancied possession of the Chilian gold and Peruvian silver might be conceived to inspire. These joyous ideas were considerably heightened by the brightness of the sky and serenity of the weather, which was, indeed, most remarkably pleasing ; for though the winter was now advancing apace, yet the morning of this day, in its brilliancy and mildness, gave place to none we had seen since our departure from England. Thus animated by these flattering delusions, we passed those memorable Straits, ignorant of the dreadful calamities which were then impending, and just ready to break upon us ; igno- rant that the time drew near, when the squadron would be separated never to unite again ; and that this day of our passage was the last cheerful day that the greatest pare of us would live to enjoy. JOOK X, ' this that, traits Pearl qua- brisk the Chap. VIII.] DREADFUL STORMS. CHAPTER VIII. From Straits Le Maire to Cape Noire. 77 We had scarcely reached the southern extremity of the Straits Le Maire, when our flattering hopes were instantly lost in the apprehensions of immediate destruction ; for, before the sternmost ships of the squadron were clear of the Straits, the serenity of the sky was suddenly obscured, and we observed all the presages of an impending storm ; and presently the wind shifted to the southward, and blew in such violent squalls, that we were obliged to hand our top-sails and reef our main-sail — whilst the tide, too, which had hitherto favoured us, at once turned furiously against us, and drove us to the eastv/ard with prodigious rapidity, so that we were in great anxiety for the Wager and the Anna Pink, the two sternmost vessels, fearing they would be dashed to pieces against the shore of Staten-land : nor were our apprehensions without foun- dation, for it was with the utmost difficulty they escaped. And now the whole squadron, instead of pursuing their intended course to the S.W., were driven to the eastward by the united force of the storm and of the currents ; so that the next day, in the morning, we found ourselves near seven leagues to the eastward of Straits Le Maire, which then bore from us N. W. The violence of the cur- rent, which had sent us with so much precipitation to the eastward, together with the fierceness and constancy of the westerly winds, soon taught us to consider the doubling of Cape Horn as an enterprise that might prove too mighty for our efforts ; though some amongst us had lately treated the difficulties which former voyagers were said to have met with, in this undertaking, as little better than chimerical, and had supposed them to arise rather from timidity and unskilfulness than from the real em- barrassments of the winds and seas. But we were now severely convinced that these censures were rash and i0k 78 TOYAQB ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. ill-grounded ; for the distresses with which we struggled during the three succeeding months, will not easily be paralleled in the relation of any former naval expedition. This will, I doubt not, be readily allowed by those who shall carefully peruse the ensuing narration. From the storm which came on before we had well got clear of Straits Le Mairc. we had a continual succession of such tempestuous weather as surprised the oldest and most experienced mariners on board, and obliged them to confess that what they had hitherto called storms were inconsiderable gales, compared with the violence of these winds, which raised such short, and at the same time such mountainous waves, as greatly surpassed in danger all seas known in any other part of the globe. And it was not without great reason that this unusual appear- ance filled us with continued terror ; for had any one of these waves broke fairly over us, it must, in all proba- bility, have sent na to the bottom. Nor did we escape with terror only ; for the ship, rolling incessantly gun- wale- to, gave us such quick and violent motions, that the men were in perpetual danger of being dashed to pieces against the decks or sides of the ship. And, though we were extremely careful to secure ourselves from these shocks, by grasping some fixed body, yet many of our people were forced from their hold, some of whom were killed, and others greatly injured ; in particular, one of our best seamen was canted overboard and drowned, another dislocated his neck, a third was thrown into the main hold and broke his thigh, and one ->f our boatswain's mates broke his collar-bone twice; not to mention many other accidents of the same kind. These tempests, so dreadful in themselves, though unattended by any other unfavourable circumstances, were yet rendered more mischievous to us by their inequality, and the deceitful intervals which they sometimes afforded ; for though we were oftentimes obliged to lie-to for days together under a reefed mizen, and were frequently reduced to lie at the mercy of the waves under our bare poles, yet now and ^ Chai % thci reef perl the us ' our mij the tit^ • oui an< dif m of< (lis fin ri( sh ci( sq til af ai fo ft tl S Vi S( w 81 11 \ S I f Chap. VIII.] DRBABFUL STORMS. 79 then we ventured to make sail with our courses double reefed ; ard the weather, proving more tolerable, would, perhaps, encourage us to set our top-sails ; after which, the wind, without any previous notice, would return upon us with redoubled force, and would in an instant tear our sails from the yards. And, that no circumstance might be wanting which could aggravate our distress, these blasts generally brought with them a great quan- tity of snow and sleet, which cased our rigging, and froze our sails, thereby rendering them and our cordage brittle, and apt to snap upon the slightest strain ; adding great difficulty and labour to the working of the ship, benumb- ing the limbs of our people, and making them incapable of exerting themselves with their usual activity, and even disabling many of them, by mortifying their toes and fingers. It were, indeed, endless to enumerate the va- rious disasters of different kinds which befel us ; and I shall only mention the most material, which will suffi- ciently evince the calamitous condition of the whole squadron during the course of this navigation. It was on the 7 th of March, as has been already observed, that we passed Straits Le Maire, and were, immediately afterwards, driven to the eastward by a violent storm, and the force of the current which set that way. For the four or five succeeding days we had hard gales of wind from the same quarter, with a most prodigious swell ; so that, though we stood during all that time towards the S. W., yet we had no reason to imagine we had made any way to the westward. In this interval we had frequent squalls of rain and snow, and shipped great quantities of water ; after which, for three or four days, though the seas ran mountains high, yet the weather was rather more moderate : but on the 18th we had again strong gales of wind, with extreme cold, and at midnight the main-top- sail split, and one of the straps of the main dead-eyes broke. From hence to the 23d the weather was more favourable, though often intermixed with rain and sleet, and some hard gales ; but as the waves did not subside. 4 80 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book I. the ship, by labouring in this lofty sea, was now grown so loose in her upper works, that she let in the water at every scam, so that every part within board Wtas con- stantly exposed to the sea-water, and scarcely any of the officers ever lay in dry beds. Indeed it was very rare that two nights ever passed without many of them being driven from their beds by the deluge of water that came in upon them. On the 23d we had a most violent storm of wind, hail, and rain, with a very great sea ; and though we handed the main top-sail before the height of the squall, yet we found the yard sprung, and soon after the foot- rope of the main-sail breaking, the main-sail itself split instantly to rags, and, in spite of our endeavours to save it, much the greater part of it was blown overboard. On this the Commodore made the signal for the squadron to bring- to ; and the storm at length flattening to a calm, we had an opportunity of getting down our main-top-sail yard, to put the carpenters to work upon it, and of repairing our rigging ; after which, having bent a new main-sail, we got under sail again with a moderate breeze : but in less than twenty-four hours we were attacked by another storm still more furious than the former ; for it proved a perfect hurricane, and reduced us to the necessity of lying-to under our bare poles. As our ship kept the wind better than any of the rest, we were obliged in the after- noon to wear-ship, in order to join the squadron to the leeward, which, otherwise, we should have been in danger of losing in the night : and as we dared not venture any sail abroad, we were obliged to make use of an expedient, which answered our purpose ; this was, putting the helm a-weath^r, and manning the fore-shrouds. But though this method proved successful for the end intended, yet, in the execution of it, one of our ablest seamen was canted overboard. We perceived that, notwithstanding the prodigious agitation of the waves, he swam very strong; and it was with the utmost concern that we found ourselves incapable of assisting him. Indeed we were Chap. VIII.] DREADFUL STORMS. 81 the more grieved at his unhappy fate, as we lost sight of him struggling with the waves, and conceived, from the manner in which he swam, that he might continue sen- sible for a considerable time longer, of the horror attend- ing his irretrievable situation. Before this last-mentioned storm was quite abated, we found two of our main-shrouds and one mizen-shroud broke, all which we knotted and set up immediately* From hence we had an interval of three or four days less tempestuous than usual, but accompanied with a thick fog, in which we were obliged to fire guns almost every half -hour, to keep our squadron together. On the 31st, we were alarmed by a gun fired from the Gloucester, and a signal made by her to speak with the Commodore ; we immediately bore down to her. and were prepared to hear of some terrible disaster; but we were apprized of it before we joined her, for we saw that her main-yard was broke in the slings. This was a grievous misfortune to us all at this juncture ; as it was obvious it would prove an hinderance to our sailing, and would detain us the longer in these inhospitable latitudes. But our future success and safety was not to be promoted by repining, but by resolution and activity ; and therefore, that this unhappy incident might delay us as little as possible, the Commodore ordered several carpenters to be put on board the Gloucester from the other ships of the squa- dron, in order to repair her damage with the utmost expedition. And the captain of the Tryal complaining, at the same time, that his pumps were so bad, and the sloop made so great a quantity of water, that he was scarcely able to keep her free, the Commodore ordered hiin a pump ready fitted from his own ship. It was very fortunate for the Gloucester and the Tryal, that the weather proved more favourable this day than for many days both before and after ; since, by this means, they were enabled to receive the assistance which seemed essential to their preservation, and which they could scarcely have had at any other time, as it would have G 82 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Cook I been extremely hazardous to have ventured a boat on board. The next day, that is, on the Ist of April, the weather returned again to its customary bias, the sky looked dark and gloomy, and the wind began to freshen and to blow in squalls ; however, it was not yet so boisterous as to prevent our carrying our top-sails close reefed ; but its appearance was such, as plainly prognosticated that a still severer tempest was at hand : and, accordingly, on the third of April, there came on a storm, which, both in its violence and continuation (for it lasted three days), exceeded all that we had hitherto encountered. In its first onset, we received a furious shock from a sea which broke upon our larboard quarter, where it stove in the quarter gallery, and rushed into the ship like a deluge ; our rigging, too, suffered extremely from the blow ; amongst the rest, one of the straps of the main dead-eyes was broke, as was also a main-shroud and puttock-shroud ; so that to ease the stress upon the masts and shrouds, we lowered both our main and fore yards, and furled all our sails, and in this posture we lay-to for three days, when the storm somewhat abating, we ventured to make sail under our courses only ; but even this we could not do long, for the next day, which was the 7 th, we had another hard gale of wind, with lightning and rain, which obliged us to lie-to again till night. It was wonderful that, notwithstanding the hard weather we had endured, no extraordinary accident had happened to any of the squadron since tt breaking of the Gloucester's main- yard : but at three the next morning, several guns were fired to leeward, as signals of distress ; and the Com- modore making a signal for the squadron to bring-to, we, at daybreak, saw the Wager a considerable way to , .leeirard of any of the other ships ; and we soon per- ceived that she had lost her mizen-mast and main top- sail yard. We immediately bore down to her, and found this disaster had arisen from the badness of her iron- work ; for all the chain-plates to windward had given ClIAF. VIII.] DREADFUL STORMS. 83 way, upon the ship's fetching a deep roll. This proved the more unfortunate t the Wager, as her carpenter had been on board the Gloucester ever since the 31st of March, and the weather was now too severe to permit him to return. Nor was tiio Wager the only ship of the squadron that suffered in this tempest ; for the next day a signal of distress was made by the Anna Pink, and upon speaking with the master, we learnt that they had broke their fore-stay and the gammon of the bowsprit, "^r*^ .1^^ . .,-»-.-. and were in no small danger of having all their masts come by-the-board ; so that we were obliged to bear away, until they had made all fast, after which we hailed upon a wind again. And now, after all our solicitude, and the numerous ills of every kind, to which we had been incessantly exposed for near forty days, we had great consolation in the flattering hopes we entertained that our fatigues were drawing to a period, and that we should soon arrive in a more hospitable climate, where we should be afipl|iT repaid for all our past sufferings. For, towards the latter end of March, we were advanced, by our reckon- ing, near 10° to the westward of the westermost point of Terra del Puego : and this allowance being double o2 %\K 84 TOTAOB KOUND THE WORLD. [Book I. what former navigators have thought necessary to be taken, in order to compensate the drift of the western current, we esteemed ourselves to be well advanced within the limits of the southern ocean, and had, there- fore, been ever since standing to the northward, with as much expedition as the turbulence of the weather, and our frequent disasters permitted. And, on the 13th of April, we were but a degree in latitude to the southward of the west entrance of the Straits of Magellan ; so that we fully expected, in a very few days, to have expe- rienced the celebrated tranquillity of the Pacific Ocean. But these were delusions which only served ta render our disappointment more terrible; for the next morning, between one and two, as we were standing to the north- ward, and the weather, which had till then been hazy, accidentally cleared up, the Pink made a signal for see- ing land right a-liead ; and it being but two miles dis- tant, we were all under the most dreadful apprehensions of running on shore ; which, had either the wind blown from its usual quarter with its wonted vigour, or had not the moon suddenly shone out, not a ship amongst us could possibly have avoided : but the wind which, some few hours before, blew in squalls from the S. W., having shifted to W. N. W., we were enabled to stand to the southward, and to clear ourselves of this unexpected danger ; and were fortunate enough, by noon, to have gained an offing of near twenty leagues. By the latitude of this land we fell in with, it was agreed to be a part of Terra del Fuego, near the southern outlet described in Frezier's chart of the Straits of Magellan, and was supposed to be that point called by him Cape Noir. It was, indeed, most wonderful that the currents should hcve driven us to the eastward with such strength ; for the whole squadron esteemed them- selves upwards of ten degrees more westerly than this land ; so that in running down, by our account, about nineteen degrees of longitude, we had not really ad- vanced half that distance. And now, instead of having Chap. IX] ON THE PASSAGE ROUND CAPE HORN. S5 our labours and anxieties relieved by approaching a warmer climate and more tranquil seas, we were to steer again to the southward, and were again to combat those western blasts which had so often terrified us ; and this, too, when we were greatly enfeebled by our men falling sick, and dying apace ; and when our spirits, dejected by a long continuance at sea, and by our late disappoint- ment, were much less capable of supporting us in the various difficulties which we could not but expect in this new undertaking. Add to all this, too, the discourage- ment we received by the diminution of the strength of the squadron ; for, three days before this, we lost sight of the Severn and the Pearl in the morning ; and though we spread our ships, and beat about for them some time, yet we never saw them more : whence we had appre- hensions that they, too, might have fallen in with this land in the night ; and, by being less favoured by the wind and the moon than we we^e, might have run on shore and have perished. Full of these desponding thoughts and gloomy presages, we stood away to the S. W., prepared by our late disaster to snspe' i*.i Chap. I.] DESCRIPTION OP JUAN FERNANDEZ. 117 I sudden gusts made it difficult for ships to work-in with the wind off shore, or to keep a clear hawse when anchored. - The northern part of this island is composed of high craggy hills, many of them inaccessible, though generally covered with trees. The soil of this part is loose and shallow, so that very large trees on the hills soon perish for want of root, and are then easily overturned : which occasioned the unfortunate death of one of our sailors, who, being in the hills in search of goats, caught hold of a tree, upon a declivity, to assist him in his ascent, and this giving way, he immediately rolled down the hill ; and though in his fall he fastened on another tree of consi- derable bulk, yet that, too, gave way, and he fell amongst the rocks, and was dashed to pieces. Mr. Brett, like- wise, met with an accident, only by resting his back against a tree, near as large about as himself, which stood on a slope ; for, the tree giving ^ay, he fell to a consi- derable distance, though without receiving any injury. Our prisoners (whom, as will be related in the sequel, we afterwards brought in here) remarked that the appear- ance of the hills, in some part of the island, resembled that of the mountains in Chili, where the gold is found; so that it is not impossible but mines might be discovered here. We observed in some places several hills of a pe- culiar sort of red earth, exceeding vermilion in colour, which, perhaps, on examination, might prove useful for many purposes. The southern, or rather the S.W. part of the island, is widely different from the rest, being dry, stony, and destitute of trees, and very flat and low, com- pared with the hills on the northern part. This part of the island is never frequented by ships, being surrounded by a steep shore, and having little or no fresh water; and, besides, it is exposed to the southerly wind, which gene- rally blow? here the whole year round, and, in the winter solstice, very hard. The trees, of which the woods on the northern side of the island are composed, cire most of them aromatics, and 118 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. of many different sorts : there are none of them of a size to yield any considerable timber, except the myrtle-trees, which are the largest on the island, and supplied us with all the timber we made use of; but even these would not work to a greater length than forty feet. The top of the myrtle-tree is circular, and appears as uniform and regu- lar as if it had been clipped by art. It bears on its bark an excrescence like moss, which in taste and smell re- sembles garlic, and was used by our people instead of it. We found here, too, the pimento-tree, and likewise the cabbage-tree, though in no great plenty. And, besides a great number of plants of various kinds, which we were not botanists enough either to describe or attend to, we found here almost all the vegetables which are usually esteemed to be particularly adapted to the cure of those scorbutic disorders which are contracted by salt diet and long voyages. For here we had great quantities of water-cresses and purslain, with excellent wild sorrel, and a vast profusion of turnips and Sicilian radishes : these two last, having some resemblance to each other, were confounded by our people under the general name of turnips. We usually preferred the tops of the turnips to the roots, which were often stringy; though some of them were free from that exception, and remarkably good. These vegetables, with the fish and flesh we got here, and which I shall more particularly describe hereafter, were not only extremely grateful to our palates, after the long course of salt diet which we had been confined to, but were, likewise, of the most salutary consequence to our sick, in recovering and invigorating them, and of no mean service to us who were well, in destroying the lurking seeds of the scurvy, from which, perhaps, none of us were totally exempt, and in refreshing and restoring us to our wonted strength and activity. To the vegetables I have already mentioned, of which we made perpetual use, I must add, that we found many acras of ground covered with oats and clover. There were^ also, some few cabbage-trees upon the island, as Chap* L] DESCRIPTION OF JUAN FERNANDEZ. 119 was observed before; but as they generally grew on the precipices, and in dangerous situations, and as it was necessary to cut down a large tree for every single cab- bage, this was a dainty that we were able but rarely to indulge in. The excellence of the climate and the looseness of the soil render this place extremely proper for all kinds of vegetation ; for, if the ground be any where accidentally turned up, it is immediately overgrown with turnips and Sicilian radishes. Mr. Anson, therefore, having with him garden seeds of all kinds, and stones of different sorts of fruits, he, for the better accommodation of his countrymen who should hereafter touch here, sowed both lettuces, carrots, and other garden plants, and set in the woods a great variety of plum, apricot, and peach stones ; and these last, he has been informed, have since thriven to a very remarkable degree ; for some gentlemen, who, in their passage from Lima to Old Spain, were taken and brought to England, having procured leave to wait upon Mr. Anson, to thank him lor his generosity and humanity to his prisoners, some of whom were their relations, they in casual discourse with him about his transactions in the South Seas, particularly asked him if he had not planted a great number of fruit stones on the island of Juan Fernandez ; for they told him, their late navigators had discovered there numbers of peach-trees and apricot-trees, which, being fruits before unobserved in that place, they concluded them to have been produced from kernels set by him. This may, in general, suffice as to the soil and vege- table productions of this place ; but the face of the country, at least of the north part of the island, is so ex- tremely singular, that I cannot avoid giving it a particular consideration. I have already taken notice of the wild, inhospitable air with which it first appeared to us, and the gradual improvement of this uncouth landscape, as we drew nearer, till we were at last captivated by the numerous beauties we discovered on the shore. And I must now 120 VOYAGE ROUND THE WOBLD. [Book II. add, that we found, during the time of our residence there, that the inland parts of the island did noways fall short of the sanguine prepossessions which we first entertained in their favour; for the woods, which 'covered most of the steepest hills, were free from all bushes and underwood, and afforded an easy passage through every part of them; and the irregularities of the hills and precipices, in the northern part of the island, necessarily traced out by their various combinations a great number of romantic valleys, most of which had a stream of the clearest water running through them, that tumbled in cascades from rock to rock, as the bottom of the valley, by the course of the neighbouring hills, was, at any time, broken into a sudden sharp descent. Some particular spots occurred in these valleys, where the shade and fra- grance of the contiguous woods, the loftiness of the over- hanging rocks, and the transparency and frequent falls of the neighbouring streams, presented scenes of such ele- gance and dignity, as would with difficulty be rivalled in any other part of the globe. It is in this place, perhaps, that the simple productions of unassisted nature may be said to excel all the fictitious descriptions of the most animated imagin^ .. continuing at sea all the summer, and coming on oj^ure at the setting in of the winter, where they reside during that whole season. In this interval, they engender and bring forth their young, and have generally two at a birth ; which they suckle with their milk, they bting at first about the size of a full-grown seal. During the time these sea-lions con- tinue on shore, they feed on the grass and verdure which grows near the banks of the fresh-water streams ; and, when not employed on feeding, sleep in herds in the most miry places they can find out. As they seem to be of a very lethargic disposition, and are not easily awakened, each herd was observed to place some of their males at a distance, in the nature of sentinels, who never failed to alarm them, whenever any one attempted to molest, or even to approach them ; and they were very capable of alarming, even at a considerable distance, for the noise they mak« is very loud and of different kinds, sometimes grunting like hogs, and at other times 126 VOTAOB ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. snorting like horses in full vigour. They often, especially the males, have furious battles with each other, princi- pally about their females ; and we were one day extremely surprised by the sight of two animals, which, at first, appeared different from all we had ever observed, but on a nearer approach they proved to be two sea-lions, who had been goring each other with their teeth, and were covered over with blood; and one, whom our men styled the Bashaw, generally lay surrounded with a seraglio of females, which no other male dared to approach, but had not acquired that envied preeminence without many bloody contests, of which the marks still remained in the numerous scars which were visible in every part of his body. We killed many of them for food, particularly for their hearts and tongues, which we esteemed exceed- ing good eating, and preferable even to those of bullocks : in general there was no difficulty in killing them, for they wore incapable either of escaping or resisting ; as their motion is the most unwieldy that can be conce* d, their blubber, all the time they are moving, I ^' agitated in large waves under their skins. However, a sailor one day being carelessly employed in skinning a young searlion, the female, from whence he had taken it, came upon him unperceived, and getting his head in her mouth, she with her teeth scored his skull in notches in many places, and thereby wounded him so desperately, that though all possible care was taken of him, he died in a few days. These are the principal animals which are found upon the island ; for we saw but few birds, and those chiefly hawks, blackbirds, owls, and humming-birds. We saw not the Pardela, which burrows in the ground, and which former writers have mentioned to be found here, but, as we often met with their holes, we supposed that the dogs had destroyed them ; as they have dmost done the cats, for these were very numerous in Selkirk's time, but we saw not above one or two during our whole stay. How- ever, the rats still keep their ground, continue here iii we in ^ei CKAr. i] QUANTITY OF FISH AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 127 great numbors, and were very troublesome to us, by infesting our tents nightly. But that which furnished us with the most delicious repasts at this island, remains still to be described. This was the fish with which the whole bay was most plenti- fully stored, and with the greatest variety : for we found here cod of a prodigious size, and, by the report of some of our crew who had been formerly employed in the Newfoundland fishery, not in less plenty than is to be met with on the banks of that island. We caught also, cavallies, gropers, lajge breams, maids, silver fish, con- gers of a peculiar kind, and, above all, a black fish which we most esteemed, called by some a chimney-sweeper, in shape resembling a carp. The beach, indeed, is ^ery where so full of rocks and loose stones, that there is no possibility of hauling the seine ; but, with hooks and lines, we caught what numbers we pleased ; so that a boat with two or three lines would return loaded with fish in about two or three hours* time. The only interruption we ever met with, arose from great quantities of dog-fish and large sharks, which sometimes attended our boats, and prevented our sport. Besides the fish we have already mentioned, we found here one delicacy in greater perfection, both as to size, flavour, and quantity, than is perhaps to be met with in any other part of the world — this was sea cray-fish ; they generally weighed eight or nine pounds apiece, were of a most excellent taste, and lay in such abundance near the water's edge, that the boat-hooks often stuck into them, in putting the boat to and from the shore. These are the most material articles relating to the accommodations, soil, vegetables, animals, and other pro- ductions of the island of Juan Fernandez ; by which it must appear, how properly that place was iidapted for recovering us from the deplorable situation to which. our tedious and unfortunate navigation round Cape Horn had reduced us. And, having thus given the reader some idea of the site and circumstances of this plaoe, I .-^ ' 128 VOYAGE ROUND . THE . WORLD. [Book II. whicli was to be our residence for three months/ 1 shall now proceed, in the next chapter, to relate all that occurred to us in that interval, resuming my narration from the 18th day of June, beinpr the day in which the Tryal sloop, having, by a squall, been driven out to sea three days before, came again to her moorings, the day in which we finished the sending our sick on shore, and about eight days after our first anchoring at this island. CHAPTER II. The Arrival of the Gloucester and the Anna Pink at the Island of Juan Fernandez, and the Transactions at that Place during this Interval. The arrival of the Tryal sloop at this island, so soon after we came there ourselves, gave us great hopes of being speedily joined by the rest of the squadron, and we were for some days continually looking out, in ex- pectation of their coming in sight. But near a fortnight being elapsed without any of them having appeared, we began to despair of ever meeting them again ; as we knew that had our ship continued so much longer at sea, we should every man of us have perished, and the vessel, occupied by dead bodies only, would have been left to the caprice of the winds and waves ; and this we had great reason to fear was the fate of our consorts, as each hour added to the probability of these desponding sug- gestions. But on the 21st of June, some of our people, from an eminence on shore, discerned a ship to leeward, with her courses even with the horizon ; and they, at the same time, particularly observed, that she had no sail abroad except her courses and her main-topsail. This circum- stance made them conclude that it was one of jur squad- ron, which had, probably, suffered in her sails and rigging as severely as we had done ; but they were prevented Chap. II.] ARRIVAL OF THB GLOUCESTER. 129 from forming more definitive conjectures about her, for, after viewing her for a short time, the weather grew thick and hazy, and they lost sight of her. On this report, and no ship appearing for some days, we were all under the greatest concern, suspecting that her people were in the utmost distress for want of water, and so diminished and weakened by sickness, as not to be able to ply up to windward, so that we feared that, after hanng been in sight of the island, her whole crew would, notwithstanding, perish at see. However, on the 26th, towards noon, we discerned a sail in the north-east quarter, which we conceived to be the very same ship that had been seen before, and our conjectures proved true ; anS about one o'clock she approached so near that we could distinguish her to be the Gloucester. As we had no doubt of her being in great distress, the Commo- dore immediately ordered his boat to her assistance, laden with fresh water, fish, and vegetables, v ' ich was a very seasonable relief to them, for our apprel isions of their calamities appeared to be but too well-grounded, as, perhaps, thsre never was a crew in a more distressed situation. They had already thrown overboard two- thirds of their complement, and of those which remained alive, scarcely any were capable of doing duty, except the officers and their servants. They had been, a con- siderable time, at the small allowance of a pint of fresh water to each man, for twenty-four hours, and yet they had so little left, that, had it not been for the supply we sent them, they must soon have died of thirst. The ship plied in within three miles of the bay, but liie winds and currents being contrary, she could not reach the road. However, she continued in the offing the next day, but as she had no chance of coming to an anchor, unless the wind and currents shifted, the Commodore repeated his assistance, sending to her the Tryal's boat manned with the Centurion's people, and a further supply of water and other refreshments. Captain Mitchell, the captain of the Gloucester, was under a necessity of K 130 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. detaining both this boat and that sent the preceding day; for without the help of their crews, he had no longer strength enough to navigate the ship. In this tantalizing situation the Gloucester continued for near a fortnight, without being able to fetch the road, though frequently attempting it, and at some times bidding very fair for it. On the 9th of July, we observed her stretch- ing away vo the eastward, at a considerable distance, which we supposed was with a design to get to the south- ward of the island ; but as we soon lost sight of her, and she did not appear for near a week, we were prodigiously concerned, knowing that she must be again in extreme distress for want of water. After great impatience about her, we discovered her again on the 16th, endeavouring to come round the eastern point of the island ; but the wind still blowing directly from the bay, prevented her getting nearer than within four leagues of the land. On this. Captain Mitchell made signals of distress, and our long-boat was sent to him with a store of water, and plenty of fish and other refreshments. And the long- boat being not to be spared, the cockswain had positive orders from the Commodore to return again immediately ; but the weather proving stormy the next day, and the boat not appearing, we much feared she was lost, which would have proved an irretrievable misfortune to us all ; however, the third day after^ we were relieved from this anxiety by the joyful sight of the long-boat's sails upon the water ; on which we sent the cutter immediately to her assistance, who towed her alongside in a few hours; when we found that the crew of our long-boat had taken in six of the Gloucester's sick men to bring them on shore, two of which had died in the boat. We now learnt that the Gloucester was in a most dreadful condition, having scarcely a man in health on board, except those they received from us : and numbers of the sick dying daily, it appeared that, had it not been for the last supply sent by our long-boat, both the healthy and diseased must have all perished together for want of water. These Chap. II.] DREADFtIL CONDITION OP THE GLOUCESTER. .131 calamities were the more terrifying, as they appeared to be without remedy ; for the Gloucester had already spent a month in her endeavours to fetch the bay, and she was now no farther advanced than at the first moment she made the island ; on the contrary, the people on board her had worn out all their hopes of ever succeeding in it, by the many experiments they had made of its diffi- culty. Indeed, the same day her situation grew more desperate than ever, for after she had received our last supply of refreshments, we again lost sight of her ; so that we in general despaired of her ever coming to an anchor. • Thus was the unhappy vessel banded about within a few leagues of her intended harbour, whilst the neigh- bourhood of that place and of those circumstances, which could alone put an end to the calamities they laboured under, served only to aggravate their distress, by tor- turing them with a view of the relief it was not in their power to reach. But she was at last delivered from this dreadful situation, at a time when we least expected it ; for after having lost sight of her for several days, we were pleasingly surprised, on the morning of the 23d of July, to s^ her upon the N.W. point of the bay with a flowing san; when we immediately despatched what boats we had to her assistance, and in an hour's time from our first perceiving her, she anchored safe within us in the bay. And now we were more particularly convinced of the importance of the assistance and re- freshments we so often sent them, and how impossible it would have been for a man of them to have survived, had we given less attention to their wants ; for notwith- standing the water, the greens, and fresh provisions which we supplied them with, and the hands we sent them to navigate the ship, by which the fatigue of their own people was diminished, their sick relieved, and the mortality abated; notwithstanding this indulgent care of the Commodore, they yet buried above three-fourths of their crew, and a very small portion of the remainder 132 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. were capable of assisting in the duty of the ship. On their coming to an anchor, our first endeavours were to assist them in mooring, and our next to send their sick on shore : these were now reduced by deaths to less than fourscore, of which we expected to lose the greatest pari ; but whether it was that those farthest advanced in the distemper were all dead, or that the greens and fresh provisions we had sent on board had prepared those which remained for a more speedy recovery, it happened, contrary to our expectations, that their sick were in general relieved, and restored to their strength, in a much shorter time than our own had been when we first came to the island, and very few of them died on shore. I have thus given an account of the principal events, relating to the arrival of the Gloucester, in one continued narration. I shall only add, that we never were joined by any other of our ships, except our victualler, the Anna Pink, who came in about the middle of August, and whose history I shall defer for the present ; as it is now high time to return to the account of our own transactions on board and on shore, during the interval of the Gloucester's frequent and ineffectual attempts to reach the island. Our next employment, after sending our sick on shore from the Centurion, was cleansing our ship and filling our water. The first of these measures was indispensably necessary to our future health ; as the numbers of sick, and the unavoidable negligence arising from our de- plorable situation at sea, had rendered the decks most intolerably loathsome : and the filling our water was a caution that appeared not less essential to our security, as we had reason to apprehend that accidents might in- tervene, which would oblige us to quit the island at a very short warning ; for some appearances we had dis- covered on shore, upon our first landing, gave us grounds to believe, that there were Spanish cruisers in these seas, which had left the island but a short time before our Chap. II.] TRANSACTIONS AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 133 arrival, alid might possibly return ihither again, either for a recruit of water, or in search of us ; since we could not doubt but that the sole business they had at sea was to intercept us, and we knew that this island was the likeliest place, in their own opinion, to meet with us. The circumstances which gave rise to these reflections (in part of which we were not mistaken, as shall be ob- served more at large hereafter) were our finding on shore several pieces of earthen jars, made use of in those seas for water and other liquids, which appeared to be fresh- broken : we saw, to, many heaps of ashes, and near them fish-bones and pieces of fish, besides whole fish scattered here and there, which plainly appeared to have been but a short time out of the water, as they were but just beginning to decay. These were certain indications that there had been ships at this place, but a short time before we came there ; and as all Spanish merchantmen are instructed to avoid the island, on account of its being the common rendezvous of their enemies, we concluded those who had touched here to be ships of force; and not knowing that Pizarro was returned to Buenos Ayres, and ignorant what strength might have been fitted out at Callao, we were under some concern for our safety, being in so wretched and enfeebled a condition, that notwithstanding the rank of our ship, and the sixty guns she carried on board, which would only have aggravated our dishonour, there was scarcely a privateer sent to sea that was not an over-match for us. However, our fears on this head proved imaginary, and we were not exposed to the disgrace which might have been expected to have befallen us, had we been necessitated (as we must have been had the enemy appeared) to fight our sixty-gun ship with no more than thirty hands. Whilst the cleaning our ship and the filling our water went on, we set up a large copper oven on shore near the sick tents, in which we baked bread every day for the ship's company; for being extremely desirous of recovering our sick as soon as possible, we conceived 134 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. that new bread, added to their greens and fresh fish, might prove a powerful article in their relief. Indeed, we had all imaginable reason to endeavour at the aug< men ting our present strength, as every little accident, which to a full crew would be insignificant, was extremely alarming in our present helpless situation : of this, we had a troublesome instance, on the 30th of June ; for, at five in the morning, we were astonished by a violent gust of wind directly off shore, which instantly parted our small bower cable about ten fathom from the ring of the anchor : the ship at once swung off to the best bower, which happily stood the violence of the jerk, and brought us up with two cables an end in eighty fathom. All this time, we had not above a dozen seamen in the ship, and we were apprehensive, if the squall continued, that we should be driven to sea in this wretched con- dition. However, we sent the boat on shore, to bring off all who were capable of acting ; and the wind soon abating of its fury, gave us an opportunity of receiving the boat back again with a reinforcement. With this additional strength we immediately went to work, to heave in what remained of the cable, which we sus- pected had received some damage from the foulness of the ground before it parted ; and agreeable to our con- jecture, we found that seven fathom and a half of the outer end had been rubbed and rendered unserviceable. In the afternoon, we bent the cable to the spare anchor, and got it over the ship's side ; and the next morning, July 1st, being favoured with the wind in gentle breezes, we warped the ship in again, and let go the anchor in forty- one fathom ; the easternmost point now bearing from us E. ^ S. ; the westernmost, N. W. by W. ; and the bay as before, SS.W. ; a situation in which we remained secure for the future. However, we were much con- cerned for the loss of our anchor, and swept frequently for it, in hopes to have recovered it; but the buoy having sunk at the very instant that the cable parted, we were never able to find it. CHAP. II.] TRANSACTIONS AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 135 And now as we advanced in July, some of our men being tolerably recovered, the strongest of them were put upon cutting down trees, and splitting them into billets ; while others, who were too weak for this employ, undertook to carry the billets by one at a time to the water-side : this they performed, some of them with the help of crutches, and others supported by a single stick. We next sent the forge on shore, and employed our smiths, who were but just capable of working, in mend- ing our chain-plates, and our other broken and decayed iron-work. We began, too, the repairs of our rigging ; but as we had not junk enough to make spun-yam, we deferred the general over-hale, in hopes of the daily arrival of the Gloucester, who we knew had a great quantity of junk on board. However, that we might despatch as fast as possible in our refitting, we set up a large tent on the beach for the sailmakers; and they were immediately employed in repairing our old sails, and making us new ones. These occupations, with our cleans- ing and watering the ship, (which was by this time pretty well completed), the attendance on our sick, and the fre- quent relief sent to ^\e Gloucester, were the principal transactions of our infirm crew, till the arrival of the Gloucester at an anchor in the bay. And then Captain Mitchell waiting on the Commodore, informed him that he had been forced by the winds, in his last absence, as far as the small island called Masa Fuero, laying about twenty-two leagues to the westward of Juan Fernandez ; and that he endeavoured to send his boat on shore there for water, of which he could observe several streams, but the wind blew so strong upon the shore, and occasioned such a surf, that it was impossible for the boat to land ; though the attempt was not altogether useless, for his people returned with a boat-load of fish. This island had been represented, by former navigators, as a barren rock; but Captain Mitchell assured the Commodore, that it was almost everywhere covered with trees and verdure, and was near four miles in length; and added, fm 136 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. that it appeared to him far from impossible, but some small bay might be found on it, which might afford sufficient shelter for any ship desirous of refreshing there. As four ships of our squadron were missing, this description of the island of Masa Fuero gave rise to a conjecture, that some of them might possibly have fallen in with that island, and might have mistaken it for the true place of our rendezvous. This suspicion was the more plausible, as we had no draft of either island that could be relied on; and therefore, Mr. Anson deter- mined to send the Tryal sloop thither, as soon as she could be fitted for the sea, in order to examine all its bays and creeks, that we might be satisfied whether any of our missing ships were there or not. For this purpose, some of our best hands were sent on board the Tryal the next morning, to overhale and fix her rigging; and our long-boat was employed in completing her water; and whatever stores and necessaries she wanted, were imme- diately supplied, either from the Centurion or the Glou- cester. But it was the 4th of August before the Tryal was in readiness to sail, when, having weighed, it soon after fell calm, and the tide set her very near the eastern shore: Captain Saunders hung out lights, and fired several guns, to acquaint us with his danger; upon which all the boats were sent to his relief, who towed the sloop into the bay, where she anchored until the next morning, and then weighing again^ proceeded on her cruise with a fair breeze. And now, after the Gloucester's arrival, we were employed in earnest in examining and repairing our rigging ; but, in the stripping our foremast, we were alarmed by discovering it was sprung just above the partners of the upper deck. The spring was two inches in depth, and twelve in circumference ; however, the carpenters, on inspecting it, gave it as their opinion, that fishing it with two leaves of an anchor-stock would render it as secure as ever. But, besides this defect in Chap. II.J TRANSACTIONS AT 3VATH FERNANDEZ. 137 our mast, we had other difficulties in refitting, from the want of cordage and canvass ; for, though wp bad taLen to sea much greater quantities of both than had ever been done before, yet the continued bad weather we met with had occasioned such a consumption of these stores, that we were driven to great straits ; as, after working up all our junk and old shrouds, to make twice-laid cordage, we were at last obliged to unlay a cable to work into running rigging: and, with all the canvass and remnants of old sails that could be mastered, we could only make up one complete suit. Towards the middle of August, our men being indif- ferently recovered, they were permitted to quit their sick tents, and to build separate huts for themselves, as it was imagined that by living apart, they would be much cleanlier, and, consequently, likely to recover their strength the sooner; but, at the same time, particular orders were given, that, on the firing of a gun from the ship, they should instantly repair to the water-side. Their employment on shore was now either the procuring of refreshments, the cutting of wood, or the making of oil from the blubber of the sea-lions. This oil served us for several purposes, as burning in lamps, or mixing with pitch to pay the ship's sides, or, when worked up with wood-ashes, to supply the use of tallow (of which we had none left) to give the ship boot-hose tops. Sotha of the men, too, were occupied in salting of cod; for there being two Newfoundland fishermen in the Cen- turion, the Commodore set them about laying in a considerable quantity of salted cod for a sea-store, though very little of it was used, as it was afterwards thought to be as productive of the scurvy, as any other kind of salt provisions. I have before mentioned, that we had a copper oven on shore to bake bread for the sick ; but it happened that the greatest part of the flour, for the use of the squadron, was embarked on board our victualler, the Anna Pink : and I should have mentioned, that the Tryal 138 TOYAQE BOUND THE WORLD. IBooK II. sloop, at her arrival, bad informed us that, on the 9th of May, she had fallen in with our victualler, not far distant from the continent of Chili ; and had kept company with her for four days, when they were parted in a hard gale of wind. This afforded us some room to hope that she was safe, and that she might join us ; but, Jl June and July being past without any news of her, we then gave her over for lost ; and, at the end of July, the Com- modore ordered all the ships to a short allowance of bread. Nor was it in our bread only that we feared a deficiency, for, since our arrival at this island, we di&* covered that our former purser had neglected to take on board large quantities of several kinds of provisions, which the Commodore had expressly ordered him to receive ; so that the supposed loss of our victualler was, on all accounts, a mortifying consideration. However, on Sunday, the 16th of August, about noon, we espied a sail in the northern quarter, and a gun was imme- diately fired from the Centurion, to call off the people from shore ; who readily obeyed the summons, repairing to the beach, where the boats waited to carry them on board. And being now prepared for the reception of this ship in view, whether friend or enemy, we had various speculations about her ; at first, many imagined it to be the Tryal sloop returned from her cruise ; though as she drew nearer this opinion was confuted, by observ- ing she was a vessel with three masts : then other con- jectures were eagerly canvassed, some judging it to be the Severn, others the Pearl, and several affirming that it did not belong to our squadron : but, about three in the afternoon, our disputes were ended, by an unanimous persuasion that it was our victualler, the Anna Pink. This ship, though like the Gloucester she had fallen in to the northward of the island, had yet the good fortune to come to an anchor in the bay, at five in the afternoon. Her arrival gave us all the sincerest joy ; for each ship's company was immediately restored to their full allowance of bread, and we were now freed from the f-» » II. Chap. III.] WHAT BBFEL THE ANNA PINK. 139 apprehensions of our provisions falling short hefore we could reach some amicable port ; a calamity which, in these seas, is of all others the most irretrievable. This was the last ship that joined us ; and the dangers she encountered, and the success which she afterwards met with, being matters worthy of a separate narration, I shall refer them, together with a short account of the other missing ships of the squadron, to the ensuing chapter. CHAPTER III. A short Narrative of what befcl the Anna Fink before she joined us, with an Account of the loss of the Wager, and of the putting back of tho Severn and Pearl, the two remaining ships of the Squadron. On the first appearance of the Anna Pink, it seemod wonderful to us how the crew of a vessel, which came to this rendezvous two months after us, should be capable of working their ship in the manner they did, with so little appearance of debility and distress. But this diffi- culty was soon solved when she came to anchor, for we then found that they had been in harbour since the middle of May, which was near a month before we arrived at Juan Fernandez ; so that their sufferings (the risk they had run of shipwreck only excepted) were greatly short of what had been undergone by the rest of the squadron. It seems, on the 16th of May, they fell in with the land, which was then but four leagues distant, in the latitude of 45° 15' south. On the first sight of it they wore-ship and stood to the southward ; but their fore top-sail split- ting, and the wind being W.S.W., they drove towards the shore : and the captain, at last, either unable to clear the land, or, as others say, resolved to keep the sea no longer, steered for the coast, with a view of discovering some shelter amongst the many islands which then appeared in 140 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. sight ; and, about four hours after the first view of the land, the Pink had the happiness to come to an anchor to the eastward of the island of Inchin ; but, as they did not run sufficiently near to the east shore of that island, and had not hands enough to veer away the cable briskly, they were soon driven to the eastward, deepening their water from twenty-five fathom to thirty-five ; and, still continuing to drive, they, the next day, the 17th of May, let go their sheet-anchor. This, though it brought them up for a short time, yet, on the 18th, they drove again, till they came into sixty-five fathom water, and were now within a mile of the land, and expected to be forced on shore every moment, in a place where the coast was so very high, and steep, too, that there was not the least prospect of saving the ship or cargo. As their boats were very leaky, and there was no appearance of a landing- placo, the whole crew, consisting of sixteen men and boys, 'gave themselves over for lost, apprehending that, if any of them, by some ext^'aordinary chance, could get on shore^ they would, in all probability, be massacred by the savages on the cojist; for these, lTDo>\ing no other Euro- peans but Spaniards, it might be expected thoy would treat all strangers with the same '/uelty which they had so often and so signally exerted against their Spanish neighbours. Under these terrifying circumstances, the Pink drove nearer and nearer to the rocks which formed the shore ; but, at last, when the crew expected each in- stant to strike, they perceived a small opening in the land, which raised their hopes ; and, immediately cutting away their two anchors, they steered for it, and found it to be a small channel betwixt an island and the main, that led them into a most excellent harbour, which, for its seen- rity against all winds and swells, and the STrior^i'inebS of its water, may, perhaps, compare with any in the known world. And, this place being scarcely two miles distant from the spct where they deemed their destruction ine- vitable, the horrors of shipwreck and of immediate death, which had so long and so strongly possessed them, vanished II. Chap. III.] WHAT DEFEL THE ANNA PINK. 141 almost instantaneously, and gave place to the more joy- ous ideas of security, refreshment, and repose. In this harbour, discovered in this providential manner, the Pink came to an anchor in twenty-five fathom water, with only a hawser, and a small anchor of about three hundred weight. Here she continued for near two months, and here her people, who were many of them ill of the scurvy, were soon restored to perfect health by the fresh provisions, of which they procured good store, and the excellent water with which the adjacent shore abounded. As this place may prove of the greatest im- portance to future navigators, who may be forced upon this coast by the westerly winds, which are almost per- petually in that part of the world. I shall, before I enter into any farther particulars of the adventures of the Pink, give the best account I could collect of this port, its situa- tion, conveniences, and productions. Its latitude, which is, indeed, a material point, is not ascertained, the Pink having made no observation either the day before she came here, or within a day of her leaving it ; but it is supposed that it is not very distant from 45^ 30' south, and the large extent of the bay be- fore the harbour renders this uncertainty of less moment. The island of Inchin, lying before the bay, is thought to be one of the islands of Chonos, which is mentioned in the Spanish accounts as spreading all along that coast ; and are said by them to be inhabited by a barbarous people, famous for their hatred of the Spaniards, and for their cruelties to such of that nation as have fallen into their hands. And it is possible, too, that the land on which the harbour itself lies, may be another of those islands, and that the continent may be considerably fur- ther to the eastward. There are two coves in it, where ships may conveniently heave down, the water being con- stantly smooth ; and there are several fine runs of excellent fresh water, which fall into the harbour, some of them so favourably situated, that the casks may be filled in the long-boat with an hose : the most remarkable of these i? ■PIP 142 VOYAGE ROU^D THE WORLD. [Book II. the stream in the N.E. part of the port. This is a fresh water river, where the Pink's people got some few mul- lets of an excellent flavour ; and thej' were persuaded that, in a proper season (it being winter when they were there) it abounded with fish. The principal refreshments they met with in this port were greens, as vv^ild celery, nettle-tops, &c. (which, after so long a continuance at sea, they devoured with great Cc' ^erness) ; shell-fish, as cockles and muscles of an extraordinary size, and ex- tremely delicious ; and good store of geese, shags, and penguins. The climate, though it was the depth of winter, was not remarkably rigorous ; nor the trees, nor the face of the country, destitute of verdure ; whence, in the summer, many otLier species of fresh provisions, be- sides these here enumerated, might doubtless be found here. Notwithstanding the tales of the Spanish his- torians, in relation to the violence and barbarity of the inhabitants, .t does not appear that their numbers are sutticient to give the least jealousy to any ship of ordi- nary force, or that their disposition is by any means so mischievous or merciless as hath hitherto been repre- sented. With all these advantages, this place is so far removed from the Spanish frontier, and so little known to the Spaniards themselves, that there is reason to suppose that, by proper precautions a ship might continue here undiscovered a long time. It is, moreover, a post of gveat defence; for, by possessing the island that closes dp the harbour, and which is ?.cces8ible in very few places, a small force might secure this port against all the strength the Spaniards could muster in that part of the world; since this island, towards the harbour, is bteep, too, and has six fathom water close to the shore, so that the Pink anchored within forty yards of it : whence it is obvious how impossible it would prove either to board or to cut out any vessel protected by a force posted on shore within pistol-shot, and where those, who were thus posted, could not themselves be attacked. AH these cir- cumstances seem to render this port worthy of a more Chap. III.] WHAT BEFEL THE ANNA PINK. 143 accurate examination; and it is to be hoped that the important uses which this rude account of it seems to suggest, may, hereafter, recommend it to the consi- deration of the public, and to the attention of those who are more immediately entrusted with the conduct of our naval affairs. After this description of the place where the Pink lay, for two months, it may be expected that I should relate the discoveries made by the crew on the adjacent coast, and the principal incidents during their stay there. But, here, I must observe, that, being only a few in number, they did not dare to detach any of their people on distant searches; for they were perpetually terrified with the apprehension that they should be attacked either by the Spaniards or the Indians ; so that their excursions were generally confined to that tract of land which surrounded the port, and where they were never out of view of the ship. Though had they, at first, known how little foun- dation there was for these fears, yet the country in the neighbourhood was so grown up with wood, and tra- versed with mountains, that it appeared impracticable to penetrate it : whence no account of the inland parts could be expected from them. Indeed they were able to disprove the relations given by Spanish writers, who have represented this coast as inhabited by a fierce and pow- erful people ; for they were certain that no such inhabi- tants were there to be found, at least during the winter season ; since all the time they continued there they saw no more than one Indian family, which came into the harbour in a periagua, about a month after the arrival of the Pink, and consisted of an Indian, near forty years old, his wife, and two children, one three years of age, and the other still at the breast. They seemed to have with them all their property, which was a dog and a cat, a fishing-net, a hatchet, a knife, a cradle, some bark of trees intended for the covering of a hut, a reel, some worsted, a flint and steel, and a few roots of a yellow hue and a very disagreeable taste, which served them for 144 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. bread. The master of the Pink, as soon as he per- ceived them, sent his yawl, and brought them on board ; fearinj^ lest they might discover him, if they were per- mitted to go away, he took, as he conceived, proper pre- cautions for securing them, but without any mixture of ill-usage or violence : for, in the day-time, they were permitted to go where they pleased about the ship, but at night were locked up in the fore-castle. As they were fed in the same manner as the rest of the crew, and were often indulged with brandy, which they seemed greatly to relish, it did not at first appear that they were much dissatisfied with their situation, especially as the master took the Indian on shore w hen he went a shooting, (who always seemed extremely delighted when the master killed his game,) and as all the crew treated them with great humanity ; but it was soon perceived that, though the woman continued easy and cheerful, yet the man grew pensive and restless at his confinement. He seemed to be a person of good natural parts, and, though not capable of conversing with the Pink's people otherwise than by signs, was yet very curious and inquisitive, and showed great dexterity in the manner of making himself under- stood. In particular, seeing so few people on board such a large ship, he let them know that he supposed they were once more numerous : and to represent to them what he imagined was become of their companions, he laid him- self down on the deck, closing his eyes, and stretching himself out motionless, to imitate the appearance of a dead body. But the strongest proof of his sagacity was the manner of his getting away ; for, after being in cus- tody on board the Pink eight days, the scuttle of the fore-castle, where he and his family were locked up every night, happened to be uanailed, and the following night, being extremely dark and stormy, he contrived to convey his wife and children through the unnailed scuttle, and then over the ship's side into the yawl ; and, to prevent being pursued, he cut away the long-boat and his own periagua, which were towing astern, and Chap III.] WHAT BEFEL THE ANNA PINK. 145 immediately rowed ashore. All this he conducted with so much diligence and secrecy, that, though there was a watch on the quarter-deck with loaded arms, yet he was not discovered by them, till the noise of his oars in the water, after he had put off from the ship, gave them notice of his escape; and then it was too late either to prevent him or to pursue him : for their boats being all adrift, it was a considerable time before they could con- trive the means of getting on shore themselves to search for their boats. The Indian, too, by this effort, besides the recovery of his liberty, was in some sort revenged on those who had confined him, both by the perplexity they were involved in from the loss of their boats, and by the terror he threw them in at his departure j for, on the first alarm of the watch, who cried out " The Indians!" the whole ship was in the utmost confusion, believing them^ selves to be boarded by a fleet of armed periaguas. The resolution and sagacity with which the Indian behaved on this occasion, had it been exerted on a more extensive object than the retrieving the freedom of a single family, might, perhaps, have immortalized the exploit, and have given him a rank amongst the illus- trious names of antiquity. Indeed his late masters did so much justice to his merit, as to own that it was a most gallant enterprise, and that the} were grieved they had ever been necessitated, by their attention to their own safety, to abndge the 'iberty of a person, of who've pru- dence and coarage they had now such a distinguished proof As it was supposed by some of them that he still continued iji the woods in the neighbourhood of the port, where it was feared he might suffer for want of provi- sions, they t!?8ily prevailed upon the master to leave a quantity of such food as they thought would be most agreeable to him, in a particular part where they ima- gined he would be likely to find it. And there was reason to conjecture that this piece of humanity was not alto- gether useless to him ; for, on visiting the place some time after, it was found that the provision was gone, and 146 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORtlT. [Book It, in a manner that made them conclude it had fallen into his hands. But, however, though many of them were satisfied that this Indian still continued near them, yet others would needs conclude that he was gone to the island of Chiloe, where they feared he would alarm the Spaniards^ and would soon return with a force sufficient to surprise the Pink. On this occasion the master of the Pink was prevailed on to omit firing the evening gun ; for it must be remembered (and there is a particular reason, here- after, for attending to this circumstance) that the master, from an ostentatious imitation of the practice of men-of- war, had hitherto fired a gun every evening at the set- ting of the watch. This he pretended was to awe the enemy, if there was any within hearing, and to convince them that the Pink was always on her guard : but, it being now represented to him that his great security was his concealment, and that the evening gun might possibly discovef him, and serve to guide the enemy to him, he was prevailed on to omit it for the future. And his crew being now well refreshed, and their wood and water sufficiently replenished, he, in a few days after the escape of the Indian, put to sea, and had a favourable passage to the rendezvous at the island of Juan Fernandez, where he arrived on the IGth of August, as hath been already mentioned in the preceding chapter. This vessel, the Anna Pink, was, as I have observed, the last that joined the Commodore at Juan Fernandez. The remaining ships of the squadron were, the Severn, the Pearl, and the Wager store-ship. The .Severn and Pearl parted company with the squadron off Cape Noir, and, as we afterwards learnt, put back to the Brazils ; so that, of all the ships which came into the South Seas, the Wager, Captain Cheap, was the only one that was missing. This ship had on board a few field-pieces mounted for land-service, together with some cohorn mortars, and several kinds of artillery stores, and pioneers' tools, intended or the operations on shore : therefore, as rsAP. III.] LOSS OF THE WAGER. 147 the enterprise on Baldivia had been resolved on for the first undertaking of the squadron, Captain Cheap was ex- tremely solicitous that these materials, which were in his custody, might be ready before Baldivia; that, if the squadron should possibly rendezvous there (as he knew not the condition they were then reduced to), no delay nor disappointment might be imputed to him. But whilst the Wager, with these views, was making the best of her way to her first rendezvous off the island of Socoro, whence (as there was little probability of meeting any of the squadron there) she proposed to steer directly for Baldivia, she made the land on the 14th of May, about the latitude of 47° south; and th** captain, exerting himself on this occasion in order to gv.c clear of it, he had the misfortune to fall down the after-ladder, and dislocated his shoulder, which rendered him inca- pable of acting. This accident, together with the crazy condition of the ship, which was little better than a wreck, prevented her from getting off to sea, and entangled her more and more with the land; inso- much that, the next morning, at day-dreak, she struck on a sunken rock, and soon after bilged, and grounded between two small islands, at about a musquet-shot from the shore. In this situation the ship continued entire a long time, so that all the crew had it in their power to get safe on shore; but a general confusion taking place, numbers of them, instead of consulting their safety, or reflecting on their calamitous condition, fell to pillaging the ship, arm- ing themselves with the first weapons that came to hand, and threatening to nuirder all who should oppose them. This frenzy was greatly heightened by the liquors they foimd on board, with which they got so extremely drunk, that some of them, falling down between decks, were drowned as the water flowed into the wreck, being inca- pable of raising themselves up and retreating from it. The captain, therefore, having done his utmost to get the whole crew on shore, was at last obliged to leave the 148 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. mutineers behind him, and to follow his officers, and such as he had been able to prevail on ; but he did not fail to send back the boats, to persuade those who remained to have some regard to their preservation ; though all his eiForts were for some time without success. However, the weather next day proving stormy, and there being great danger of the ship's parting, they began to be alarmed with the fears of perishing, and were desirous of getting to land. But it seems their madness had not yet left them, for the boat, not appearing to fetch them oiF, so soon as they expected, they at last pointed a four- pounder, which was on the quarter-deck, against the hut where they knew the captain resided on shore, and fired two shot, which passed but just over it. From this specimen of the behaviour of part of the crew, it will not be difficult to frame some conjecture of the disorder and anarchy which took place when they at last got on shore. For the men conceived that, by the loss of the ship, the authority of the officers was at an end; and they being now on a desolate coast, where scarcely any other provisions could be got, except what should be saved out of the wreck, this was another in- surmountable source of discord; since the working upon mm^mmiimw^ CUAP. III>] LOSS OF THE WAGER. 149: the wreck, and the securing the provisions, so that they might be preserved for future exigencies as much as pos- sible, and the taking care that what was necessary for their present subsistence might be sparingly and equally distributed, were matters not to be brought about but by discipline and subordination. And the mutinous dispo- sition of the people, stimulated by the impulses of imme- diate hunger, rendered every regulation made for this purpose ineffectual ; so that there were continual con- cealments, frauds, and thefts, which animated each man against his fellow, and produced infinite feuds and con- tests. And, hence, there was a perverse and malevolent disposition constantly kept up amongst them, which ren-. dered them utterly ungovernable. Besides these heart-burnings, occasioned by petulance and hunger, there was another important point, which set the greatest part of the people at variance with the captain. This was, their differing with him in opinion on the measures to be pursued in the present exigency ; for the captain was determined, if possible, to fit up the boats in the best manner he could, and to proceed with them to the northward. Since, having with him above an hundred men in health, having gotten some fire-arms and ammunition from the wreck, he did not doubt but they could master any Spanish vessel they should en- counter in those seas ; and he thought he could not fail of meeting with one in the neighbourhood of Chiloe, or Baldivia, in which, when he had taken her, he intended to proceed to the rendezvous at Juan Fernandez ; and he farther insisted that, should they light on no prize by the way, yet the boats alone would easily carry them thither. But this was a scheme that, however prudent, was no ways relished by the generality of his people ; for, being quite jaded with the distresses and dangers they had already run through, they could not think of prosecuting an enterprise farther which had hitherto proved so disastrous. The common resolution, therefore, was to lengthen the long-boat, and, with that and the. 150 TOY AGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. rest of the boats, to steer to the southward, to pass through the Straits of Magellan, and to range along the east side of South America, till they should arrive at Brazil, where they doubted not to be well received, and to procure a passage to Great Britain. This project was at first sight infinitely more hazardous and tedious than what was proposed by the captain ; but as it had che air of returning home, and flattered them with the hopes of bringing them once more to their native coun- try, that circumstance alone rendered them inattentive to all its inconveniences, and made them adhere to it with insurmountable obstinacy ; so that the captain him- self, though he never changed his opinion, yet was obliged to give way to the torrent, and, in appearance, to acquiesce in this resolution, whilst he endeavoured, un- derhand, to give it all thj obstruction he could ; parti- cularly in the lengthening of the long-boat, v/ hich he con- trived should be of such a size, that, though it might serve to carry them to Juan Fernandez, would yet, he hoped, appear incapable of so long a navigation as that to the coast of Brazil. But the captain, by his steady opposition, at first, to this favourite project, had much embittered the people against him ; to which, likewise, the following unhappy accident greatly contributed. There was a midshipman whose name was Cozens, who had appeared the foremost in all the refractory proceedings of the crew. He had involved himself in brawls with most of the officers who had adhered to the captain's authority, and had even treated the captain himself with great abuse and inso- lence. As his turbulence and brutality grew every day more and more intolerable, it was not in the least doubted but that there were some violent measures in agitation, in which Cozens was engaged as the ringleader ; for which reason the captain, and those about him, constantly kept themselves on their guard. One day the purser, having, by the captain's orders, stopped the allowance of a fellow who would not work, Cozens^ though the man ClIAF. III.] L0S8 OP THE WAGER. 151 did not complain to him, intermeddled in the affair with great bitterness, and grossly insulted the purser, who was then delivering out the provisions^ just by the cap- tain's tent, and was himself sufficiently violent. The purser, enraged by his scurrility, and perhaps piqued by former quarrels, cried out " A mutiny !'* adding, " The dog has pistols :" and then himself fired a pistol at Cozens, which, however, missed him. But the captain, on this -^ outcry, and the report of the pistol, rushed out of his tent, and nol doubting but it had been fired by Cozens, as the commencement of a mutiny, he immediately shot him in the head without further deliberation ; and though he did not kill him on the spot, yet the wound proved mortal, and he died about fourteen days after. However, this incident, though sufficiently displeasing to the people, did yet for a considerable time awe them to their duty, and rendered them more submissive to the captain's authority; but at last, when, towards the mid- dle of October, the long-boat was nearly completed, and they were preparing to put to sea, the additional provo- cation he gave them, by covertly traversing their project of proceeding through the Straits of Magellan, and their 152 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. fears that he might, at length, engage a party sufficient to overturn this favourite measure, made them resolvo to make use of the death of Cozens as a reason for de- priving him of his command, under pretence of carrying him a prisoner to England, to be tried for murder ; and he was, accordingly, confined under a guard. But they never intended to carry him with them, as they too well knew what they had to apprehend on their return to England, if their Commander should be present to con- front them : and, therefore, when they were just ready to put to sea they set him at liberty, leaving him and the few who chose to take their fortunes with him, no other em- barkation but the yawl, to which the barge was after- wards added, by the people on board her being prevailed on to return back. When the ship was wrecked, there were alive on board the Wager near a hundred and thirty persons ; of these above thirty died during their stay upon the place, and near eighty went F in the long-boat and the cutter to the southward ; so that there remained with the Captain after their departure no more than nineteen persons, which, however, were as many as the barge and the yawl, the only embarkations left them, could well carry off. It was the 13th of October, five months after the shipwreck, that the long-boat, converted into a schooner, weighed and stood to the southward, giving the Captain, who with Lieutenant Hamilton, of the land forces, and the surgeon, were then on the beach, three cheers at their departure ; and on the 29th of January following they arrived at Rio Grande on the coast of Brazil ; but having, by various accidents, left about twenty of their people on shore at the different places they touched at, and a greater number having perished by hunger, during the course of their navigation, there were no more than thirty of them remaining when they arrived in that port. Indeed, the undertaking of itself was a most ex- traordinary one ; for (not to mention the length of the run) the vessel was scarcely able to contain the number CH..P. III.] LOSS OF THE WAGER. 153 thai first put to sea in her ; and their stock of provisions (be. ig only what they had saved out of the ship) was extremely slender : they had this additional misfortune, besides, that the cutter, the only boat they had with them, soon broke away from the stern, and was staved to pieces ; so that, when their provision and their water failed them, they had frequently no means of getting on shore to search for a fresh supply. After the long-boat and cutter were gone, the Captain, and those who were left with him, proposed to pass to the northward in the barge and yawl : but the weather was so bad and the difficulty of subsisting so great, that it was two months, from the departure of the long- boat, before he was able to put to sea. It seems the place where the Wager was cast away, was not a part of the continent, as was at first imagined, but an island at some distance from the mai.i, which afforded no other sorts of provision but shell-fish and a few herbs ; and as the greatest part of what they had gotten from the ship was carried off in the long-boat, the Captain and his people were often in extreme want of food, especially as they chose to preserve what little sea provisions remained for their store when they should go to the northward. During their residence at this island, which was by the seamen denominated Wager's Island, they had now and then a straggling canoe or two of Indians, who came and bartered their fish and other provisions with our people. This was some little relief to their necessities, and at another season, might perhaps have been greater ; for as there were several Indian huts on the shore, it was supposed that in some years, during the height of sum- mer, many of these savages might resort thither to fish : indeed, from what has been related in the account of the Anna Pink, it should seem to be the general practice of those Indians to frequent this coast in the summer-time, for the benefit of fishing, and to retire in the winter into a better climate/ more to the northward. On this mention of the Anna Pink, I cannot but observe. 154 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book IT how much it is to he lamented, that the Wager's peopl(> had no knowledge of her heing so i.ear them on the coast ; for as she was not ahove thirty leagues distant from thein, and came into their neighbourhood about the same time the Wager was lost, and was a fine roomy ship, she could easily have taken them all on board, and have carried them to Juan Fernandez. Indeed, 1 suspect slic was still nearer to them than what is hero estimated ; for several of the Wager's people, at different times, heard the report of a cannon, which I conceive could be no other than the evening gun fired from the Anna Pink, especially as what was heard at Wager's Island was about the same time of the day. But to return to Captain Cheap. Upon the 14th of December, the Captain and his people embarked in the barge and the yawl, in order to proceed to the northward, taking on board with them all the provisions they could amass from the wreck of the ship ; but they had scarcely been an hour at sea, when the wind began to blow hard, and the sea ran so high, that they were obliged to throw the greatest part of their provisions overboard, to avoid immediate destruction. This was a terrible misfortune, in a part of the world where food is so difficult to be got : however, they per- sisted in their design, putting on shore as often as they could to seek subsistence. But about a fortnight after, another dreadful accident befel them, for the yawl sunk at an anchor, and one of the men in her was drowned ; and as the barge was incapable of carrying the whole company, they were now reduced to the hard necessity of leaving four marines behind them on that desolate shore. Notwithstanding these disasters, they still kept on their course to the northward ; though greatly delayed by the perverseness of the winds, and the frequent interruptions which their search after food occasioned, and constantly struggling with a series of the most disastrous events : till at last, about the end of January, having made three unsuc- cessful attempts to double a headland^ which they supposed CXAP. III.] LOSS OF THE WAOEB. 155 to be what the Spaniards called Cape Tres Montes, it was unanimously resolved, finding the difficuties insurmount- able, to give over this expedition, and to return again to Wager Island, where they got back about the middle of February, quite disheartened and dejected with their reiterated disappointments, and almost perishing with hunger and fatigue. However, on their return they providentially met with several pieces of beef, which had been washed out of the wreck, and were swimming in the sea. This was a most seasonablo relief to them after the hardships they had endured : and to complete their success, there came in a short time, two canoes of Indians, amongst which was a native of Chiloe, who spoke a little Spanish ; and the surgeon who was with Captain Cheap, understanding that language, he made a bargain with the Indian, that if he would carry the Captain and his people in the barge, he should have her, and all that belonged to her, for his pains. Accordingly on the 6th of March, the eleven persons to which the company was now reduced, em- barked in the barge on this new expedition ; but after having proceeded for a few days, the Captain and four of his principal officers being on shore, the six, who toge- tlier with an Indian remained in the barge, put oflf with her to sea, and did not ret^r^ii again. By this means, thrre was } jft on shore Captain Cheap, Mr. Hamilton, lieu' Maiiv c* marines, the Honourable Mr. Byron, anJ 1^1 r. Ua^i ^ell, midshipman, and Mr. Elliot, the surgcoii. Ok »vould have thought that their distresses had, long before this time, been incapable of augmentation ; but they found, on reflection, that their present situation was much more dismaying than any thing they had yet gone through, being left on a desolate coast, without any provisions, or the means of procuring any ; for their arms, ammunition, and every convenience they were masters of, except the tattered habits they had on, were all carried away in the barge. But when they had sufficiently revolved in their own 156 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. minds the various circumstances of this unexpected cala- mity, and were persuaded that they had no relief to hope for, they perceived a canoe at a distance, which proved to be that of the Indian, who had undertaken to carry them to Chiloe, he and his family being then on board it. He made no difficulty of coming to them; for it seems he had left Captain Cheap and his people a little before to go a fishing, and had in the mean time committed them to the care of the other Indian, whom the sailors had carried to sea in the barge. When he came on shore, and found the barge gone and his companion missing, he was extremely concerned, and could with difficulty be persuaded that the other Indian was not murdered ; yet being at last satisfied with the account that was given him, he still undertook to carry them to the Sp? aish settlements, and (as the Indians are well skilled in fi ,hing and fowling) to procure them provisions by the way. About the middle of March, Captain Cheap and the four that were lefl with him set out for Chiloe, the Indian having provided a number of canoes, and gotten many of his neighbours together for that purpose. Soon after they embarked, Mr. Elliot, the surgeon, died, so that there now remained only four of the whole company. At last, after a very complicated passage by land and water. Captain Cheap, Mr. Byron, and Mr. Campbell, ar- rived, in the beginning of June, at the island of Chiloe, where they were received by the Spaniards with great humanity ; but, on account of some quarrel among the Indians, Mr. Hamilton did not get there till two months later. Thus was it above a twelvemonth from the loss of the Wager, before this fatiguing peregrination ended, and not till, by a variety of misfortunes, the company was diminished from twenty to no more than four, and those too brought so low, that had their distresses continued but a few days longer, in all probability, none of them would have survived ; for the Captain himself was with difficulty recovered, and the rest were so reduced, by the severity of the weather, their labour, their want of Chap. IV.] LOSS OF THE WAGER. 157 food, and of all kinds of necessaries, that it was wonder- ful how they supported themselves so long. After some stay at Chiloe, the Captain and the three who were with him were sent to Valparaiso, and thence to St. Jago, the capital of Chili, where they continued above a year : but on the advice of a cartel being settled betwixt Great Britain and Spain, Captain Cheap, Mr. Byron, and Mr. Hamilton, were permitted to return to Europe on board a French ship. The other midshipman, Mr. Campbell, having changed his religion whilst at St. Jago, chose to go back to Buenos Ayres with Pizarro and his officers, with whom he went afterwards to Spain, on board the Asia ; but having there failed in his endeavours to pro- cure a commission from the court of Spain, he returned to England, and attempted to get reinstated in the British Navy. He has since published a narration of his ad- ventures, in which he complains of the injustice that had been done him, and strongly disavows his ever being in the Spanish service ; but as the change of his religion, and his offering himself to the court of Spain (though he 'was not accepted), are matters which he is conscious are capable of being incontestably proved, on these two heads he has been entirely silent. And now, after this account of the accidents which befel the Anna Pink, and the catastrophe of the Wager, I shall again resume the thread of our own story. ifl CHAPTER IV. Conclusion of our Proceedings at Juan Fernandez, from the Arrival of the Aiina Pink to our final Departure from thence. About a week after the arrival of our victualler, the Tryal sloop, that had been sent to the island of Masa- Fuero, returned to an anchor at Juan Fernandez, having been round that island, without meeting any part of our 158 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. squadron. As, upon this occasion, the island of Masa- Fuero was more particularly examined than, I dare say, it had ever been before, or perhaps ever will be again ; and as the knowledge of it may, in certain circumstances, be of great consequence hereafter, I think it incumbent on me to insert the accounts given of this place, by the officers of the Tryal sloop. The Spaniards have generally mentioned two islands under the name of Juan Fernandez, styling them the greater and the less; the greater being that island where we anchored, and the less being the island we are now describing, which, because it is more distant from the continent, they have distinguished by the name of Masa-Fuero. The Tryal sloop found that it bore from the greater Juan Fernandez W. by S., and was about twenty-two leagues distant. It is a much larger and better spot than has been generally reported ; for former writers have represented it as a small barren rock, desti- tute of wood and water, and altogether inacc(;ssible ; whereas our people found it was covered with trees, and that there were several fine falls of water pouring down its sides into the sea : they found, too, that there was a place where a ship might come to an anchor, on the north side of it, though, indeed, the anchorage is incon- venient ; for the bank extends but a little way, is steep, too, and has very deep water upon it, so that you must come to an anchor very near the shore, and there lie exposed to all winds but a southerly one ; and, besides the inconvenience of the anchorage, there is also a reef of rocks running off the eastern point of the island, about two miles in length ; though there is little danger to be feared from them, because they are always to be seen by the sea's breaking over them. This place has at present one advantage beyond the island of Juan Fernandez ; for it abounds vrth goats, who, not being accustomed to be disturbed, were no ways shy, or apprehensive of danger, till they had been frequently fired at. These animals reside here in great tranquillity, the Spaniards ClIAP. IV.] SFRVEt OF THE ANNA PINK. 159 having not thought the island considerahle enough to be frequented by their enemies, and have not, therefore, been solicitous to destroy the provisions upon it ; so that no dogs have been hitherto set on shore there. Besides the goats, our people found there vast numbers of seals and sea-lions : and, upon the ^vhole, they seemed to imagine, that though it was not the most eligible place for a ship to refresh at, yet, in case of necessity, it might afford some sort of shelter, and prove of considerable use, especially to a single ship, who might apprehend meeting with a superior force at Fernandez. The latter part of the month of August was spent in unlading the provisions from the Anna Pink ; when we had the mortification to find that great quantities of our provisions, as bread, rice, groats, (fee. were decayed and unfit for use. This was owing to the water the Pink had made by her working and straining in bad weather ; for hereby several of her casks had rotted, and her bags Were soaked through. And now, as we had no further occasion for her service, the Commodore, pursuant to his orders from the Board of Admiralty, sent notice to Mr. (ierard, her master, that he discharged the Anna Pink from attending the squadron ; and gave him, at the same time, a certificate, specifying how long she had been employed. In consequence of this dismission, her master was at liberty either to return directly to England, or to make the best of his way to any port, where he thought he could take in such a cargo as would answer the interest of his owners. But the master, being sensible of the bad condition of the ship, and of her unfitness for any such voyage, wrote the next day an answer to the Commodore's message, acquainting Mr. Anson, that from the great quantity of water the Pink had made in her passage round Cape Horn, and since that, in the tempestuous weather she had met with on the coast of Chili, he had reason to apprehend that her bottom was very much decayed : he added, that her upper works were rotten abaft ; that she was extremely leaky ; that her fore-beam IGO VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. was broke; and that, in his opinion, it was impossible to proceed to sea with her before she had been thoroughly refitted; and he, therefore, requested the Commodore, that the carpenters of the squadron might be directed to survey her, that their judgment of her condition might be known. In compliance with this desire, Mr. Anson immediately ordered the carpenters to take a careful and strict survey of the Anna Pink, and to give him a faith- ful report, under their hands, of the condition in whicli they found her, directing them at the same time to pro- ceed herein with such circumspection, that if they should be hereafter called upon, they might be able to make oath of the veracity of their proceedings. Pursuant to these orders, the carpenters iminediately set about the examination, and the next day made their report ; which was, that the Pink had no less than fourteen knees and twelve beams broken and decayed ; that one breast-hook was broken and another rotten ; that her water-ways were open and decayed; that two standards and several clamps were broken, besides others which were rotten ; that all her iron-work was greatly decayed ; that her spirkiting and timbers were very rotten ; and that, hav- ing ripped off part of her sheeting, they found her wales and outside planks extremely defective, and her bows and decks very leaky ; and, in consequence of these defects and decays, they certified that, in their opinion, she could not depart from the island without great hazard, unless she was first of all thoroughly refitted. The thorough refitting of the Anna Pink proposed by the carpenters was, in our present situation, impossible to be complied with, as all the plank and iron in the squadron was insufficient for that purpose. And now the master, finding his own sentiments confirmed by the opinion of all the carpenters, he offered a petition to the Commodore in behalf of his owners, desiring that, since ' it appeared he was incapable of leaving the island, Mr. Anson would please to purchase the hull and mrmiure of the Pink for the use of the squadron. lieieupon tiic Chap. IV.] MORTALITY ON BOARD THE SQUADRON. 161 Commodore ordered an inventory to be taken of every particular belonging to the Pink, with its just value ; and as, by this inventory, it appeared that tLtx-e were many stores which would be useful in refitting the other ships, and which were at present very scarce in the squadron, by reason of the great quantities that had been already expended, he ageeed with Mr. Gerard to purchase the whole together for 300/. The Pink being thus broken up, Mr. Gerard, with the hands belonging to the Pink, were sent on board the Gloucester; as that ship had buried the greatest number of men, in proportion to her complement: but afterwards, one or two of them were received on board the Centurion, on their owr. petition, they being extremely averse to sailing in the same ship with theii' old master, on account of some particular ill-usage they conceived they had suffered from him. This transaction brought us down to the beginning of September, and our people by this time were so far recovered of the scurvy, that there was little danger of burying any more at present; and therefore I shall now sum up the total of our loss since our departure from England, the better to convey some idea of our past sufferings, and of our present strength. We had buried on board the Centurion, since our leaving St. Helen's, two hundred and ninety-two, and had now remaining on board two hundred and fourteen. This will doubtless appear a most extraordinary mortality; but yet, on board the Gloucester, it had been much greater ; for, out of a much smaller crew than ours, they had lost the same number, and had only eighty-two remaining alive. It might be expected, that on board the Tryal the slaughter would have been the most terrible, as her decks were almost constantly knee-deep in water; but it happened otherwise, for she escaped more favourably than the rest, since she only buriivl forty-two, and had now thirty-nine remaining alive. The havock of this disease had fallen still severer on the invalids and marines than on the 162 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book IL sailors ; for on board the Centurion, out of fifty invalids and seventy-nine marines, there remained only four invalids, including officers, and eleven luarii s: and on board the Gloucester, every invalid perished , and out of forty-eight marines, only two escaped. From this ac- count it appears, that the three ships together departed from England with nine hundred and sixty-one men on board, of whom six hundred and twenty-six were dead before this time; so that the whole of our remaining crews, which were now to be distributed amongst three ships, amounted to no more than three hundred and thirty-five men and boys; a number greatly insufficient for the manning the Centurion alone, and barely capable of navigating all the three, with the utmost exertion of their strength and vigour. This prodigious reduction of our men was still the more terrifying, as we were hitherto uncertain of the fate of Pizarro's squadron, and had reason to suppose that some part of it, at least, had got round into these seas : indeed, we were satisfied, from our own experience, that they must have suffered greatly in their passage ; but then every port in the South Seas was open to them, and the whole power of Chili and Peru would doubtless be united in refreshing and refit- ing them, and recruiting the numbers they had lost. Besides^ we had some obscure knowledge of a force to . be sent out from Callao ; and however contemptible the ships and sailors of this part of the world may have been generally esteemed, it was scarcely possible for any thing, bearing the name of a ship of force, to be feebler or less considerable than ourselves. And had there been nothing to be apprehended from the naval power of the Spaniards in this part of the world, yet our enfeebled condition would, nevertheless, give us the greatest uneasiness, as we were incapable of attempting any of their considerable places; foi the risking of twenty men, weak as we then were, was risking the safety of the whole : so that we conceived we should be necessitated to content ourselves with what few prizes we could pick up at sea, before \vc i 1 Chap. IV.] PROCEEDINGS AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 163 were discovered ; after which we should, in all probabi- lity, be obliged to depart with precipitation, and esteem ourselves fortunate to regain our native country, leaving our enemies to triumph on the inconsiderable mischief they had received from a squadron, whose equipment had filled ihem with such dreadful apprehensions. This was a subject on which we had reason to imagine the Spanish ostentation would remarkably exert itself ; though the cause.^ of our disappointment and their security, were neither to be sought for in their valour nor our misconduct. Such were the desponding reflections which, at that time, arose on the review and comparison of our remain- ing strength with our original numbers : indeed, our fears were far from being groundless, or disproportioned to our feeble and almost desperate situation ; for though the final event proved more honourable than we had foreboded, yet the intermediate calamities did likewise greatly surpass our most gloomy apprehensions; and could they have been predicted to us at this island of Juan Fernandez, they would doubtless have appeared insurmountable. But to return to our narration : — In the beginning of September, as has been already mentioned, our men were tolerably well recovered; and now the season for navigation in this climate drawing near, we exerted ourselves in getting our ships in readi- ness for sea. We converted the fore-mast of the Victualler into a main-mast for the Tryal sloop ; and still flattering ourselv'es with the possibility of the arrival of some other ships of our squadron, we intended to leave the main- mast of the Victualler to make a mizen-mast for the Wager. Thus, all hands being employed in forw^arding our departure, we, on the 8th, about eleven in the morn- ing, espied a sail to the N. E., which continued to approach us, till her courses appeared even with the horizon. Whilst she advanced, we had great hopes she might prove one of our own squadron; but as, at length, she steered away to the eastward, without hauling in for 164 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book U. the island, we thence concluded she must be a Spaniard. And now great disputes were set on foot about the possibility of her having discovered our tents on shore, some of us strongly insisting, that she had doubtless been near enough to have perceived something that had given her a jealousy of an enemy, which had occasioned her standing to the eastward, without hauling in ; however, leaving these contests to be settled afterwards, it was resolved to pursue her, and the Centurion being in the greatest forwardness, we immediately got all our hands on board, set up our rigging, bent our sails, and by five in the afternoon got under sail. We had at this time very little wind, so that all the boats were employed to tow us out of the bay ; and even what wind there was lasted only long enough to give us an offing of two or three leagues, when it flatted to a calm. The night coming on, we lost sight of the chase, and were ex- tremely impatient for the return of day-light, in hopes to find that she had been becalmed as well as we; though I must confess that her greater distance from the land was a reasonable ground for suspecting the contrary; as we, indeed, found in the morning to our great morti- fication; for though the weather continued perfectly clear, we had no sight of the ship Irom the mast head. But as we were now satisfied that it was an enemy, and the first we had seen in these seas, we resolved not to give over the search lightly ; and a small breeze spring- ing up from the W. N. W., we got up our top-gallant mast and yards, set all the sails, and steered to the S. E., in hopes of retrieving our chase, which we imagined to ' be bound to Valparaiso. We continued on this course all that day and the next, and then not getting sij^ht of our chase, we gave over the pursuit, conceiving that by that time she must, in all probability, have reachec. her port. Being therefore determined to return to Juan Fernandez, we hauled up to the S. W. with that view, having but very little wind till the 12th, when, at three in the morning, there sprung up a fresh gale from the 1 Chap. IV.] CAPTURE OF A SPANISH VESSEL. 165 W.S.W., which obliged us to tack, and stand to the N.W. At day-break, we were agreeably surprised with the sigAit of a sail on our weather-bow, between four and iive leagues distant. We immediately crowded all the sail we could, and stood after her, and soon perceived it not to be the same ship we originally gave chase to. She at first bore down upon us, showing Spanish colours, and making a signal as to her consort; but observing that we did not answer her signal, she instantly loosed close to the wind, and stood to the southward. Our people were now all in spirits, and put the ship about with great briskness; and as the chase appeared to be a large ship, and had mistaken us for her consort, we conceived that she was a man-of-war, and probably one of Pizarro's squadron : this induced the Commodore to order all the officers' cabins to be knocked down and thrown overboard, with several casks of water and pro- visions which stood between the guns ; so that we had soon a clear ship, ready for an engagement. About nine o'clock, we had thick hazy weather and a shower of rain, during which we lost sight of the chase ; and we were apprehensive, if this dark weather should continue, that, by going upon the other tack, or by some other artifice, she might escape us ; but it clearing up in less than an hour, we found that we had both weathered and fore- reached upon her considerably, and were then near enough to discover that she was only a merchantman, without so much as a single tier of guns. About half an hour after twelve, being got within a reasonable distance of her, we fired four shot amongst her rigging ; on which they lowered their top-sails, and bore down to us, but in very great confusion, their top-gallant sails and stay-sails all fluttering in the wind ; this was owing to their having let run their sheets and halyards just as we fired at them ; after which, not a man amongst them had courage enough to venture aloft (for there the shot had passed but just before) to take them in. As soon as the vessel came within hale of us, the Commodore 1G6 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD* [Book IL ordered them to bring-to under his lee-quarter, and theu hoisted out the boat, and sent Mr. Saumarez, his first lieutenant, to take possession of the prize, with directions to send all the prisoners on board the Centurion, but first the officers and passengers. When Mr. Saumarez came on board them, they received him at the side with the strongest tokens of the most abject submission; for they were all of them (especially the passengers, who were twenty-five in number) extremely terrified, and under the greatest apprehensions of meeting with very severe and cruel usage ; but the Lieutenant endeavoured with great courtesy to dissipate their fright, assuring them that their fears were altogether groundless, and that they would find a generous enemy in the Com- modore, who was not less remarkable for his lenity and humanity, than for his resolution and courage. The prisoners, who were first sent on board the Centurion, informed us, that our prize was called Nuestra Senora del Monte Carmelo, and was commanded by Don Manuel CiiAP. IV.] CAPTURE OF A SPANISH VESSEL. 1G7 Zamora. Her cargo consisted chiefly of sugar, and great quantities of blue cloth made in the province of Quito, somewhat resembling our English coarse broad- cloths, but inferior to them. They had besider. several bales of a coarser sort of cloth, of different colours, somewhat like Colchester bays, called by them Pannia da Tierra, with a few bales of cotton, and some tobacco, which, though strong, was not ill flavoured. These were the principal goods on board her; but we found besides what was to us much more valuable than the rest of the cargo; this was some trunks of wrought plate, and twenty-three aerons of dollars, each weighing upwards of 200 lbs. avoirdupois. The ship's burthen was about four hundred and fifty tons; she had fifty- three sailors on board, both whites and blacks; she come from Callao, and had been twenty-seven days at sea, before she fell into our hands. She was bound to the port of Valparaiso, in the kingdom of Chili, and proposed to have returned from thence loaded with corn and Chili wine, some gold, dried beef, and small cordage, which at Callao they convert into larger rope. Our prize had been built upwards of thirty years; yet, as they lie in harbour all the winter months, and the climate is favourable, they esteemed it no very great age. Her rigging was very indifferent, as were likewise her sails, which were made of cotton. She had only three four- pounders, which were altogether unserviceable, their carriages being scarcely able to support them ; and there were no small arms on board, except a few pistols belong- ing to the passengers. The prisoners informed us, that they left Callao in company with two other ships, whom they had parted with some days before, and that, at first, they conceived us to be one of their company ; and, by the description we gave them of the ship we had chased from Juan Fernandez, they assured us she was of their number, but that the coming in sight of that island was directly repugnant to the merchant's instructions, who had expressly forbid it, as knowing that, if any English ,^f. ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ■^ '^.V 4^ 4^ 1.0 1 1.1 1.25 _iia iM us U 14.0 ■ 1.8 u 1^ .Sciences Corporation ^^■ ^ ^ H>^ <^ 4!^/^ 23 WiST MAIN STRHT W{BSTIR,N.Y. I4SM (716)t72.4S03 ;\ '^ 4 1 V ^ipr 168 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. squadron was in those seas, the island of Fernandez was most probably the place of their rendezvous. After this short account of the ship and her cargo, it is necessary that I should relate the important intelli- gence which we met with on board her, partly from the information of the prisoners, and partly from the letters and papers which fell into our hands. We here first learnt, with certainty, the force and destination of that squadron, which cruised off the Madeiras at our arrival there, and afterwards chased the Pearl in our passage to Port St. Julian. This we now knew was a squadron composed of five large Spanish ships, commanded by Admiral Pizarro, ai.d purposely fitted out to traverse our designs, as hath been already more amply related in the third chapter of the first book. We had at the same time, too, the satisfaction to find, that Pizarro, after his utmost endeavours to gain his passage into these seas, had been forced back again into the river of Plata, with the loss of two of the largest ships : and besides this disappointment of Pizarro, which, considering our great debility, was no unacceptable intelligence, we farther learnt, that though an embargo had been laid upon all shipping in these seas by the Viceroy of Peru, in the month of May preceding, on a supposition that about that time we might arrive upon the coast, yet it now no longer subsisted ; for on the account sent overland by Pizarro of his own distresses, part of which they knew we must have encountered, as we were at sea during the same time, and on their having no news of us in eight months after we were known to set sail from St. Catha- rine's, they were fully satisfied that we were either ship- wrecked, or had perished at sea, or at least had been obliged to put back again; as it was conceived impos- sible for any ships to continue at sea during so long an interval : and therefore, on the application of the mer- chants, and the firm persuasion of our having miscarried, the embargo had been lately taken off. This last article made us flatter ourselves, that, as the I. m «P Chap. IV.] PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENEMY. 169 enemy was still a stranger to our having got round Cape Horn, and the navigation of these seas was restored, we might meet with some valuable captures, and might thereby indemnify ourselves for the incapacity we were under of attempting any of their considerable settlements on shore. And thus much we were certain of, from the information of our prisoners, that, whatever our success might be, as to the prizes we might light on, we had nothing to fear, weak as we were, from the Spanish force in this part of the world ; though we discovered that we had been in most imminent peril from the enemy, when we least apprehended it, and when our other distresses were at the greatest height ; for we learnt, from the letters on board, that Pizarro, in the express he de- spatched to the Viceroy of Peru, after his return to the river of Plata, had intimated to him, that it was p». ssible some part at least of the English squadron might get round; but that, as he was certain from his own expe- rience, that if they did arrive in those seas, it must be in 9 very weak and defenceless condition, he advised the Viceroy, in order to be secure, at all events, to send what ships of war he had to the southward, where, in all probability, they would intercept us singly, before we had an opportunity of touching at any port for refresh- ment; in which case, he doubted not but we should prove an easy conquest. The Viceroy of Peru approved of this advice; and as he had already fitted out four ships of force from Callao, one of fifty guns, two of forty guns, and one of twenty-four guns, which were intended to join Pizarro, when he arrived on the coast of Chili, the Viceroy now stationed three of these off the port of Conception, and one of them at the island of Fernandez, where they continued cruising for us till the 6th of June ; and then not seeing any thing of us, and conceiving it to be impossible that we could have kept the sea so long, they quitted their cruise, and returiicd to Callao, fully persuaded that we had either perished, or, at least, had been driven back. Now, as the time of their quitting 170 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. their stations was but a few days before our arrival at the island of Fernandez, it is evident that had we made that island on our first search for it, without hauling in for the main to secure our easting, (a circumstance which at that time we considered as very unfortunate to us, on account of the numbers which we lost by our longer continuance at sea); had we, I say, made the island on the 28th of May, when we first expected to see it, and were in reality very near it, we had doubtless fallen in with some of the Spanish squadron; and, in the distressed condition we then were, the meeting with a healthy well-provided enemy, was an incident that could not but have been perplexing, and might, perhaps, have proved fatal not only to us, but to the Tryal, the Gloucester, and the Anna Pink, who separately joined us, and who were each of them less capable than we were of making any considerable resistance. I shall only add, that the Spanish ships sent out to intercept us, had been greatly shattered by a storm during their chiise ; and that, after their arrival at Callao, they had been laid up. And our prisoners assured us, that when- ever intelligence was received at Lima of our being ih these seas, it would be at least two months before this armament could be again fitted out. The whole of this intelligence was as favourable, as We, in our reduced circumstances, could wish for. And now we were no longer at a loss as to the broken jars, ashes, and fish-bones, which we had observed at our first landing at Juan Fernandez, these things being doubtless the relics of the cruisers stationed off that port. Having thus satisfied ourselves in the material articles of our in- quiry, and having gotten on board the Centurion most of the prisoners, and all the silver, we, at eight in the same evening, made sail to the noithward, in company with our prize, and at six the next morning, discovered the island of Fernandez, where the following day, both we and our prize came to an anchor. And here I cannot omit one remarkable incident mmm Chap. IV.] PROCEEDINGS AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 17f which occurred, when the prize and her crew came into the bay, where the regt of the squadron lay. The Spaniards in the Garmelo had been sufficiently informed of the distresses we had gone through, and were greatly surprised that we had ever surmounted them; but when they saw the Tryal sloop at anchor, they were still more astonished, that after all our fatigues we had the industry (besides refitting our other ships) to complete such a vessel, in so short a time, they taking it for granted that we had built her upon the spot ; nor was it without great difficulty they were at last prevailed on to believe that she came from England with the rest of the squadron; they long insisting that it was impossible such a bauble as that could pass round Cape Horn, when the best ships of Spain were obliged to put back. By the time we arrived at Juan Fernandez, the let- ters found on board our prize were more minutely ex- amined; and it appearing from them, and from the accounts of our prisoners, that several other merchantmen were bound from Callao to Valparaiso, Mr. Anson de- spatched the Tryal sloop the very next morning, to cruise oiF the last-mentioned port, reinforcing her with ten hands from on board his own ship. Mr. Anson likewise resolved, on the intelligence recited above, to separate the ships under his command, and employ them in dis- tinct cruises, as he thought that by this means we should not only increase our chance for prizes, but that we should likewise run a less risk of alarming the coast, and of being discovered. And now, the spirits of our people being greatly raised, and their despondency dissipated by this earnest of success, they forgot all their past distresses, and resumed their wonted alacrity, and laboured indefatigably in completing our water, receiving our lumber, and in preparing to take our farewell of the island : but as these occupations took us up four or five days, with all our industry, the Commodore in that inter- val directed that the guns belonging to the Anna Pink, being four six-pounders, four four-pounders, and two Jf2 VOTAOE ROUND THE WORLP. [Book II. swivels, should be mounted on board the Carmelo our prize: and having sent on board the Gloucester six passengers and twenty-three seamen to assist in navi- gating the ship, he directed Captain Mitchel to leave the island as soon as possible, the service demanding the utmost despatch, ordering him to proceed to the latitude of five degrees south, and there to cruise off the high land of Paita, at such a distance from shore as should prevent his being discovered. On this station he was to continue till he should be joined by the Commodore, which would be whenever it should be known that the Viceroy had fitted out the ships at Callao, or on Mr. Anson's receiving any other intelligence that should make it necessary to unite our streng-th. These orders being delivered to the Captain of the Gloucester, and all our business completed, we on the Saturday following, being the 19th of September, weighed our anchor, in company with our prize, and got out of the bay, taking our last leave of the island of Juan Fernandez, and steering to the eastward with an intention of joining the Tryal sloop in her station off Valparaiso. CHAPTER V. Our cruise, from the time of our leaving Juan Fernandez, to the taking of the Town of Paita. Although the Centurion, with her prize, the Carmelo, weighed from the bay of Juan Fernandez on the 19th of September, leaving the Gloucester at anchor behind her; yet, by the irregularity and fluctuation of the winds in the offing, it was the 22d of the same month, ir the evening, before we lost sight of the island; after which we continued our course to the eastward in order to reach our station, and to join the Tryal off Valparaiso. The next night the weather proved squally, and we spli^' . i ^^< Chap. V.] CAPTURE OP ANOTHER VESSEL. 173 our main top-sail, which we handed for the present, but got it repaired, and set it again the next morning. In the evening, a little before sun-set, we saw two sail to the eastward ; on which our prize stood directly from us, to avoid giving any suspicion of our being cruisers ; whilst we in the mean time made ourselves ready for an engagement, and steered with all our canvass towards the two ships we had discovered. "We soon perceived that one of these, which had the appearance of being a very stout ship, made directly for us, whilst the other kept at a great distance. By seven o'clock we were within pistol-shot of the nearest, and had a broadside ready to pour into her, the gunners having their matches in their hands, and only waiting for orders to fire ; but as we knew it was now impossible for her to escape us, Mr. Anson, before he permitted us to fire, ordered the master to hail the ship in Spanish, on which the commanding officer on board her, who proved to be Mr. Hughes, Lieutenant of the Tryal, answered us in English, and informed us that she was a prize taken by the Tryal a few days before, and that the other sail at a distance was the Tryal herself, disabled in her masts. We were soon after joined by the Tryal ; and Captain Saunders, her commander, came on board the Centurion. He ac- quainted the Commodore, that he had taken this ship on the 18th instant ; that she was a prime sailer, and had cost him thirty-six hours* chase before he could come up with her ; that for some time he gained so little upon her, that he began to despair of taking Iier ; and the Spaniards, though alarmed at first, with seeing nothing but a cloud of sail in pursuit of them, the Tryal's hull being so low in the water that no part of it appeared ; yet knowing the goodness of their ship, and finding how little the Tryal neared them, they at length laid aside their fears, and began to think themselves secure ; for altering their course in the night, and shutting up their windows to prevent any of their lights from being seen, they had some chance of escaping, but a small crevice 174 . VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. in one of the shutters rendered all their cautions in- effectual, for through this crevice the people on board the Tryal perceived a light, which they chased till they came within gun-shot; and then Captain Saunders alarmed them, unexpectedly, with a broadside, when they flattered themselves they were got out of his reach : however for some time after they still kept the same sail abroad, and it was not observed that this first salute had made any impression on them ; but just as the Tryal was preparing to repeat her broadside, the Spaniards crept from their holes, lowered their sails, and submitted without any opposition. She was one of the largest merchantmen employed in those seas, being about six hundred tons burden, and was called the Arranzazu. She was bound from Callao to Valparaiso, and had much the same cargo with the Carmelo, we had taken before, except that her silver amounted only to about 5000/. sterling. But to balance this success, we had the misfortune to find that the Tryal had sprung her main-rr.tist, and that her main top-mast had come by-the-board ; and as we were all of us standing to the eastward, the next morning with a freoh gale at south, she had the additional ill luck to spring her foremast ; so that now she had not a mast left on which she could carry sail These un- happy incidents were still aggravated by the impossibility we were just then under of assisting her ; for the wind blew so hard, and raised such a hollow sea, that we could not venture to hoist out our boat, and, consequently, could have no communication with her ; so that we were obliged to lie-to for the greatest part of forty-eight hours to attend her, as we could have no thought of leaving her to herself in her present unhappy situation. It was no small accumulation to these misfortunes, that we were all the while driving to the leeward of our station, at the very time too when, by our intelligence, we had reason to expect several of the enemy's ships would appear upon the coast, who would now gain the port of Yalpa- i Chap. V.] THE TRYAL SLOOP DESTROYED. 175 raise without obstruction. And I am verily persuaded that the embarrassment we received from the dismastiuj^ of the Tryal, and our absence from our intended station, occasioned thereby, deprived us of some very consider- able captures. The weather proving somewhat more moderate, on the 27 th we sent our boat for the Captain of the Tryal, who, when he came on board us, produced an instru- ment, signed by himself and all his officers, representing that the sloop, besides b j' ng dismasted, was so very leaky in her hull, that even in moderate weather it was neces- sary to ply the pumps constantly, and that they were then scarcely sufficient to keep her free ; so that, in the late gale, though they had all been engaged at the pumps by turns, yet the water had increased upon them ; and, upon the whole, they apprehended her to be at present so very defective, that, if they met with much bad wea- ther, they must all inevitably perish ; and, therefore, they petitioned the Commodore to take some measures for their future safety. But the refitting of the Tryal, and the repairing of her defects, was an undertaking that, in the present conjuncture, greatly exceeded our power ; for we had no masts to spare her, we had no stores to complete her rigging, nor had we any port where she might be hove down, and her bottom examined : be- sides, had a port, and proper requisites for this purpose, been in our possession, yet it would have been extreme imprudence, in so critical a conjuncture, to have loitered away so much time as would have been necessary for these operations. The Commodore, therefore, had no choice left him, but was under the necessity of taking out her people, and destroying her; however, as he con- ceived it expedient to keep up the appearance of our force, he appointed the Tryal's prize (which had been often employed by the Viceroy of Peru as a man of war) to be a frigate in his Majesty's service, manning her with the Tryal's crew, and giving commissions to the Captain and all the inferior officers accordingly. This new frigate, 176 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. when in the Spanish service, had mounted thirty-two guns, but she was now to have only twenty, which were the twelve that were on board the Tryal, and eight that had belonged to the Anna Pink. When this affair was thus resolved on, Mr. Anson gave orders to Captain Saunders to put it in execution, directing him to take out of the sloop the arms, stores, ammunition, and every thing that could be of any use to the other ships, and then to scuttle her and sink her. After Captain Saunders had seen her destroyed, he was to proceed with his new frigate (to be called the TryaFs Prize) and to cruise off the high land of Valparaiso, keeping it from him NN. W., at the distance of twelve or fourteen leagues : for as all ships bound from Valparaiso to the northward steer that course, Mr. Anson proposed, by this means, to stop any intelligence that might be de- spatched to Callao, of two of their ships being missing, which might give them apprehensions of the English squadron being in their neighbourhood. The Tryal's Prize was to continue on this station twenty-four days, and if not joined by the Commodore at the expiration of that term, she was then to proceed down the coast to Pisco, or Nasca, where she would be certain to meet with Mr. Anson. The Commodore likewise ordered Lieutenant Saumarez, who commanded the Centurion's Prize, to keep company with Captain Saunders, both to assist him in unloading the sloop, a^ii also that by spreading in their cruise, the. might^ be less danger of any of the enemy's ships slipping by unobserved. These orders being despatched, the Centurion pj^rted from the other vessels, at eleven in the evening, on the 27 th of Septem- ber, directing her course to the southward, with a view of cruising, for some days, to the windward of Valparaiso. And now by this distribution of our ships, we flat- tered ourselves, that we had taken all the advantages of the enemy that we possibly could with our small force, since our disposition was doubtless the most pr\ident that could be projected. For, as we might suppose the Chap. V.] DISPOSITION OF THE SQUADRON. 177 Gloucester by this time to be drawing near the high land of Paita, we were enabled, by our separate stations, to intercept all vessels employed either betwixt Peru and Chili to the southward, or betwixt Panama and Peru to the northward ; since the principal trade from Peru to Chili being carried on to the port of Valparaiso, the Centurion cruising to the windward of Valparaiso would in all probability meet with them, as it is the constant practice of those ships to fall in with the coast to the windward of that port : the Gloucester would in like manner.«be in the way of the trade bound from Panama, or to the northward, to any part of Peru; since the high land off which she was stationed is constantly made by every ship in that voyage. And, whilst the Centurion and Gloucester were thus situated for inter- rupting the enemy's trade, the TryaUs Prize and Cen- turion's Prize were as conveniently posted for preventing all intelligence, by intercepting all ships bound from Valparaiso to the northward ; for it was on board these vessels that it was to be feared some account of us might possibly be sent to Peru. But the most prudent dispositions carry with them only a probability of success, and can never ensure its certainty: since those chances which it was reasonable to overlook in deliberation, are sometimes of most powerful influence in execution. Thus in the present case, the distress of the Tryal, and our quitting our station to assist her (events which no degree of prudence could either foresee or obviate) gave an opportunity to all the ships bound to Valparaiso to reach that port without molestation, during this unlucky interval. So that, though after leaving Captain Saunders we were very expeditious in regaining our station, where we got the 29th, at noon ; yet in plying on and off till the 6th of October, we had not the good fortune to discover a sail of any sort ; and then, having lost all hopes of meet- ing with better success by a longer stay, we made sail to the leeward of the port, in order to join our prizes, but T 178 VOTAOB ROUND THE WORLD. (Book II. when we arrived off the high land, where they were directed to cruise, we did not find them, though we continued there four or five days. We supposed that some chase had occasioned their leaving their station, and therefore we proceeded down the coast to the high land of Nasca, which was the second rendezvous, where Captain Saunders was directed to join us. Here we got on the 21st, and were in great expectation of falling in with some of the enemy's vessels, as both the accounts of former voyages, and the information of our prisoners, assured us that all ships bound to Callao constantly make this land to prevent the danger of running to the leeward of the port. But, notwithstanding the advan- tages of this station, we saw no sail till the 2d of November, when two ships appeared in sight together : we immediately gave them chase, and soon perceived that they were the Tryal's and Centurion's prizes : as they had the wind of us, we brought-to, and waited their coming up, when Captain Saunders came on board us, aud acquainted the Commodore, that he had cleared the Tryal, pursuant to his orders, and, having scuttled her, he remained by her till she sunk, but that it was the 4th of October before this was effected : for there ran so large and hollow a sea, that the sloop, having neither masts nor sails to steady her, rolled and pitched so violently, that it was impossible for a boat to lay along- side of her for the greatest part of the time : and, during this attendance on the sloop, they were all driven so far to the north-west, that they were afterwards obliged to stretch a long way to the westward to regain the ground they had lost : which was the reason that we had not met with them on their station as we expected. We found they had not been more fortunate in their cruise than we were, for they had seen no vessel since they separated from us. The little success we all had, and our certainty that had any ships been stirring in these seas for some time past we must have met with them, made us believe that the enemy at Valparaiso, on ! r CiiAP. v.] CRUISE OFF PAITA. 171) the missing of the two ships we had taken, had sus- pected us to be in the neighbourhood, and had con- sequently laid an embargo on all the trade in the south «3rn parts. We likewise apprehended that they might by this time be fitting out the men of war at Oallao; as we knew, that it was no uncommon thing for an express from Valparaiso to reach Lima in twenty- nine or thirty days, and it was now more than fifty since we had taken our first prize. These apprehensions of an embargo along the coast, and of the equipment of the Spanish squadron at Callao, determined the Commodore to hasten down to the leeward of Oallao, and to join Captain Mitchel (who was stationed off Paita) as soon as possible, that our strength being united, we might be prepared to give the ships from Callao a warm reception if they dared to put to sea. With this view we bore away the same afternoon, vaking particular care to keep at such a distance from the shore that there might be no danger of our being discovered from thence ; for w^ l(rn*>w that all the country ships were i omiii.*nded, under Lh# severest penalty, not to sail by the poi of Callao with- out stopping; and, as this order was constantly "niplied with, we should undoubtedly bo known for enemitjg if we were seen to act contrary to it. In this new naviga- tion, not being certain whether we might not w ot the Spanish squadron in our route, the Commodore took o« board the Centurion part of his crew, with which he hi^' formerly manned the Carmelo. And now standing ti> the northward, we, before night came on, had a view of the small island, called St. Gallan, which bore from us NN.E. ^ E., about seven leagues distant. This island lies in the latitude of about fourteen degrees south, and about five mile* to the northward of a high land, called Morro V^eijo, or the old man's head. I mention this island u^nd the 1 igh land near it more particularly, be- cause bei /een theiu is the most eligible station on that coast for cruising -ipon the enemy; as, hereabouts, all shipb bounc. to Callao, whether from the northward or 180 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. the southward, run well in with the land. By the 5th of November, at three in the afternoon, we were advanced within view of the high land of Barranca, lying in the latitude of 10° 36' south, b'^aring from us N.E. by E., distant eight or nine league s ; and an hour and a half afterwards we had the satisfaction so long wished for, of seeing a sail. She first appeared to leeward, and we all immediately gave her chase; but the Centurion so much joutsailedthetwo'prizeSjthatwe soon ran them out of sight, and gained considerably on the chase: however, night coming on before we came up v;^ith her, we, about seven o'clock, lost sight of her, and were iu some perplexity what course to steer; but, at last, Mr. Anson resolved, as we were then bofore the wind, to keep all his sails set, and not to change his course : for though we had no doubt but the chase would alter her course in the night, yet as it was uncertain what tack she would go upon, it was thought prudent to keep on our course, as we must by this means unavoidably come near her, rather than to change it on conjecture; when if we should mistake, we must infallibly lose her. Thus then we continued the chase about an hour and a half, in the dark, some one or other on board us constantly ima- gining they discerned her sails right a-head of us; but at length Mr. Brett, our second Lieutenant, did really discover her about four points on the larboard bow, steering off to the seaward: we immediately clapped the helm a-weather, and stood for her; and, in less than an hour, came up with her, and having fired fourteen shot at her, she struck. Our third Lieutenant, Mr. Dennis, was sent in the boat with sixteen men, to take possession of the prize, and to return the prisoners to our ship. This vessel was named the Santa Teresa de Jesus, built at Guaiaquil, of about three hundred tons burthen ; and was commanded by Bartolome Urrunaga, a Biscayer: she was bound from Guayaquil to Callao, her loading consisted of timber, cocoa, cocoa-nuts, to- bacco, hides, Pito thread (which is very strong, and is iii^vnp Chap. V.] CAPTUllB OP A SPANISH VESSEI* 181 made of a species of grass,) Quito cloth, wax, ^t be then garrisoned by British troops, he hoped that on hit, arrival at the Isthmus, he should easily procure an intercourse with our countrymen on the other side, either by the Indians, who were greatly disposed in our favour, or even by the Spaniards themselves, some of whom, for proper rewards, might be induced to carry on this intelligence, which after it was once begun, might be continued with very little difficulty ; so that Mr. Anson flattered him- self that he might, by this means, have received a rein- forcement of men from the other side, and that by settlij^g a prudent -plan of operations with our com- manders in the West Indies, he might have taken even Panama itself ; which would have given to the British nation the possession of that Isthmus, whereby we should have been in effect masters of all the treasures of Peru, and should have had in our hands an equivalent for any demands, however extraordinary, which we migh| have been induced to have made on either of the branches of the house of Bourbon. Such were the projects which the Commodore revolved in his thoughts at the island of Juan Fernandez, not- withstanding the feeble condition to which he was then reduced. And, indeed, had the success of our force in the West Indies been answerable to the general expec- tation, it cannot be denied but these views would have been the most prudent that could have been thought of. But, in examining the papers which were found on board the Carmelo, the first prize we took, we learnt (though I then omitted to mention it) that our attempt against Carthagena had failed, and that there was no probability that our fleet in that part of the world would engage %. 210 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II.' in any new enterprise, that would at all facilitate this plan. Mr. Anson, therefore, gave over all hopes of being reinforced across the Isthmus, and consequently had no inducement at present to proceed to Panama, as he was incapable of attacking the place ; and there was great reason to believe that, by this time, there was a general embargo on all the coast. The only feasible measure then which was left us, was to steer as soon as possible to the southern parts of Cali- fornia, or to the adjacent coast of Mexico, there to cruise for the Manilla Galeon, which we knew was now at sea, bound to the port of Acapulco. And we doubted not to get on that station time enough to intercept her ; for this ship does not usually arrive at Acapulco till towards the middle of January, and we were now but in the middle of November, and did not conceive that our passage thither would cost us above a month or five weeks ; so that we imagined we had near twice as much time aj^ was necessary for our purpose. Indeed, there was a busi- ness, which we foresaw would occasion some delay, but we flattered ourselves that it would be despatched in four or five days, and, therefore, could not interrupt our pro- ject. This was the recruiting of our water ; for the number of prisoners we had entertained on board since our leavings the island of Fernandez had so far exhausted our stock, that it was impossible to think of venturing upon this passage to the coast of Mexico, till we had procured a fresh supply; especially, as at Paita, where we had some hopes of getting a quantity, we did not find enough for our consumption during our stay there. It was for some time a matter of deliberation where we should take in this necessary article ; but, by consulting the accounts of former navigators, and examining our prisoners, we at last resolved for the island of Quibo, situated at the mouth of the bay of Panama ; nor was it but on good grounds that the Commodore conceived this to be the properest place for watering the squadron. lii- deed^ there was a small island^ called Cocos^ which was Chap. VII.] ISLAND OF PLATA. 217 less out of our way than Quibo, where some of the Buc- caneers have pretended they found water; but none of our prisoners knew apy thing of it, and it was thought too dangerous to risk the safety of the squadron, by ex- posing ourselves to the hazard of not meeting with water when we came there, on the mere authority of these legendary writers, of whose misrepresentations and falsi- ties we had almost daily experience. Besides, by going to Quibo, we were not without hopes that some of the enemy's ships, bound to or from Panama, might fall into our hands, parti<;ularly such of them as were put to sea before they had any intelligence of our squadron. Determined, therefore, by these reasons, for Quibo, we directed our course northward, being eight sail in com- pany, and, consequently, having the appearance of a very formidable fleet; and on the 19th, at day-break, we dis- covered Cape Blanco, bearing SS.E. J E., seven miles distant. This Cape lies in the latitude of 40° 15' south, and is always made by ships, bound either to windward or to leeward; so that off this Cape is a most excellent station to cruise upon the enemy. By this time we found that our last prize, the Solidad, was far from answering the character given her of a good sailer; and she and the Santa Teresa delaying us considerably, the Commo- dore commanded them both to be cleared of every thing that might prove useful to the rest of the ships, and then to be burnt ; and having given proper instructions, and a rendezvous to the Gloucester and the other prizes, we proceeded in our course for Quibo ; and on the 22d, in the morning, saw the isla^ad of Plata, bearing east, distant four leagues. Here one of our prizes was ordered to stand close in with it, both to discover if there were any ships between that island and the continent, and likewise to look out for a stream of fresh water which was reported to be there, and which would have saved us the trouble of going to Quibo; but she returned without having seen any ship, or finding any water. At three in the afternoon point Manta bore S.E. by E., seven miles 218 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Doox II. distant; and, there being a town of the same name in the neighbourhood, Captain Mitchell took this opportunity of sending away several of his prisoners from the Glou- cester in the Spanish launch. The boats were now daily employed in distributing provisions on board our prizes, to complete their stock for six months ; and that the Cen- turion might be the better prepared to give the Manilla ship (one of which we were told was of an immense size) a warm reception, the carpenters were ordered to fix eight stocks in the main and fore-tops, which were properly fitted for the mounting of swivel guns. On the 25th we had a sight of the island of Gallo, bearing SS.E. ^ E., four leagues distant; and from hence we crossed the bay of Panama with a N.W. course, hoping that this would have carried us in a direct line to the island of Quibo. But we afterwards found that we ought to have stood more to the westward ; for the winds in a short time began to incline to that quarter, and made it difficult to gain the island. After passing the equinoctial (which we did on the 22d), and leaving the neighbourhood of the Cordilleras, and standing more and more towards the Isthmus, where the communication of the atmosphere to the eastward and the westward was no longer interrupted, we found, in a very few days, an extraordinary alteration in the climate; for, instead of that uniform temperature, where neither the excess of heat nor cold wao to be complained of, we had now, for several days together, close and sultry weather, resem- bling what we had before met with on the coast of Bra- zil, and in other parts between the tropics, on the eastern side of America. We had, besides, frequent calms and heavy rains, which we at first ascribed to the neighbour- hood of the line, where this kind of weather is genrrally found to prevail at all seasons of the year; but observing that it attended us to the latitude of seven degrees north, we were at length induced to believe that the stormy season, or, as the Spaniards call it, the vandevals, was not yet over; though many writers, particularly Captain CHAP.VII.] ARRIVAL AT QUIBO. 219 Shelvocke, positively assert, that this season begins in June, and is ended in November; and our prisoners all affirmed the same thing. But perhaps its end may not be always constant, and it might last this year longer than usual. On the 27th, Captain Mitchell, having finished the clearing of his largest prize, she was scuttled and set on fire; but wc still consisted of five ships, and were fortu- nate enough to find them all good sailers ; so that we never occasioned any delay to each other. Being now in a rainy climate, which we had long been disused to, we found it necessary to caulk the decks and sides of the Centurion, to prevent the rain-water from run- ning into her. On the 3d of December, we had a view of the island of Quibo, the east end of which then bore from us NN.W. four leagues distant, and the island of Quicara W.N.W. about the same distance. Here we struck ground with sixty-five fathom of I'ne, the bottom consisting of grey sand with black £ . -^g. When we had thus got sight of the land, we found the wind to hang westerly j and, therefore, night coming on, we thought it advisable to stand oiF till morning, as there are said to be some shoals in the entrance of the channel. At six the next morn- ing, point Mariatc bore N.E. | N. three or four leagues distant. In weatheiing this point all the squadron, ex- cept the Centurion, were very near it ; and the Gloucester, being the leewardmost ship, was forced to tack and stand to the southward, so that we lost sight of her. At nine, the island of Sebaco bore N.W. by N. four leagues dis- tant ; but the wind still proving unfavourable, we were obliged to ply on and ofi" for the succeeding twenty-four hours, and were frequently taken aback. However, at eleven the next morning the wind happily settled in the SS.W., and We bore away for the SS.E. end of the island, and, about three in the afternoon, entered the Canal Bueno, passing round a shoal which stretches off about two miles from the south point of the island. This Canal 220 YOTAOB ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. Bueno, or Good Channel, is at least six miles in breadth ; and, as we had the wind large, we kept in a ffood depth of water, generally from twenty-eight to thirty-three fathom, and came not within a mile and half distance of the breakers ; though, in all probability, if it had been necessary, we might have ventured much nearer, without incurring the least danger. At seven in the evening we anchored in thirty-three fathom muddy ground ; the south point of the island bearing S.E. by S., a re- markable high part of the island W. by N., and the island Sebaco E. by N. Being thus arrived at this island of Quibo, the account of the place, and of our transactions there, shall be referred to the ensuing chapter. CHAPTER VIII. Our Proceedings at Quibo, with an Account of the Place. The next morning, after our anchoring, an officer was despatched on shore to discover the watering-place, who, having found it, returned before noon ; and then we sent the long-boat for a load of water, and, at the same time, we weighed and stood farther in with our ships. At two we came again to an anchor, in twenty-two fathom, with a bottom of rough gravel intermixed with broken shells, the watering-place now bearing from us N.W. ^ N. only three quarters of a mile distant. The latitude of the S.E. point of the island is, as hath been already mentioned, 70" 20' north. This island of Quibo is extremely convenient for wooding and watering, since the trees grow close to the high-water mark, and a large rapid stream of fresh water runs over the sandy beach into the sea : so that we were little more than two days in laying in all the wood and water we wanted. The whole island is of a very mod^ Chap. VIII.] ACCOUNT OP THE ISLAND OP QUIDO. 221 rate height, excepting one part. It consists of a conti- nued wood spread all over the whole surface of the country, which preserves its verdure the year round. Amongst the other wood, we found there ahundance of cassia, and a few lime-trees. It appeared singular to us that, con- sidering the climate and the shelter, we should see no other birds than parrots, parroquets, and mackaws : in- deed, of these last there were prodigious flights. Next to these birds, the animals we found in most plenty were monkeys and guanos, and these we frequently killed for food ; for, notwithstanding inere were many herds of deer upon the place, yet the difficulty of penetrating the woods prevented our coming near them ; so that, though "we saw them often, we killed only two during our stay. Our prisoners assured us that this island abounded with tigers ; and we did once discover the print of a tiger's paw upon the beach, but the tigers themselves we never saw. The Spaniards, too, informed us that there was frequently found in the woods a most mischievous ser- pent, called the flying snake, which, they said, darted it- self from the boughs of trees on either man or beast that came within its reach : and whose sting they believed to be inevitable death. Besides these dangerous land animals, the sea hereabouts is infested with great num- bers of alligators, of an extraordinary size ; and we often observed a large kind of flat fish, jumping a consider- able height out of the water, which we supposed to be the fish that is said frequently to destroy the pearl divers, by clasping them in its fins as they rise from the bottom ; and we were told that the divers, for their security, are now always armed with a sharp knife, which, when they are entangled, they stick into the belly of the fish, and thereby disengage themselves from its embraces. Whilst the ship continued here at anchor, the Com- modore, attended by some of his officers, went in a boat to examine a bay which lay to the northward ; and they afterwards ranged all along the eastern side of the island. 222 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD [Book II. And, in the places where they put on shore in the course of this expedition, they generally found the soil to be ex- tremely rich, and met with great plenty of excellent water. In particular, near the N.E. point of the island, they discovered a natural cascade, which surpassed, as they conceived everything of this kind, which human art or industry hath hitherto produced. It was a river of transparent water, about forty yards wide, which rolled down a declivity of near a hundred and fifty yards in length. The channel it fell in was very irregular ; for it was entirely composed of rock, both its sides and bottom being made up of large detached blocks ; and by these the course of the water was freq^aently interrupted ; for in some parts it ran sloping, with a rapid but uniform motion, while in others it tumbled over the ledges of rocks with a perpendicular descent. All the neighbour- hood of this stream was a fine wood ; and even the huge masses of rock which overhung the water, and which, by their various projections, formed the inequali- ties of the channel, were covered with lofty-forest trees. Whilst the Commodore, with those accompanying him, were attentively viewing this place, and were remark- ing the different blendings of the water the rocks, and the wood, there came in sight (as it were still to heighten and animate the prospect) a prodigious flight of mackaws, which, hovering over this spot, and often wheeling and playing on the wing about it, afforded a most brilliant appearance, by the glittering of the sun on their varie- gated plumage ; so that some of the spectators cannot refrain from a kind of transport, when they recount the complicated beauties which occurred in this extraordi- nary waterfall. In this expedition which the boat made along the eastern side of the island, though they discovered no inhabitants, yet they saw many huts upon the shore, and great heaps of shells of fine mother-of-pearl scattered up and down in different places : these were the remains left by the pearl-fishers from Panama, who often frequent ■Iliv Chap. VIIL] MODE OF GETTING PEARLS. 223 this place in the summer season ; for the pearl oysters, which are to be met with every where in the bay of Panama, do so abound at Quibo, that, by advancing a very little way into the sea, you might stoop down and reach them from the bottom. They are usually very large, and out of curiosity we opened some of them, with a view of tasting them, but wo found them ex- tremely tough and unpalatable. And having mentioned these oysters and the pearl-fishery, I must beg leave to recHe a few particulars relating to that subject. The oysters most productive of pearls are those found in considerable depths j for though what are taken up by wading near shore are of the same species, yet the pearls they contain are few in number and very small. It is said, too, that the pearl partakes, in some degree, of the quality of the bottom on which the oyster is lodged; so that, if the bottom be muddy, the pearl is dark and ill-coloured. The taking up oysters from grea»- depths, for the sake of their pearls, is a work performed by negro slaves, of which the inhabitants of Panama and the neighbouring coast formerly kept vast numbers, which were carefully trained to this business. These are said not to be esteemed complete divers, till they have by degrees been able to protract their stay under water so long, that the blood gushes out from their nose, mouth, and ears. And it ia the tradition of the country, that, when this accident has once befallen them, they dive for the future with much greater facility than before; and f\Qy have no apprehension either that any inconvenience can attend it, the bleeding generally stopping of itself, or that there is any probability of their being ever subject to it a second time. But, to return from this digression : — Though the pearl oyster, as hath been said, was inca- pable of being eaten, yet their defect was more than repaid by the turtle, a dainty which the sea at this place furnished us with in the greatest plenty and perfection. There are generally reckoned four species of turtle; 224 TOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. that is, the trunk turtle, the loggerhead, the hawksbill, and the green turtle. The two first are rank and un- wholesome; the hawksbill (which affords the tortoise- shell) is but indifferent food, though better than the other two; but the green turtle is generally esteemed by the greatest part of those who are acquainted with its taste, to be the most delicious of all eatables; a^'^ that it is a most wholesome food, we are amply com inc ' by our own experience ; for we fed on this last species, or the green turtle, near four months, and, consequently, had it been in. any degree noxious, its ill effects could not possibly have escaped us. At this island we caught what quantity we pleased with great facility; for as they are an amphibious animal, and get on shore to lay their eggs, which they generally deposit in a large hole in the sand, just above the high-water mark, covering them up, and leaving them to be hatched by the heat of the sun, we usually dispersed several of our men along the beach, whose business it was to turn them on their backs when they came to land ; and the turtle being thereby pre- vented from getting away, we brought them off at our leisure. By this means, we not only secured a sufficient stock for the time we stayed on the island, but we carried a number of them with us to sea, which proved of great service, both in lengthening out our store of provision, and in heartening the whole crew with an almost constant supply of fresh and palatable food : for the turtle being large, they generally weighing about 2001bs. weight each, those we took with us lasted near a month ; so that, be- fore our store was spent, we met with a fresh recruit on the coast of Mexico, where, in the heat of the day, we often saw great numbers of them fast asleep, floating on the surface of the water. Upon discovering them, we usually sent out our boat with a man in the bow, who was a dexterous diver; and as the boat came within a few yards of the turtle, the diver plunged into the water, taking care- to rise close upon it, when seizing the shell near the tail, and pressing down the hinder parts, the . J..^ ^lM': -JW ""W Cbav. Vltl.] TURTLE PROSCRIBED BT THE SPANIARDS. 225 turtle was thereby awakened, and began to strike with its claws, which motion supported both it and the diver, till the boat came up and took them in. By this ma- nagement, we never wanted turtle for the succeeding fout months in which we continued at sea ; and though, when at the island of Quibo, we had already been three months on board, without otherwise putting our feet on shore than in the few days we stayed there, (except those employed in the attack at Paita,) yet, in the whole seven months from our leaving Juan Fernandez, to our anchoring in the harbour of Ohequetan, we buried no more in the whole squadron than two men; a most incontestible proof that the turtle, on which we fed for the last four months of this term, was at least innocent, if not something more. Considering the scarcity of other provisions on some parts of the coast of the South Seas, it appears wonder- ful that a species of food so very palatable and salubrious as turtle, and there so much abounding, should be pro- scribed by the Spaniards as unwholesome, and little less than poisonous. Perhaps, the strange appearance of this animal-may have been the foundation of this ridiculous and superstiuuas aversion, which is strongly rooted in the inhabitants of those countries, and of which we had many instances during the course of this navigation. I have already observed, that we put our Spanish prisoners on shore at Paita, and that the Gloucester sent theirs to Manta ; but, as we had taken in our prizes some Indian and negro slaves, we did not dismiss them with their masters, but continued them on board, as our crews were thin, to assist in navigating our ships. These poor people being possessed with the prejudices of the coun- try they came from, were astonished at our feeding on turtle, and seemed fully persuaded thao it would soon destroy us ; but finding that none of us died, nor even suffered in our health, by a continuation of this diet, they at last got so far the better of their aversion as to be persuaded to taste it, to which the absence of all other ^itimmmm 226 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book Ilr kinds of fresh provisions might not a little contribute. However, it was with great reluctance, and very spar-: ingly that they first began to eat of it ; but the relish improving upon them by degrees, they at last grew extremely fond of it, and preferred it to every other kind of food, and often felicitated each other on the happy experience they had acquired, and the luxurious and plentiful repasts it would always be in their power to procure, when they should again return back to their country. Those who are acquainted with the manner of life of those unhappy wretches, need not be told, that next to large draughts of spirituous liquors, plenty of tolerable food is the greatest joy they know, and, conse- quently, the discovering the means of being always sup- plied with what quantity they pleased, of a food more, delicious to the palate than an^ their haughty lords and masters could indulge in, was doubtless a circumstance which they considered as the most fortunate that could befal them. After this digression, which the prodigious quantity of turtle on this island of Quibo, and the store of it we thence took to sea, in some measure led me into, I shall now return to our own proceedings. iLi three days' time we had conipleted our business at this place, and were extremely Impatient to depart, that we might arrive time enough on the coast of Mexico to intercept the Manilla galeon. But the wind being contrary, detained us a night ; and the next day, when we got into the oflfing, which we did through the same channel by which we entered, we were obliged to keep hovering about the island, in hopes of getting sight of the Gloucester, which, as I have in the last chapter mentioned, was separated from us on our first arrival. It was the 9th of December, in the morning, when we put to sea; and continuing to the southward of the island, looking out for the Gloucester, we, on the 10th, at five in the afternoon, discerned a small sail to the northward of us, to which we gave chase, and, coming lip with her, took her. She proved to be a bark from Chap. VIII.] LEAVE THE ISLANT) OF QUIBO. 227 Panama, called the Jesu Nazureno. She had nothing on board but some oakum, a ton of rock salt, and be- tween 30^. and 40^. in specie, most of it consisting of small silver money, intended for purchasing a cargo of provisions at Cheripe, an inconsiderable village on the continent. And, on occasion of this prize, I cannot but observe, for the use of future cruisers, that had we been in want of provisions, we had by this capture an obvious method of supplying ourselves. For at Cheripe there is a con- stant store of p'-ovisions prepared for the vessels which go thither every week from Panama, the market of Panama being chiefly supplied from thence : so that, by putting a few of our hands on board our prize we might easily have seized a large quantity without any hazardy since Cheripe is a place of no strength. As provisions are the staple commodity of that place and of its neigh* bourhood, the knowledge of this circumstance may be of great use to such cruisers as find their provisions grow scant, and yet are desirous of continuing on that coast as long as possible. But to return : on the 12th of December, we were at last relieved from the perplexity we had suffered, occasioned by the separation of the Gloucester ; for on that day she joined us, and informed us that, in tacking to the southward on our first arrival, she had sprung her fore-top-mast, which had disabled her from working to windward, and prevented her from joining us sooner. And now we scuttled and sunk the Jesu Nazareno, the prize Wu took last ; and having the greatest impatience to get into a proper station for in- tercepting the Manilla galeon. we stood altogether to the westward, leaving the island of Quibo, notwith- standing all the impediments we met with, about nine days after our first coming in sight of it. 228 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II> CHAPTER IX. From Quibo to the coast of Mexico. On the 12th of December we stood from Quibo to the westward, and the same day the Commodore delivered fresh instructions to the captains of the men of war, and the commanders of our prizes, appointing them the ren- dezvouses they were to make, and the courses they were to steer, in case of a separation. And first they were directed to use all possible despatch in getting to the northward of the harbour of Acapulco, where they were to endeavour to fall in with the land, between the lati- tudes of 18 and 19 degrees ; from thence they were to beat up the coast at eight or ten leagues distance from the shore, till they came a-breast of Cape Corientes, in the latitude of 20° 20'. After they arrived there, they were to continue cruising on that station till the 14th of February, when they were to depart for the middle island of the Tres Marias, in the latitude of 2P 25', bearing from Cape Corientes N.W. by N., twenty-five leagues distant. And if at this island, they did not meet the Commodore, they were there to recruit their wood and water, and then immediately to proceed for the island of Macao, on the coast of China. These orders being distributed to all the ships, we had little doubt of arriving soon upon our intended station, as we ex- pected, upon the increasing our offing from Quibo, to fall in with the regular trade-wind. But to our extreme vexation we were baffled for near a month, either by tempestuous weather from the western quarter, or by dead calms and heavy rains, attended with a sultry air ; so that it was the 25th of December before we saw the island of Cocos, which, according to our reckoning, was only a hundred leagues from the continent : and even then we had the mortification to make so little way that we did not lose sight of it again in five days. Chap. IX.] BUN Td THE OOAST OF MEXICO. 229 This island we found to be in the latitude of 5° 20' N. It has a high hummock towards the western part, which descends gradually, and at last terminates in a low point to the eastward. From the island of Oocos, we stood W. by N., and were till the 9th of January in running an hundred leagues more. We had at first flattered ourselves that the uncertain weather and western gales we met with were owing to the neighbourhood of the continent ; from which, as W3 got more distant, we ex- pected every day to be relieved, by falling in with the eastern trade wind : but as our hopes were so long baffled, and our patience quite exhausted, we began at length to despair of succeeding in the great purpose we had in view, that of intercepting the Manilla galeon. This produced a general dejection amongst us, as we had at first considered the project as almost infallible, and had indulged ourselves in the most boundless hopes of the advantages we should thence receive. However, our despondency was at last somewhat alleviated by a favourable change of the wind; for, on the 9th of January, a gale sprang up the first time from the N.E., and on this Wc took the Carmelo in tow, as the Glou- cester did the Oarmin, making all the sail we could to improve the advantage, because we still suspected that it was only a temporary gale which would not last long; though the next day we had the satisfaction to find that the wind did not only continue in the same quarter, but blew with so much briskness and steadiness, that we no longer doubted of its being the true trade-wind. As we now advanced apace towards our station, our hopes began again to revive, and our former despair, by degrees, gave place to more sanguine prejudices ; inso- much, that though the customary season of the arrival of the galeon at Acapulco was already elapsed, yet we were by this time unreasonable enough to flatter ourselves, that some accidental delay might, for our advantage, lengthen out her passage beyond its usual limits. When we got into the trade-wind, we found no altera* 230 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. ■tion in it till the ITth of January, when we were ad- vanced to the latitude of 12° 50' ; but on that day it shifted to the westward of the north. This change we imputed to our having hauled up too soon, though we then esteemed ourselves full seventy leagues from the coast ; whence, and by our former experience, we were fully satisfied that the trade-wind doth not take place but at a considerable distance from the continent. After this the wind was not so favourable to us as it had been ; however we still continued to advance, and on the 26th of January, being then to the northward of Acapulco, we tacked and stood to the eastward with a view of making the land. In the preceding fortnight we caught some turtle on the surface of the water, and several dolphins, bonitoes, and albicores. One day, as one of the sail-maker's mates was fishing from the end of the gib-boom, he lost his hold, and dropped into the sea; and the ship, which was then going at the rate of six or seven knots, went directly over him : but as we had the Carmelo in tow, we instantly called out to the people on board her, who threw him over several ends of ropes, one of which he fortunately caught hold of, and twisting it round his arm, he was thereby hauled into the ship, without having re- ceived any other injury than a wrench in the arm, of which he soon recovered. When, on the 26th of January, we stood to the east- ward, we expected by our reckonings . to have fallen in with the land on the 28th ; yet, though the weather was perfectly clear, we had no sight of it at sun-set, and therefore we continued our course, not doubting but we should see it by the next morning. About ten at night we discovered a light on the larboard bow, bearing from us NN.E. The Tryal's Prize too, which was about a mile a-head of us, made a signal at the same time for seeing a sail. As we had none of us any doubt but what we saw was a ship's light, we were all extremely animated with a firm persuasion that it was the Manilla galeon. Chap. IX.] BUN TO THE COAST OF MEXICO. 231 which had been so long the object of '^'ur wishes : and what added to our alacrity, was our expectation of meet- ing with two of them instead of one ; for we took it for granted that the light in view was carried in the top of one ship for a direction to her consort. We immediately cast off the Carmelo, and pressed forward with all our canvass, making a signal for the Gloucester to do the same. Thus we chased the light, keeping all our hands at their respective quarters, under an expectation of en- gaging within half an hour, as we sometimes conceived the. chase to be about a mile distant, and at other times to be within reach of our guns ; for some on board us positively averred, that besides the light they could plainly discern her sails. The Commodore himself was so fully perisuaded that we should be soon along-side of her, that he sent for his first lieutenant, who commanded between decks, and directed him to see all the great guns loaded with two round shot for the first broadside, and after that with one round shot and one grape, strictly charging him, at the same time, not to suffer a gun to be fired till he, the Commodore, should give orders, which he informed the lieutenant would not be till we arrived within pistol-shot of the enemy. In this constant and eager attention we continued all night, always presuming that another quarter of an hour would bring us up with the Manilla ship, whose wealth, and that of her supposed consort, we now estimated by round millions. But when the morning broke and day-light came on, we were most strangely and vexatiously disappointed, by finding that the light which had occasioned all this bustle and ex- pectancy was only a fire on the shore. It must be owned the circumstances of this deception were so extraor- dinary as to be scarcely credible, for by our run during the night, and the distance of the land in the morn- ing, there was no doubt to bO made but this fire, when we first discovered it, was above twenty-five leagues from us ; and yet I believe there was no person On board who doubted of its being a ship's light, or of its 232 TOTAOE ROUND THE WOBLD4 [Book II. being near at hand. It was indeed upon a very high moun- tain, and continued burning for several days afterwards ; however, it was not a volcano, but rather, as I suppose, a track of stubble, or heath, set on fire for some purpose of agriculture. At sun-rising, after this mortifying delusion, we found ourselves about nine leagues off the land, whioh extended from the N.W. to E. | N. On this land, we observed two remarkable hummocks, such as are usually called paps, which bore north from us ; these a Spanish pilot and two Indians, who were the only persons among us that pretended to have traded in this part of the world, affirmed to be over the harbour of Acapulco. Indeed we very much doubted their knowledge of the coast, for we found these paps to be in the latitude of 17*^ 56', whereas those over Acapulco are said to be 17 degrees only ; and we afterwards found our suspicions of their skill to be well-grounded : however they were very con- fident, and assureu as that the height of the mountains was itself an infallible mark of the harbour ; the coast, as they pretended, though falsely, being generally low to the eastward and westward of it. Being now in the track of the Manilla galeon, it was a great doubt with us, as it was near the end of January, whether she was or was not arrived : but examining our prisoners about it, they assured us that she was some- times known to come in after the middle of February ; and they endeavoured to persuade us that the fire we had seen on shore was a proof that she was yet at sea, it being customary, as they said, to make use of these fires as signals for her direction, when she continued longer out than ordinary. On this reasoning of our prisoners, strengthened by our propensity to believe them in a matter which so pleasingly fiattered our wishes, we re- solved to cruise for her some days ; and we accordingly spread our ships at the distance of twelve leagues from the coast, in such a manner that it was impossible she should pass us unobserved. However, not seeing her Chav. IX.] ARRIVAL ON THE 00A8T OF MEXICO. 233 sooD) we were at intervals inclined to suspect that she had gained her port already : and as we now began to want a harbour to refresh our people, the uncertainty of our present situation gave us great uneasiness, and we were very solicitous to get some positive intelligence, which might either set us at liberty to consult our neces- sities, if the galeon was arrived, or might animate us to continue our present cruise with cheerfulness if she was not. With this view the Commodore, after examining our prisoners very particularly, resolved to send a boat, under colour of the night, into the harbour of Acapulco, to see if the Manilla ship was there or not; one of the Indians being very positive that this might be done with- out the boat itself being discovered. To execute this enterprise the barge was despatched the 6 th of February, carrying a sufficient crew and two officers, as also a Spanish pilot, with the Indian who had insisted on the facility of this project, and had undertaken to conduct it. Our barge did not return to us again till the 11th, when the officers acquainted Mr. Anson that, agreeably to our suspicion, there was nothing like a harbour in the place where the Spanish pilots had at first asserted Acapulco to lie : that, after they had satisfied themselves in this particular, they steered to the eastward, in hopes of dis- covering it, and had coasted along-shore thirty-two leagues : that, in this whole range, they met chiefly with sandy beaches of a great length, over which the sea broke with so much violence, that it was impossible for a boat to land : that, at the end of their run, they could just discover two paps at a very great distance to the eastward, which, from their appearance and their lati- tude, they concluded to be those in the neighbourhood of Acapulco ; but that, not having a sufficient quantity of fresh water and provision for their passage thither and back again, they were obliged to return to the Commo- dore, to acquaint him with their disappointment. On this intelligence we all made sail to the eastward, in order to get into the neighbourhood of that port ; the 234 YOYAOB ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. Commodore being determined to send the barge a second time upon the same enterprise, when we were arrived within a moderate distance. Accordingly the next day, which was the 12th of February, we being by that time considerably advanced, the barge was again despatched, and particular instructions given to the officers, to pre- serve themselves from being seen from the shore. On the 13th, we espied a high land to the eastward, which was first imagined to be that over the harbour of Aca- pulco; but we afterwards found that.it was the high land of Seguateneio, where there is a small harbour, of which we shall have occasion to make more ample mention hereafter. We waited six days fi'om the departure of our barge without any news of her, so that we began to be uneasy for her safety ; but on the seventh day, that is, on the 1 9th of February, she returned. When the officers informed the Commodore that they had discovered the harbour of Acapulco, which they esteemed to bear from us E.S.E., at least fifty leagues distant : that on the 17th, about two in the morning, they were got within the island that lies at the mouth of tlio hjirbour, and yet neither the Spanish pilot nor the Indian could g'^ve tht^n any infoi mation where they then wh..e ; but that, while they were lying upon their oars in suspense what to do, being igno- rant that they were tlien at the very place they sought for, they discerned a small light near the surface of the water, on which they instantly plied their paddles, and moved as silently as possible towards it, they found it to be a fishing canoe, which they surprised, with three ne- groes that belonged to it. It seems the negroes at first attempted to jump overboard, and being ^o near the shore they would easily have swam to \&r.d ; but they were prevented, by presenting a piece at tKo;ii, on which they readily submitted, and wero taken into the barge. The officers further added, that they had immediately turned the canoe adrift against the face of a rock, where it would inevitably be dashed to pieces by the fury of the sea : this they did to deceive those who, perhaps, might Cmav. IX.] ADVENTURE AT AOAPULCO. 235 be sent from the town to search after the canoe; for, upon seeing several remains of a wreck, they would im- mediately conclude that the people on board her had been drowned, and would have no suspicion of their having fallen into our hands. When the crew of the barge had taken this precaution, they exerted their utmost strength in pulling out to sea, and by dawn of the day had gained sucn an offing, as rendered it impossible for them to be seen from the coast. Having now gotten the three negroes in our posses- sion, who were not ignorant of the transactions at Aca- pulco, we were soon satisfied about the most material points which had long kept us in suspense. On exa- mining them, we found that we were indeed disappointed in our expectation of intercepting the galeon before her arrival at Acapulco ; but we learnt other circumstances which still revived our hopes, and which, we then con- ceived, would more than balance the opportunity we had already lost : for, though our negro prisoners informed us that the galeon arrived at Acapulco on our 9th of January, which was about twenty days before we fell in with this coast ; yet they at the same time told us, that the galeon had delivered her cargo, and was taking in water and provisions in order to return, and that the viceroy of Mexico had, by proclamation, fixed her de- parture from Acapulco to the 14th of March N.S. This last news was most joyfully received by us, since we had no doubt but she must certainly fall into our hands ; and it was much more eligible to seize her on her return than it would have been to have taken her before her arrival, as the specie for which she had sold her cargo, and which she would now have on board, would be pro- digiously more to be esteemed by us than the cargo itself; great part of which would have perished on our hands, and none of it could have been disposed of by us at so advantageous a mart as Acapulco. Thus we were a second time engaged in an eager ex- pectation of meeting with this Manilla ship, which, by 236 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD* [Book Ih the fame of its wealth, we had been taught to consider as the most desirable capture that was to be made on any part of the ocean. But, since all OTir future projects will be in some sort regulated with a vi.ew to the possession of this celebrated galeon ; and since the commerce which is carried on, by means of these vessels, between the city of Manilla and the port of Acapulco, is, perhaps, the most valuable,in proportion to its quantity, of anyin the known world ; I shall endeavour, in the ensuing chapter, to give as circumstantial an account as I can of all the particulars relating thereto, both as it is a matter in which I conceive the public to be, in some degree, interested; and, as I flatter myself, that, from the materials which have fallen into my hands, I am enabled to describe it with more distinctness than has hitherto been done, at least in our language. CHAPTER X. An Account of the Commerce carried on between the City of Manilla, on the Island of Luconia, and the Port of Acapulco, on the coast of Mexico. About the end of the fifteenth century, and the begin- ning of the sixteenth, the searching after new countries and new branches of commerce was the reigning passion among several of the European princes. But those who engaged most deeply and fortunately in these pursuits were the kings of Spain and Portugal ; the first of them having discovered the immense and opulent continent of America and its adjacent islands; whilst the other, by doubling the Cape of Good Hope, had opened to his fleets a passage to the southern coast of Asia, usually called the East Indies, and, by his settlements in that part of the globe, became possessed of many of the manufactures and natural productions with which it abounded; and which for some ages had been the wonder Chap. X.] PORTUGUESE AND SPANISH DISCOVERIES. 237 and delight of the more polished and refined part of mankind. In the mean time, these two nations of Spain and For* tugal, who were thus prosecuting the same views, though in different quarters of the world, grew extremely jealous of each other, and became apprehensive of mutual en- croachments. And, therefore, to quiet their jealousies, and to enable them with more tranquillity to pursue the propagation of the Catholic faith in these distant coun- tries (they having, both of them, given distinguished marks of theii zeal for their mother church, by their butchery of innocent Pagans) Pope Alexander VI. granted to the Spanish crown the property and domi- nion of all places, either already discovered, or that should be discovered an hundred leagues to the westward of the islands of Azores, leaving all the unknown coun- tries to the eastward of this limit to the industry and disquisition of the Portuguese. And this boundary, being afterwards removed two hundred and fifty leagues more to the westward, by the agreement of both nations, it was imagined that this regulation would have sup- pressed all the seeds of future contests ; for the Spaniards presumed that the Portuguese would be hereby prevented from meddling with their colonies in America ; and the Portuguese supposed that their East Indian settlements, and particularly the Spice Islands, which they had then newly found out, were for ever secured from any attempts of the Spanish nation. But it seems the infallibility of the holy father had on this occasion deserted him ; and, for want of being more conversant in geography, he had not foreseen that the Spaniards, by pursuing their discoveries to the west, and the Portuguese to the east, might at last meet with each other, and be again embroiled, as it actually happened, within a few years afterwards. For Ferdinand Magellan, an officer in the king of Portugal's service, having re- ceived some disgust from the court, either by the defal- cation of his pay, or by having his parts, as ho con- *■■■ Mi 238 V0TA6B BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. ceived, too cheaply considered^ entered into the service of the king of Spain. As he appears to have heen a man of ability, he was desirous of signalizing his talents in some enterprise, which might prove extremely vexatious to his former masters, and might teach them to estimate his worth from the greatness of the mischief he brought upon them ; this being the most obvious and natural turn of all fugitives, more especially of those who, being really men of capacity, have quitted their country by reason of the small account that has been made of them. Magellan, in pursuance of these vindictive views, know- ing that the Portuguese considered their traffic to the Spice Islands as their most important acquisition in the East, resolved with himself to instigate the court of Spain to an attempt, which, by still pushing their dis- coveries to the westward, would give them a right to in- terfere both in the property and commerce of those renowned countries ; and the king of Spain approving of this project, Magellan, in the year 1519, set sail from the port of Seville, in order to carry this enterprise into execution. He had with him a considerable force, con- sisting of five ships, and two hundred and thirty-four men, with which he stood for the coast of South America, and ranging along shore, he at length, towards the end of October, 1520, had the good fortune to discover those Straits, Which have since been denominated from him, and which opened him a passage into the South Seas. This, which was the first part of his scheme, being thus happily accomplished, he, after some stay on the coast of Peru, set sail again to the westward, with a view of fall- ing in with the Spice Islands. In this extensive run a«ross the Pacific Ocean, hf; first discovered the Ladrones, or Marian Islands; and continuing on his course, he at length reached the Philippine Islands, which are the most eastern part of Asia, where, venturing on shore in an hostile manner, and skirmishing with the Indians, he was slain. By the death of Magellan, his original project of ...■-r- Chap. X.] ACCOUNT OF MAGELLAN'S DISCOVERIES. 239 run ,he securing some of the Spic^ Islands was defeated; for those who were left in command contented themselves with ranging through them, and purchasing some spices from the natives : after which they returned home round the Cape of Good Hope, being the first ships which had ever surrounded this terraqueous globe; and thereby demonstrated by a palpable experiment, obvious to the grossest and most vulgar capacity, the reality of its long-disputed spherical figure. But though Spain did not Iiereby acquire the property of any of the Spice Islands, yet the discovery ;f the Philippines, made in this expedition, was thought too considerable to be neglected; since these were not far distant from those places which produced spices, and were very well situated for the Chinese trade, and for the commerce of other parts of India. A communication , therefore, was soon established, and carefully supported between these islands and the Spanish colonies on the coast of Peru ; whence the city of Manilla, which was built on the island of Luconia, the chief of the Philip- pines, became in a short time the mart for all Indian, commodities, which were brought up by the inhabitants, and were annually sent to the South Seas, to be there vended on their account; and the returns of this com- merce to Manilla being principally made in silver, the place by degrees grew extremely opulent, and its trade so far increased, as to engage the attention of the Court of Spain, to bt frequently controlled and regulated by royal edicts. In the infancy of this trade it was carried on from the port of Callao to the city of Manilla, in which navi- gation the trade-wind continually favoured them; so that notwithstanding these places were distant between three and four thousand leagues, yet the voyage was often made in little more than two months : but then the return from Manilla was extremely troublesome and tedious, and is said to have sometimes lasted above a twelvemonth : which, if they pretend to ply up within 240 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. the limits of the trade-wind, is not at all to be wondered at. Indeed, though it is asserted, that in their first Toyages they were so imprudent and unskilful as to attempt this course, yet that route was soon laid aside, by the advice, as it is said, of a Jesuit, who persuaded them to steer to the northward, till they got clear of the trade-winds, and then, by the favour of the westerly winds, which generally prevail in high latitudes, to stretch away for the coast of California. This we know hath been the practice for at least a hundred and sixty years past; as Sir Thomas Cavendish, in the year 1586, engaged off the south end of California, a vessel bound from Manilla to the American coast. And it was in compliance with this new plan of navigation, and to shorten the run, both backwards and forwards, that the staple of this commerce to and from Manilla was removed from Callao, on the coast of Peru, to the port of Acapulco, on the coast of Mexico, where it continues fixed to this time. Such was the commencement, and such were the early regulations of this commerce ; but its present condition being a much more interesting subject, I must beg leave to dwell longer on this head, and to be indulged in a more particular narration, beginning with a descrip- tion of the island of Luconia, and of the port and bay of Manilla. The island of Luconia, though situated in the latitude of 15° north, is esteemed to be in general extremely healthy, and the water that is found upon it is said to be the best in the world : it produces all the fruits of the warm climates, and abounds in a most excellent breed of horses, supposed to be carried thither first from Spain : it is very well seated for the Indian and Chinese trade ; and the bay and port of Manilla, which lies on its western side, is, perhaps, the most remarkable on the whole globe, the bay being a large circular basin, near ten leagues in diameter, great part of it entirely land- locked. On the east side of this bay stands the city of Chap. X.] DESCRIPTION OF MANILLA. 241 tude mely lid to ts of ellent from inese es on nthe Manilla, which is large and populous ; and which, at the beginning of this war, was only an open place, its principal defence consisting in a small fort, which was almost surrounded on every side by houses ; but they have lately made considerable additions to its fortifica- tions, though I have not yet learnt after what manner. The port peculiar to the city is called Cabite, and lies near two leagues to the southward ; and in this port all the ships employed for the Acapulco trade are usually stationed. The city of Manilla itself is in a healthy situation, is well watered, and is in the neighbourhood of 9. very fruitful and plentiful country ; but, as the princij^al business of this place is its trade to Acapulco, it lies under some disadvantage, from the difficulty there is in getting to sea to the eastward ; for the passage is among islands and through channels, where the Spaniards, by reason of their unskilfulness in marine aiFairs, waste much time, and are often in great danger. The trade carried on from this place to China, and different parts of India, is principally for such commo- dities as are intended to supply the kingdom of Mexico and Peru. These are spices, and all sorts of Chinese silks and manufactures; particularly silk stockings, of which I have heard that no less than fifty thousand pair were the usual number shipped in each cargo; vast quantities of Indian stuffs, as calicoes and chintzes, which are much worn in America, together with other minuter articles, as goldsmiths' work, &c., which is principally wrought at the city of Manilla itself by the Chinese ; for it is said there are at least twenty thou- sand Chinese who constantly reside there, either as servants, manufacturers, or brokers. All these different commodities are collected at Manilla, thence to be trans- ported annually, in one or more ships, to the port of Acapulco, in the kingdom of Mexico. This trade to Acapulco is not laid open to all the inhabitants of Manilla, but is confined by very particular U2 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. regulations, somewhat analogous to those by which the trade of the register ships from Cadiz to the West Indies is restrained. The ships employed herein are found by the king of Spain, who pays the officers and crewj and the tonnage is divided into a certain number of bales, all of the same size : these are distributed amongst the convents at Manilla, but principally to the Jesuits, as a donation, to support their missions for the propagation of the Catholic faith ; and the convents have thereby a right to embark such a quantity of goods on board the Manilla ship, as the tonnage of their bales amounts to ; or, if they choose not to be concerned in trade them- selves, they have the power of selling this privilege to others ; nor is it uncommon, when the merchant to whom they sell their share is unprovided of a stock, for the convents to lend him considerable sums of money on bottomry. The trade is by the royal edicts limited to a certain value, which the annual cargo ought not to exceed. Some Spanish manuscripts I have seen mention this limitation to be 600,000 dollars; but the annual cargo does certainly surpass this sum : and though it may be difficult to fix its exact value, yet, from many compa- risons, I conclude, that the return cannot be much short of three millions of dollars. As it is sufficiently obvious, that the greatest share of the treasure returned from Acapulco to Manilla does not remain in that place, but is again dispersed into different parts of India; and as all European nations have gene- rally esteemed it good policy to keep their American settlements in an immediate dependence on their mother- country, without permitting them to carry on directly any gainful traffic with other powers ; these considera- tions* have occasioned many remonstrances to be pre- sented to the court of Spain against this Indian trade, allowed to the kingdom of Mexico. It has been urged, that the silk manufactures of Valencia, and other parts of Spain, are hereby greatly prejudiced, and the linens Cbap.X.] TBADE between MANILLA AND AOAPULGO. 243 carried from Cadiz much injured in their sale ; since the Chinese silks coming almost directly to Acapulco, can be afforded considerably cheaper there than any European manufactures of equal goodness; and the cottons from the Coromandel coast make the European linens nearly useless : so that the Manilla trade renders both Mexico and Peru less dependent upon Spain for a supply of their necessities than they ought to be; and exhausts those countries of a considerable quantity of silver, the greatest part of which, were this trade pro- hibited, would centre in Spain, either in payment for Spanish commodities, or in gains to the Spanish mer- chant: whereas now the only advantage which arises from it is, the enriching the Jesuits and a few particular persons besides, at the other extremity of the world. These arguments did so far influence Don Joseph Pa- tinho, who was formerly prime minister, and an enemy to the Jesuits, that, about the year 1725, he had resolved to abolish this trade, and to have permitted no Indian commodities to be introduced into any of the Spanish ports in the West Indies, except such as were brought thither by the register-ships from Europe. But the powerful intrigues of the Jesuits prevented this regula- tion from taking place. This trade, from Manilla to Acapulco, and back again, is usually carried on in one, or at most two, annual ships, which set sail from Manilla about July, and arrive at Acapulco in the December, January, or February fol- lowing; and having there disposed of their effects, return for Manilla some time in March, where they generally arrive in June; so that the whole voyage takes up very near an entire year. For this reason, though there is often no more than one ship freighted at a time, yet there is always one ready for the sea when the other arrives; and therefore, the commerce at Manilla is provided with three or four stout ships, that in case of any accident, the trade may not be suspended. The largest of these ships, whose name I have not learned, 244 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [DooK II. is described as little less than one of our first-rate men- of-war; and, indeed, she must be of an enormous size, as it is known, that when she was employed with other ships from the same port to cruise for our China trade, she had no less than twelve hundred men on board. Their other ships, though far inferior in bulk to this, are yet stout, large vessels, of the burthen of twelve hundred tons and upwards, and usually carry from three hundred and fifty to six hundred hands, passengers included, with fifty odd guns. As these are all king's ships, commis- sioned and paid by him, there is usually one amongst the captains styled the general, and he carries the royal standard of Spain at the main top-gallant-mast-head, as we shall more particularly observe hereafter. And now having described the city and port of Manilla, and the shipping employed by its inhabitants, it is neces- sary to give a more circumstantial detail of the navigation from thence to Acapulco. The ship, having received her cargo on board, and being fitted for the sea, generally weighs from the mole of Cabite about the middle of July, taking the advantage of the westernly monsoon which then sets in. It is indeed most remarkable, that, by the concurrent testimony of all the Spanish navigators, there is not one port, nor even a tolerable road, as yet found out between the Philippine islands and the coast of California; so that from the time the Manilla ship first loses sight of land, she never lets go her anchor till she arrives on the coast of California, and very often not till she gets to its southernmost extremity. As this voyage is rarely of not less than six months' continuance, and the ship is deep laden with merchandise and crowded with people, it may appear wonderful how they can be supplied with a stock of fresh water for so long a time. The method of procuring it is indeed extremely singular, and deserves a very particular recital. It is well known to those who are acquainted with the Spanish customs in the South Seas, that their water is preserved on ship-board, not in casks, but ii earthen Chap. X.] TRADE BETWEEN MANILLA AND AOAPULOO. 245 jars, which, in some sort, resemble the large oil-jars we often see in Europe. When the Manilla ship first puts to sea, she takes on board a much greater quantity of water than can be stowed between decks, and the jars which contain it are hung all about the shrouds and stays, so as to exhibit, at a distance, a very odd ap- pearance. Though it is one convenience of their jars, that they are much more manageable than casks, and are liable to no leakage, unless they are broken ; yet it is sufficiently obvious, that a six, or even a three months' store of water, could never be stowed in a ship so loaded, by any management whatever; and therefore without some other supply this navigation could not be per- formed. A supply indeed they have, but the reliance upon it seems, at first sight, so extremely precarious, that it is wonderful such numbers should risk the perish- ing by the most dreadful of all deaths, on the expectation of so casual a relief. In short, their only method of recruiting their water is by the rains which they meet with between the latitudes c^ 30 and 40 degrees north, and which they are always prepared to catch. For this purpose they take to sea with them a great number of mats, which, whenever the rain descends, they range slopingly against the gunwale, from one end of the ship to the other, their lower edges resting on a large split bamboo : whence all the water which falls on the mats drains into the bamboo, and by this, as a trough, is con- veyed into a ja .'. And this method of furnishing them- selves with water, however accidental and extraordinary it may at first sight appear, has never been known to fail them; but it has been common for them, when their voyage is a little longer than usual, to fill all their water- jars several times over. However, though their distresses for fresh water are much short of what might be expected in so tedious a navigation ; yet there are other inconveniences generally attendant upon a long continuance at sea from which they are not exempted. The principal of these is the 2ie TOYAa£ BOUXD THE WOBLD. [Book U. scurvy, which sometimes rages with extreme violer'a, and destroys great numbers of the people; but at other times, their passage to Acapulco, of which alone I would be here understood to speak, is performed with little loss. The length of time employed in this passage so much beyond what usually occurs in any other known naviga- tion, is perhaps in part to be imputed to the indolence and unskilfulness of the Spanish sailors, and to an un- necessary degree of caution, on pretence of the great riches of the vessel : for it is said, that they rarely set their main-sail in the night, and often lie-by unneces- sarily. This much is certain, that the instructions given to their captains, which I have seen, seem to have been drawn up by such as were more apprehensive of too strong a gale, though favourable, than of the inconve- niences and mortality attending a lingering and tedious voyage. For the captain i particularly ordered to make his passage in the latitude of thirty degrees, if possible, and to be extremely careful to stand no farther to the northward than is absolutely necessary for the getting a westerly wind. This, according to our conceptions, appears to be a very absurd restriction; since it can scarcely be doubted, but that in the higher latitudes the westerly winds are much steadier and brisker, than in the latitude of thirty degrees. Indeed the whole con- duct of this navigation seems liable to very great censure. Since, if instead of steering E. N.E. into the latitude of thirty degrees, they at first stood N. E. or even still more northerly, into the latitxide of forty or forty-five degrees, in part of which coast the trade-winds would greatly assist them, I doubt not but by this management they might considerably contract their voyage, and perhaps perform it in half the time which is now allotted for it. This may, in some measure, be deduced from their own journals; since, in those I have seen, it appears that they are often a month or six weeks after their leaving the land before they get into the latitude of thirty degrees j Chap. X.] TRADE BETWEEN MANILLA AND ACAPULCO. 247 whereas, with a more northerly course, it might easily be done in less than a fortnight. Now when they were once well advanced to the northward, the westerly winds would soon blow them over to the coast of California, and they would be thereby freed from the other em barrassments to which they are at present su))jecteJ, only ?»t the expense of a rough sea and a stiff gale. This is not merely matter of speculation ; for I am credibly informed, that about the year 1721, a French ship, by pursuing this course, ran from the coast of China to the valley of Vanderas, on the coast of Mexico, in less than fifty days: but it was said, that notwithstanding the shortness of her passage, she suffered prodigiously by the scurvy, so that she had only four or ^ye of her crew remaining alive when she arrived in America. However, I shall descr,nt no longer on the probability of performing this voyage in a much shorter time, but shall content myself with reciting the actual occurrences of the present navigation. The Manilla ship having stood so far to the northward as to meet with a westerly wind, stretches away nearly in the same latitude for the coast of California : and when she has run into the longitude of about one hundred degrees from Cape Spiritu Santo, she generally finds a plant floating on the sea, which, being called Porra by the Spaniards, is, I presume, a species of sea-leek. On the sight of this plant they esteem themselves sufficiently near the Californian shore, and immediately stand to the southward; and they rely so much on this circumstance, that on the first discovery of the plant, the whole ship's company chant a solemn Te Deum, esteeming the difficulties and hazards of their passage to be now at an end ; and they constantly cor- rect their longitude thereby, without ever coming within sight of land. After falling in with these Signs, as they denominate them, they steer to the southward, without endeavouring to approach the coast, till they have run into a lower latitude ; for as there are many islands and some shoals adjacent to California, the extreme 248 YOTAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. caution of the Spanish na'vigators renders theiii very apprehensive of being engaged with the land: however, when they draw near its southern extremity, they venture to haul in, both for the sake of making Cape St. Lucas, to ascertuin their reckoning, and also to receive intel- ligence from the Indian inhabitants, whether or no there are any enemies on the coast; and this last cir- cumstance, which is a particular article in the captain's instructions, obliges us to mention the late proceedings of the Jesuits among the Californian Indians. Since the first discovery of California, there have been various wandering missionaries, who have visited it, at different times, though to little purpose : but of late years, the Jesuits, encouraged and supported by a large donation from the Marquis de Valero, a most munificent bigot, have fixed themselves upon the place, and have there established a very considerable mission. Their principal settlement lies just within Cape St. Lucas, where they have collected a great number of savages, and have endeavoured to inure them to agricul- ture and other mechanic arts: nor have their efforts been altogether ineffectual ; for they have planted vines at their settlements with very good success, so that they already make a considerable quantity of wine, which begins to be esteemed in the neighbouring kingdom of Mexico, it resembling in flavour the inferior sorts of Madeira. The Jesuits then being thus firmly rooted on Cali- fornia, they have already extended their jurisdiction quite across the country from sea to sea, and are en- deavouring to spread their influence farther to the northward; with which view they have made several expeditions up the gulf between California and Mexico, in order to discover the nature of the adjacent countries, all which they hope hereafter to bring under their power. And being thus occupied in advancing the interests of their society, it is no wonder if some share of attention is engaged about the security of the Manilla Chap. X] TRADE BETWEEN MANILLA AND AOAPULCO. 249 ship, in which their convents at Manilla are so deeply concenied. For this purpose, there are refreshments, as fruits, wine, water, &c., constantly kept in readiness for her ; and there is, besides, care taken at Cape St. Lucas, to look out for any ship of the enemy which might be cruising there to intercept her; this being a station where she is constantly expected, and where she has been often waited for, and fought with, though generally with little success. In consequence then of the measures mutually settled between the Jesuits of Manilla and their brethren at California, the captain of the galeon is ordered to fall in with the land to the northward of Cape St. Lucas, where the inhabitants are directed, on sight of the vessel, to make the proper signals with fires. On discovering these fires, the captain is to send his launch on shore with twenty men, well armed, who are to carry with them the letters from the convents at Manilla to the Californian missionaries, and are to bring back the refreshments which will be prepared for the ship, and likewise intelligence whether or no there are enemies on the coast. If the captain finds, from the account which is sent him, that he has nothing to fear, he is directed to proceed for Cape St. Lucas, and thence to Cape Corientes, after which he is to coast it along for the port of AcaprsITng lis in the night, the two cutters belonging to the Ceuti non ami the I!' i Chap. XI.] CRUISE OFF THE P«'> tT OF ACAPULCO. 255 Gloucester were both manned and sent in shore, and commanded to lie all day at the distance of four or five leagues from the entrance of the port, wii^re, by reason of their smallness, they could not possibly be discovered; but in the night they were directed to stand nearer to the harbour's mouth, and, as the light of the morning approached, to come back agair to their day-posts. When the cutters should first discern the Manilla ship, one of them was to return to the squadron, and to make a sig- nal whether the galeon stood to the eastward or to the westward ; whilst the other was to follow the galeon at a distance, and, if it grew dark, to direct the squadron in their chase, by showing false fires. Besides the care we had taken to prevent the galeon from passing by us unobserved, we had not been inat- tentive to the means of engaging her to advantage when we came up with her; for considering the thinness of our crews, and the vaunting accounts given by the Spa- niards of her size, her guns, and her strength, this was a consideration not to be neglected. As we supposed that none of our ships but the Centurion and Gloucester were capable of lying alongside of her, we took on board the Centurion all the hards belonging to the Carmelo and Carmin, except what were just sufficient to navigate those ships ; and Captain Saunders was ordered to send from the Tryal's Prize ten Englishmen, and as many negroes, to reinforce the crew of the Gloucester. At the same time, for the encouragement of our negroes, of which we had a considerable number on board, we promised them, that, on their good behaviour, they should have their freedom. As they had been almost every day trained to the management of the great guns for the two preceding months, they were very well qua- lified to be of service to us; and from their hopes of liberty, and in return for the kind usage they had met with amongst us, they seemed disposed to exert them- selves to the utmost of their power, whenever we should have occasion for them. 25G VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. Being thus prepared for the reception of the galeon, we expected, with the utmost impa^'once, the often- mentioned 3d of March, the day fixed 1 r her departure. No sooner did that day dawn, than we were all of us most eagerly engaged in looking out towards Acapulco, from whence neither the casual duties on borrd, nor the calls of hunger, could easily divert our eyes : and we were so strangely prepossessed with the certainty of our intelligence, and with an assurance of her coming out of port, that some or other amongst us were constantly imagining that they discovered one of our cutters return- ing with a signal. But, to our extreme vexation, both this day and the succeeding night passed over without any news of the galeon : however, we did not yet despair, but were all heartily disposed to flatter ourselves, that some unforeseen accident had intervened, which might have put off her departure for a fcv; d:iys ; and sugges- tions of this kind occurred in plenty, as we knew that the time fixed by the Viceroy for her sailing, was often prolonged on the petition of the merchants of Mexico. Thus we kept up our hopes, and did not abate of our vigilance; and as the 7th of March was Sunday, the beginning of Passion-week, which is observed by the Papists with great strictness, and a total cessation from all kinds of labour, so that no ship is permitted to stir out of port during the whole week, this quieted our apprehensions for some time, and disposed us not to expect the galeon till the week following. On the Friday in this week, our cutters returned to us, and the officers on board them were very confident that the ga- leon was still in port; for that she could not possibly have come out, but they must have seen her. The Monday morning following, that is, on the 15th of March, the cutters were again despatched to their old station, and our hopes were once more indulged in as sanguine pre- possessions as before; but in a week's time our eagerness was greatly abated, and a general dejection and despon- dency took place in its room. It is true, there were CiiAP. XI.] CRUISE OFF THE PORT OF AOAPULCO. 257 some few amongst us, who still kept up their spirits, and were very ingenious in finding out reasons to satisfy themselves, that the disappointment we had hitherto met with, had only been occasioned by a casual delay of the galeon, which a few days would remove, and not by a total suspension of her departure for the whole season : but the speculations were not adopted by the generality of our people; for they were persuaded that the enemy had, by some accident, discovered our being upon the coast, and had therefore laid an embargo on the galeon till the next year. And, indeed, this persuasion was but too well founded ; for we afterwards learnt, that our barge, when sent on the discovery of the port of Aca- pulco, had been seen from the shore ; and that this circumstance (no embarkations but canoes ever frequent- ing that coast) was to them a sufficient proof of the neigh i^ourhood of our squadron ; on which they stopped the galeon till the succeeding year. The Commodore himself, though he declared not his opinion, was yet, in his own thoughts, apprehensive that we were discovered, and that the departure of the galeon was put off; and he had, in consequence of this opinion, formed a plan for possessing himself of Acapulco ; be- cause he had no doubt but the treasure as yet remained in the town, even though the orders for despatching of the galeon were countermanded. Indeed, the place was too well defended to be carried by an open attempt ; since, besides the garrison and the crew of the galeon, there were in it at least a thousand men well armed, who had marched thither as guards to the treasure, when it was brought down from the city of Mexico ; for the roads thereabouts are so much infested, either by independent Indians, or fugitives, that the Spaniards never trust the silver without an armed force to protect it. Besides, had the strength of the place been less considerable, and such as might not have appeared superior to the eiForts of our squadron, yet a declared attack would have prevented us receiving any advantages 258 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. Book II. from its success; for upon the first discovery of our squadron, all the treasure would have been ordered into the country, and in a few hours would have been out of our reach ; so that our conquest would have been only a desolate town, where we should have found nothing that could in the least have countervailed the fatigue and hazard of the undertaking. For these reasons, the surprisal of the place was the only method that could at all answer our purpose ; and, therefore, the manner in which Mr. Anson proposed to conduct this enterprise was, by setting sail with the squadron in the evening, time enough to arrive at the port in the night. As there is no danger on that coast, he would have stood boldly for the harbour's mouth, where he expected to arrive, and, perhaps, might have entered, before the Spaniards were acquainted with his designs : as soon as he had run into the harbour, he intended to have pushed two hundred of his men on shore in his boats, who were immediately to attempt the fort, whilst he, the Commodore, with his ships, was employed in firing upon the town and the other batteries. And these different operations, which would have been executed with great regularity ^ could hardly have failed of succeeding against an enemy, who would have been prevented by the suddenness of the attack, and by the want of daylight, from concerting any measures for their defence : so that it was extremely probable that we should have carried the fort by storm ; and then the other batteries, being open behind, must have been soon abandoned ; after which, the town, and its inhabitants, and all the treasure, must necessarily have fallen into our hands ; for the place is so cooped up with mountains, that it is scarcely possible to escape out of it, but by the great road, which passes under the fort. This was the project which the Commodore had thus far settled generally in his thoughts ; but when he began to inquire into such circumstances as were necessary to be consi- dered, in order to regulate the particulars of its execution, Chap. XI.] CRUISE OFF THE PORT OF AOAPULCO. 259 he found there was a difficulty, which being insuperable, occasioned the enterprise to be laid aside; as on exa- mining the prisoners about the winds which prevail near the shore, he learnt (and it was afterwards confirmed by the officers of our cutters) that, nearer in shore, there was always a dead calm for the greatest part of the night, and that towards morning, when a gale sprung up, it constantly blew oiF the land; so that, setting sail from our present station in the evening, and arriving at Acapulco before daylight, was impossible. This scheme, as hath been said, was formed by the Commodore, upon a supposition that the galeon was detained till the next year; but, as this was a matter of opinion only, and not founded on intelligence, and there was a possibility that she might still put to sea in a short time, the Commodore thought it prudent to continue cruising on his present station, as long as the necessary attention to his stores of wood and water, and to the convenient season for his ftiture passage to China, would give him leave. And therefore, as the cutters had been ordered to remain before Acapulco till the 23d of March, the squadron did not change its position till that day ; when the cutters not appearing, we were in some pain for them, apprehending they might have suffered either from the enemy or the weather; but we were relieved from our concern the next morning, when we discovered them, though at a great distance, and to the leeward of the squadron. We bore down to them, and took them up, and were informed by them, that, conformable to their orders, they had left their station the day before, without having seen any thing of the galeon ; and we found that the reason of their being so far to the leeward of us was a strong current, which had driven the whole squadron to windward. And here it is necessary to mention, that, by informa- tion which was afterwards received, it appeared that this prolongation of our cruise was a very prudent measure, and afforded us no contemptible chance of seizing the 260 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. treasure on which we had so long fixed our thoughts : for after the emhargo was laid on the galeon, as is before mentioned, the persons principally interested in the cargo despatched several expresses to Mexico, to beg that she might still be permitted to depart : it seems they knew, by the accounts sent from Paita, that we had not more than three hundred men in all, when they insisted that there was nothing to be feared; as the galeon, carrying above twice as many hands as our whole squadron, would be greatly an overmatch for us. And though the Viceroy was inflexible, yet, on the ac- count of their representation, she was kept ready for the sea near three weeks after the first order came to detain her. When we had taken up the cutters, all the ships being joined, the Commodore made a signal to speak with their Commanders ; and, upon inquiry into the stock of fresh water remaining on board the squadron, it was found to be so very slender, that we were under a necessity of quitting our station to procure a fresh supply. Consult- ing what place was the properest for this purpose, it was agreed, that the harbour of Seguataneio, or Chequetan, being the nearest, was on that account the most eligible, so that it was immediately resolved to make the best of our way thither; but that, even while we were recruit- ing our water, we might not totally abandon our views upon the galeon, which, perhaps, from certain intelligence of our being employed at Chequetan, might venture to slip out to sea, our cutter, under the command of Mr. Hughes, the lieutenant of the Tryal's Prize, was ordered to cruise off the port of Acapulco for twenty-four days ; that if the galeon should set sail in that interval, we might be speedily informed of it. In pursuance of these resolutions, we endeavoured to ply to the westward, to gain our intended port, but were often interrupted in our progress by calms and adverse currents : at these intervals, we employed ourselves in taking out the most valuable part of the cargoes of the Carmelo and C^min Chap. XI.] ARRIVAL AT CHEQUETAN. 261 prizes, which two ships we intended to destroy as soon as we had tolerably cleared them. By the 1st of April, we were so far advanced towards Seguataneio, that we thought it expedient to send out two boats, that they might range along the coast, to discover the watering- place. They were gone som days, and our water being now very short, it was a particular felicity to us that we met with daily supplies of turtle ; for had we been entirely confined to salt provisions, we must have suffered extremely in so warm a climate. Indeed, our present circumstances were sufficiently alarming, and gave the most considerate among us as much concern as any of the numerous perils we had hitherto encountered; for our boats, as we conceived by their not returning, had not as yet found a place proper to water at, and by the leakage of our casks, and other accidents, we had not ten days* water on board the whole squadron ; so that, from the known difficulty of procuring water on this coast, and the little reliance we had on the Buccaneer writers, (the only guides we had to trust to,) we were appre- hensive of being soon exposed to a calamity the most terrible of any that occurs in the long disheartening catalogue of the distresses of a seafaring life. But these gloomy suggestions were at length happily ended; for our boats returned on the 5th of April, having, about seven miles to the westward of the rocks of Seguataneio, met with a place fit for our purpose: and which, by the description they gave of it, appeared to be the port of Chequetan, mentioned by Dampier. The success of our boats was highly agreeable to us, and they were ordered out again the next day to sound the harbour and its entrance, which they had represented as vety narrow. At their return they reported the place to be free from any danger; so that on the 7th we stood for it, and that evening came to anchor in eleven fathom. The Gloucester cast anchor at the same time with us ; but the Carmelo and the Carmin, having fallen to the leeward, the Tryal's Prize was ordered to join w\ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) W^O // .V :« 11.25 2.0 u - 6" HiolDgrafdiic _,Scimces Carporaiion ^ ¥^ 4. a>^ \ \\ «^. ^. ^ ^ 4(^ <^ ^\ 23 WIST MAIN STRtIT WmSTIR.N.Y. I4SM (7l6)t73.4S03 <> A%^ > m mmm 262 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. them, and to bring them up, which in two or three days she effected. Thus, after a four months* continuance at sea from the leaving of Quibo, and having but six days' water on board, we arrived in the harbour of Ohequetan ; the de- scription of which, and of the adjacent coast, will be seen in the ensuing chapter. CHAPTER XII. Description of the haxbour of Chequetan, and of the adjacent coast and country. The harbour of Chequetan, which we here propose to describe, lies in the latitude of 17° 36' north, and is about thirty leagues to the westward of Acapulco. It is easy to be discovered by any ship that will keep well in with the land, especially by such as range down the coast from Acapulco, and will attend to the following particulars. There is a beach of sand, which extends eighteen leagues, from the harbour of Acapulco to the westward, against which the sea breaks so violently, that with our boats it would be Impossible to lana on any part of it ; but yet the ground is so clean, that, during the fair season, ships may anchor in great safety at the distance of a mile or two from the shore. The land adjacent to this beach is generally low, full of villages, and planted with a great number of trees ; and, on the tops of some small eminences, there are several look-out towers, so that the face of the country affords a very agreeable prospect ; for the cultivated part, which is the part here described, extends some leagues back from the shore, where it seems to be bounded by a chain of mountains, which stretch to a considerable distance on either side of Acapulco. It is a most remarkable peculiarity, in Chap. XII.] DESCRIPTION OF CHEQUETAN. 263 this whole extent, containing in appearance the most populous and best planted district of the whole coast, that there should be neither canoes, boats, nor any other em- barkations, either by fishing, coasting, or for pleasure. This cannot be imputed to the difficulty of landing, because in many parts of Africa and Asia, where '.he same inconvenience occurs, the inhabitants have pro- vided against it by vessels of a peculiar fabric. I there- fore conceive that the Government, to prevent smuggling, have prohibited the use of all kinds ot small craft in that district. The beac^ here described is the surest guide to those who are desirous of finding the harbour of Ohequetan ; for, ^ye miles to the westward of the extremity of this beach, there appears a hummock, which at first makes like an island, and is in shape not very unlike the hill of Petaplan hereafter mentioned, though much smaller. Three miles to the westward of this hummock is a white rock near the shore, which cannot easily be passed by unobserved: it is about two cables' length from the land, and lies in a large bay about nine leagues over. This hill of Petaplan, like the forementioned hummock, may be at first mistaken for an island, though it be in reality a peninsula, which is joined to the continent by a low and narrow isthmus, covered over with shrubs and small trees. The bay of Seguataneio extends from this hill a great way to the westward ; and it appears, that at a small distance from the hill, and opposite to the entrance of the bay, there is an assemblage of rocks, which are white, from the excrement of boobies and tropical birds. Four of these rocks are high and large, and together with several smaller ones, are, by the help of a little imagination, pretended to resemble the form of a cross, and are called the White Friars. These rocks bear W. by N. from Petaplan ; and about seven miles to the westward of them lies the harbour of Ohequetan, which is still more minutely distinguished by a large and single rock that rises out of the water a mile and a half 264 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. distant from the entrance, and bears S. ^ W. from the middle of it. To these directions I must add that the coast is no ways to be dreaded between the middle of October and the beginning of May, nor is there then any danger from the winds: th igh in the remaining part of the year there are frequent and violent torna- does, heavy rains^ and hard gales, in all directions of the compass. Such are the infallible marks by which the harbour of Chequetan may be known to those who keep well in with the land. But as to those who keep at any con- siderable distance from the coast, there is no other method to be taken for finding the place than that of making it by the latitude : for there are so many ranges of mountains rising one upon the back of another within land, that no drawings of the appearance of the coast can be at all depended on when off at sea ; every little change of distance, or variation of position, bringing new mountains in view, and producing an infinity of different prospects, which render all attempts at delineating the aspect of the coast impossible. Having discussed the methods of discovering the harbour of Chequetan, it is time to insert the plan of the harbour itself: it is environed on all sides, except to the westward, with high mountains, overspread with trees. The passage into it is very safe on either side of the rock that lies off the mouth of it, though we, both in coming in ar.d going out, left it to the eastward. The ground without the harbour is gravel, mixed with stones, but within it is a soft i^ud : and it must be remembered, that in coming to an anchor, a good allowance should be made for a large swell, which frequently causes a great send of the sea ; as likewise for the ebbing and flowing of the tide, which we observed to be about five feet, and that it set nearly E. and W. The watering-place, during the whole time of our stay, had the appearance of a large standing lake, with- out any visible outlet into the sea, from which it is Chap. XII.] DESCBIPTION OF CHEQUETAl^T* 265 separated by a part of the strand. The origin of this lake is a spring, that bubbles out of the ground near half a mile within the country. We found the water a little brackish, but more considerably so towards the sea-eide ; for the nearer we advanced towards the spring-head, the softer and fresher it proved. This laid us under a necessity of filling all our casks from the furthest part of the lake, and occasioned us some trouble ; and would have proved still more difficult, had it not been for our particular management, which, on account of the con- veniency of it, deserves to be recommended to all who shall hereafter water at this place. Our method consisted of making use of canoes, which drew but little water ; for loading them with a number of small casks, they easily got up the lake to the spring-head, and the small casks being there filled, were in the same manner trans- ported back again to the beach, where some of our hands always attended to start them into other casks of a larger size. Though this lake, during our continuance there, ap- peared to have no outlet into the sea, yet there is reason to suppose that, in the rainy season, it overflows the strand, and communicates with the ocean ; for Dampier, who was formerly here, speaks of it as a large river. Indeed it is necessary that a vast body of water should be amassed before the lake can rise high enough to over- flow the strand, since the neighbouring lands are so low that great part of them must be covered with water, before it can run out over the beach. As the country hereabouts, particularly the tract of coast contiguous to Acapulco, appeared to be well- peopled and cultivated, we hoped to have easily pro- cured from thence some fresh provisions and other refreshments which we now stood greatly in need of. To facilitate these views, the Commodore, the morning after we came to an anchor, ordered a party of forty men, well armed, to march into the country, and to en- deavour to discover some town or village where they 266 yOYAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book 1 1. -were to attempt to set on foot a correspondence with the inhabitants ; for, when we had once begun this intercourse, we doubted not but that, by proper presents, we should allure them to bring down to us whatever fruits or fresh provisions were in their power; as our prizes abounded in various kinds of coarse merchandise, which were of little consequence to us, though to them they would be extremely valuable. Our people were directed, on this occasion, to proceed with the greatest circumspection, and to make as little ostentation of hostility as possible ; for we were sensible we could find no wealth in these parts worth our notice ; and what necessaries we really wanted we expected would be better and more abundantly supplied by an open, ami- cable traffic, than by violence and force of arms. But this endeavour of opening a commerce with the inhabi- tants proved inefi*ectual ; for, towards evening, the party which had been ordered to march into the country, returned greatly fatigued by their unusual exercise, and some of them so far spent, that they had fainted on the road, and were obliged to be brought back upon the shoulders of their companions. They had penetrated, as they conceived, about ten miles into the country, along a beaten track, where they often saw the fresh dung of horses or mules. When they had got near ^ve miles from the harbour, the road divided between the mountains into two branches, one running to the East and the other to the West. On deliberation concerning the course they should take, it was agreed to continue their march along the eastern road : this, when they had followed it for some time, led them at once into a large plain, or savannah, on one side of which they discovered a sentinel on horseback, with a pistol in his hand. It was supposed that when they first saw him he was asleep; but his horse starting at the glittering of their arms, and turning round suddenly, ran off with his master, who, though he was very near being unhorsed in the surprise, yet recovered his seat, and escaped with the Chap. XII.] PBOOEEDINOS AT CHEQUETAN. 267 loss only of his hat and his pistol, which he dropped on the ground. Our people pursued him in hopes of dis- covering the Tillage or habitation which he would retreat to; but, as he had the advantage of being on horseback, they soon lost sight of him. Notwithstanding his escape, they were unwilling to come back without making some discovery, and therefore still following the track they were in, till the heat of the day increasing, and finding no water to quench their thirst, they were first obliged to halt, and then resolved to return ; for as they saw no signs of plantations or cultivated land, they had no reason to believe that there was any village or settlement near them. However, to leave no means untried of pro- curing some intercourse with the people, the officers stuck up several poles in the road, to which were affixed declarations written in Spanish, encouraging the in- habitants to come down to the harbour to traffic with us, giving them the strongest assurances of a kind reception and faithful payment lor any provision they should bring us. This was doubtless a very prudent measure, yet it produced no effect, for we never saw any of them during the whole time of our continuance at this port of Chequetan. Indeed it were to have been wished that our men, upon the division of the path, had taken the western road instead of the eastern, for then they would soon have been led to a village or town, which some Spanish manuscripts mention as being in the neighbour- hood of this port, and which we afterwards learnt was not above two miles from that turning. And on this occasion I cannot avoid mentioning another adventure which happened to some of our peo- ple in the bay of Petaplan, as it may greatly assist the reader in forming a just idea of the temper and resolu- tion of the inhabitants of this part of the world. Some time after our arrival at Chequetan, Lieutenant Brett was sent by the Commodore, with. two of our boats under his command, to examine the coast to the east- ward^ particularly to make observations on the bay and 268 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. watering-place of Petaplan. As Mr. Brett, with one of the boats, was preparing to go on shore, towards the hill of Petaplan, he accidentally looking across the bay, per- ceived on the opposite strand three small squadrons of horse parading upon the beach, and seeming to advance towards the place where he proposed to land. On sight of this he immediately put oif the boat, though he had but sixteen men with him, and stood over the bay to- wards them : and he soon came near enough to perceive that they were mounted on very sightly horses, and were armed with carbines and lances. On seeing him make towards them, they formed upon the beach, and seemed resolved to dispute his landing, firing several distant shot at him as he drew near, till at last the boat being arrived within a reasonable distance of the most ad- vanced squadron, Mr. Brett ordered his people to fire, upon which this resolute cavalp'y instantly ran with great confusion into the wood through a small opening. In this precipitate flight one of their horses fell down and threw his rider; but whether he was wounded or not we could not discern, for both man and horse soon got up again, and followed the rest into the wood. In the mean time the other two squadrons were calm spectators of the rout of their comrades, for they were drawn up a great distance behind, out of the reach of our shot, having halted on our first approach, and never advanced a step afterwards. It was doubtless fortunate for our people that the enemy acted with so little prudence, and ex- erted so little spirit, since had they concealed themselves till our men had landed, it is scarcely possible but all the boat's crew must have fallen into their hands, as the Spaniards were not much short of two hundred, and the whole number with Mr. Brett only amounted to sixteen. However the discovery of so considerable a force col- lected in this bay of Petaplan, obliged us constantly to keep a boat or two before it ; for we were apprehensive that the cutter, which we had left to cruise off Acapulco, might on her return be surprised by the enemy, if she Crap. XII.] PRODUCTIONS OP OHEQUETAX. 269 did not receive timely information of her danger. But now to proceed with the account of the harbour of Chequetan. After our unsuccessful attempt to engage the people of the country to furnish us with the necessaries we wanted, we desisted from any more endeavours of the same nature, and were obliged to be contented with what we could procure for ourselves in the neighbour- hood of the port. We caught fish here in tolerable quantities, especially when the smoothness of the water permitted us to haul the seine. Amongst the rest, we got cavallies, breams, mullets, soles, fiddle-fish; sea-eggs, and lobsters : and we here, and in no other place, met with that extraordinary fish, called the torpedo, or numbing fish, which is in shape very like the fiddle- fish, and is not to be known from it but by a brown cir- cular spot, about the bigness of a crown piece, near the centre of its back ; perhaps its figure will be better under- stood, when I say it is a flat fish, much resembling the thomback. This fish, the torpedo, is indeed of a most singular nature, productive of the strangest effects on the human body; for whoever handles it, or happens even to set his foot upon it, is presently seized with a numbness all over him; but which is more distin- guishable in that limb which was in immediate contact with it. The same effect too will be in some degree produced by touching the fish with any thing held in the hand, since I myself had a considerable degree of numbness conveyed to my right arm, through a walking cane, which I rested on the body of the fish for a short time only; and I make no doubt but I should have been much more sensibly affected had not the fish been near expiring when I made the experiment; as it is ob- servable that this influence acts with most vigour upon the fish's being first taken out of the water, and entirely ceases as soon as it is dead, so that it may be then handled, or even eaten, without any inconvenience. I shall only add that the numbness of my arm upon this 270 VOTAQB ROUND THE WORLD. [fiooK IT. occasion did not go off on a sudden, as the accounts of some naturalists gave me reason to expect, but di- minished gradually, so that I had some sensation of it remaining till the next day. To the account given of the fish we met with here, I must add, that though turtle now grew scarce, and we found none in this harbour of Ohequetan, yet our boats, which were stationed off Petaplan, often supplied us therewith; and though this was a food that we had been long as it were confined to, since it was the only fresh provisions which we had tasted during near six months, yet we were far from being cloyed with it, or from finding that the relish we had for it at all diminished. The animals we met with on shore were principally guanos, with which the country abounds, and which are by some reckoned delicious food. We saw no beasts of prey here, except we should esteem that amphibious animal, the alligator, as such, several of which our people discovered, but none of them very large. However, we were satisfied that there were great numbers of tigers in the woods, though none of them came in sight ; for we every morning found the beach near the watering-place imprinted very thick with their footsteps ; but we never apprehended any mischief from them, since they are by no means so fierce as the Asiatic or African tiger, and are rarely if ever known to attack mankind. Birds were here in sufiicient plenty, for we had abundance of pheasants of different kinds, some of them of an un- common size, but they were all very dry and tasteless eating. And besides these we had a variety of smaller birds, particularly parrots, which we often killed for food. The fruits and vegetable refreshments at this place were neither plentiful nor of the best kinds : there were, it is true, a few bushes scattered about the woods, which supplied us with limes, but we scarcely could procure enough for our present use; and these, with a small Chap. XII.] PRODUOnOMS. OF OUEQUfiTAN. 271 plum, of an agreeable acid, called in Jamaica the hog- plum, together with another fruit, called a paper, were the only fruits to be found in the woods. Nor is there any other useful yegetable here^orth mentioning, except brook lime : this indeed grew in great quantities near the fresh-water banks ; and as it was esteemed an anti- scorbutic, we fed upon it frequently, though its extreme bitterness made it very unpalatable. These are the articles most worthy of notice in the harbour of Ohequetan. I shall only mention a par- ticular of the coast lying to the westward of it, that to the eastward having been already described. As Mr. Anson was always attentive to whatever might be of consequence to those who might frequent these seas hereafter; and as we had observed that there was a double land to the westward of Ohequetan, which stretched out to a considerable distance, with a kind of opening, that appeared not unlike the inlet to some harbour, the Commodore, soon after we came to an anchor, sent a boat to discover it more accurately, and it was found, on a nearer examination, that the two hills, which formed the double land, were joined together by a valley, and that there was no harbour nor shelter between them. By all that has been said, it will appear, that the conveniences of this port of Chequetan, particularly in the articles of refreshment, are not altogether such as might be desired : but yet, upon the whole, it must be owned to be a place of considerable consequence, and that the knowledge of it may be of great importance to future cruisers. For except Acapulco, which is in the hands of the enemy, it is the only secure harbour in a vast extent of coast. It lies at a proper distance from Acapulco, for the convenience of such ships as may have any designs on the Manilla galeon ; and it is a place where wood and wjkter may be procured with great security, in spite of the efforts of the inhabitants of the adjacent district; for there is but one narrow path which 272 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book II. leads through the woods into the country, and this is easily to be secured by a very small party against all the strength the Spaniards in that neighbourhood can muster. After this account of Ohequetan, and the coast contiguous to it, we now return to the recital of our own proceedings. CHAPTER XIII. Our Proceedings at Chcquctan and on the adjacent coast, till our setting sail for Asia. The next morning, after coming to an anchor in the harbour of Chequetan, we sent about ninety of our men, well armed, on shore, forty of whom were ordered to march into the country, as hath been mentioned, and the remaining fifty were employed to cover the water- ing place, and to prevent any interruption from the natives. Here we completed the unloading of the Oarmelo and Oarmin, which we had begun at sea; that is to say, we took out of them the indigo, cocoa, and cochineal, with some iron for ballast, which were all the goods we intended to preserve, though they did not amount to a tenth of their cargoes. Here, too, it was agreed, after a mature consultation, to destroy the Tryal's Prize, as well as the Carmelo and Oarmin, whose fate had been before resolved on. Indeed, the Tryal's Prize was in good repair, and fit for the sea; but, as the whole numbers on board our squadron did not amount to the complement of a fourth-rate man-of-war, ^ve found it was impossible to divide them into three ships, withr^it rendering each of those ships incapable of navip-ating a safety through the tempestuous weather we h.d reasou to expect on the coast of China, where we supposed we should arrive about the time of the change of the mon- soons. These considerations determined the Commoaore Chap. XIII.] PBOOBEDINOS AT OHEQUETAK. 273 to destroy the TryaUfl Prize, and to reinforce the Glou- cester with the best part of her crew. And in conse- quence of this resolve, all the stores on board the TryaPs Prize were removed into the other ships, and the prize herself, with the Carmelo and Carmin, were prepared for scuttling with all the expedition we were masters of; but the great difficulties we were under in providing a store of water, together with the necessary repairs of our rigging, and other unavoidable occupations, took us up so much time, and found us such unexpected employ- ment, that it was near the end of April before we were in a condition to leave the place. During our stay here, there happened an incident which, as it proved the means of convincing our friends in England of our safety, which for some time they had despaired of, and were then in doubt about, I shall beg lea^e particularly to recite. I have observed, in the preceding chapter, that, from this harbour of Chequetan, there was but one patL way "hich led through the woods into ihe ountry: this wc f^ ^\ much beaten, and were thence :'>nvinced that it >vu^ \V'''^ known to the inhabitants. As it p...; H by the spriii.^head, un build a fort close to the water; but, as there was no money in the royal chests, they could not complete so considerable a work ; and therefore they contented themselves with keeping a guard of a hundred horse there, that they might be sure to receive early notice of our appearance on that coast. Indeed, some of them, as we were told, conceiving our management at sea to be as pusillanimous as their own, pretended that this was a road where the Commodore would never dare to hazard his ships, for 292 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II, fear that, in so great a depth of water, their anchors could not hold them. And let it not be imagined, that I am proceeding upon groundless and extravagant presumptions, when I con- clude, that fifteen hundred or a thousand of our people, well conducted, would have been an overmatch for any numbers the Spaniards could muster in South America. Since, not to mention the experience we had of them at Faita and Petaplan, it must be remembered, that our Commodore was extremely solicitous to have all his men trained to the dexterous use of their fire-arms ; whereas the Spaniards, in this part of the world, were wretchedly provided with arms, and were very awkward in the management of the few they had : and though, on their repeated representations, the Court of Spain had ordered several thousand firelocks to be put on board Pizarro's squadron, yet those, it is evident, could not have been in America time enough to have been employed against us. Hence, then, by our arms, and our readiness in the use of them, (not to insist on the timidity and softness of our enemy,) we should, in some degree, have had the same advantages, which the Spaniards themselves had on the first discovery of this country, against its naked and unarmed inhabitants. Now, let it, in the next place, be considered, what were the events which we had to fear, or what were the circumstances which could have prevented us from giv- ing law to all the coast of South America, and thereby cutting off from Spain the resources which she drew from these immense provinces. By sea there was no force capable of opposing us; for how soon soever we had sailed, Pizarro's squadron could not have sailed sooner than it did, and therefore could not have avoided the fate it met with. As we should have been masters of the ports of Chili, we could thereby have supplied ourselves with the provisions we wanted in the greatest plenty; and, from Baldivia to the equinoctial, we ran no risk of losing our men by sickness, (that being of all Chap. XIV.] STATE OF SOUTH AMERICA. 293 climates the most temperate and healthy,) nor of having our ships disabled by bad weather. And had we wanted sailors to assist in the navigating of our squadron, whilst a considerable proportion of our men were employed on shore, \/e could not have failed of getting whatever numbers we pleased, in the ports we should have taken, and from the prizes which would have fallen into our hands. For I must observe, that the Indians, who are the principal mariners in that part of the world, are ex- tremely docile and dexterous ; and though they are not fit to struggle with the inclemencies of a cold climate, yet in temperate seas they are most useful and laborious seamen. Thus, then, it appears, what important revolutions might have been brought about by our squadron, had it departed from England as early as it ought to have done : and from hence it is easy to conclude, what immense advantages might have thence accrued to the public. For as, on our success, it would have been impossible that the kingdom of Spain should have received any treasure from the provinces bordering on the South Seas, or should even have had any communication with them ; it is certain, that the whole attention of that monarchy would have been immediately employed in endeavouring to regain these inestimable territories, either by force of arms or compact. By the first of these methods, it was scarcely possible they could succeed ; for it must have been at least a twelvemonth after our arrival before any ships from Spain could have got into the South Seas, and when they had been there, they would have found them- selves without resource, since they would, probably, have been separated, disabled, and sickly; and would then have had no port remaining in their possession, where they could either rendezvous or refit : whilst we might have been supplied, across the Isthmus, with whatever necessaries, stores, or even men, \,e wanted; and might thereby have supported our squadron in as good a condition as when it first set sail from St. Helen's. In short, it required but little prudence so to have 294 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book II. conducted this business, as to have rendered all the efforts of Spain, seconded by the power of France, inef- fectual, and to have maintained our conquest in defiance of them both. Whence they must either have resolved to have left Great Britain mistress of the wealth of South America, (the principal support of all their destructive projects,) or they must have submitted to her terms, and have been contented to receive these provinces back again, as an equivalent for such restrictions to their future ambition as she in her prudence should have dictated to them. Having thus discussed the prodigious weight which the operations of our squadron might have added to the national influence of this kingdom, I shall here end this Second Book, referring to the next the passage of the shattered remains of our force across the Pacific Ocean, and all their subsequent transactions till the Commodore's arrival in England. Chap. I.] FROM MEXICO TO THE LADRONBS. 205 BOOK THE THIRD. CHAPTER I. The Run from the Coast of Mexico to the Ladrones, or Marine Islands. When, on the 6th of May, 1742, we left the coast ol America, we stood to the S.W. with a view of meeting the N. E. trade-wind, which the accounts of former writers taught us to expect at seventy or eighty leagues from the land. We had, besides, another reason for standing to the southward, which was the getting to the latitude of 13° or 14° north; that being the parallel where the Pacific Ocean is most usually crossed, and, consequently, where the navigation is esteemed the safest : this last purpose we had soon answered, being in a day or two sufficiently advanced to the south. But though we were, at the same time, more distant from the shore than we had presumed was necessary for the falling in with the trade-wind; yet, in this particular, we were most grievously disappointed, the wind still continuing to the westward, or at best variable. As the getting into the N.E. trade was to us a matter of the last con- sequence, we stood yet more to the southward, and made many experiments to meet with it ; but all our eiForts were for a long time unsuccessful, so that it was seven weeks from our leaving the coast before we got into the true trade-wind. This was an interval, in which we had, at first, believed we should well nigh have reached the easternmost parts of Asia ; but we were so baffled with the contrary and variable winds, which for all that time perplexed us, that we were not as yet advanced a,bove a fourth of the way. The delay alone would have 296 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. been a sufficient mortification ; but there were other circumstances attending it, which rendered this situation not less terrible, and our apprehensions, perhaps, still greater than any of our past calamities. For our two ships were by this time extremely crazy; and many days had not passed before we discovered a spring in the fore- mast of the Centurion, which rounded aboii^ wenty-six inches of its circumference, and which was judged to be at least four inches deep. And no sooner had the car- penters secured this mast with fishing ic, than the Glou- cester made a signal of distress, to inform us that she had a spring in her main-mast, twelve feet below the trussel-trees, which appeared so dangerous, that she could not carry any sail upon it. Our carpenters, on a strict examination of this mast, found it excessively rotten and decayed ; and it being judged necessary to cut it down as low as it was defective, it was by this means reduced to nothing but a stump, which served only as a step to the top-mast. These accidents aug- mented our delay, and, being added to our other dis- tresses, occasioned us great anxiety about our future safety. For though, after our departure from Juan Fernandez, we had enjoyed a most uninterrupted state of health till our leaving the coast of Mexico, yet the scurvy now began to make fresh havoc amongst our people : and we too well knew the effects of this disease, by our former fatal experience, to suppose that any thing, except a speedy passage, could secure the greater part of our crew from being destroyed thereby. But as, after being seven weeks av sea, there did not appear any reasons that could persuade us we were nearer the trade-wind than when we set out, there was no ground for us to imagine that our passage would not prove ^t least three times as long as we at first expected, and, consequently, we had the melancholy prospect, either of dying by the scurvy, or of perishing with the ship, for want of hands to navigate her. Indeed, several amongst us were willing to believe, that, in this warm climate, Chap. J.] RAVAGES OF THE SCURVY. 297 SO different from what we felt in passing round Cape Horn, the violence of this disease, and its fatality, might be in some degree mitigated ; as it had not been unusual to suppose, that its particular virulence, during that pas- sage, was, in a great measure, owing to the severity of the weather. But the ravage of the distemper, in our present circumstances, soon convinced us of the falsity of this speculation, as it likewise exploded certain other opinions, which usually pass current about the cause and nature of this disease. For it has been generally presumed that sufficient supplies of water and of fresh provisions are effectual preventives of this malady ; but it happened that, in the present case, we had a considerable stock of fresl^ pro- visions on board, being the hogs and fowls which were taken at Paita; we besides almost daily caught great abundance of bonitos, dolphins, and albicores 5 and the unsettled season, which deprived us of the benefit of the trade-v/ind, proved extremely rainy ; so that we were enabled to fill up our water-casks almost as fast as they were empty ; and each man had ^ye pints of water allowed him every day during the passage. But not- withstanding this plenty of water, and that fresh pro- visions were distributed amongst the sick, and the whole crew often fed upon fish, yet neither were the sick hereby relieved, nor the progress or malignity of the disease at all abated. Nor was it in these instances only that we found the general maxims upon this head defective; for though it has been usually esteemed a necessary piece of management to keep all ships, where the crews are large, as clean and airy between decks as possible; and it hath been believed by many that this particular alone, if well attended to, would prevent the appearance of the scurvy, or at least mitigate its viru- lence; yet we observed during the latter part of our run, that though we kept all our ports operi, and took uncommon pains in cleansing and sweetening the ships, the disease still raged with as much violence as ever, 298 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. nor did its advancement seem to be thereby sensibly retarded. However, I would not be understood to assert that fresh provisions, plenty of water, and a constant supply of sweet air between decks, are matters of no moment : I am on the contrary well satisfied that they are, all of them, articles of great importance, and are doubtless extremely conducive to the health and vigour of the crew, and may in many cases prevent this fatal malady from taking place. All I have aimed at in what I have advanced, is only to evince that, in some instances, both the cure and prevention of this malady is impossible to be effected by any management, or by the application of any remedies which can be made use of at sea. Indeed, J am myself fully persuaded, that when it has got to a certain head there are no other means in nature for re- lieving the sick but carrying them on shore, or at least bringing them into the neighbourhood of the land. Perhaps a distinct and adequate knowledge of the source of this disease may never be discovered, but in general there is no difficulty in conceiving that, as a continued supply of fresh air is necessary to all animal life, and as this air is so particular a fluid, that without losing its elasticity, or any of its obvious properties, it may be rendered unfit for this purpose, by the mixing with it some very subtile and otherwise imperceptible effluvia ; it may easily be conceived, I say, that the steams arising from the ocean may have a tendency to render the air they are spread through less properly adapted to the support of the life of terrestrial animals, unless these steams are corrected by effluvia of another kind, which perhaps the land alone can afford. To what has been already said in relation to this disease, I shall add that our surgeon, who, during our passage round Cape Horn, had ascribed the mortality we suffered to the severity of the climate, exerted him- self in the present run to the u^-most : but he at last declared that all his measures were totally ineffectual, Chap. I.] ON THE CAUSE OF THE BCUHVT. and did not in the least avaiT hr* patients. On tbis it was resolved by the Commodu>re to tr^ the 8uccea>p of two medicines, which just befv^rc his departiur*' frrjm England were the subject of much di«course; i meao the pill and drop of Mr. Ward. For howeyer ?i(4ent the operations of these medicines are said Ut hate some- times proved, yet, in the present instance, wli^jre, with- out some remedy, destruction setined inevitable', the experiment at least was thought advisable', an«l there- fore one or both of them at different times were admi- nistered to persons in every stage of the distemjier Out of the numbers who took them, one, soon after swallowing the pill, was seized with a violent bleeding at the nose; he was before given over by the surgeon, and lay almost at the point of death ; but he immediately found himself much better, and continued to recover, though slowly, till we arrived on shore, which was near a fortnight after. A few others too were relieved for some days, but the disease returned again with as much virulence as ever. Though neither did these, nor the rest who received no benefit, appear to be reduced to a worse condition than they would have been if they had taken nothing. The most remarkable property of these medicines, and that was obvious, in almost every one that took them, was that they acted in proportion to the vigour of the patient; so that those who were within two or three days of dying, were scarcely affected ; and as the patient was differently advanced in the disease, the operation was either a gentle perspiration, an easy vomit, or a moderate purge ; but if they were taken by one in full strength, they then produced all the before- mentioned effects with considerable violence, which some- times continued for six or eight hours together, with little intermission. However, let us return to the prosecution of our voyage. 1 have already observed, that a few days after our running off the coast of Mexico, the Gloucester had her main-mast cut down to a stump, and we were obliged 300 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. to fish her foremast; and that these misfortunes were greatly aggravated by our meeting with contrary and variable winds for near seven weeks. I shall now add, that when we reached the trade-wind, and it settled between the north and the east, yet it seldom blew with so much strength that the Centurion might not have carried all her small sails abroad without the least danger; so that had we been a single ship we might have run down our longitude apace, and have arrived at tho Ladrones soon enough to have recovered great numbers of our men, who afterwards perished. But the Glou- cester, by the loss of her main-mast, sailed so very heavily, that we had seldom any more than our top-sails set, and yet were frequently obliged to lie-to for her. And I conceive thg-t on the whole, we lost little less than a month by our attendance upon her, in consequence of the various mischances she encountered. During all this run it was remarkable that we were rarely many days together without seeing great numbers of birds, which is a proof that there are several islands, or at least rocks, scattered all along at no very considerable distance from our track ; but the frequency of these birds seems to ascertain that there are many more than have been hitherto discovered ; for the most part of the birds, we observed, were such as are known to roost on shore; and the manner of their appearance sufficiently evinced that they came from some distant haunt every morning, and returned thither again in the evening, since we never saw them early or late, and the hour of their arrival and departure greatly varied, which we supposed was occasioned by our running nearer their haunts, or getting farther from them. The trade-wind continued to favour us, without any fluctuation, from the end of June till towards the end of July. But on the 26th of July, being then, as we esteemed, about three hundred leagues from the Ladrones, we met with a westerly wind, which did not come about again to the eastward in four days' time. This was a most Chap. I.l ACCIDENT TO THE GLOUCESTER. 301 dispiriting incident, as it at once damped all our hopes of speedy relief, especially too as it was attended with a vexatious accident to the Gloucester : for in one part of these four days the wind flatted to a calm, and the ships rolled very deep ; by which means the Gloucester's fore- cap splitting, her fore-top-mast came by-the-board, and broke her fore-yard directly in the slings. As she was hereby rendered incapable of making any sail for some time, we were under the necessity, as soon as a gale sprung up, to take her in tow, and near twenty of the healthiest and ablest of our seamen v/ero removed from the duty of our own ship, and contjiudd eight or ten days together on board the Gloucester, to assist in re- pairing her damage : but these things, mortifying as we thought them, were only the commencement of our dis- asters, for scarce had our people finished their business in the Gloucester, before we met with a most violent storm from the western board, which obliged us to lie-to. At the beginning of this storm our ship sprung a leak, and let in so much water, that all our people, officers included, were constantly employed about the pumps : and the next day we had the vexation to see the Glou- cester with her fore-top-mast once more by-the-board. Nor was that the whole of her calamity, since whilst we were viewing her with great concern for this new distress, we saw her main-top-mast, which had hitherto served her as a jury-main-mast, share the same fate. This completed our misfortunes, and rendered them without resource; for we knew the Gloucester's crew were so few and feeble that without our assistance they could not be relieved; whilst, at the same time, our sick were now so far increased, and those who remained in health so continually fatigued with the additional duty of our pumps, that it was impossible for us to lend them any aid. Indeed we were not as yet fully apprised of the deplorable situation of the Gloucester's crew; for when the storm abated, which during its continuance prevented all communication with them, the Gloucester bore up 302 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III under our stern, anr" Captain Mitchell informed the Commodore, that besides the loss of his masts, which was all that was visible to us, the ship had then no less than seven feet of water in her hold, although his officers and men had been kept constantly at the pumps for the last twenty-four hours. This last circumstance was indeed a most terrible ac- cumulation to the other extraordinary distresses of the Gloucester, and required if possible the most speedy and vigorous assistance, which Captain Mitchell begged the Commodore to aiford him ; but the debility of our people, and our own immediate preservation, rendered it impracticable for the Commodore to comply with his request. All that could be done, was to send our boat on board, for a more particular account of the ship's condition, as it was soon suspected, that the taking her people on board us, and then destroying her, was the only expedient in the present emergency, both for the security of their lives and of our own. Our boat soon returned with a representation of the state of the Gloucester, and of her several defects, signed by Captain Mitchell and all his officers; whence it ap- peared that she had sprung a leak, by the stern-post being loose, and working with every roll of the ship, and by two beams a-midships being broken in the orlope, no part of which, as the carpenters reported, could possibly be repaired at sea; that both officers and men had wrought twenty-four hours at the pump without inter- mission, and were, at length, so fatigued, that they could continue their labour no longer, but had been forced to desist, with seven feet of water in the hold, which covered all their casks, so that they could neither come at fresh water nor provision. That they had no mast standing, except the fore-mast, the mizen-mast, and the mizen- top-mast, nor had they any spare masts to get up in the room of those they had lost ; that the ship was, besides, extremely decayed in every part, for her knees and clamps were all become quite loose, and her upper works, in Chap. I.] BAD CONDITION OF THE GLOUCESTER. 303 general, were so crazy, that the quarter-deck was ready to drop down. That her crew was greatly reduced, as there remained alive on board her, officers included, no more than seventy-seven men, eighteen boys, and two prisoners; and that of this whole number only sixteen men and eleven boys were capable of keeping the deck, several of these, too, being very infirm. The Commodore, on the perusal of this melancholy representation, presently ordered them a supply of watc and provisions, of which they seemed to be in the most pressing want, and at the same time sent his own car- penter on board them, to examine into the truth of every particular ; and it being found, on the strictest inquiry, that the preceding account was in no instance exagge- rated, it plainly appeared there was no possibility of pre- serving the Gloucester any longer, as her leaks were irreparable, and the united hands on board both ships would not be able to free her, could we have spared the whole of our crew to her relief. What, then, could be resolved on, when it was the utmost we ourselves could do to manage our own pumps ? Indeed there was no room for deliberation : the only step to be taken was the saving the lives of the few that remained on board the Gloucester, and the getting out of her as much as we could before she was destroyed. The Commodore, therefore, immediately sent an order to Captain Mitchell, to put his people on board the Centurion as expeditiously as he could, now the weather was calm and favourable, and to take out such stores as he could get at, whilst the ship could be kept above water. And, as our leak re- quired less attention, whilst the present easy weather continued, we sent our boats, with as many men as we could spare, to Captain Mitchell's assistance. The removing the Gloucester's people on board us, and the getting out such stores as could most easily be come at, gave us full employment for two days. Mr. Anson was extremely desirous to have saved two of her cables and an anchor, but the ship rolled so much, and the men II 304 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III, were so excessively fatigued, that they were incapable of eifecting it ; nay, it was even with the greatest difficulty that the prize-money which the Gloucester had taken in the South Seas, was secured, and sent on board the Cen- turion. However, the prize-goods in the Gloucester, which amouxited to several thousand pounds in value, and were principally the Centurion's property, were entirely lost ; nor could any more provision be got out than five casks of Hour, three of which were spoiled by the salt water. Their sick men, amounting to near seventy, were conveyed into the boats with as much care as the circum- stances of that time would permit ; but three or four of them expired as they were hoisting them into the Centurion. It was the 15th of August, in the evening, before the Gloucester was cleared of every thing that was proposed to be removed ; and, though the hold was now almost full of water, yet, as the carpenters were of opinion that she might still swim for some time, if the calm should continue and the water become smooth, it was resblved she should be burnt, as we knew not how tittle distant Chap. I.] THE GLOUCESTER DESTROYED. 305 we might be at present from the island of Guam, which was in the possession of our enemies, to whom the wreck 01 such a ship would have been no contemptible acquisi- tion. When she was set on fire, Captain Mitchell and his officers left her, and came on board the Centurion ; and we immediately stood from the wreck, not without some apprehensions, as we had only a light breeze, that, if she blew up soon, the concussion of the air might damage our rigging : but she fortunately continued burn- ing the whole night, so that, though her guns fired suc- cessively as the flames reached them, yet it was six in the morning, when we were about four leagues distant, before she blew up. The report she made upon this occasion was but small, although the blast produced an exceeding black pillar of smoke, which shot up into the air to a very considerable height. Thus perished his Majesty's ship the Gloucester. And now it might have been expected that, being freed from the embarrassments which her frequent disasters had in- volved us in, we should have proceeded on our way much brisker than we had hitherto done, especially as we had received some small addition to our strength by the tak- ing on board the Gloucester's crew. However, we were soon taught that our anxieties were not yet to be re- lieved, and that, notwithstanding all we had already suffered, there remained much greater distresses, which we were still to struggle with : for the late storm, which had proved so fatal to the Gloucester, had driven us to the northward of our intended course; and the current setting the same way, after the weather aibated, had forced us yet a degree or two farther, so that we W€re now in 17^° north latitude, instead of being in 13J°, which was the parallel we proposed to keep, in order to reach the island of Guim. As it had been a perfect, calm for some days since the cessation of the storm, and we were ignorant how near we were to the meridian of the Ladrones, though we supposed ourselves not to be far from it, we apprehended that we might be driven to the leeward of them by the X 306 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. current, without discovering them. On this supposition, the only land we could make would be some of the eastern parts of Asia, where, if we could arrive, we should find the western monsoon in its full force, so that it would be impossible for the stoutest, best-manned ship to get in. Besides, this coast being between four and ^ye hundred leagues distant from us, we, in our languishing circum- stances, could expect no other than to be destroyed by the scurvy, long before the most favourable gale could enable us to complete so extensive a navigation : for our deaths were by this time become extremely alarming, no day passing in which we did not bury eight or ten, and sometimes twelve, of our men ; and those who had as yet continued healthy began to fall down apace. Indeed we made the best use we could of our present calm, by em- ploying our carpenters in searching after the leak, which, notwithstanding the little wind we had, was now con- siderable. The carpenters at length discovered it to be in the gunner's fore store-room, where the waters rushed in under the breast-hook on each side of the stem ; but, though they found where it was, they agreed it was im- possible to stop it till they could come at it on the outside, which was evidently a matter not to be attempted till we should arrive in port. However, they did the best they could within board, and were fortunate enough to reduce it, which was a considerable relief to us. We hitherto considered the calm which succeeded the storm, and which had now continued for some days, as a very great misfortune, since the currents were all the time driving us to the northward of our parallel, and we thereby risked the missing of the Ladrones, which we at present conceived ourselves to be very near. But, when a gale sprung up, our condition was still worse, for it blew from the S.W., and, consequently, was directly opposed to the course we wanted to steer; and though it soon veered to the N.E., yet this served only to tantalize us, and it returned back again, in a very short time, to its old quarter. However, on the 22d of August, we had the Chap. I.] TWO ISLANDS DISCOVERED. 307 satisfaction to find that the current was shifted, and had set us to the southward ; and on the 23d, at day-break, we were cheered with the discovery of two islands in the western board. This gave us all great joy, and raised our drooping spirits, for, till then, an universal dejection had seized us, and we almost despaired of ever seeing land again. The nearest of these islands, as we learnt afterwards, was Anatacan : this we judged to be full fifteen leagues from us. It seemed to be high land, though of an indifferent length. The other was the island of Seri- gan, which had rather the appearance of a rock than of a place we could hope to anchor at. We were extremely impatient to get in with the nearest island, where we expected to find anchoring ground, and an opportunity of refreshing our sick. But the wind proved so variable all day, and there was so little of it, that we advanced to- wards it but slowly ; however, by the next morning, we were got so far to the westward, that we were in sight of a third island, which was that of Paxaras. This was very small, and the land low, so that we had passed within less than a mile of it in the night without observing it. At noon, being then not four miles from the island of Ana- tacan, the boat was sent away to examine the anchoring ground and the produce of the place; and we were not a little solicitous for her return, as we considered our fate to depend upon the report we should receive ; for the other two islands were, obviously enough, incapable of furnishing us with any assistance, and we knew not that there were any besides which we could reach. In the evening the boat came back, and the crew informed us that there was no road for a ship to anchor in, the bot- tom being everywhere foul ground, and all, except one small spot, not less than fifty fathom in depth; that, on that spot, there was thirty fathom, though not above half a mile from the shore; and that the bank was steep, too, and could not be depended on. They farther told us, that they had landed on the island, not without some difficulty, on account of the greatness of the swell; that 308 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book III. they found the ground was everywhere covered with a kind of wild cane, or rush ; but that they met with no water, and did not believe the place to be inhabited ; though the soil was good, and abounded with groves of cocoa-nut trees. The account of the impossibility of anchoring at this island occasioned a general melancholy on board, for we considered it as little less than the prelude to our destruc- tion ; and our despondency was increased by a disappoint- ment we met with the succeeding night, when as we were plying under top-sails, with an intention of getting nearer to the island, and of sending our boat on shore to load with cocoa-nuts for the refreshment of our sick, the wind proved squally, and blew so strong off shore, that we were driven too far to the southward to venture to send off our boat. And now the only possible circumstance that could secure the few which remained alive from perishing, was the accidental falling in with some of the other Ladrone islands, better prepared for our accommo- dation; but as our knowledge of those islands was extremely imperfect, we were to trust entirely to chance for our guidance ; only, as they are all of them usually laid down near the same meridian, and we conceived those we had already seen to be part of them, we con- cluded to stand to the soul' yard, as the most probable means of discovering the rest. Thus, with the most gloomy persuasion of our approaching destruction, we stood from the island of Anatacan, having all of us the strongest apprehensions, and those not ill-grounded, either of dying by the scurvy, or of being destroyed with the ship, which, for want of hands to work her pumps, might in a short time be expected to founder. Chap. II.] ARRIVAL AT THE ISLAND OP TINIAN. 309 CHAPTER II. Our arrival at Tinian, and an account of the island, and of our proceedings there, till the Centurion drove out to sea. It was the 26th of August, 1742, in the morning, when we lost sight of the land of Anatacan, dreading that it was the last land we should ever ^x our eyes on : but the next morning we discovered three other islands to the eastward, which were between ten and fourteen leagues distant from us. These were, as we afterwards learnt, the islands of Saypan, Tinian, and Aguigan. We immediately steered towards Tinian, which was the middlemost of the three ; but we had so much of calms and light airs, that though we were helped forward by the currents, yet on the morrow, at day-break, we had not advanced nearer than within five leagues of it. However, we kept on our course, and about ten o'clock we perceived a proa under sail to the southward, between Tinian and Aguigan. As we imagined from hence, that these islands were inhabited, and knew that the Spaniards had always a force at Guam, we took the necessary precautions for our own security, and endeavoured to prevent the enemy, as much as possible, from taking any advantage of our present wretched circumstances, of which we feared they would be sufficiently informed by the man- ner of our working the ship. We therefore mustered all our hands, who were capable of standing to their arms, and loaded our upper and quarter-deck guns with grape-shot; and, that we might the more readily pro- cure some intelligence of the state of these islands, we showed Spanish colours, and hoisted a red flag at the fore-top-mast head, hoping thereby to give our ship the appearance of the Manilla galeon, and to decoy some of the inhabitants on board us. Thus preparing ourselves, and standing towards the land, we were near enough, at three in the afternoon, to send the cutter in shore to find f 310 VOYAGE BOUND THE WOBLD. [Book 111. out a proper berth for the ship ; and we soon perceived that a proa put off from the island to meet the cutter, fully persuaded, as we afterwards found, that we were the Manilla ship. As we saw the cutter returning with the proa in tow, we instantly sent the pinnace to receive the proa and the prisoners, and to bring them on board, that the cutter might proceed on her errand. The pinnace came back with a Spaniard and four Indians, which were the people taken in the proa; and the Spaniard being immediately examined as to produce and circumstances of this island of Tinian, his account of it surpassed even our most sanguine hopes, for he in- formed us that though it was uninhabited (which in itself, considering our present defenceless condition, was a convenience not to be despised) yet it wanted but few of the accommodations that could be expected in the most cultivated country. In particular he assured us that there was plenty of very good water; that there was an incredible number of cattle, hogs, and poultry running wild on the island, all of them excellent in their kind ; that the woods afforded sweet and sour oranges, limes, lemons, and cocoa-nuts in great abundance, be- sides a fruit peculiar to these islands, which served instead of bread ; that from the quantity and goodness of the provisions produced he'-e, the Spaniards at Guam made use of it as a store for supplying the garrison; and that he himself was a serjeant of that garrison, who was sent hither, with twenty-two Indians, to jerk beef, which he was to load for Guam, on board a small bark, of about fifteen ton, which lay at anchor near the shore. This relation was received by us with inexpressible joy : part of it we were ourselves able to verify on the «pot, as we were by this time near enough to discover several numerous herds of cattle feeding in different places of the island; and we did not any ways doubt the rest of his narration, since the appearance of the shore prejudiced us greatly in its favour, and made us hope that not only our necessities might be there fully Chap. II.] ACCOUNT OP THE ISLAND OP TINIAN. 311 relieved, and our diseased recovered, but that amidst those pleasing scenes which were then in view, we might procure ourselves some amusement and relaxation after the numerous fatigues we had undergone. For the prospect of the country did by no means resemble that of an uninhabited and uncultivated place; but had much more the air of a magnificent plantation, where large lawns and stately woods had been laid out together with great skill, and where the whole had been so artfully combined, and so judiciously adapted to the slopes of the hills and the inequalities of the ground, as to produce a most striking efiect, and to. do honour to the invention of the contriver. Thus (an event not unlike what we have already seen) we were forced upon the most de- sirable and salutary measures by accidents, which at first sight we considered as the greatest of misfortunes ; for had we not been driven, by the contrary winds and currents, to the northward of our course (a circumstance which at that time gave us the most terrible appre- hensions) we should in all probability never have arrived at this delightful island, and consequently we should have missed of that place where alone all our wants could be most amply relieved, our sick recovered, and our en- feebled crew once more refreshed and enabled to put again to sea. The Spanish serjeant, from whom we received the account of the island, having informed us that there were some Indians on shore under his command, em- ployed in jerking beef, and that there was a bark at anchor to take it on board ; we were desirous, if possible, to prevent the Indians from escaping, since they would certainly have given the Governor of Guam intelligence of our arrival : we therefore immediately despatched the pinnace to secure the bark, as the serjeant told us that was the only embarkation on the place; and then about eight in the evening, we let go our anchor in twenty- two fathom. But though it was almost calm, and what- ever vigour and spirit was to be found on board was 312 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. doubtless exerted to the utmost on this pleasing occasion, when after having kept the sea for some months, we were going to take possession of this little paradise; yet we were full five hours in furling our sails. It is true we were somewhat weakened by the crews of the cutter and pinnace, which were sent on shore ; but it is not less true, that including those absent with the boats, and some negroes and Indian prisoners, all the hands we could muster, capable of standing at a gun, amounted to no more than seventy-one, most of whom too were in- capable of duty, except on the greatest emergencies. This, inconsiderable as it may appear, was the whole force we could collect in our present enfeebled con- dition from the united crews of the Centurion, the Glou- cester, and the Tryal, which, when we departed from England, consisted all together of near a thousand hands. When we had furled our sails our people were allowed to repose themselves during the remainder of the night, to recover them from the fatigue they had undergone. But in the morning a party was sent on shore well armed, of which I myself was one, to make ourselves masters of the landing-place, since we were not certain what opposition might be made by the Indians on the island: we landed, however, without difficulty, for the Indians having perceived, by our seizure of the bark the night before, that we were enemies, they imme- diately fled into the woody parts of the island. We found on shore many huts which they had inhabited, and which saved us both the time and trouble of erecting tents ; one of these huts, which the Indians made use of for a store-house, was very large, being twenty yards long, and fifteen broad ; this we immediately cleared of some bales of jerked beef which had been left in it, and converted it into an hospital for our sick, who, as soon as the place was ready to receive them, were brought on shore, being in all a hundred and twenty-eight. Num- bers of these were so very helpless that we were obliged to carry them from the boats to the hospital upon our Chap. II.] DESCRIPTION OF TINIAN. 313 shoulders, in which humane employment (as before at Juan Fernandez) the Commodore himself, and every one of his officers, were engaged without distinction; and notwithstanding the extreme debility, and the dying aspects of the greatest part of our sick, it is almost in- credible how soon they began to feel the salutary in- fluence of the land : for though we buried twenty-one men on this and the preceding day, j et we did not lose above ten men more during the whole two months we staid here : but our diseased, in general, reaped so much benefit from the fruits of the island, particularly those of the acid kind, that in a week's time there were but few of them who were not so far recovered as to be able to move about without help. But now, in some sort established at this place, we were enabled more distinctly to examine its qualities and productions; and that the reader may the better judge of our manner of life here, and future navigators be better apprised of the conveniences we met with, I shall, before I proceed any further in the history of our own adventures, throw together the most interesting particulars that came to our knowledge relating to the situation, soil, produce, and accommodations of this island of Tinian. This island lies in the latitude of 15° 8' north, and longitude from Acapulco 114° 50' west. Its length is about twelve miles, and its breadth about half as much ; it extending from the SS.W. to NN.E. The soil is every where dry and healthy, and being withal some- what sandy, it is thereby the less disposed to rank and over-luxuriant vegetation ; and hence the meadows and the boi;toms of the woods are much neater and smoother than is customary in hot climates. The land rose in gentle slopes from the very beach where we watered to the middle of the island, though the general course of its ascent was often interrupted by valleys of an easy descent, many of which wind irregularly through the country. These valleys, and the gradual swellings of 314 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. the ground, which their different oomhinations gave rise to, were most beautifully diversified by the mutual encroachments of woods and lawns, which coasted each other, and traversed the island in large tracts. The woods consisted of tall and well-spread trees, the greatest part of them celebrated either for their** aspect or their fruit; whilst the lawns were usually of a considerable breadth, their turf quite clean and uni- form, it being composed of a very fine trefoil, which was intermixed with a variety of flowers. The woods, too, were, in many places open, and free from all bushes and underwood, so that they terminated on the lawns with a well-defined outline, where neither shrubs nor weeds were to be seen; but the neatness of the adjacent turf was frequently extended to a considerable distance, under the hollow shade formed by the trees. Hence arose a great number of the most elegant and entertaining pros^ ts, according to the different blend- ings of these wo ind lawns, and their various inter- sections with each other, as they spread themselves differently through the valleys, and over the slopes and declivities in which the place abounded. Nor were the allurements of Tinian confined to the excellency of its landscapes only, since the fortunate animals, which, during the greatest part of the year are the sole lords of this happy soil, partake, in some measure, of the romantic cast of the island, and are no small addition to its wonderful scenery ; for the cattle, of which it is not uncommon to see herds of some thousands feeding toge- ther in a large meadow, are certainly the most remarkable in the world, as they are all of them milk-white, except their ears, which are generally brown or black. And though there are no inhabitants here, yet the clamour and frequent parading of domestic poultry, which range the woods in great numbers, perpetually excite the idea of the neighbourhood of farms and villages, and greatly contribute to the cheerfulness and beauty of the place. The cattle on Tinian, we computed^ were at least ten CUAP. II.] DESCRIPTION OP TINIAN. 315 thousand. We had no difficulty in getting near them, for they were not at all shy of us. Our first method ojf killing them was shooting them ; but at last, when by accidents, to be hereafter recited, we were obliged to husband our ammunition, our men ran them down with ease. Their flesh was extremely well tasted, and was believed by us to be much more easily digested than any we had ever met with. The fowls, too, were exceeding good, and were likewise run down with little trouble; for they could scarce fly farther than a hundred yards at a flight, and even that fatigued them to such a degree, that they could not readily rise again ; so that, aided by the openness of the woods, we could at all times furnish ourselves with whatever number we wanted. Besides the cattle and the poultry, we found here abundance of wild hogs : these were most excellent food; but as they were a very fierce animal, we were obliged either to shoot them or to hunt them with large dogs, which we found upon the place at our landing, and which belonged to the detachment which was then upon the island, amassing provisions for the garrison of Guam. As these dogs had been purposely trained to the killing of the wild hogs, they followed us very readily, and hunted for us ; but though they were a large bold breed, the hogs fought with so much fury, that they frequently destroyed them, whence we, by degrees, lost the ^rROOEEDINOS AT TINIAN. 325 time moored ast'Tu, was on a sudden canted so bigh, that it broke the transon of the Commodore's gallery, whose cabin was on the quarter-deck, and would doubtless have risen as high as the tafferel, had it not been for the stroke, which stove the boat all to pieces ; and yet the poor hoat-keeper, though extremely bruised, was saved almost by miracle. About eight the tide slackened; but the wind not abating, the best bower-cable, by which alone we rode, parted at eleven. Our sheet anchor, which was the only one we had left, was instantly cut from the bow; but before it could reach the bottom, we were driven from twenty-two into thirty-five fathom; and after we had veered away one whole cable, and two- thirds of another, we could not find ground with sixty fathom of line. This was a plain indication that the anchor lay near the edge of the bank, and could not hold us long. In this pressing danger Mr. Saumarez, our first lieutenant, who now commanded on board, ordered several guns to be fired, and lights to be shown, as a signal to the Commodore of our distress ; and, in a short time after, it being then about one o'clock, and the night excessively dark, a strong gust, attended with rain and lightning, drove us off" the bank and forced us out to sea, leaving behind us on the island Mr. Anson, with many more of our officers, and great part of our crew, amounting in the whole to a hundred and thirteen per- sons. Thus we were all, both at sea and on shore, re- duced to the utmost despair by this catastrophe; those on shore conceiving they had no means left them ever to depart from the island, whilst we on board being utterly unprepared to struggle with the fury of the seas and winds we were now exposed to, expected each moment to be our last. 326 V07AOE ROUNP THE WORLD. [Book III. CHAPTER III. Transactions at Tinian, after the Departure of the Centurion. The storm, which drove the Centurion to sea, blew with too much turbulence to permit either the Commodore, or any of the people on shore, to hear the guns which she fired as signals of distress ; and the frequent glare of the lightning had prevented the explosions from being observed ; so that when at daybreak it was perceived from the shore that the ship was missing, there was the utmost consternation amongst them, for much the great- est part of them immediately concluded that she was lost, and entreated the Commodore that the boat might be sent round the island to look after the wreck ; and those who believed her safe had scarcely any expectation that she would ever be able to make the island again, since the wind continued to blow strong at east, and they well knew how poorly she was manned and provided for struggling with so tempestuous a gale. In either of these views, their situation was indeed most deplorable ; for if the Centurion was lost, or should be incapable of return- ing, there appeared no possibility of their ever getting off the island, as they were at least six hundred leagues from Macao, which was their nearest port : and they were masters of no other vessel than the small Spanish bark, of about fifteen tons, seized at their first arrival, which would not even hold a fourth part of their number. And the chance of their being taken off the island by the casual arrival of any other ship, was altogether desperate ; as, perhaps, no European ship had ever anchored here before, and it were madness to expect that like incidents should send another here in a hun- dred ages to come ; so that their desponding thoughts could only suggest to them the melancholy prospect of spending the remainder of their days on this island, and bidding adieu for ever to their country, their friends, their families, and all their domestic endearments. Chap. III.] PRO0E£DINaS AT TINIAN. 327 Nor was this the worst they had to fear; lor they had reason to apprehend that the Governor of Giam, when he should be informed of their circumstances, might send a force sufficient to overpower them, and to remove them to that island; and then the most favourable treatment they could expect would be to be detained prisoners during life, since, from the known policy and cruelty of the Spaniards in their distant settlements, it was rather to be supposed that the Governor, if he once had them in his power, would make their want of commissions (all of them being on board the Centurion) a pretext for treating them as pirates, and for depriving them of their lives with infamy. In the midst of these gloomy reflections, Mr. Anson, though he always kept up his usual composure and steadiness, had doubtless his share of disquietude. How- ever, having soon projected a scheme for extricating himself and his men from their present anxious situation, he first communicated it to some of the most intelligent persons about him ; and having satisfied himself that it was practicable, he then endeavoured to animate his people to a speedy and vigorous prosecution of it. With this view, he represented to them how little foundation there was for their apprehensions of the Centurion's being lost ; that he should have presumed they had been all of them better acquainted with sea affairs, than io give way to the impression of so chimerical a fright ; that he doubted not but, if they would seriously consider what such a ship was capable of enduring, they would confess there was not the least probability of her having perished ; that he was not without hopes that she might return in a few days ; but if she did not, the worst that could be imagined was, that she was driven so far to the leeward of the island, that she could not regain it, and that she would, consequently, be obliged to bear away for Macao, on the coast of China; that, as it was necessary to be prepared against all events, he had, in this case, considered of a method of carrying them off the island, 328 VOTAOE BOUND THE WOBLD. [Book III. and of joining their old ship the Oenturion again at Macao ; that this method was to haul the Spanish bark on shore, to saw her asunder, and to lengthen her twelve feet, which would enlarge her to near forty tons burthen, and would enable her to carry them all to China ; that he had consulted the carpenters, and they had agreed that this proposal was very feasible, and that nothing was wanting to execute it, but the united resolution and industry of the whole body : and having added, that, for his own part, he would share the fatigue and labour with them, and would expect no more from any man than what he, the Commodore himself, was ready to submit to; he concluded with representing to them the import- ance of saving time; urging that, in order to be the bettei' secured at all events, it was expedient to set about the work immediately, and to take it for granted that the Centurion would not be able to put back, (which was indeed the Commodore's secret opinion,) since, if she did return, they should only throw away a few days' application ; but if she did not, their situation, and the season c2 the yoar, requiicJ! their utmost despatch. These remondtrances, though not without effect, did net at first operate so powerfully as Mr. Anson could have wished : he, indeed, raised their spirits, by showing them the possibility of their getting away, of which they had before despaired; but then, from their confidence in this resource, they grew less apprehensive of their situation, gave a greater scope to their hopes, and flat- tered themselves that the Centurion would be able to regain the island, and prevent the execution of the Commodore's scheme, which they could easily foresee would be a work of considerable labour. Hence it was some da}'s before they were all of them heartily engaged in the project; but at last being convinced of the im- possibility of the ship's return, they betook themselves zealously to the different tasks allotted them, and were as industrious and eager as their commander could desire, punctually ^tssembling by daybreak at the rendezvous, cm-p. in.] PB00BEDINQ8 AT TINIAN. 329 whence they were distributed to their different employ- ments, which they followed with unusual vigour till night came on. And here I must interrupt the course of this trans^ action, to relate an incident which, for a short time, gave Mr. Anson more concern than all the preceding disasters. A few days after the ship was driven off, some of the people on shore cried out, "A sail!" This spread a general joy, every one supposing that it was the ship returning; but presently a second sail was descried, which quite destroyed their first conjecture, and made it difficult to guess what they were. The Commodore eagerly turned his glass towards them, and saw they were two boats; on which it immediately occurred to him, that the Centurion was gone to the bottom, and that these were her two boats coming back with the remains of her people ; and this sudden and unexpected suggestion wrought on him so powerfully, that, to con- ceal his emotion, he was obliged, without speaking to any one, instantly to retire to his tent, where he passed some bitter moments, in the firm belief that the ship was lost, and that now all his views of further distressing the enemy, and of still signalizing his expedition by some important exploit, were at an end. However, he was soon relieved from these disturbing thoughts, by discovering that the two boats in the ofiing were Indian proas; and perceiving that they made towards the shore, he directed every appearance that could give them any suspicion to be removed, conceal- ing his people in the adjacent thickets, ready to secure the Indians when they should land : but after the proas had stood in within a quarter of a mile of the beach, they suddenly stopped short, and remaining there mo- tionless for near two hours, they then got under sail again, and steered to the southward. Let us now return to the projected enlargement of the bark. If we examine how they were prepared for going through with this undertaking, on which their safety 330 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. ; depended, we shall find that, independent of other matttirs, which were of as much consequence, the lengthening of the bark alone was attended with great difficulty. Indeed, in a proper place, where all the necessary materials and tools were to be had, the em- barrassment would have been much less ; but some of these tools were to be made, and many of the materials were wanting, and it required no small degree of in- vention to supply all these deficiencies. And when the hull of the bark should be completed, this was but ono article; and there were others of equal weight, which were to be well considered : these were the rigging it, the victualling it, and lastly the navigating it, for the space of six or seven hundred leagues, through unknown seas, where no one of the company had ever passed before : and in these particulars such obstacles occurred, that, without the intervention of very extraordinary and unexpected accidents, the possibility of the whole enter- prise would have fallen to the ground, and their utmost industry and efibrts must have been fruitless. Of all these circumstances I shall make a short recital. It providentially happened that the carpenters, both of the Gloucester and of the Tryal, with their chests of tools, were on shore when the ship drove out to sea; the smith, too, was on shore, and had with him his forge and several of his tools, but unhappily his bellows had not been brought from on board; so that he was inca- pable of working, and without his assistance they could not hope to proceed with their design. Their first attention, therefore, was to make him a pair of bellows, but in this they were for some time puzzled, by their want of leather; however, as they had hides in sufficient plenty, and they had found a hogshead of lime, which the Indians, or Spaniards had prepared for their own use, they tanned a few hides with this lime ; and though we may suppose the workmanship to be but indifferent, yet the leather they thus procured answered the inten- tion tolerably well, and the bellows, to which a gun-barrel Chap. III.] PBOOEEDINGS AT TINIAN. 331 served for a pipe, had no other inconvenience than that of being somewhat strong scented, from the imperfection of the tanner's work. Whilst the smith was preparing the necessary iron- work, others were employed in cutting down trees, and sawing them into planks ; and this being the most labo- rious task, the Commodore wrought at it himself, for the encouragement of his people. But there being neither blocks nor cordage sufficient for tackles to haul the bark on shore, this occasioned a new difficulty ; however, it was at length resolved to get her up on rollers, since for these the body of the cocoa-nut tree was extremely well fitted, as its smoothness and circular turn prevented much labour, and suited it to the purpose with very little workmanship. A number of these trees were therefore felled, and the ends of them properly opened for the insertion of handspikes ; and, in the mean time a dry- dock was dug to receive the bark, and ways were laid from thence quite into the sea, to facilitate the bringing her up. Neither were these the whole of their occupa- tions, since, besides those who were thus busied in pre- paring measures towards the future enlargement of the bark, a party was constantly ordered to kill and provide provisions for the rest. And though in these various employments, some of which demanded considerable dexterity, it might have been expected there would have been great confusion and delay ; yet good order being once established, and all hands engaged, their prepara- tion advanced apace. Indeed, the common men, I presume, were not the less tractable for their want of spirituous liquors ; for there being neither wine nor brandy on shore, the juice of the cocoa-nut was their constant drink ; and this, though extremely pleasant, was not at all intoxicating, but kept them very temperate and orderly. The main work now proceeding successfully, the officers began to consider of all the ai tides which would be necessary to the fitting out the b'Ark for the sea : on 332 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book III. this consultation it was found that the tents on shore, and the spare cordage accidentally left there by the Cen- turion, together with the sails and rigging already be- longing to the bark, would serve to rig her indifferently well, when she was lengthened. And as they had tallow in plenty, they proposed to pay her bottom with a mix- ture of tallow and lime, which it was known was not ill adapted to that purpose; so that with respect to her equipment she would not have been very defective. There was, however, one exception which would have proved extremely inconvenient, and that was her size : for as they could not make her quite forty tons burthen, she would have been incapable of containing half the crew below the deck, and she would have been so top- heavy, that if they were all at the same time ordered upon deck, there would be no small hazard of her over- setting; but this was a difficulty not to be removed, as they could not augment her beyond the size already proposed. After the manner of rigging and fitting up the bark was considered and regulated, the next essential point to be thought on was, how to procure a sufficient stock of provisions for their voyage ; and here they were greatly at a loss what expedient to have recourse to, as they had neither grain nor bread of any kind on shore, their bread-fruit, which would not keep at sea, having all along supplied its place; and though they had l^ve cattle enough, yet they had no salt to cure beef for a sea-store, nor would meat take salt in that climate. Indeed, they had preserved a small quantity of jerked beef, which they found upon the place at their landing ; but this was greatly disproportioned to the run of near six hundred leagues, which they were to engage in, and the number of hands they should have on board. It was at last, however, resolved to put on board as many cocoa- nuts as they possibly could, to prolong to the utmost their jerked beef by a very sparing distribution of it, and to endeavour to supply their want of bread by rice ; to furnish themselves with which, it was proposed when the Chap. IIIJ PROCEEDINGS AT TINIAN, 333 bark was fitted up, to make an expedition to the island of Rota, where they were told that the Spaniards had large plantations of rice under the care of the Indian inhabitants : but as this last roe -sure was to be executed by force, it became necessary to examine what ammu- nition had been left on shore, and to preserve it care- fully : and on this inquiry they had the mortification to find that their firelocks would be of little service to them, Er'nce all the powder that could be collected by the strictest search did not amount to more than ninety charges, which was considerably short of one apiece to each of the company, and was indeed a very slender stock of ammunition for such as were to eat no grain or bread during a whole month, except what they were to procure by force of arms. But the most alarming circumstance, and which, without the providential interposition of very improbable events would have rendered all their schemes abortive, remains yet to be related. The general idea of the fabric and equipment of the vessel was settled in a few days; and this being done it was not difl&cult to frame some estimation of the time necessary to complete her. After this it was natural to expect that the officers would consider the course they were to steer and the land they were to make. These reflections led them to the dis- heartening discovery that there was neither compass nor quadrant on the island. Indeed the Commodore had brought a pocket compass on shore for his own use, but Lieutenant Brett had borrowed it to determine the position of the neighbouring islands, and he had been driven to sea in the Centurion without returning it. And as to a quadrant, that could not be expected to be found on shore ; since, as it was of no use on laud, there could be no reason for bringing it from on board the ship. There were now eight days elapsed since the departure of the Centurion, and yet they were not in any degree removed from this terrible perplexity: at last, in rummaging a chest belonging to the Spanish bark. 334 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. they discovered a small compass, which though little better than the toys usually mavie for the amusement of schoolboys, was to them an invaluable treasure. And a few days after, by a similar gocd providence, they met with a quadrant on the sea-short, which had been thrown overboard amongst other lumber, belonging to the dead. The quadrant was eagerly seized ; but on examination it wanted vanes, and therefore in its present state was altogether useless; however Providence still continuing favourable, it was not long before a person, through curiosity, pulling out the drawer of an old table which had been driven on shore, found therein some vanes, which fitted the quadrant very well ; and it being thus completed, it was examined by the known latitude of the place, and upon trial answered to a sufiicient degree of exactness. When now all these obstacles were in some degree removed, (which were always as much as possible con- cealed from the vulgar, that they might not grow remiss with the apprehension of labouring to no purpose,) the business proceeded very successfully and vigorously. The necessary iron- work was in great forwardness ; and the timbers and planks (which, though not the most ex- quisite performances of the sawyer's art, were yet suffi- cient for the purpose) were all prepared ; so that on the 6th of October, being the 14th day from the departure of the ship, they hauled the bark on shore ; and on the two succeeding days she was sawn asunder, though with the caution not to cut her planks ; and her two parts being separated the proper distance from each other, and the materials being all ready beforehand, they, the next day, being the 9th of October, went on with no small despatch in their proposed enlargement of her; whence by this time they had all their future operations so fairly in view, and were so much masters of them, that they were able to determine when the whole would be finished, and had accordingly fixed the 5th of No- vember for the day of their putting to sea. But their ClIAP. HI.] PROCEEDINGS AT TINIAN. 335 5 vanes. projects and labour were now drawing to a speedier and happier conclusion; for, on the 1 1th of October, in the afternoon, one of the Gloucester's men being upon a hill in the mid lie of the island, perceived the Centurion at a distance, and running down with his utmost speed to- wards the landing-place, he in the way saw some of his comrades, to whom he hallooed out with great ecstasy, " the ship, the ship 1" This being heard by Mr. Gordon, a lieutenant of marines, who was convinced by the fellow's transport that this report was true ; Mr. Gordon directly hastened towards the place where the Commo- dore and his people were at work, and being fresh and in breath easily ^stripped the Gloucester's man, and got before him to the Commodore, who, on hearing this pleasing and unexpected news, threw down his axe with which he was then at work, and by his joy broke through, for the first time, the equable and unvaried character which he had hitherto pieserved : whilst the others, who were present, instantly ran down to the sea-side in a kind of frenzy, eager to feast themselves with a sight they had so ardently longed after, and of which they had now for a considerable time despaired. By five in the evening the Centurion was visible in the ofiing to them all ; and the boat being sent off with eighteen men, to reinforce her, and with fresh meat and fruits for the refreshment of her crew, she the next afternoon happily cast anchor in the road, where the Commodore immediately came on board her, and was received by us with the sincerest and heartiest acclamations : for by the following short recital of the fears, the dangers, and fatigues we in the ship underwent, during our nineteen days' absence from Tinian, it may be easily conceived, that a harbour, refreshments, repose, and the joining of our Commander and shipmates, were not less pleasing to us than our return was to them. 336 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. CHAPTER IV. Proceedings on board the Centurion, when driven out to sea. The Centurion being now once more safely arrived at Tinian, to the mutual respite of the labours of our divided crew, it is high time that the reader, after the relation already given of the projects and employment of those left on shore, should be apprised of the fatigues and distresses to which we whom the Centurion carried off to sea were exposed, during the long interval of nineteen days that we were absent from the island. It has been already mentioned that it was the 22d of September, about one o'clock, in an extreme dark night, when by the united violence of a prodigious storm, and an exceeding rapid tide, we were driven from our anchors and forced to sea. Our condition then was truly de- plorable ; we were in a leaky ship, with three cables in our hawses, to one of which hung our only remaining anchor ; we had not a gun on board lashed, nor a port barred in ; our shrouds were loose and our top-masts unrigged, and we had struck our fore and main yards close down before the hurricane came on, so that there were no sails we could set except our mizen. In this dreadful extremity we could muster no more strength on board to navigate the ship than an hundred and eight hands, several negroes and Indians included : this was scarcely the fourth pp.rt of our complement ; and of these the greater number v/ere either boys, or such as being but lately recovered from the scurvy had not yet arrived at half their former vigour. No sooner were we at sea, but by the violence of the storm, and the working of the ship, we made a great quantity of water through the hawse-holes, ports, and scuppers, which, added to the constant effect of our leak, rendered our pumps alone a sufficient employment for us all. But, Chap. IV.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE CENTURION. 337 though we knew that this leakage, by being a short time neglected, would inevitably end in our destruction, yet we had other dangers then hanging over us, which occa- sioned this to be regarded as a secondary consideration only. For we all imagined that we were driving directly on the neighbouring island of Aguiguan, which was about two leagues distant ; and as we had lowered our main and fore-yards close down, we had no sails we could set but the mizen, which was altogether insufficient to carry us clear of this imminent peril. Urged, therefore, by this pressing emergency, we immediately applied our- selves to work, endeavouring with the utmost of our efforts to heave up the main and fore-yards, in hopes that, if we could but be enabled to make use of our lower canvass, we might possibly weather the island, and thereby save ourselves from this impending shipwreck. But, after full three hours* ineffectual labour, the jeers broke; and the men being quite jaded, we were obliged by mere debility to desist, and quietly to expect our fate, which we then conceived to be unavoidable. For we soon esteemed ourselves to be driven just upon the shore, and the night was so extremely dark that we expected to discover the island no otherwise than by striking upon it ; so that the belief of our destruction, and the uncer- tainty of the point of time when it would take place, occasioned us to pass several hours under the most serious apprehensions that each succeeding moment would send us to the bottom. Nor did these continued terrors of instantly striking and sinking end but with the day-break, when we with great transport perceived that the island we had thus dreaded was at a considerable distance, and that a strong northern current had been the cause of our preservation. The turbulent weather which forced us from Tinian did not abate till three days after, and then we swayed up the fore-yard, and began to heave up the main-yard ; but the jeers broke again, and killed one of our people, and prevented us at that time from proceeding. The 338 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Boor III. next day, being the 26th of September, was a day of most severe fatigue to us all; for it must be remembered that, in these exigencies, no rank or office exempted any per- son from the manual application and bodily labour of a common sailor. The business of this day was no less than an endeavour to heave up the sheet-anchor, which we had hitherto dragged at our bows with two cables an end. This was a work of great importance to our future preservation; for, not to mention the impediment it would be to our navigation, and hazard to the ship, if we attempted to make sail with the anchor in its present situation, we had this most interesting consideration to animate us, that it was the only anchor we had left, and without securing it, we should be under the utmost diffi- culties and hazards whenever we fell in with the land again ; and, therefore, being all of us fully apprized of the consequence of this enterprise, we laboured at it with the severest application for full twelve hours, when we had indeed made a considerable progress, having brought the anchor in sight ; but it growing dark, and we being excessively fatigued, were obliged to desist, and to leave our work unfinished till the next morning, and then, refreshed by the benefit of a night's rest, we com- pleted it, and hung the anchor at our bow. It was the 27 th of September, that is, five days after our departure, before we had thus secured our anchor ; however, we the same day got up our main-yard : so that, having now conquered in some degree the distress and disorder which we were necessarily involved in at our first driving out to sea, and being enabled to make use of our canvass, we set our courses, and for the first time stood to the eastward, in hopes of regaining the island of Tinian, and joining our Commodore in a few days ; since, by our accounts, we were only forty-seven leagues distant to the south-west. Hence, on the first day of October, having then run the distance necessary for making the island, according to our reckoning, we were in full expectation of seeing it. But here we were Chap. V.] EMPLOYMENT AT TINIAN. 339 unhappily disappointed, and were thereby convinced that a current had driven us considerably to the eastward. This discovery threw us into a new perplexity ; for, as we could not judge how much we might hereby have de- viated, and, consequently, how long we might still expect to be at sea, we had great apprehensions that our stock of water would prove deficient, since we were doubtful about the quantity we had on board, finding many of our casks so decayed as to be half leaked out. However, we were delivered from oui* uncertainty the next day, hav- ing then a sight of the island of Guam ; and hence we computed that the currents had driven us forty-four leagues to the westward of our accounts. Being now satisfied of our situation by this sight of land, we kept plying to the eastward, though with excessive labour; for the wind continuing* fixed in the eastern board, we were obliged to tack often ; and our crew was so weak, that, without the assistance of every man on board, it was not in our power to put the ship about. This severe employment lasted till the 11th of October, being the nineteenth day from our departure; when, arriving in the offing of Tinian, we were reinforced from the shore, as hath been already related ; and on the evening of the same day we, to our inexpressible joy, came to an anchor in the road, thereby procuring to our shipmates on shore, as well as to ourselves, a cessation from the fatigues and apprehensions which this disastrous incident had given rise to. CHAPTER V. Employment at Tinian, till the Final Departure of the Centurion from thence; with a Description of the Ladrones. Whisn the Commodore came on board the Centurion, after her return to Tinian, he resolved to stay no longer at the island than was absolutely necessary to complete. 340 VOTAOE ROUND THE WOULD. [Book III. our stock of water, a wcwv which we iuimediately set our- selves ahout. But the loss of our long-boat, which was staved against our poop before we were driven out to sea, put us to great inconveniences in getting our water on board ; for we were obliged to raft off all our casks, and the tide ran so strong, that, besides the frequent delays and difficulties it occasioned, we more than once lost the whole raft. Nor was this our only misforlune ; for on the l4th of October, being but the third day after our arrival, a sudden gust of wind brought home our anchor, forced us off the bank, and drove the ship out to sea a second time. The Commodore, it is true, and the principal officers, were now on board; but we had near seventy men on shore, who had been employed in filling our water and procuring provisions. These had with them our two cutters ; but as they were too many for the cutters to bring off at once, we sent the eighteen-oared barge to assist them ; and at the same time made a sig- nal for all that could to embark. The two cutters soon came off to us full of men; but forty of the company, who were busied in killing cattle in the woods, and in bringing them down to the landing-place, remained be- hind ; and though the eighteen-oared barge was left for their convenience, yet, as the ship soon drove to a con- siderable distance, it was not in their power to join us. However, as the weather was favourable, and our crew was now stronger than when we were first driven out, we, in about five days' time, returned again to an an- chor at Tinian, and relieved those we had left behind us from their second fears of being deserted by their ship. On our arrival we found that the Spanish bark, the old object of their hopes, had undergone a new metamor- phosis ; for those on shore despairing of our return, and conceiving that the lengthening the bark, as formerly proposed, was both a toilsome and unnecessary measure, considering the small number they consisted ot^ they had resolved to join her again, and to restore her to her first Chap. V.] EMPLOYMENT AT TINIAN. 341 state; and in this scheme they had made some progress, for they had brought the two parts together, and would have soon completed her, had not our coming back put a period to their labours and disquietudes. These people we had left behind informed us that, just before we were seen in the offing, two proas had stood in very near the shore, and had continued there for some time; but on the appearance of our ship they crowded away, and were presently out of sight. And on this occasion I must mention an incident, which, though it happened during the first absence of the ship, was then omitted, to avoid interrupting the course of the nar- ration. It has been already observed that a part of the detach- ment sent to this island, under the command of the Spanish serjeant, lay concealed in the woods : indeed we were less solicitous to find them out, as our prisoners all assured us that it was impossible for them to get ofi*, and consequently that it was impossible for them to send any intelligence about us to Guam. But when the Centurion drove out to sea, and left the Commodore on shore, he one day, attended by some of his officers, endeavoured to make the tour of the island. In this expedition, being on a rising ground, they observed in the valley beneath them, the appearance of a small thicket, which, by attend- ing to more nicely, they found had a progressive motion. This at first surprised them; but they soon perceived that it was no more than several large cocoa bushes, which were dragged along the ground by persons con- cealed beneath them. They immediately concluded that these were some of the Serjeant's party, which was, in- deed, true; and, therefore, the Commodore and his people made after them, in hopes of tracing out their retreat. The Indians, remarking that they were discovered, hur- ried away with precipitation ; but Mr. Anson was so near them, that he did not lose sight of them till they arrived at their cell, which he and his officers entering, found to be abandoned, there being a passage from it which had 342 VOYAGE KOOND THE WORLD. [Book III. been contrived for the coiiveniency of flight, and which led down a precipice. They hero met with an old fire- lock or two, but no other arms. However, there was a great quantity of provisions, particularly salted spare- ribs of pork, which were excellent; and from what our people saw, they concluded that the extraordinary appe- tite which they had acquired at this island was not con- fined to themselves alone; for, it being about noon, the Indians laid out a very plentiful repast, considering their numbers, and had their bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts pre- pared ready for eating, in a manner, too, which plainly evinced that, with them, a good meal was neither an un- common nor an unheeded article. The Commodore, hav- ing in vain searched after the path by which the Indians, had escaped, he and his officers contented themselves with sitting down to the dinner, which was thus luckily fitted to their present hunger ; after which they returned back to their old habitation, displeased at missing the Indians, as they hoped to have engaged them in our service, if they could have had any conference with them. I must add that, notwithstanding what our prisoners had asserted, we were afterwards assured that these Indians were car- ried off to Guam long before we left the place. But, to return to our history. On our coming to an anchor again, after our se^'oiid driving off to sea, we laboured indefatigably at gc in^ in our water; and having, by the 20th oi Oc/xvner, completed it to fifty tons, which we supposed woaM '.o suflScient during our passage to Macao, we, on the next day, sent one of each mess on shore, to gather as large a quantity of oranges, lemons, cocoa-nuts, and other fruits of the island, as they possibly could, for the use of them- selves and their mess-mates, when at sea: and these purveyors returning on the evening of the same day, we then set fire to the bark and proa, hoisted in our boats, and got under sail, steering away towards the south end of the island of Formosa, and taking our leaves, for the third and last time, of the island of Chap. V.] DESOBIPTION OF THE LADRONB ISLANDS. 343 Tinian ; an island which, whether we consider the ex- cellence of its productions, the beauty of its appearance, the elegance of its woods and lawns, the healthiness of its air, or the adventures it gave rise to, may, in all these views, be justlj' styled romantic. And now postponing, for a short time, our run to Formosa, and thence to Canton, I shall interrupt the narration with a description of that range of islands, usually called the Ladrones, or Marian Islands, of which this of Tinian is one. These islands were discovered by Magellan, in the year 1521, and, from the account given of the two he first fell in with, it should seem that they were those of Saypan and Tinian ; for they are described as very beautiful islands, and as lying between 15 and IG degrees of north latitude. These characteristics are particularly applicable to the two abovementioned places ; for the pleasing appearance of Tinian has occasioned the Spa- niards to give it the additional name of Buonavista ; and Saypan, which is in the latitude of 15" 22' north, affords no contemptible prospect when seen at sea. There are usually reckoned twelve of these islands; but if the small islets and rocks are counted, their whole number will amount to above twenty. They were formerly, most of them, well inhabited; and even not sixty years ago, the three principal islands, Guam, Rota, and Tinian together, are asserted to have contained above fifty thousand people ; but since that time Tinian has been entirely depopulated ; and no more than two or three hundred Indians have been left at Eota, to culti- vate rice for the island of Guam, so that now Guam alone can properly be said to be inhabited. This island of Guam is the only settlement of the Spaniards ; here they keep a governor and garrison, and here the Manilla ship generally touches for refreshment, in her passage from Acapulco to the Philippines. It is esteemed to 'be about thirty leagues in circumference, and contains, by the Spanish accounts, near four thousand inhabitants, of 344 VOYAGE llOUNl> THE WORLD. [Book Ilf. which a thousand are supposed to live in the city of San Ignatio de Agana, where the Governor generally resides, and where the houses are represented as considerable, being built with sto^e and timber, and covered with tiles, a very uncommon fabric for these warm climates and savage countries. Besides this city, there are upon the island thirteen or fourteen villages. As Guam is a post of some consequence," on account of the refreshment it yields to the Manilla ship, there are two castles on the sea-shore; one is the castle of St. Angelo, which lies near the road where the Manilla ship usually anchors, and is bat an insignificant fortress, mounting only five guns, eight-pounders : the other is the castle of St. Lewis, which is N.E. from St. Angelo, and four leagues distant, and is intended to protect r road, where a small vessel anchors, which arrives here jvery other year from Manilla. This fort mounts the same number of guns as the former. And, besides these forts, there is a battery of five pieces of cannon on an eminence near the sea- shore. The Spanish troops employed at this island consist of three companies of foot, betwixt forty and fifty men each ; and this is the principal strength the Governor has to depend on, for he cannot rely on any assistance from the Indian inhabitants, being generally upon ill terms with them, and so apprehensive of them, that he has debarred them the use both of fire-arms and lances. The rest of these islands, though not inhabited, do yet abound with many kinds of refreshment and pro- vision j but there is no good harbour, or road, amongst them all. Of that of Tinian, we have treated largely already : nor is the road of Guam much better, since it is not uncommon for the Manilla ship, though she pro- poses to stay there but twenty-four hours, to be forced to sea, and to leave her boat behind her. This is an inconvenience so sensibly felt by the commerce at Ma- nilla, that it is always recommended to the Governor of Guam, to use his best endeavours for the discovery of Chap. T.] DESCRIPTION OP THE LADRONE ISLANDS. 345 some secure port in the neighbouring ocean. How industrious he may be to comply with his instructions, I know not; but this is certain, that notwithstanding the many islands already found out between the coast of Mexico and the Philippines, there is not any one safe port to be met with in that whole track, though, in other parts of the world, it is not uncommon for very small islands to furnish most excellent harbours. From w:hat has been said, it appears, that the Spa- niards, on the island of Guam, are extremely few, compared to the Indian inhabitants ; and formerly the disproportion was still greater, as may be easily conceived from the account given, in another chapter, of the num- bers heretofore on Tinian alone. These Indians are a bold, strong, well-limbed people, and, as it should seem from some of their practices, are no ways defective in understanding; for their flying proas in particular, which, during ages past, have been the only vessels employed by them, are so singular and extraordinary an invention, that it would do honour to any nation, however dexterous and acute. Since, if we consider the aptitude of this proa to the navigation of these islands, which lying, all of them, nearly under the same meridiar, and within the limits of the trade-wind, require the vessels made use of in passing from one to the other, to be peculiarly fitted for sailing with the wind upon the beam; or, if we examine the uncommon simplicity and ingenuity of its fabric and contrivance, or the extraordi- nary velocity with which it moves, we shall in each of these articles, find it worthy of our admiration, and de- serving a place amongst the mechanical productions of the most civilized nations, where arts and sciences have most eminently flourished. As former navigators, though they have mentione''' ^-v' and working of these vessels, which I am the hetter enabled to perform, as one of them fell into our hands on our first arrival at Tinian, and Mr. Brett took it to pieces, tliat he might delineate its fabric and dimensions with greater accuracy ; so that the following account may be relied on. The name of flying proa, appropriated to these vessels, is owing to the swiftness with which they sail. Of this the Spaniards assert such stories, as must appear alto- gether incredible to one who has never seen these vessels move ; nor are they the only people who recount these extraordinary tales of their celerity : for those who shall have the curiosity to inquire at Portsmouth Dock, about an experiment tried there some years since with a very im- perfect one built at that place, will meet with accounts not less wonderful than any the Spaniards have related. However, from some rude estimation made by us of the velocity with which they crossed the horizon at a dis- tance, while we lay at Tinian, I cannot help believing, that, with a brisk trade-wind, they will run near twenty miles Pin hour, which, though greatly short of what the Spaniards report of them, is yet a prodigious degree of swiftness. But let us give a distinct idea of its figure. The construction of this proa is a direct contradiction to the practice of all the rest of mankind ; for, as it is customary to make the head of the vessel different from the stern, but the two sides alike, the proa, on the con- trary, has her head and stern exactly alike, but her two sideF very different, the side intended to be always the lee-side being flat, whilst the windward side is built rounding, in the manner of other vessels ; and to prevent her oversetting, which, from her small breadth and the straight run of her leeward side, would, without this precaution, infallibly happen, there is a jframe laid out from her, to windward, to the end of which is fastened a log, fashioned into the shape of a small boat, and made hollow : the weight of the frame is intended to balance the proa, and the small boat is, by its buoyancy, as it is Chap, v.] DESCRIPTION OF THE FLTINa PROA. 347 always in the water, to prevent her oversetting to wind- ward; and this frame is usually called an outrigger. The body of the proa (at least of that we took) is formed of two pieces, joined endways, and sewed together with bark, for there is no iron used in her construction : , she is about two inches thick at the bottom, which, at the guDwale, is reduced to less than one. The proa generally carries six or seven Indians, two of which are placed in the head and stern, who steer the vessel, alternately, with a paddle, according to the tack she goes on, he in the stern being the steersman ; the other Indians are employed either in baling out the water which she accidentally ships, or in setting and trimming the sail. From the description of these vessels, it is sufficiently obvious, how dexterously they are fitted for ranging this collection of islands called the Ladrones, since, as these islands bear nearly N. and S. of each otLer, and are all within the limits of the trade-wind, the proas, by sailing most excellently on a wind, and with either end foremost, can run from one of these islands to the other, and back again, only by shifting the sail, without ever putting about ; and by the flatness of their lee-side, and their small breadth, they are capa- ble of lying much nearer the wind than any other vessel hitherto known, and thereby have an advantage, which no vessels that go large can ever pretend to : the advan- tage I mean, is that of running with a velocity nearly as great, and, perhaps, sometimes greater, than what the wind blows with. This, however paradoxical it may appear, is evident enough in similar instances on shore; since it is well known, that the sails of a windmill often move faster than the wind ; and one great superiority of common windmills over all others that ever were, or ever will be contrived to move with an horizontal motion, is analogous to the case we have mentioned, of a vessel upon a wind, and before the wind ; for the sails of an horizontal windmill, the faster they move, the more they detract from the impulse of the wind upon them; 348 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. whereas the common windmills, by moving perpendi- cular to the torrent of air, are nearly as forcibly acted on by the wind, when they are in motion, as when they are at rest. Thus much may suffice a!?. is continued thither from the Ladrones. Thiti SfOi/i'5 lo h'd farther evinced from hence, that all those who ka^e cnv^^fy ;i from America to the East Indies, in a southc^r. la itude, have never failed of discovering Chap. VI.] PASSAGE FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 349 several very small islands, scattered over that immense ocean. And as there may be hence some reason to conclude that there is a cnain of islands, spreading themselves soutliwiii'd towards the unknown boundaries of the Paciiic Ocean, of which the Ladrones are only a part ; so that the same chain is extended from the northward of the Ladrones to Japan : whence in this light the Ladrones will he only one small portion of a range of islands, reaching from Japan perhaps to the unknown southern continent. After this short account of these places, I shall now return to the prosecution of our voyage. CHAPTER VI. From Tinian to Macao. . On the 21st of October, in the evening, we took our leave of the island of Tinian, steering the proper course for Macao, in China. The eastern monsoon was now we reckoned fairly settled, and we had a constant gale blowing right astern, so that we generally ran from forty to fifty leagues a day. But we had a large hollow sea pursuing us, which occasioned the ship to labour much, whence our leak was augmented, and we received great damage in our rigging, which by this time was grown very rotten : however, our people were now hap- pily in full health, so that there were no complaints of fatigue, but all went through their attendance on the pumps and every other duty of the ship with ease and cheerfulness. Before we left Tinian we swept for our best and small bower, and employed the Indians to dive in search of them, but all to no purpose; hence, except our prize anchors, which were stowed in the hold, and were too light to be depended on, we had only our sheet-anchor 350 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. left, and tliat being obviously much too heavy for a coasting-ac hor, we were under great concern how we should manage on the coast of China, where we were entire strangers, and where we should doubtless be fre- quently under the necessity of coming to an anchor. But we at length removed the difficulty by fixing two of our largest prize anchors into one stock, and placing between their shanks two guns, four-pounders ; this we intended to serve as a best bower : and a third prize- anchor being in like manner joined to our stream-anchor, with guns between them, made us a small bower; so that, besides our sheet-anchor, we had again two others at our bows, one of which weighed 3900, and the other 2900 pounds. The 3d of November, about three in the afternoon, we saw ?.n i<5land, which at first we imagined to be Botel Tobago Xima ; but on our nearer approach we found it to be much smaller than that is usually represented; and about an hour after we saw another inland ^ye or six miles farther to the westward. As no chart or journal we had seen took notice of any island to the eastward of Formosa, but Botel Tobago Xima, and as we had no observation of our latitude at noon, we were in some perplexity, apprehending that an extraordinary current had driven us into the neighbourhood of the Bashee Islands. We therefore, when night came on, brought-to, and continued in that posture till the next morning, which proving dark and cloudy for some time prolonged our uncertainty; but it clearing up about nine o'clock, we again discerned the tWo islands above mentioned, and having now the day before us^, we pressed forward to the westward, and by eleven got a sight of the southern part of the island of Formosa. This satisfied us that the second island we saw was Botel Tobago Xima, and the first a small islet or rock, lying five or six miles due east of it, which not being mentioned in any of our books or charts, had been the occasion of all our doubts. Chap. VI.] PASSAGE FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 351 When we had made the island of Formosa, we steered W. by S., in order to double its extremity, and kept a good look-out for the rocks of Vele Rete, which we did not discover till two in the afternoon : they then bore from us W.N.W., three miles distant, the south end of Formosa at the same time bearing N. by W. ^ W., about five leagues distant. To give these rocks a good berth, we immediately hauled up S. by W., and so left them between us and the land. Indeed we had reason to be careful of them, for though they appeared as high out of the water as a ship's hull, yet they are environed with breakers on all sides, and there is a shoal stretching from them, at least a mile and a half to the southward, whence they may be truly called dangerous. The course from Botel Tobago Xima to these rocks is S.W. by W., and the distance about twelve or thirteen leagues ; and the south end of Formosa, oiF which they lie, is in the latitude of 21° 50' north, and according to our most ap- proved reckonings, in 23" 50' west longitude from Tinian, though some of our accounts made its longitude above a degree more. While we were passing by these rocks of Vele Ft-ete, there was an outcry of "//-e" on the fore-castle ; this occasioned a general alarm, and the whole crew instantly flocked together in the utmost confusion, so that the officers found it difficult for some time to appease the uproar ; but having at last reduced the people to order it was perceived that the fire proceeded from the fiirnace, where the bricks being over-heated, had begun to com- municate the fire to the adjacent wood-work : hence, by pulling doMm the brick-work, it was extinguished with great facility. In the evening we were surprised with a view of what we at first sight conceived to have been breakers, but on a stricter examination we discerned them to be only a great number of fires on the island of Formosa. These we imagined were intended by the inhabitants of that island as signals to invite us to touch there; but that suited not our views, we being impatient 352 VOYAGE ROUND THE WOBLD. [Book III. to reach the port of Macao as soon as possible. From Formosa we steered W.N.W., and sometimes still more northerly, proposing to fall in with the coast of China, to the eastward of Pedro Blanco, as the rock so called is usually esteemed an excellent direction for ships bound to Macao. We continued this course till the following night, and then frequently brought-to to try if we were in soundings : but it was the 5th of November, at nine in the morning, before we struck ground, and then we had forty-two fathom, and a bottom of grey sand mixed with shells. When we had run about twenty miles farther W.N.W., we had thirty-five fathom, and the same bottom ; then ou r soundings gradually de- creased from thirty-five to twenty-five fathom; but soon after to our great surprise they jumped back again* to thirty fathom. This was an alteration we could not very well account for, since all the charts laid down regular soundings every where to the northward of Pedro Blanco : we for this reason kept a very careful look-out, and altered our course to NN.W., and having run thirty-five miles in that direction, our soundings again gradually diminished to twenty-two fathom, and we at last, about midnight, got sight of the main land of China, bearing N. by W. four leagues distant. We then brought the ship to, with her head to the sea, proposing to wait for the morning ; and before sun-rise we were surprised to find ourselves in the midst of an incredible number of fishing-boats, which seemed to cover the sur- face of the sea as far as the eye could reach. I may well style their number incredible, since I cannot believe, upon the lowest estimate, that there were so few as six thousand, most of them manned with five hands, and none of those we saw with less than three. Nor was this swarm of fishing-vessels peculiar to that spot ; for as we ran on to the westward we found them as abundant on every part of the coast. We at first doubted not but we should procure a pilot from them to carry us to Macao j but though many of them came close to the Chap. VI.] PASSAGE FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 353 ship, and we endeavoured to tempt them, by showing them a number of dollars, a most alluring bait for Chinese of all ranks and professions, yet we could not entice them on board us, nor procure any directions from them ; though I presume the only difficulty was their not comprehending what we wanted them to do, as we could have no communication with them but hy signs. Indeed we often pronounced the word Macao ; but this we had reason to suppose they understood in a different sense, since in return they sometimes held up fish to us ; and we afterwards learnt that the Chinese name for fish is of a somewhat similar sound. But what surprised us most was the inattention and want of curiosity which we observed in this herd of fishermen. A ship like ours had doubtless never been in those seas before, and per- haps there might not be one amongst all the Chinese employed in that fishery, who had ever seen any Euro- pean vessel ; so t hat we might reasonably have expected to have been considered by them as a very uncommon and extraordinary object. But though many of their boats came close to the ship, yet they did not appear to be at all interested about us, nor did they deviate in the least from their course to regard us ; which in- sensibility, especially of maritime persons, in a matter relating to their own profession, is scarcely to be credited, did not the general behaviour of the Chinese in other instances furnish us with continual proofs of a similar turn of mind. It may perhaps be doubted whether this cast of temper be the effect of nature or education ; but in either case it is an incontestible symptom of a mean and contemptible disposition, and is alone a suffi- cient confutation of the extravagant pi'aises which many prejudiced writers have bestowed on the ingenuity and capacity of this nation. But to return. Not being able to procure any information from the Chinese fishermen about our proper course to Macao, it was necessary for us to rely entirely on our own judg- ment; and concluding from our latitude, which was AA 354 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. 22" 42' north, and from our soundings, which were only seventeen or eighteen fathoms, that we were yet to the eastward of Pedro Blanco, we still stood on to the west- ward. And foi' the assistance of future navigators, who may hereafter doubt what part of the coast they are upon, I must observe, that besides the latitude of Pedro Blanco, which is 22° 18', and the depth of water, which to the westward of that rock is almost every where twenty fathoms, there is another circumstance which will be greatly assistant in judging of the position of the ship : this is the kind of ground ; for till we came within thirty miles of Pedro Blanco, we had constantly a sandy bottom ; but there the bottom changed to soft and muddy, and continued so quite to the island of Macao ; only while we were in sight of Pedro Blanco, and very near it, we had for a short space, a bottom of greenish mud intermixed with sand. It was on the 5th of November, at midnight, when we first made the coast of China. The next day, about two o'clock, as we were standing to the westward, within two leagues of the coast, still surrounded by fishing- vessels, in as great numbers as at first, we perceived that a boat ahead of us waved a red flag, and blew a horn. This we considered as a signal made to us, either to warn us of some shoal, or to inform us that they would supply us with a pilot; we therefore immediately sent our cutter to the boat, to know their intentions ; when we were soon convinced of our mistake, and found that this boat was the Commodore of the whole fishery, and that the signal she had made was to order them all to leave off fishing, and to return in shore, which we saw them instantly obey. Being thus disappointed, we kept on our course, and shortly after passed by two very small rocks, which lay four or five miles distant from the shore. We were now in hourly expectation of descrying Pedro Blanco ; but night came on before we got sight of it, and we therefore brough<-to till the morning, when we had the satisfaction to discover it. Pedro Blanco is a Chap. VI] PASSAGE FROM TINIAN TO MAOAO. 355 rock of a small circumference, but of a moderate height, resembling a sugar-loaf both in shape and colour, and is about seven or eight miles distant from the shore. We passed within a mile and a half of it, and left it between us and the land, still keeping on to the westward; and the next day, being the 7th, we were abreast of a chain of islands, which stretched from east to west. These, as we afterwards found, were called the islands of Lema ; they are rocky and barren, and are in all, small and great, fifteen or sixteen; but there are, besides, many more between them and the main-land of China. We left these islands on the starboard-side, passing within four miles of them, where we had twenty-four fathom water. Being still surrounded by fishing-boats, we once more sent the cutter on board some of them, to endea- vour to procure a pilot, but we could not prevail ; how- ever, one of the Chinese directed us, by signs, to sail round the westernmost of the islands, or rocks, of Lema, and then to haul up. We followed this direction, and in the evening came to an anchor, in eighteen fathom ; at which time a rock, which bore SS.E., five miles distant, and the grand Ladrone W. by S., about two leagues distant, afforded a most excellent direction in coming from the eastward: its latitude is 21° 52' north, and it bears from Pedro Blanco S. 64° W., distant twenty-one leagues. You are to leave it on the starboard side, and you may come within half a mile of it, in eighteen fathom water, and then you must steer N. by W. J W. for the channel, between the islands of Cabouce and Bamboo, which are to the northward of the grand Ladrone. After having continued at anchor all night, we, on the 9th, at four in the morning, sent our cutter to sound the channel, where we proposed to pass ; but, before the return of the cutter, a Chinese pilot put on board the Centurion, and told us, in broken Portuguese, he would carry the ship to Macao for thirty dollars : these were immediately paid him, and we then weighed and made I^'l ^ ^ ^qV *^*% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ A*> K<^ -• r 1.0 !^iu ui ■i* lU 12.2 I.I u «M4. lyi ij^ U4 ^ % ?: ^^ ^ V HiotDgFapbic Sdmces Corporation .A S % \ \ ^. > 23 VraST MAM STtHT wnsTm,N.Y. usto (716) •73-4503 \ ^ ,* Bl 356 YOTAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. sail. Soon after, several other pilots came on board, who, to recommend themselves, prv^duced certificates from the captains of many European ships they had piloted in, but we still continued under the management of the Chinese whom we at first engaged. By this time we learnt that we were not far distant from Macao, and that there were, in the river of Canton, at the mouth of which Macao lies, eleven European ships, of which four were English. Our pilot carried us between the islands of Bamboo and Cabouce ; but the winds hanging in the northern board, and the tides often setting strongly against us, we were obliged to come frequently to an anchor, so that we did not get through between the two islands till the 12 th of November, at two in the morning. In passing through, our depth of water was from twelve to fourteen fathom ; and as we steered on N. by W. J W., between a number of other islands, our soundings under- went little or no variation, till towards the evening, when they increased to seventeen fathom, in which depth, the wind dying away, we anchored not far from the island of Lantoon, the largest of all this range of islands. At seven in the morning, we weighed again, and steering W.S.W., and S.W. by W., we, at ten o'clock, happily anchored in Macao road, in five fathom water, the city of Macao bearing W. by N., three leagues distant; the peak of Lantoon E. by N., and the grand Ladrone S. by E., each of them about five leagues distant. Thus, after a fatiguing cruise of above two years' continuance, we once more arrived at an amicable port and a civilized country, where the conveniences of life were in great plenty ; where the naval stores, which we now extremely wanted, could be" in some degree procured; where we expected the inexpressible satisfaction of receiving letters from our relations and friends ; and where our country- men, who were lately arrived from England, would be capable of answering the numerous inquiries we were prepared to make, both about public and private occur- rences; and to relate to us many particulars which. Chap. VIL] PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 357 whether of importance or not, would be listened to by us with the utmost attention, after the long suspension of our correspondence with our country, to which the lature of our undertaking had hitherto subjected us. were CHAPTER VIL Proceedings at Macao. The city of Macao, in the road of which we came to an anchor, on the 12th of November, is a Portuguese settle- ment, situated on an island, at the entrance of the river of Canton. It was formerly very rich and populous, and capable of defeiiding itself against the power of the adjacent Chinese Governors; but at present it is much fallen from its ancient splendour; for though it is inha- bited by Portuguese, and has a Governor nominated by the King of Portugal, yet it subsists merely by the sufferance of the Chinese, who can starve the place, and dispossess the Portuguese whenever they please. This obliges the Governor of Macao to behave with great circumspection, and carefully to avoid every circumstance that may give offence to the Chinese. The river of Canton, off the mouth of which this city lies, is the only Chinese port frequented by European ships, and is, on many accounts, a more commodious harbour than Macao; but the peculiar customs of the Chinese, solely adapted to the entertainment of trading ships, and the apprehensions of the Commodore, lest he should embroil the East India Company with the regency of Canton, if he should insist on being treated upon a different foot- ing than the merchantmen, made him resolve rather to go to Macao, than to venture into the river of Canton. Indeed, had not this reason prevailed with him, he him- self had nothing to fear; for it is certain that he might have entered the port of Canton, might have continued 358 YOTAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. there as long as he pleased, and afterwards Lave left it again, although the whole power of the Chinese empire had been brought together to oppose him. The Commodore, not to depart from his usual pru- dence, no sooner came to an anchor in Macao road, than he despatched an officer with his compliments to the Portuguese Governor of Macao, requesting his Excel- lency, by the same officer, to advise him in what manner it would be proper to act, to avoid offending the Chinese, which, as there were then four of our ships in their power at Canton, was a matter worthy of attention. The difficulty which the Commodore principally appre- hended, related to the duty usually paid by ships in the river of Canton, according to their tonnage ; for as men- of-war are exempted, in every foreign harbour, from all manner of port charges, the Commodore thought it would be derogatory to the honour of his country to submit to this duty in China; and therefore he desired the advice of the Governor of Macao, who being an European, could not be ignorant of the privileges claimed by a British man-of-war, and, consequently, might be expected to give us the best lights for obviating this perplexity. Our boat returned in the evening, with two officers sent by the Governor, who informed the Commodore, that it was the Governor's opinion, that if the Centurion ventured into the river of Canton, the duty would certainly be expected ; and therefore, if the Commodore approved of it, he would send him a pilot, who should conduct us into another safe harbour, called the Typa, which was every way commodious for careen- ing the ship, (an operation we were resolved to begin upon as soon as possible,) and where, in all probability, the above-mentioned duty would never be demanded. This proposal the Commodore agreed to, and in the morning weighed anchor, under the direction of the Portuguese pilot, and steered for the intended harbour. As we entered between two islands, which form the eastern passage to it, we found our soundings decreased Chap. VII.] PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 359 to three fathom and a half. However, the pilot assuring us that this was the least depth w^e should meet with, we continued our course, till at length the ship stuck fast in the mud, with only eighteen feet water abaft ; and the tide of ebb making, the water sewed to sixteen feet, but the ship remained perfectly upright ; we then sounded all round us, and discovering that the water deepened to the northward, we carried out our small bower, with two hawsers an end, and at the return of the tide of flood, hove the ship afloat, and a breeze springing up the same instant, we set the fore-top-sail, and slipping the hawser, ran into the harbour, where we moored, in about five fathom water. This harbour of the Typa is formed by a number of islands, and is about six miles distant from Macao. Her^i we saluted the castle of Macsio with eleven guns, which were returned by an equal number. The next day, the Commodore paid a visit in person to the Governor, and was saluted at his landing by eleven guns, which were returned by the Centurion. Mr. Anson's business, in this visit, was to solicit the Governor to grant us a supply both of provisions, and of such naval stores as were necessary to refit the ship. The Governor seemed really inclined to do us all the service he could, and assured the Commodore, in a friendly manner, that he would privately give us all the assistance in his power ; but he, at the same time, frankly owned, that he dared not, openly, to furnish us with any thing we demanded, unless we first produced an order for it from the Viceroy of Canton; since he himself neither received provisions for his garrison, nor any other necessaries, but by permission from the Chinese govern- ment ; and as they took care only to victual him from day to day, he was indeed no other than their vassal, whom they could at all times compel to submit to their own terms, by laying an embargo on his provisions. On this declaration of the governor, Mr. Anson re- solved himself to go to Canton, to procure a license from 360 VOTAG£ HOUND THE WORLD. [Book III. the Viceroy ; and he accordingly hired a Chinese boat for himself and his attendants ; but, just as he was ready to embark, the Hoppo, or Chinese custom-house officer of Macao, refused to grant a permit to the boat, and ordered the watermen not to proceed at their peril. The Com- modore at first endeavoured to prevail with the Hoppo to withdraw his injunction, and to grant a permit ; and the governor of Macao employed his interest with the Hoppo to the same purpose. But the officer continuing inflexible, Mr. Anson told him the next day that if the permit was any longer refused, he would man and arm the Centu- rion's boats ; asking the Hoppo, at the same tim^ who, he imagined, would dare to oppose them in their passage? This threat immediately brought about what his entreaties had endeavoured at in vain : the permit was granted, and Mr. Anson went to Canton. On his arrival there he consulted with the supercargoes and officers of the Eng- lish ships, how to procure an order from the Viceroy for the necessaries he wanted : but in this he had reason to suppose that the advice they gave him, though well in- tended, was yet not the most prudent; for, as it is the custom with these gentlemen never to apply to the su- preme magistrate himself, whatever difficulties they labour under, but to transact all matters relating to the govern- ment by the mediation of the principal Chinese mer- chants, Mr. Anson was persuaded to follow the same method upon this occasion, the English promising, in which they were doubtless sincere, to exert all their in- terest to engage the merchants in his favour. Indeed, when the Chinese merchants were spoke to, they readily undertook the management of this business, and promised to answer for its success; but after near a month's delay, and reiterated excuses, during which interval they pretended to be often upon the point of completing it, they at last, when they were pressed, and measures were taken for delivering a letter to the Viceroy, threw off the mask, and declared they neither had made application to the Vice- roy, nor could they, as he was too great a man, they Chap. VII.] PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 361 said, for them to approach on any occasion. And not contented with having themselves thus grossly deceived the Commodore, they now used all their persuasion with the English at Canton to prevent them from inter- meddling v;ith any thing that regarded him ; represent- ing to them that it would in all probahility embroil them with the government, and occasion them a great deal of unnecessary trouble; which groundless insinuations had, unluckily, but too much weight with those they were in- tended to influence. It may be difficult to assign a reason for this perfidious conduct of the Chinese merchants. Interest, indeed, is known to exert a boundless influence over the inhabitants of that empire ; but how their interest could be afiected in the present case is not easy to discover, unless they apprehended that the presence of a ship of force might damp their Manilla trade, and, therefore, acted in this manner with a view of forcing the Commodore to Ba- tavia ; though it might be as natural in this light to suppose that they would have been eager to have got him despatched. I, therefore, rather impute their behaviour to the unparalleled pusillanimity of the nation, and to the awe they are under of the government; since such a ship as the Centurion, fitted for war only, having never been seen in those parts before, she was the horror of these dastards, and the merchants were in some degree terri- fied even with the idea of her, and could not think of applying to the Viceroy, who is, doubtless, fond of all opportunities of fleecing them, without representing to themselves the occasions which a hungry and tyrannical magistrate might possibly find for censuring their inter- meddling with so unusual a transaction, in which he might pretend the interest of the state was immediately con- cerned. However, be this as it may, the Commodore was satisfied that nothing was to be done by the interpo- sition of the merchants, as it was on his pressing them to deliver a letter to the Viceroy that they had declared they durst not interfere in the afiair, and had confessed 362 TOYAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [DooK III. that, notwithstanding all their pretences of serving him, they had not yet taken one step towards it. Mr. Anson, therefore, told them that he would proceed to Batavia, and refit his ship there ; hut informed them, at the same time, that this was impossible to be done, unless he was supplied with a stock of provisions sufficient for his pas- sage. The merchants on this undertook to procure him provisions, though they assured him that it was what they durst not engage in openly, but they proposed to manage it in a clandestine manner, by putting a quantity of bread, flour, and other provisions, on board the Eng- lish ships, which were now ready to sail ; and these were to stop at the mouth of the Typa, where the Centurion's boats were to receive it. This article, which the mer- chants represented as a matter of great favour, being settled, the Commodore, on the 16th of December, came back from Canton to the ship, seemingly resolved to pro- ceed to Batavia to refit as soon as he should get his sup- plies of provisions on board. But Mr. Anson, r/ho never intended going to Batavia, found, on his return to the Centurion, that her main- mast was sprung in two places, and that the leak was considerably increased; so that upon the whole he was fully satisfied that, though he should lay in a sufficient stock of provisions, yet it would be impossible for him to put to sea without refitting; since if he left the port with his ship in the present condition, she would be in the utmost danger of foundering; and therefore, not- withstanding the difficulties he had met with, he resolved at all events to have her hove-down before he departed from Macao. He was fully convinced, by what he had observed at Canton, that his great caution not to injure the East India Company's aiFairs. and the regard he had shown to the advice of their officers, had occasioned all his perplexity ; for he now saw clearly that, if he had at first carried his ship into the river of Canton, and had immediately addressed himself to the Mandarins, who are the chief officers of state, instead of employing the Chap VII.] fhoceedinos at maoao. 363 are the merchants to apply in his behalf, he would most probably have had all his requests granted, and would have been soon despatched. He had already lost a month, by the wrong measures he had pursued, but he resolved to lose as little more time as possible: and, therefore, the 17th of December, being the next day after his return from Canton, he wrote a letter to the Viceroy of that place, acquainting him that he was commander-in-chief of a squadron of his Britannic Majesty's ships of war, which had been cruising for two years past in the South Seas, against the Spaniards, who were at enmity with the king, his master : that on his way back to England he had put into the port of Macao, having a considerable leak in his ship, and being in great want of provisions, so that it was impossible for him to proceed on his voyage till his ship was repaired, and he was supplied with the necessaries he wanted; that he had been to Canton, in hopes of being admitted to a personal audience of his Excellency ; but, being a stranger to the customs of the country, he had not been able to inform himself what sheps were necessary to be taken to procure such an audieice, and, therefore, was obliged to apply in this manner, to desire his Excellency to give orders for his being permitted to employ carpenters and proper workmen to refit his ship, and to furnish himself with provisions and st^ if his honour wold give him leave, he proposed to keep those for the entertainment of the general of the galeons. When the Centurion left the port of Macao, she stood for some days to the westward, and on the 1st of May they saw part of the island of Formosa ; and steering thence to the southward, they on the 4th of May were in the latitude of the Bashee Islands, as laid down by Dam- pier, but they suspected his account of inaccuracy, as they knew that he had been considerably mistaken in the latitude of the south end of Formosa ; and therefore they 378 TOTAOB BOUND THE WORLD. Book III. kept a good look-out, and, about seven in the evening, discovered from the mast-head five small islands, which were judged to be the Bashees. As they afterwards ^.o w Botel Tobago Xima, they by this means found an opot- tunity of correcting the position of the Bashee Islands, which had been hitherto laid down twenty-five leagues too far to the westward : for, by their observations, they esteemed the middle of these islands to be in 2V i' north, and to bear from Botel Tobago Xima SS.E. twenty leagues distant, that island itself being in 21" 57' north. After getting a sight of the Bashee Islands, they stood between the S. and S.W. for Cape Spiritu Santo ; and the 20th of May at noon they first discovered that Cape, which, about four o'clock, they brought to bear SS.W., near eleven leagues distant. It appeared to be of a mo- derate height, with several round hummocks on it. As it was known that there were sentinels placed upon this Cape to make signals to the Acapulco ship when she first falls in with the land, the Commodore immediately tacked, and ordered the top-gallant sails to be taken in to prevent being discovered. And this being the station where it was resolved to cruise for the galeons, they kept the Cape between the south and the west, and endeavoured to con- fine themselves between the latitude of 12" 50', and 30" 5', the Cape itself lying, by their observations, in 12" 40' north, and in 4" of east longitude from Botel Tobago Xima. It was the last of May, by the foreign style, when they arrived off this Cape, and the month of June, by the same style, being that in which the Manilla ships are usually expected, the Centurion's people were now waiting each hour, with the utmost impatience, for the happy crisis which was to balance the account of all their past cala- mities. As from this time there was but small employ- ment for the crew, the Commodore ordered them almost every day to be exercised in the working of the great guns, and in the use of their small arms. This had been his practice more or less at every convenient season. chaf. vni.] OAPE BPIBITU SANTO. 570 during the whole course of his voyage; and the advan- tages which he received from it, in his engagement with the galeon, were an ample recompense for all his care and attention. Indeed it should seem that there are few par- ticulars of a commander's duty of more importance, how much soever it may have heen sometimes overlooked or misunderstood : since it will, I suppose, be confessed that, in two ships-of-war, equal in the number of their men and guns, the disproportion of strength, arising from a greater or less dexterity in the use of their great guns and small arms, is what can scarcely be balanced by any other circumstances whatever. For as these are the weapons with which they are to engage, what greater inequality can there be betwixt two contending parties, than that one side should perfectly understand the ma- nagement of them, and should have the skill to employ them in the most effectual manner for the annoyance of their enemy ; while the other side should, by their awk- ward handling of their arms, render them rather terrible to themselves than mischievous to their antagonists? This seems so obvious and natural a conclusion, that a person unacquainted with these matters would suppose the first care of a commander to be the training his peo- ple to the ready use of their arms. But human affairs are not always conducted by the plain dictates of common sense. There are many other principles which influence our transactions ; and there is one in particular, which, though of a very erroneous complexion, is scarcely ever excluded from our most serious deliberations : I mean custom, or the practice of those who have preceded us. This is usually a power too mighty for reason to grapple with, and is often ex- tremely troublesome to those who oppose it, since it has much of superstition in its nature, and pursues all those who question its authority with unrelenting vehemence. However, in these latter ages of the world, some lucky encroachments have been made upon its prerogative ; 9mk it may surely be expected that the gentlemen of the^ 380 YOTAOB ROUND TUB WORLD. [Book III. navy, whose particular profession hath within a few years been considerably improved by a number of new inven- tions, will, of all others, be the readiest to give up any usage which has nothing to plead in its behalf but pre- 6Ciiption,and will not suppose that every branch of their business has already received all the perfection of which it is capable. Indeed it must be owned that if a dex- terity in the use of small-arms, for instance, has been sometimes less attended to on board our ships-of-war than might have been wished for, it has been rather owing to unskilful methods of teaching it than to negligence ; since the common sailors, how strongly soever attached to their own prejudices, are very quick-sighted in finding out the defects of others, and have ever shown a great contempt for the formalities practised in th( training of land troops to the use of their arms. But when those who have undertaken to instruct the seamen have con- tented themselves with inculcating only what was useful in the simplest manner, they have constantly found their people sufficiently docile, and the success has even ex- ceeded their expectation. Thus, on board Mr. Anson's ship, where they were taught no more of the manual ex- ercise than the shortest method of loading with cartridges, and were constantly trained to fire at a mark, which was usually hung at the yard-arm, and where some little re- ward was given to the most expert, the whole crew, by this management, were rendered extremely skilful. For, besides an uncommon readiness in loading, they were all of them good marksmen, and some of them most extra- ordinary ones : whence, I doubt not, but in the use of small-arms they were more than a match for double their number, who had not been habituated to the same kind of exercise. But, to return. It was the last of May, N.S., as hath been already said, when the Centurion arrived off Cape Spiritu Santo; and consequently the next day, the month began in which the galeons were to be expected. The Com- modore, therefore, made all necessary preparations for CHAr. VIII.] PREPARATIONS TO ATTACK THE OALEON. 381 receiving them, hoisting out his long-boat, and lathing her along-side, that the ship might be ready for engaging if they fell in with the galeons during the night. All this time, too, he was very solicitous to keep at such a distance ^om the Gape, as not to be discovennl. But it has been since learnt^ that notwithstanding his care, he was seen from the land ; and advice of him was sent to Manilla, where though it was at first disbelieved, yet on reiterated intelligence (for it seems he was seen more than once) the merchants were alarmed, and the Gover- nor wa? applied to, who undertook, the commerce sup- plying the necessary sums, to fit out a force consisting of two ships of thirty-two guns, one of twenty guns, and two sloops of ten guns each, to attack the Centurion on her station. With this view some of these vessels actually weighed : but the principal ship not being ready, and the monsoon being against them, the com- merce and the Governor disagreed, so that the enter- prise was laid aside. This frequent discovery of the Centurion from the shore was somewhat extraordinary; since the pitch of the Cape is not high, and she usually kept from ten to fifteen leagues distant; though once indeed by an indraught of the tide, as was supposed, they found themselves in the morning within seven leagues of the land. As the month of June advanced, the expectations and impatience of the Commodore's people every day in- creased. And I think no better idea can be given of their great eagerness on this occasion, than by copying a few paragraphs from the journal of an officer, who was then on board ) as it will, I presume, be a more natural picture of the full attachment of their thoughts to the business of their cruise than can be given by any other means. The paragraphs I have selected, as they occur in order of time, are as follow : ^ May 31, Exercising our men at their quarters, in great expectation of meeting with the galeons very soon,^ this being the eleventh of June, their style.** ■f 382 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD, [Book III. " June 3, Keeping in our stations; and looking out for the galeons," " June 5, Begin now to be in great expectation, this being the middle of June, their style." " June 1 1, Begin to grow impatient at not seeing the galeons." '* June 13, The wind having blown fresh easterly for the forty-eight hours past, gives us great expectations of seeing the galeons soon." " June 15, Cruising on and oiF, and looking out strictly." " June 19, This being the last day of June, N.S., the galeons, if they arrive at all, must appear soon." From these samples it is sufficiently evident how completely the treasure of the galeons had engrossed their imagination, and how anxiously they passed the latter part of their cruise, when the certainty of the arrival of those vessels was dwindled down to pro- bability only, and that probability became each hour more and more doubtful. However, on the 20th of June, O.S., being just a month after their gaining their 3tation, they were relieved out of this state of uncer- tainty; for at sun-rise they discovered a sail from the mast-head, in the south-east quarter. On this a general joy spread through the whole ship; for they had no doubt but this was one of the galeons, and they ex- pected soon to descry the other. The Commodore in- stantly stood towards her, and at half an hour after seven they were near enough to see her from the Centurion's deck ; at which time the galeon fired a gun, and took in her top-gallant sails : this was supposed to be a signal to her consort to hasten her up; and therefore the Centurion fired a gun to leeward to amuse her. The Commodore was surprised to find that during all this interval the galeon did not change her course, but con- tinued to bear down upon him; xot he hardly believed, what afterwards appeared to be the case, that she knew his ship to be the Centurion, and resolved to fight him. .^^ oa mn Chap. VIII.] THE OALEON DISCOVEEED. 083 About noon the Commodore was a little more than a league distant from the galeon, and could fetch her wake, so that she could not now escape ; and no second ship appearing, it was concluded that she had been separated from her consort. Soon after the galeon hauled up her fore-sail, and brought to under top-sails, with her head to the northward, hoisting Spanish colours, and having the standard of Spain flying at the top-gallant-mast- head. Mr. Anson in the mean time had prepared all things for an engagement on board the Centurion, and had taken every possible measure both for the most effectual exertion of his small strength, and for the avoiding the confusion and tumult too frequent in actions of this kind. He picked out about thirty of his choicest hands and best marksmen, whom he distributed into his tops, and who fully aniwered his expectation by the signal services they performed. As he had not hands enough remaining to quarter a sufficient number to each great gun in the customary manner ; he therefore on his lower tier, fixed only two men to each gun, who were to be solely employed in loading it, whilst the rest of his people were divided into different gangs of ten or twelve men each, who were continually moving about the decks, to run out and fire such guns as were loaded. By this management he was enabled to make use of all his guns j and instead of whole broadsides, with intervals between them, he. kept up a constant fire without inter- mission ; whence he doubted not to procure very signal advantages. For it is common with the Spaniards to fall down upon the decks when they see a broadside preparing, and to continue in that posture till it is given ; after which they rise again, and presuming the danger to be for some time over, work their guns and fire with great briskness till another broadside is ready : but the firing gun by gun, in the manner directed by the Com- modore, rendered this practice of theirs impossible. The Centurion being thus prepared, and nearing the galeon apace^ there happened, a little after noon, several *» 364 YOTAQE ROUND THE WOBLD. [Book III squalls of wind and rain, which often obscui^ the galeon firom their sight : but whenever it cleared up, they ob- served her resolutely lying to. Towarcis one o'clock the Centurion hoisted her broad pendant and colours, she being then within gun-shot of the enemy; and the Commodore perceiving the Spaniards to have neglected clearing their ship till that time, as he saw them throwing over-board cattle and lumber, he gave orders to fire ' upon them with the chase guns, to disturb them in their work, and prevent them from completing it, though his general directions had been not to engage before they were within pistol-shot. The galeon returned the fire with two of her stern-chase ; and the Centurion getting her sprit'^l-yard fore and aft, that if necessary the might be ready for boarding, the Spaniards, in a bravado, rigged their sprit-sail-yard fore and aft, likewise. Soon after the Centurion came abreast of the enemy within pistol-shot, keeping to the leeward of them, with a view of preventing their putting before the wind and gaining the port of Jalapay, from which they were about seven leagues distant. And now the engagement began in earnest, and, for the first half-hour, Mr. Anson over- ireached the galeon, and ky on Jner bow, where by the great wideness of his ports he cduld traverse almost all his guns upon the enemy, whilst the galeon could only . bring a part of her» to bear. Immediately on the com- ^. mencement of the action, the mats with which the galeon had stuffed her netting took fire and burnt violently, blazing up half as high as iiie micen-top. This accid^t, supposed to be caused by the €eiit^messive hot wea- ther, because the assembling the Mandarins and soldiers necessary to that ceremony would prove extremely incon- venient and fatiguing ; but that in Septembei', when the weather would be more temperate, he should be glad to see both the Commodore himself and the English captain of the other ship that was with him. As Mr. Anson knew that an express had been despatched to the court at Pekin, with an account of the Centurion and her prize being Chap. IX.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 397 arrived in the river of Canton, he had no doubt but the principal motive for putting off this visit was, that the Regency at Canton might gain time to receive the Em- peror's instructions about their behaviour on this unusual affair. When the Mandarins had delivered their message, they began to talk to the Commodore about the duties to be paid by his ships ; but he immediately told them that he would never submit to any demand of that kind ; that, as he neither brought any merchandize thither, nor intended to carry any away, he could not be reasonably deemed within the meaning of the Emperor's orders, which were doubtless calculated for trading vessels only ; adding, that no duties were ever demanded of men-of-war by nations accustomed to their reception, and that his master's orders expressly forbade him from paying any acknowledgment for his ships anchoring in any port whatever. The Mandarins being thus cut short on the subject of the duty, they said they had another matter to mention, which was the only remaining one they had in charge ; this was, a request to the Commodore that he would re- lease the prisoners he had taken on board the galeon ; for that the Viceroy of Canton apprehended the Emperor, his master, might be displeased if he should be informed that persons who were his allies, and carried on a great commerce with his subjects, were under confinement in his dominions. Mr. Anson was himself extremely desi- rous to get rid of the Spaniards, having on his first arrival sent about an hundred of them to Macao, and those who remained, which \^re near four hundred more, were, on many accounts, a great incumbrance to him. However, to enhance the favour, he at first raised some difficulties ; but permitting himself to be prevailed on, he at last told the Mandarins that, to show his readiness to oblige the Viceroy, he would release the prisoners, whenever they, the Chinese, would order boats to fetch them off". This matter being thus adjusted, the Mandarins departed; and 398 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [BOOF. III. on the 23th of July two Chinese junks were sent from Canton to take on board the prisoners, and to carry them to Macao. And the Commodore, agreeable to his pro- mise, dismissed them all, and directed his purser to allow them eight days' provision for their subsistence, during their sailing down the river j since, before they were despatched, the Centurion was arrived at her moorings, above the second bar, where she and her prize proposed to continue till the monsoon shifted. Though the ships, in consequence of the Viceroy's per- mit, found no difficulty in purchasing provisions for their daily consumption, yet it was impossible that the Com- modore could proceed to England without laying in a large quantity both of provisions and naval stores, for his use during the voyage. The procuring this supply was attended with much perplexity, for there were people at Canton who had undertaken to furnish him with biscuit and whatever else he wanted : and his linguist, towards the middle of September, had assured him, from day to day, that all was ready, and would be sent on board him immediately. But a fortnight being elapsed, and nothing brought, the Commodore sent to Canton to inquire more particularly into the reasons of this disappointment : and he had soon the vexation to be informed that the whole was an illusion ; that no order had been procured from the Viceroy to furnish him with sea stores, as had been pretended ; that there was no bi; uv t baked, nor any one of the articles in readiness whicii had been promised him ; nor did it appear that the contractors had taken the least step to comply with their agreement. This was most disagreeable news, and made it suspected that the furnishing the Centurion for her return to Great Britain might prove a more troublesome matter than had been hitherto imagined ; especially, too, as the month of September was nearly ended without Mr. Anson's having received any message from the Viceroy of Canton. And here, perhaps, it might be expected that a satis- :hap. IX.] TEANFACTIONS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 399 factory accouTit should be given of the motives of the Chinese for this faithless procedure. However, as I have already in a former chapter made some kind of conjec- tures about a similar event, I shall not repeat them again in this place, but shall content myself with observing that, after all, it may, perhaps, be impossible for a Euro- pean, ignorant of the customs and manners of that nation, to be fully apprized of the real incitements to this beha- viour. Indeed, thus much may undoubtedly be asserted, that, in artifice, falsehood, and an attachment to all kinds of lucre, many of the Chinese are difficult to be paralleled by any other people. But then, the particular applica- tion of these talents, and the manner in which they ope- rate on every emergency, are often beyond the reach of a foreigner's penetration : so that, though it may be surely concluded that the Chinese had some interest in thus amusing the Commodore, yet it may not be easy to assign the individual views by which they were influ- enced. And that I may not be thought too severe in ascribing to this nation a fraudulent and selfish turn of temper, so contradictory to the character given of them in the legendary accounts of the Romish missionaries, I shall here mention an extraordinary transaction or two, which, I conceive, will be some kind of confirmation of what I have advanced. When the Commodore lay first at Macao, one of his officers, who had been extremely ill, desired leave of him to go on shore every day on a neighbouring island, imagining that a walk upon the land would contribute greatly to the restoring of his health. The Commodore would have dissuaded him from it, suspecting the tricks of the Chinese; but the officer continuing importunate, in the end the boat was ordered to carry him thither. The first day he was puc on shore he took his exercise, and returned without receiving any molestation, or even seeing any of the inhabitants ; but the second day he was assaulted, just after his arrival, by a great number of Chinese, who had been hoeing rice in the neighbour- 400 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. hood, and who beat him so violently with the handles of their hoes, that they soon laid him on the ground, inca- pable of resistance ; after which they robbed him, taking from him his sword, the hilt of which was silver, his money, watch, gold-headed cane, snuff-box, sleeve- buttons, and hat, with several other trinkets. In the mean time, the boat's crew, who were at a little distance, and had no arms of any kind with them, were incapable of giving him any relief; till at last one of them flew on the fellow who had the sword in his possession, and wresting it out of his hands, drew it, and with it was preparing to fall on the Chinese, some of whom he could not have failed of killing. But the ofiicer, perceiving what he was about, immediately ordered him to desist, thinking it mo)"<^ prudent to submit to the present vio- lence, than to embroil his Commander in an inextricable squabble with the Chinese government, by the death of their subjects: which calmness in this gentleman was the more meritorious, as he was known to be a person of an uncommon spirit, and of a somewhat hasty temper. By this means, the Chinese speedily recovered the pos- session of the sword, when they perceived it was prohi- bited to be made use of against them, and carried off their whole booty unmolested. No sooner were they gone, than a Chinese on horseback, very well dressed, and who had the air and appearance of a gentleman, came down to the sea-side, and as far as could be understood by his signs, seemed to censure the conduct of his countrjrmen, and to commiserate the oflScer, being wonderfully oflScious to assist in getting him on board the boat : but, notwithstanding this behaviour, it was shrewdly suspected that he was an accomplice in the theft, and time fully made out the justice of those suspicions. When the boat returned on board, and the officer reported what had passed to the Commodore, he imme- diately complained of it to the Mandarin, who attended to see his ship supplied ; but the Mandarin coolly III. (Jhap. IX.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE BIYEB OF CANTON. 401 observed, that the boat ought not to have gone on shore, promising, however, that if the thieves could be found, they should be punished ; though it appeared plain enough by his manner of answering, that he would never give himself any trouble in. searching them out. How- ever, a considerable time afterwards, when some Chinese boats were selling provisions to the Centurion, the person who had wrested the sword from the Chinese, came with eagerness to the Commodore, to assure him that one of the principal thieves was then in a provision-boat alongside the ship ; and the officer who had been robbed, viewing the fellow on this report, and well remembering his face, orders were immediately given to seize him; and he was accordingly secured on board the ship, where strange discoveries were now made. This thief, on his being first apprehended, expressed so much fright in his countenance, that it was feared he would have died upon the spot ; the Mandarin, too, who attended the ship, had visibly no small share of concern on the occasion. Indeed, he had reason enough to be alarmed, since it was soon apparent that he had been privy to the whole robbery; for the Commodore declar- ing that he would not deliver up the thief, but would himself order him to be shot, the Mandarin immediately put off the magisterial air, with which he had at first pretended to demand him, and begged his release in the most abject manner. But the Commodore seeming to be inflexible, there came on board, in less than two hours' time, five or six of the neighbouring Mandarins, who all joined in the same entreaty, and with a view of facilitating their suit, offered a large sum of money for the fellow's liberty. Whilst they were thus soliciting, it was discovered that the Mandarin, the most active amongst them, and who was thence presumed to be most interested in the event, was the very gentleman who rode up to the officer, just after the robbery, and who pretended to be so much displeased with the villany of his countrymen. On further inquiry, it was also 402 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. Book Hi. found that he was the Mandarin of the island; and that he had, by the authority of his ofRce, ordered the pea- sants to commit that infamous action. This easily accounted for his extraordinary vigilance in the present conjuncture; since, as far as could be collected from the broken hints which were casually thrown out, it seemed that he and his brethren, who were every one privy to the transaction, were terrified with the fear of being called before the tribunal at Canton, where the first article of their punishment would be the stripping them of all they were won'.h; though their judges, however fond of inflicting a chastisement, so lucrative to them- selves, were, perhaps, of as tainted a complexion as the delinquents. Mr. Anson was not displeased to have caught the Chinese in this dilemma; he entertained himself for some time with their perplexity, rejecting their money with scorn, appearing inexorable to their prayers, and giving out that the thief should certainly be shot; but as he then foresaw that he should be forced to take shelter in their ports a second time, when the influence he might hereby acquire over the magis- trates would be of great service to him, he at length permitted himself to be persuaded, and, as a favour, released his prisoner, though not till the Mandarin had collected and returned all that had been stolen from the officer, even to the minutest trifle. But notwithstanding this instance of the good intelli- gence between the magistrates and criminals, the strong addiction of the Chinese to lucre often prompts them to break through this awful confederacy, and puts them on defrauding the authority that protects them of its proper quota of the pillage. For not long after the above- mentioned transaction, (the former Mandarin, attendant on the ship, being in the mean time relieved by another,) the Commodore lost a top-mast from his stem, which, on the most diligent inquiry, could not be traced out. As it was not his own, but had been borrowed at Macao to heave down by, and was not to be replaced in that* Chap. IX.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE RIVER OP CANTON. 403 part of the world, he was extremely desirous to recover it, and published a considerable reward to any who would bring it him again. There were suspicions from the first of its being stolen, which made him conclude a reward was the likeliest method of getting it back. Hereupon soon after the Mandarin informed him, that some of his, the Mandarines, attendants had found the top-mast, desiring tht Commodore to send his boats to fetch it, which being done, the Mandarin's people received the promised reward. It seems the Commodore had told the Mandarin that he would make him a present besides, on account of the care he had taken in directing it to be searched for; and, accordingly, Mr. Anson gave a sum of money to his linguist, to be delivered to the Mandarin; but the linguist, knowing that the Chinese had been paid, and ignorant that a ^rther present had been promised, kept the money himself However, the Mandarin fully confiding in Mr. Anson's word, and suspecting the linguist, he took occasion, one morning, to admire the size of the Centurion's masts, and thence, on a pretended sudden recollection, he made a digression to the top-mast, which had been lost, and asked Mr. Anson if he had not got it again. Mr. Anson presently perceived the bent of this conversation, and inquired of him if he had not received the money from the linguist? and finding he had not, he offered to pay it him upon the spot; but this the Mandarin refused, having now somewhat more in view than the sum which had been detained ; for the next day the linguist was seized, and was doubtless mulcted of whatever he had gotten in the Commodore's service, which was supposed to be little less than two thousand dollars; being besides so severely bastinadoed, that it was wonderful he escaped with his life. And when he was upbraided by the Commodore, to whom he afterwards came a begging, with his folly, in risking this severe chastisement, and the loss of all he was worth, for the lucre of fifty dollars, the present of -^hich he defrauded the Mandarin, he had no other 404 YOTAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book lit. excuse to make, than the strong bias of his nation to dishonesty, replying, in his broken jargon, Chinese man very great rogue, truly, but have fashion, no can help. It were endless to recount all the artifices, extortions, and frauds which were practised on the Commodore and his people by this interested race. The method of buy- ing provisions in China being by weight, the tricks the Chinese made use of to augment the weight of what they sold to the Centurion, were almost incredible. One time, a large quantity of fowls and ducks being brought for the ship's store, the greatest part of them presently died : this spread a general alarm on board, it being appre- hended that they had been killed by poison ; but, on examination, it appeared, that it was only owing to their being crammed with stones and gravel, to increase their weight, the quantity thus forced into most of the ducks being found to amount to ten ounces in each. The hogs, too, which were bought ready killed of the Chinese butchers, had water injected into them for the same purpose; so that a carcass, hung up all night, that the water might drain from it, had lost about a stone of its weight. And when, to avoid this cheat, the hogs were bough*; alive, it was discovered that the Chinese gave them salt to increase their thirst. ; and having thus excited them to drink great quantities of water, they then took measures to prevent them from discharging it again by urine, and sold the tortured animal in this inflated state. When the Commodore first put to sea from Macao, they practised an artifice of another kind ; for as the Chinese never scruple eating any food that dies of itself, they contrived, by some secret practices, that great part of his live sea-store should die in a short time after it was put on board, hoping to make a second profit of the dead carcasses which they expected would be thrown overboard ; and two-thirds of the hogs dying before the Centurion was out of sight of land, many of the Chinese boats followed her, only to piok up the Chap. IX.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 405 carrion. These instances may serve as a specimen of the manpors of this celebrated nation, which is often recommended to the rest of the world as a pattern of all kinds of laudable qualities. But to return. The Commodore, towards the end of September, having found out, as has been said, that those who had contracted to supply him with sea provisions and stores, had deceived him, and that the Viceroy had not invited him to an interview, according to his promise, he saw it would be impossible for him to surmount the difficulties he was under, without going to Canton, and visiting the Viceroy. And therefore, on the 27th of September, he sent a message to the Mandarin, who attended the Cen- turion, to inform him, that he, the Commodore, intended, on the first of October, to proceed in his boat to Canton, adding, that the day after he got there he should notify his arrival to the Viceroy, and should desire him to fix a time for his audience. This message being delivered to the Mandarin, he returned no other answer than that he would acquaint the Viceroy with the Commodore's in- tentions. In the mean time, all things were prepared for this expedition; and the boat's crew which Mr. Anson proposed to take with him were clothed in an uniform- dress, resembling that of the watermen on the Thames. They were in number eighteen, and a cockswain: they had scarlet jackets and blue silk waistcoats, the whole trimmed with silver buttons, besides silver badges on their jackets and caps. As it was apprehended, and even asserted, that the payment of the customary duties for the Centurion and her prize would be demanded by the Riigency of Canton, and would be insisted on, previous to their granting a permission to victual the ship for her future voyage ; the Commodore, who was resolved never to establish so dishonourable a precedent, took all possible precaution to prevent the Chinese from facilitating the success of their unreasonable pretensions, by having him in their power at Canton. And, therefore, the better to secure his ship, and the great treasure on board her^ 406 YOTAGB ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. against their projects, he appointed his first lieutenant, Mr. Brett, to be captain of the Centurion under him, giving him proper instructions for his conduct ; directing him particularly if he, the Commodore, should be de- tained at Canton, on account of the duties in dispute, to take out the men from the Centurion's prize, and to destroy her, and then to proceed down the river, through the Bocca Tigris, with the Centurion alone, and to remain without that entrance till he received further orders from Mr. Anson. These necessary steps being taken, which were not unknown to the Chinese, it should seem as if their deli- berations were in some sort perplexed thereby. It is reasonable to imagine that they were in general very de- sirous of getting the duties to be paid them, not, perhaps, solely in consideration of the amount of those duties, but to keep up their reputation for address and subtlety, and to avoid the imputation of receding from claims on which they had already so frequently insisted. However, as they now foresaw that they had no other method of suc- ceeding than by violence, and that even against this the Commodore was prepared, they were at last disposed, I conceive, to let the affair drop, rather than entangle themselves in a hostile measure, which they found would only expose them to the risk of having the whole navi- gation of their port destroyed, without any certain pro- spect of gaining their favourite point. But, though there is reason to conclude that these were their thoughts at that time, yet they could not depart at once from the evasive conduct to which they had hitherto adhered; for when the Commodore, on the morning of the 1st of October, was preparing to set out for Canton, his linguist came to hiia from the Mandarin, who at- tended the ship, to tell him that a letter had been received from the Viceroy of Canton, desiring the Com- modore to put off his going thither for two or three days. The reality of this message was not then ques- tioned; but in the afternoon of the same day, another OK m. nant, bim, Kiting e de- te, to id to ough (main from Chap. IX.] TRANSACTIONS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 407 linguist came on board, wbo, with mucb seeming frigbt, told Mr. Anson tbat tbe Viceroy bad expected bim up that day, tbat the council was assembled, and the troops had been under arms to receive him, and tbat the Vice- roy was highly offended at the disappointment, and had sent tbe Commodore's linguist to prison, chained, sup- posing that the whole had been owing to the linguist's negligence. This plausible tale gave tbe Commodore great concern, and made him apprehend that there was some treachery designed bim, which he could not yet fathom. And though it afterwards appeared tbat the whole was a fiction, not one article of it having tbe least foundation ; yet, for reasons best known to themselves, this falsehood was so well supported by the artifices of the Chinese merchants at Canton, that, three days after- wards, the Commodore received a letter signed by all tbe supercargoes of tbe English ships then at tbat place, ex- pressing their great uneasiness about what bad happened, and intimating their fears that some insult would be oflered to his boat if he came thither before the Viceroy was fully satisfied of tbe mistake. To this letter Mr. Anson replied, that he did not believe there had been a mistake, but was persuaded it was a forgery of the Chinese, to prevent bis visiting the Viceroy ; tbat, there- fore, he would certainly come up to Canton on the 13th of October, confident that tbe Chinese would not dare to offer him any insult, as well knowing be should want neither power nor inclination to make them a proper* return. On the 13th of October, tbe Commodore continuing firm to his resolution, all tbe supercargoes of the English, Danish, and Swedish ships came on board the Centurion, to accompany bim to Canton, for which place he set out in his barge tbe same day, attended by bis own boats and by those of the trading ships, which, on this occa* sion, sent their boats to augment his retinue. As he passed by Wampo, where the European vessels lay, he was saluted by all of them but the French, and in the / 408 YOTAOB ROUND THE fjOA), [Book III. evening he arriyed safely at Canton. His reception in that city, and the most material transactions from hence- forward, till the expedition was brought to a period, by the return of the Centurion to Great Britain, shall be the subject of the ensuing chapter. CHAPTER X. Proceedings at the City of Canton, and the Return of the Centurion to England. When the Commodore arrived at Canton he was visited by the principal Chinese merchants, who affected to ap- pear very much pleased that he had met with no obstruc- tion in getting thither, and who thence pretended to conclude that the Vicerov was satisfied about the former mistake, the reality of - '^h they still insisted on. In the conversation which passed upon this occasion, they took care to insinuate that, as soon as the Viceroy should be informed that Mr. Anson was at Canton, which they promised should be done the next morning, they were persuaded a time would be immediately appointed for the visit, which was the principal busineds that had brought the Commodore to that city. The next day the merchants returned to Mr. Anson, and told him that the Viceroy was then so fully employed in preparing his despatches for Pekin, that there was no getting admittance to him at present ; but that they had engaged one of the officers of his court to give them in- formation, as soon as he should be at leisure, when they proposed to notify Mr. Anson's arrival, and endeavour to fix the audience. The Commodore was already too well acquainted with their artifices not tc perceive that this was a falsehood ; and had he consulted only his own judgment, he would have applied directly to the Viceroy, by other hands. But the Chinese merchants had so far Chap. X.] PROOESBINGB AT THB CITY OF CANTON. 409 prepossessed the supercargoes of our ships with chimerical fears, that they, the supercargoes, were extremely appre- hensive of being embroiled with the government, and of suffering in their interest, if those measures were taken which appeared to Mr. Anson at that time to be the most prudential : and, therefore, lest the malice and double- dealing of the Chinese might have given rise to some sinister incident,which would be afterwards laid at his door, he resolved to continue passive as long as it should appear that he lost no time by thus suspending his own opinion. In pursuance of this resolution, he proposed to the Eng- lish that he would engage not to take any immediate step himself for getting admittance to the Viceroy, provided the Chinese, who contracted to furnish his provisions, would let him see that his bread was baked, his meat salted, and his stores prepared with the utmost despatch. Bu if, by the time when all was in readiness to be sliipped off, which it was supposed would be in about forty days, the merchants should not have procured the government's permission to send it on board, then the Commodore was determined to apply to the Viceroy himself. These were the terms Mr. Anson thought proper to offer to quiet the uneasiness of the supercargoes ; and notwithstanding the apparent equity of the conditions, many difficulties and objections were urged , nor would the Chinese agree to the proposal, till the Commodore had consented to pay for every article he bespoke, before it was put in hand. However, at last, the contract being past, it was some satisfaction to the Commodore to be certain that his preparations were now going on ; and being himself on the spot, he took care to hasten them as much as possible. During this interval, in which the stores and provisions were getting ready, the merchants continually entertained Mr. Anson with accounts of their various endeavours to procure a license from the Viceroy, and their frequent disappointments : this was now a matter of amusement to the Commodore, as he was fully satisfied there was not 410 VOTAaE ROUND THE WOULD. [Book lit. one word of truth in any thing they said. But, when all was completed, and wanted only to be shipped, vrhich was about the 24th of November, at which time, too, the north-east monsoon was set in, he then resolved to de- mand an audience of the Viceroy, as he was persuaded that, without this ceremony, the grant of a permission to take his stores on board would meet with great difficulty. On the 24th of November, therefore, Mr. Anson gent one of his officers to the Mandarin who commanded the guard of the principal gate of the city of Canton, with a letter directed to the Viceroy. When this letter was delivered to the Mandarin, he received the officer who brought it very civilly, and took down the contents of it in Chinese, and promised that the Viceroy should be immediately acquainted with it ; but told the officer it was not neces- sary he should wait for an answer, because a message would be sent to the Commodore himself When Mr. Anson first determined to write this letter, he had been under great difficulties about a proper inter- preter, as he was well aware that none of the Chinese usually employed as linguists could be relied on ; but he at last prevailed with Mr. Flint, an English gentleman belonging to the factory, who spoke Chinese perfectly well, to accompany his officer. This person, who, upon that occasion, and many others, was of singular service to the Commodore, had been left at Canton, when a youth, by the late Captain Rigby. The leaving him there to learn the Chinese language was a step taken by that Captain, merely from his own persuasion of the con- siderable advantages which the East India Company might one day receive from an English interpreter ; and though the utility of this measure has greatly exceeded all that was expected from it, yet I have not heard that it has been to this hour imitated: but we im- prudently choose, except in this single instance, to carry on the vast cransactions of the port of Canton, either by the ridiculous jargon of broken English which some few of tke Chinese have learnt, or by the Chap. X.] PROCEEDINGS AT THE CITY OP CANTON. 411 suspected interpretation of the linguists of other na- tions. Two days after the sending the ahove-^mentioned letter, a fire broke out in the suburbs of Canton. On the first alarm, Mr. Anson went thither with his ofiicers and his boat*s crew to aid the Chinese. When he came there, he found that it had begun in a sailor's shed, and that by the slightness of the buildings, and the awkwardness' of the Chinese, it was getting head apace. However he per- ceived that by pulling down some of the adjacent sheds, it might easily be extinguished; and particularly observed, that it was then running along a wooden cornice, which blazed fiercely, and would immediately communicate the flame to a great distance. He ordered his people to begin with tearing away that cornice : this was presently at- tempted, and would have been soon executed ; but in the mean timf* he was told that as there was no Mandarin there, wh alone has a power to direct on these occasions, the Chinese would make him, the Commodore, answer- able for whatever should be pulled down by his command. Hereupon Mr. Anson and his attendants desisted; and he sent them to the English factory, to assist in securing the Company's treasure and eiFects, as it was easy to foresee that no distance was a protection against the rage of such a fire, where so little was done to put a stop to it; since all the while the Chinese contented themselves with viewing it, and now and then holding one of their idols near it, which they seemed to expect should check its progress. Inr* jed, at last a Mandarin came out of the city, attended by four or five hundred firemen : these made some feeble efforts to pull down the neighbouring houses; but by that time the fire had greatly extended itself, and was got amongst the merchants' warehouses, and the Chinese firemen wanting both skill and spirit, were incapable of checking its violence ; so that its fury increased upon them, and it was feared the whole city would be destroyed. In this, general confusion, the Viceroy himself came hither, and the Commodore was 412 TOTAOE BOUND THE WOBLP. [Book III. sent to, and was entreated to afford his assistance, being told that he might take any measures he should think most prudent in the present emergency. Upon this message he went thither a second time, carrying with him about forty of his people; who in the sight of the whole city, exerted themselves aft jT so extraordinary a manner, as in that country wa. 'together without ex- ample. For behaving with the ^ ity and boldness pe- culiar to sailors, they were rather animated than deterred by the flames and falling buildings amongst which they Mrrought ; whence it was not uncommon to see the most forward of them tumble to the ground, on the roofs, and amidst the ruins of houses, which their own efforts brought down under them. By their resolution and activity, the fire was soon extinguished, to the amaze- ment of the Chinese; and it fortunately happened, too, that the buildings being all on one floor, and the materials slight, the seamen, notwithstanding their daring behaviour, escaped with no oth^r injuries than some considerable bruises. The fire, though at last thus luckily extinguished, did great mischief during the time it continued ; for it consumed a hundred shops and eleven streets full of warehouses, so that the damage amounted to an immense sum ; and one of the Chinese merchants, well known to the English, whose name was Succoy, was supposed for his own share to have lost near two hundred thousand pounds sterling. It raged indeed with unusual violence ; for in many of the warehouses there were large quantities of camphor, which greatly added to its fury, and pro- duced a column of exceeding white flame, which blazed up into the air to such a prodigious height, that it was distinctly seen on board the Centurion, though she was a£ least thirty miles distant. Whilst the Commodore and his people were labouring at the fire, and the terror of its becoming general still possessed the whole city, several of the most considerable Chinese merchants came to Mr. Anson, to desire that he II. Chap. X] PROCEEDINGS AT THE CITY OP CANTON. 413 would let each of them have one of his soldiers (for such they styled his boat's crew, from the uniformity of their dress) to guard their warehouses and dwelling-houses, which, from the known dishonesty of the populace, they feared would be pillaged in the tumult. Mr. Anson granted them this request; and all the men that he thus furnished behaved much to the satisfaction of the mer- chants, who afterwards highly applauded their great diligence and fidelity. By this means, the resolution of the English in mastering the fire, and their trusty and prudent conduct, where they were employed as safeguards, was the general subject of conversation amongst the Chinese. And the next morning many of the principal inhabitants waited on the Commodore, to thank him for his assistance; frankly owning to him that he had preserved their city from being totally consumed, as they could never have extinguished the fire of themselves. Soon after, too, a message came to the Commodore from the Viceroy, ap- pointing the 30th of November for his audience; which sudden resolution of the Viceroy, in a matter that had so long been agitated in vain, was also owing to the signal services performed by Mr. Anson and his people at the fire, of which the Viceroy himself had been in some measure an eye-witness. The fixing this business of the audience was on every account a circumstance with which Mr. Anson was much pleased ; since he was satisfied the Chinese govern- ment would not have determined this point, without having agreed among themselves to give up their pre- tensions to the duties they claimed, and to grant him all he could reasonably ask. For as they well knew the Commodore's sentiments, it would have been a piece of imprudence, not consistent with their refined cunning, to have admitted him to audience, only to have contested with him. Being therefore himself perfectly easy about the result of his visit, he made the necessary preparations against the day ; and engaged Mr. Flint, whom I have 414 VOYAQE BOUND THE WOBLD. [Book III. mentioned before, to act as interpreter in the conference ; and Mr. Flint, in this affair as in all others, acquitted himself much to the Commodore's satisfaction: re- peating with great boldness, and doubtless with ex- actness, whatever was given him in charge; a part which no Chinese linguist would have performed with any tolerable fidelity. At ten o'clock in the morning on the day appointed, a Mandarin came to the Commodore, to let him know that the Viceroy was prepared, and expected him j on which the Commodore and his retinue immediately set out. As soon as he entered the outer gate of the city, he found a guard of two hundred soldiers ready to receive him; these attended him to the great parade, before the Emperor's palace, where the Viceroy then resided. In this parade, a body of troops, to the number of ten thousand, were drawn up under arms, who made a very fine appearance, they being all of them new- clothed for this ceremony. Mr. Anson with his retinue having passed through the middle of them, he was then conducted to the great hall of audience, where he found the Viceroy seated under a rich canopy in the Emperor's chair of state, with all his council of Mandarins attend- ing. Here there was a vacant seat prepared for the Commodore, in which he was placed on his arrival. He was ranked the third in order from the Viceroy, there being above him only the two chiefs of the law, and of the treasury, who in the Chinese government have precedence of all military officers. When the Commo- dore was seated, he addressed himself to the Viceroy by his interpreter, and began with reciting the various methods he had formerly taken to get an audience; adding that he imputed the delays he had met with to the insincerity of those he had employed; and that he had therefore no other means left, than to send as he had done, his own officer with a letter to the gate. On the mention of this, the Viceroy interrupted the interpreter, jtnd bid him assure Mr. Anson, that the first knowledge Chap. X.] PBOCEEDINGS AT THE CITY OF CANTON. 415 they had of his being at Canton was from that letter, Mr. Anson then proceeded, and told him that the sub- jects of the King of Great Britain trading to China, had complained to him, the Commodore, of the vexatious impositions, both of the merchants and inferior custom- house officers, to which they were frequently necessitated to submit, by reason of the difficulty of getting access to the Mandarins, who alone could grant them redress : that it was his, Mr. Anson^s duty, as an officer of the King of Great Britain, to lay before the Viceroy these grievances of the British subjects, which he hoped the Viceroy would take into consideration, and would give orders that hereafter there should be no just reason for complaint. Here Mr. Anson paused, and waited some time in expectation of an answer ; but nothing being said, he asked his interpreter if he was certain the Viceroy understood what he had urged ; the interpreter told him he was certain it was understood, but he be- lieved no reply would be made to it. Mr. Anson then represented to the Viceroy the case of the ship Hasling- field, which having been dismasted on the coast of China, had arrived in the river of Canton but a few days before. The people on board this vessel had been great sufferers by the fire ; the Captain in particular had all his goods burnt,, and had lost besides in the confusion a chest of treasure of four thousand five hundred tahel, which was supposed to be stolen by the Chinese boatmen. Mr. Anson therefore desired that the Captain might have the assistance of the Government, as it was apprehended the money could never be recovered without the inter- position of the Mandarins. And to this request the Viceroy made answer, that in settling the Emperor's customs for that ship, some abatement should be made in consideration of her losses. And now the Commodore having despatched the business with which the officers of the East India Com- pany had entrusted him, he entered on his own affairs ; acquainting the Viceroy that the proper season was 416 YOIAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. nlreadj set in for returning to Europe, and that he wanted only a license to ship off his provisions and stores, which were all ready ; and that as soon as this should be granted him, and he should have gotten his neces- saries on bourd, he intended to leave the river of Canton, and to make the best of his way for England. The Viceroy replied to this, that the license should be im- mediately issued, and that every thing should be ordered on board the following day. And finding that Mr. Anson had nothing further to insist on, the Viceroy continued the conversation for some time, acknowledging in very civil terms, how much the Chinese were obliged to him for his signal services at the fire, and owning that he had saved the city from being destroyed: then observing that the Centurion had been a long while on their coast, he closed his discourse by wishing the Commodore a prosperous voyage to Europe. After which the Com-» modore thanking him for his civility and assistance, took his leave. As soon as the Commodore was out of the hall of audience, he was much pressed to go into a neighbouring apartment, where there was an entertainment provided; but finding on inquiry that the Viceroy himself was not to be present, he declined the invitation and departed, attended in the same manner as at his arrival ; only on his leaving the city he was saluted by three guns, which are as many as in that country are ever fired on any ceremony. Thus the Commodore, to his great joy, at last finished this troublesome affair, which for the pre- ceding four months had given him much disquietude. Indeed he was highly pleased with procuring a license for the shipping off his stores and provisions, as thereby he was enabled to return to Great Britain with the first of the monsoons, and to prevent all intelligence of his being expected ; but this, though a very important point, was not the circumstance which gave him the greatest satisfaction, for he was more particularly attentive to the authentic precedent established on this occasion, by Chap. X.] OSTENTATION OF THE CHINESE. 417 which his Majesty's ships-of-war are, for the future, ex- empted from all demands of duty in any of the ports of China. In pursuance of the promises of the Viceroy, the provisions were begun to be sent on board the day succeeding the audience ; and four days after the Com- modore embarked at Canton for the Centurion. And now all the preparations for putting to sea were pursued wit-i so much vigilance, and were so soon completed, that the 7th of December, the Centurion and her prize unmoored, and stood down the river, passing through the Bocca Tigris on the 10th. On this occasion I must observe, that the Chinese had taken care to man the two forts, on each side of that passage, with as many men as they could well contain, the greatest part of them armed with pikes and matchlock muskets. These garrisons a£fected to show themselves as much as possible to the ships, and were doubtless intended to induce Mr. Anson to think more reverently than he had hitherto done of the Chinese military power : for this purpose, they were equipped with extraordinary parade, having a great number of colours exposed to view ; and on the castle in particular there were laid considerable heaps of large stones ; and a soldier of unusual size, dressed in very sightly armour, stalked about on the parapet, with a battle-axe in his hand, endeavouring to put on as im- portant and martial an air as possible, though some of the observers on board the Centurion shrewdly suspected, from the appearance of his armour, that instead of steel, it was composed only of a particular kind of glittering paper. The Centurion and her prize being now without the river of Canton, and, consequently, upon the point of leaving the Chinese jurisdiction, I beg leave, before I quit all mention of the Chinese affairs, to subjoin a few remarks on the disposition and genius of that celebrated people. And though it may be supposed, that observa- tions made at Canton only, a place situated in a corner E E 418 VOYAGE BOUND THE WORLD. [Book III. of the empire, are very imperfect materials on which to found any general- conclusions ; jet, as those who have had opportunities of examining the inner parts of the country, have been evidently influenced by very ridiculous prepossessions, and as the transactions of Mr. Anson with the regency of Canton were of an uncommon nature, in which many circumstances occurred different, perhaps, from any which have happened before, I hope the fol- lowing reflections, many of them drawn from these incidents, will not be altogether unacceptable to the reader. That the Chinese are a very ingenious and industrious people, is sufficiently evinced from the great number of curious manufactures which are established amongst them, and which are eagerly sought for by the most distant nations ; but though skill in the handicraft arts seems to be the most valuable qualification of this people, yet their talents therein are but of a second-rate kind ; for they are much outdone by the Japanese in those manufactures which are common to both countries; and they are, in numerous instances, incapable of rivalling the mechanic dexterity of the Europeans. Indeed, their principal excellency seems to be imitation ; and they, accordingly, labour under that poverty of genius which constantly attends all servile imitators. This is most conspicuous in works which require great truth and accuracy, as in clocks, watches, fire-arms, &c. ; for in all these, though they can copy the difl^erent parts, and can form some resemblance of the whole, yet they never could arrive at such a justness in their fabric as was necessary to produce the desired effect. If we pass from those employed in manufactures to artists of a superior class, as painters, statuaries, &c. ; in these matters they seem to be still more defective : their painters, though very numerous and in great esteem, rarely succeeding in the drawing or colouring of human figures, or in the grouping of large compositions ; and though, in flowers and birds, their performances are much more admired, Chap. X.] GENIUS AND LITERATUBE OF THE CHINESE. 419 yet, even in tho»c, some part of the merit is rather to be imputed to the native brightness an(J excellency of the colours, than to the skill of the painter ; since it is very unusual to see the light and shade justly and naturally handled, or to find that ease and grace in the drawing which are to be met with in the works of European artists. In short, there is a stifiness and minuteness in most of the Chinese productions, which are extremely displeasing : and it may, perhaps, be truly asserted, that these defects in their arts are entirely owing to the peculiar turn of the people, amongst whom nothing great or spirited is to be met with. If we next examine the Chinese literature, (taking our accounts from the writers who have endeavoured to represent it in the most favourable light,) we shall find, that on this head their obstinacy and absurdity are most wonderful; since, though, for many ages, they have been surrounded by nations to whom the use of letters was familiar, yet they, the Chinese alone, have hitherto neglected to avail themselves of that almost divine invention, and have continued to adhere to the rude and inartificial method of representing words by arbitrary marks ; a method which necessarily renders the number of their characters too great for human memory to manage, makes writing to be an art that requires pro- digious application, and in which no man can be other- wise than partially skilled; whilst all reading and understanding of what is written, is attended with infinite obscurity and confusion; as the connexion between these marks and the words they represent, can- not be retained in books, but must be delivered down from age to age by oral tradition : and how uncertain this must prove, in such a complicated subject, is sufii- ciently obvious to those who have attended to the variation which all verbal relatioiiS undergo, when they are transmitted through three or four hands only. Hence it is easy to conclude, that the history and Invention of past ages, recorded by these perplexed 420 TOTAQE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. Rymbols, must frequently prove unintelligible; and, consequently, the learning and boasted antiquity of the nation must, in numerous instances, be extremely pro- blematical. However, we ;vere told, by many of the missionaries, that though the skill of the Chinese in science is con- fessedly much inferior to that of the Europeans, yet the morality and justice taught and practised by them are most exemplary ; so that, from the description given by some of these good fathers, one should be induced to believe that the whole empire was a well-governed, affectionate family, where the only contests were who should exert the most humanity and social virtue. But our preceding relation of the behaviour of the magis- trates, merchants, and tradesmen at Canton, sufficiently refutes these Jesuitical fictions. Besides, as to their theories of morality, if we may judge from the specimens exhibited in the works of the missionaries, we shall find them frequently employed in reconmiending ridiculous attachment to certain frivolous points, instead of dis- cussing the proper criterion of human actions, and r^ulating the general conduct of mankind to one an- other on reasonable and equitable principles. Indeed, the only pretensions of the Chinese to a more refined morality than their neighbours, is founded not on their integrity or beneficence, but solely on the affected even- ness of their demeanour, and their constant attention to suppress all sjrmptoms of passion and violence. But it must be considered, that hjrpocrisy and fraud are often not less mischievous to the general interests of mankind, than impetuosity and vehemence of temper : since these, though usually liable to the imputation of imprudence, do not exclude sincerity, benevolence, resolution, nor many other laudable qualities. And perhaps, if this matter was examined to the bottom, it would appear that the calm and patient turn of the Chinese, on which they so much value themselves, and which distinguishes the nation from all others, is in reality the source of the CH4P. X.] ON THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. 421 most exceptionable part of their character; for it has been often observed, by those who have attended to the nature of mankind, that it is difficult to curb the more robust and violent passions, without augmenting at the same time the force of the selfish ones; so that the timidity, dissimulation, and dishonesty of the Chinese, may, in some sort, be owing to the composure and external decency so universally prevailing in that empire. Thus much for the general disposition of the people : but I cannot dismiss this subject without adding a few words about the Chinese Government, that, too, having been the subject of boundless panegyric. And on this head I must observe, that the favourable accounts often giten of their prudent regulations, for the administration of their domestic affairs, are sufficiently confuted by their transactions with Mr. Anson; as we have seen that their magistrates are corrupt, their people thievish, and their tribunals venal and abounding with artifice. Nor is the constitution of the empire, or the general orders of the state, less liable to exception; since that form of government, which does not, in the first place, provide for the security of the public against the enter- prises of foreign powers, is certainly a most defective institution : and yet, this populous, this rich and exten- sive country, so pompously celebrated for its refined wisdom and policy, was conquered, about an age since, by a handful of Tartars ; and even now, through the cowardice of the inhabitants, and the want of proper military regulations, it continues exposed, not only to the attempts of any potent state, but to the ravages of every petty invader. I have already observed, on occa- sion of the Commodore's disputes with the Chinese, that the Centurion alone was an overmatch for all the naval power of that empire : this, perhaps, may appear an extraordinary position ; but to render it unquestionable, it may, perhaps, be necessary to describe the vessels made use of by the Chinese. The first of these is a junk, of about a hundred and twenty tons burthen, and mmi ^pp ^^ 422 TOIAOE ROUND THE WORLD. [Book III. was what the Centurion hove-down by ; these are most used in the great rivers, though they sometimes servo for small coasting voyages : the other junk is about two hundred and eighty tons burthen, ard is of the same form with those in which they trade to Cochin-China, Manilla, Batavia, and Japan, though some of their trading vessels are of a much larger size; its head is poifectly flat; and when the vessel is deep laden, the second or third plank of this flat surface is ofttimes under water. The masts, sails, and rigging of these vessels are ruder than their hulk ; for their masts are made of trees, no otherwise fashioned than by barking them, and lopping off their branches. Each mast has only two shrouds of twisted rattan, which are often both shifted to the weather-side ; and the halyard, when the yard is up, serves instead of a third shroud. The sails are of mat, strengthened every three feet by an horizontal bamboo ; they run upon the mast with hoops, and when they are lowered down, they fold upon the deck. These trader :r carry no cannon ; and it appears, from this whole description, that they are utterl ' incapable of resisting any E'.iopean armed vessel. Nor is the state provided with ships of considerable force, or of a better fabric, to protect their merchant-men ; for at Canton, where doubtless their principal naval power is stationed, we saw no taiore than four men-of-war junks, of about three hundred tons burthen, being of the make already de- scribed, and mounted only with eight or ten guns, the largest of which did not exceed a four-pounder. This may suffice to give an idea of the defenceless state of the Chinese empire. But it is t^me to return to the Com- modore, whom I left, with his two ships, without the Bocca Tigiis, and who, on the 12th of December, anchored before the town of Macao. While the ships lay here, the merchants of Macao finished their purchase of the galeon, for which they refused to give more than 6000 dollars: this was greatly short of her value; but the impatience of the Commo- iwili^i 9^9^immmmm^ Chap X.] SET SAIL FOR ENGLAND. 423 dore to get to sea, to which the merchants were no strangers, prompted them to insist on these unequal terms. Mr. Anson had learnt ellough from the English ' at Canton, to conjecture that the war with Spain was still continued ; and that, probably, the French might engage in the assistance of Spain, before he could arrive in Great Britain ; and therefore, knowing that no intel- ligence could come to Europe of the prize he had taken, and the treasure he had on board, till the return of the merchantmen from Canton, he was resolved to make all possible expedition in getting back, that he might be himself the first messenger of his own success, and might thereby prevent the enemy from forming any projects to intercept him: for these reasons, he, to avoid all delay, accepted of the sum offered for the galeon ; and she being delivered up to the merchants the l'5th of December, 1743, the Centurion, the same day, got under sail, on her return to England. On the 3d of January, she came to an anchor at Prince's Island, in the Straits of Sunda, and continued there, wooding and watering, till the 8th; whence she weighed, and stood for the Cape of Good Hope, where, on the 11th of March, she anchored in Table Bay. The Cape of Good Hope is situated in a temperate climate, where the excesses of heat and cold are rarely known; and the Dutch inhabitants, who are numerous, and who here retain their native industry, have stocked it with prodigious plenty of all sorts of fruits and pro- visions ; most of which, either from the equality of the seasons, or the peculiarity of the soil, are more delicious in their kind than can be met with elsewhere : so that, by these, and by the excellent water which abounds there, this settlement is the best provided of any in the known world, for the refreshment of seamen after long voyages. Here the Commodore continued till the beginning of April, highly delighted with the place, which by its extraordinary accommodations, the healthi- ness of its air, and the picturesque appearance of the ^ar ■ — ^^- 424 VOYAGE ROUND THE WOELD. [BobK III. country, the whole enlivened, too, by the addition of a civilized colony, was not disgraced, on a comparison with the valleya of Juan Fernandez and the lawns of Tinian. During his stay, he entered about forty new men ; and V havirg, by the 3d of April, 1744, completed his water * and provision, he on that day weighed, and put to sea. The 19th of April, they saw the island of St. Helena, whic^, however, they did not touch at, but stood on their way ; and arriving in soundings about the^ begin- ning of June, they, on the 10th of that month, spoke with an English ship bound for Philadelphia, from whom they received the first intelligence of a French war. By the 12th of June, they got sight of the Lizard; and the 15th, in the evening, to their infinite joy, they came safe to an anchor at Spithead. And the good Providence, ^ ^ which had preserved them through the signal perils, * which had so of^en threatened them, in the preceding part of the enterprise, attended them to the very last ; fer Mr. Anson learnt, on his arrival, that there was a French fleet of considerable force cruising in the chops of the Channel, which from the account of their position, he found the Centurion had run through, and had been all the time concealed by a fog. Thus was .this expe- dition finished, when it had lasted three years and nine months, after having, by its event, strongly evinced this important truth, that though prudence, intrepidity, and perseverance united, are not exempted from accidents . and adverse circumstances : yet, in a long series of 1 transactions, they usually rise superior, and, in the end, rarely fail of proving successful, through the blessing of Divine Providence. THE END. K. CLAY, PRINTEH, UIIEAU-STREKT-HILL. ">;- Book III. on of a on with Tinian. jn; andV is "water ♦• to sea. Helena, lood on 5, begin- , spoke 1 whom ;h war. d; and jy came ddence, perils, eceding :y last ; d was a e chops osition, »d been s expe- id nine ed this ty, and , icidents jries of l| he end, jsing of