VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, In the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV. B Y GEORGE ANSON, Efq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of His Majefty's Ships, fent upon an Expedition to the South- Seas. COMPILED From Papers and other Materials of the Right Honourable GEORGE Lord JNS O N, and publilhed under his Dirc6lion. By RICHARD WALTER, M. A. Chaplain of his Majefty's Ship the Centurion, in that Expedition. THE THIRD EDITION. With CHARTS of the Southern Part of South America, of Part of the Pacific Ocean, and of the Track of the Centurion round the World. L N DON: PrinteJ for J o h n and Pax) l K n a p t o k, In Ludgat«- Street, M dcc xlviji. J < TO HIS GRACE,' JOHN, Duke of Bedford^ Marquis of Ta- vijruck^ Earl of Bedford^ Baron Rujfel^ Baron Rujfel^ of Thorn- haughy and Baron Howlandy of Streatham ; One of His Majefty's Principal Secre- taries of State; and Lord-Lieu tenant, and Cuftos Rotulorum of the Coun- ty of BedforDo My LO RD, TH E following Narrative of a very fingular naval atchieve- ment is addrefled to Your Grace, both on account of the in- finite obligations which the Com- mander in Chief at all times profefles to have received from your Friend- fhip ; and alfo, as the Subjed: itfelf na- A 2 turally DEDICATION. turally claims the patronage of One, under whole diredion, the Brittjh Navy has refumed its ancient Spirit and Luftre, and has in one fummer ennobled itfelf by two victories, the moft decifive, and (if the ftrength and number of the captures be confidered; the moft important, that are to be met with in our Annals. Indeed, an unin- terrupted feries of fuccefs, and a mani- feft fjperiority gained univerfally over the enemy, both in commerce and glory, leem to be the neceffary efteds of a revival of ftrid difcipline, and of an unbiafTed regard to merit and o fervice. Thefe are marks that muft diftinguifh the happy period of time in which Your Grace prelided, and afford a fitter fabjedl for hiftory, than for an addrefs of this nature. Very fignal advantages or rank and diftinc- tion, obtained and fecured to the na- val profeffion by Your Grace's aufpi- cious influence, will remain a lafting monument of Your unwearied zeal and DEDICATION. and attachment to it, and be for ever remembred with the higheft gratitude, by all who jfhall be em^ ployed in it. As thefe were the generous rewards of paft exploits, they will be likewife the nobleft in- centives, and furejft pledges of the future. That Your Grace's qivA" nent talents, magnanimity, and dif- interefled zeal, whence the Public has already reaped fuch fignal bcnents, may in all times prove equally fuc- cefsful in advancing the profperity of Creat'Britainy is the ardent wifh of, Mj L RD, Your G xR A c e's Mojl ohedienty Mojl devoted^ AND Moji humble Servant^ Richard Walter^ Advertifemenf. 'T^ HE Plates in the Quarto Edition -*- being too numerous and large to be folded in an Odlavo Volume, it has been thought proper to infert only two Charts, of the moft general Ufe ; to- gether with an additional Chart, fhew- ing the Track of the Centurion round the World : But the Reader is defired to take Notice, that the References fo all the Plates are continued in this Edition ; and compleat Setts of them are fold by J. and P. Knaftony in Ludgate-Street. CONTENTS. BOOK L CHAP. I. OF the equipment of the fqiiadron : The incidents relating thereto^ from its firfi appointment to its fetting fail from St. Helens,- Page i CHAP. II. The paffage from St, Helens to the Ifland of Madera, with a fhort account of that Ifiandy and of ourfiay there y i 9 CHAP. III. The hiflory of the fqiicdron commanded by Bon Jofeph Pizarro, 27 CHAP. IV. From Madera to St. Catherine's, 47 C II A P. V. Proceedings at St. Catherine's, and a defcripticn of the place y with a fhort account of Br3.zi\y 58 CHAP. VL The run from St. Catherine's to port St. Julian, with fame account of that port., and of the country to the fouth-ward of the riz'er of Plate, So CHAP. VII. Departure from the bay of St. Julian, and the paf- fage from thence to Sir eights Le Maire, oa CHAP. VIII. From Str eights Le Maire to Cape Noir, 108 A 4 CHAP. CONTENTS. CHAP. IX. Ohfervations and dire^lions for facilitating the pajfage of our future Cruifers round Cape^rLoxHy 119, CHAP. X. From Cape Noir to the IJland of Juan Fernandes, 139 BOOK IL CHAP. I. ^he arrival of the Centurion at the IJland of Juare Fernandes, with a defcription of that IJland^ 153- C H A P. II. ^he arrival of the Gloucefter and the Anna Pink at the Jjland of Juan Fernandes, and the tranfa5lions ^ that place during this interval^ 17S CHAP. III. AJl^ort narrative of what befel the Anna Pink heforer Jhe joined us, with an account of the lofs of the Wa- ger, and of the putting hack of the Severn and Pearl, the two remaining Jhips of the fquadron^ 19 j CHAP. IV. Conclujion of cur proceedings at Juan Fernandes,. from the arrival of the Anna Pink, to our final departure from thence^ 217 CHAP. V. Qur cruife from the time of our leaving Juan Fer- nandes, to the taking the town of Paita, 237 CHAP. CONTENTS, C H A P. VI. ' The taking of Paita, avJ our proceedings till we left the CO aft of Peru, 264 CHAP. VII. From cur departure from Paita, to our arrival at Quibo, 2 89 CHAP. VIII. Our proceedings at Quibo> with an account of the place y ^01 CHAP. IX. From Quibo to the coaft of Mexico, q iQ CHAP. X. An account of the commerce carried on between the city of Manila on the JJland of Luconia, afid the port of Acapulco on the coaft of Mexico, qii C H A P. XI. Our cruife off the port of Acapulco for the Manila /^>> 341 CHAP XII. Defer iption of the harbour of Chcquetan, and of the adjacent coaft evd country ^ ^^^ CHAP. XIII. Our proceedings at Chequctan a?id on the adjacent coaft ^ fill our fcttlng fail for Afia, 3 6S CHAP. XIV. A brief account of. what might have been expe5fed from our fquadron^ had it arrived in the South- Seas in good time, 279 BOOK CONTENTS. BOOK III. C H A P. I. The run from the coaft of Mexico to the Ladrones or Marian IJland:^ 393 CHAP. II. OuV arrival at Tinian, and an account of the IJlandy and of our proceedings there^ till the Centurion drove out to fea^ 409 CHAP. III. ^ranfaElions at Tinian after the departure of the Centurion, 430 CHAP. IV. Proceedings on hoard the Centurion, when driven out to fea^ 442- CHAP. V. Employment at Tinian, //// the final departure of the Centurion from thence \ with a defcription of the Ladrones, 446 CHAP. VL From Tinian to Macao, 459 C H A P. VII. Proceedings at Macao, 469 CHAP. VIII. From Macao to Cape Efpiritu Santo : ne taking of the Manila galeon^ and returning back again^ 490 CHAP. IX. ^'ranfa5iions in the river of Canton, 510 CHAP. X. Proceedings at the city of Canton, and the return of the Centurion to England, 529 INTRO- INTRODUCTION, ^^Otvvithftanding the great improvement of J navigation within the lafl two Centuries, " a Voyage round the World is "flill confi- dered as an enterprize of a very fingular nature ; and the PubUc have never failed to be extremely in- quifitive about the various accidents and turns of fortune, with which this uncommon attempt is ge- nerally attended : And though the amuiement ex- pelled in a narration of this kind, is doubtlefs one great fource of this curiofity, and a ilrong incite- ment with the bulk of readers, yet the more intel- ligent part of mankind have always agreed, that from thcfe relations, if faithfully executed, the more important purpofes of navigation, commerce, and national intereil may be greatly promoted : For every authentic account of foreign coalts and coun* tries will contribute to one or more of thefe great ends, in proportion ro the wealth, wants, or com- modities of thofe countries, and our ignorance of thofe coafts •, and therefore a Voyage round the World promifcs a fpecies of information, of all others the moil defirable and intereiling ; fince great part of it is performed in feas, and on coalls, with which we are as yet but very im.perfcclly ac- quainted, and in the neighbourhood of a country fenowned for the abundance of its wealth, though it is at the lame time iligmatifed for its poverty, in the neceffuries and conveniencies of a civihzed iife, Thefi INTRODUCTION. Thefe confiderations have occafioned the publi- cation ot the enfuing work ; which, in gratitying the inquifitive turn of mankind, and contributing to the fafety and fuccefs of future navigators, and to the extenfion of our commerce and power, may doubtkfs vie with any narration of this kind hither- to made pubUc : Since the circumftances of this un- dertaking aheady known to the world, may be fup- pofed to have ftrongly excited the general curio- fity ; for whether we conlider the force of the fquadron fent on this fervice, or the diverfiiied dif- treffes that each fmgle Ihip was feparately involved in, or the uncommon inftances of various fortune, which attended the whole enterprize; each part, I conceive, mud:, from its rude well-known out- lines, appear worthy of a compleater and more finifhed delineation : And if this be allowed with refpedl to the narrative part of the work, there can be no doubt about the more ufeful and inftrudtive parts, which are almoft every where interwoven with it ; for I can venture to affirm, without fear of being contradicted on a comparifon, that no voyage I have yet feen, furniihes fuch a number of viev/s of land, foundings, draughts of roads and ports, charts, and other materials, for the improve- ment of geography and navigation, as are referred to in the enfuing volume -, which are of the more im.portance too, as the greatefl part of them relate to fuch lilands or Coafts, as have been hitherto not at all or erroneouily defcribed, and where the want of fLifficient and authentic information might occa- fion future enterprizes to prove abortive, perhaps with the deftruction of the men and veflels em- ployed therein. And INTRODUCTION. And befides the number and choice of thele? jtnarine drawings and defcriptions, there is another very eflential circumflance belonging to them, which much enhances their value ; and that is, the great accuracy they were drawn with. I fhall ex- prefs my opinion of them in this particular very impertedly -, when I fay, that they are not ex- ceeded, and parhaps not equalled by any thing of this nature hitherto made public : For they were not copied from the works of others, or compofed at home from imperfed: accounts, given by incu- rious and unfkilful obfervers, as hath been frequent- ly the cafe in thefe matters -, but the greatclt part of them were drawn on the fpot with the utmofl exadnefs, by the diredlion, and under the eye of Mr. u'Ififcn himfelf j and where (as is the cafe in tliree or four of them) they have been done by lefs fkilful hands, or were found in poflefTion of the enemy, and confcquently their juflnefs could be lefs relied on, I have always taken care to apprize the reader of it, and to put him on his guard againil giving entire credit to them ; although I doubt not, but thefe lefs authentic draughts, thus cautioufly inkrted, are to the full as correct as thofe, which are ufually publiflied on thefe occafions. For as adlual furveys of roads and harbours, and nice and critical delineations of views of land, take up much time and attention, and require a good degree of fkill both in planning and drawing ; thofe who are defeclive in indufcry and ability, fupply thefe wants by bold conje6hires, and fi6litious cefcriptions ; and as they can be no other wife confuted than by going on the fpot, and running the rifque of fuffer- ing by their mifinformation, they hive no appre- henfions of being deteded ; and therefore, when they INTRODUCTION. they intrude their fuppofitirious produdions on the PubHc, they make no confcience of boafting at the fame time, v/ith how much fkill and care they are performed. And let not thofe who are unacquaint- ed with naval affairs imagine, that impofitions of this kind are of an innocent nature ; for as exa6t views of land are the fureil guide to a feaman, on a coaft where he has never been before, all fidtions in fo interefting a matter muft be attended with numerous dangers, and fometimes with the de- llru6lion of thofe who are thus unhappily de- ceived. Befides thefe draughts of fuch places as Mr. An- fcn or the fiiips under his command have touched at in the courfe of this expedition, and the defcrip- tions and dire6lions relating thereto, there is in- ferred, in the enfuing work, an ample defcription, with a chart annexed to it, of a particular naviga- tion, of which hitherto little more than the name has been known, except to thofe immediately em- ployNsd in it : I mean the track defcribed by the Manila fhip, in her paflage to Acapulco^ through the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. This mate- rial part is colle6led from the draughts and journals met with on board the Manila galeon, founded on the experience of miOre than a hundred and fifty years practice, and corroborated in its principal circumftances by the concurrent evidence of all the Spr.nijh prifoners taken in that veflel. And as many ol their journals, which I have examined, appear to have been not ill kept •, I prefume, the chart of that northern Ocean, and the particulars of their route through it, may be very fafely relied on by future Navigators. The advantages, which may be drawn from an exad knowledge of this naviga- tion, INTRODUCTION. tion, and the beneficial projects that may be form- ed thereon, both in war and peace, are by no means proper to be difcufled in this place : But they will cafily ofier themfelves to the fkilful in maritime af- fairs. However, as the Manila fhips are the only ones which have ever traverfed this vaft ocenn, ex- cept a French ftraggler or two, which have been afterwards feizcd on the coaft of Mexico^ and as during near two ages, in which this trade has been carried on ; the Spaniards have, with the greateft care, fecreted all accounts of their voyages from the reft of the world; thefe reafons alone would authorize the infertion of thofe papers, and would recommend them to. the in [uifi- tive, as a very great improvement in geography, and worthy of attention from the fingularity of many circumftances recited therein. I muft add too, (what in my opinion is far from^being the leaft recommendation of thefe materials) that the obfer- vations of the variation of the compafs in that Ocean, which are inferted in the chart from thefe Spa?iijlj journals, tend greatly to compleat the gene- ral fyftem of the magnetic variation, ot infinite im- port to the commercial and fea-faring part of man- kind. Thefe obfervations were, though in vain, often publickly called for by our learned country- man the late Dr. Halley^ and to his immortal repu- tation they confirm, as far as they extend, the wonderful hypothecs he had entertained on this head, and very nearly correfpond in their quantity, to the predictions he publilhed above fifty years fince, long before he was acquainted with any one obfervation made in thofe £as. The afcertaining the variation in that part of the world is juft now too of more than ordinary confequence, as the Editors of a new INTRODUCTION. ft new variation-ch.irt lately publiflied, have, for want of obfervations in thofe parts, been milled by an erroneous analogy, and have miftaken the very fpecies of variation in thofe northern feas ; for they make it weftcrly where it is eafterly, and have laid it down 12^ or 13^ Ihort of its real quantity. Thus much it has been thought n-ceffary to pre- mife with regard to the hydrographical and geo- graphical part of the enfuing work ; which it is hoped the reader will, on perufal, find much am- pler and more important than this flight fketch can well indicate. But as there are hereafter occafio- nally interfperfed fome accounts of Spanijh tranf- a6tions, and many obfervations on the difpolition of the American Spaniards^ and on the the condition of the countries bordering on the South- Seas^ and as herein I may app.^ar to differ greatly from the opi- nions generally eftablifncd, I think it incumbent on me particularly to recite the authorities I have been guided by on this occafion, that I may not be cenfured, as having given way either to a thought- lefs credulity on one hand, or, what v/ould be a much more criminal imputation, to a wilful and deliberate mifreprefentation on the other. Mr. Anfoiu before he fet fail upon this expedi- tion, befides the printed journals to thofe parts, took care to furnifh himfclf with the be ft manu- icript accounts he could procure of all the Spamjh fettlements upon the coafts of CM/, Peru and Mexi- co : Thefe he carefully compared with the exami- nations of his prifoners, and the informations of fe- veral intelligent perfons, who fell into his hands in the South-Seas, He had likewife the good fortune, in fome of his captures, to poflefs himfelf of agreat number of letters and papers of a public nature, 4 many INTRODUCTION. many of them written by the Viceroy of Peru to the Viceroy of Santa Fee, to the Prefidents of Pa- nama and Chili, to Don Blafs de Lezo, Admiral of the galeons, and to divers other perfons in public employments; and in tliefe letters there was ulually inferted a recital of thofe they were intended to an- fwer •, fo that they contained a confiderable Part of the correfpondence between thefe officers for iomt time previous to our arrival on that coafl : We took befides many letters fent from perfons em- ployed by the Government to their friends and cor- refpondents, which were frequently filled with nar- rations of pubhc bufinefs, and fometimes contained undifguifed animadverfions on the views and con- dudi: of their fuperiors. From thefe materials thofe accounts of the Spanijh afiairs are taken, which may at firft fight appear the moft exceptionable. In particular, the hiftory of the various cafualties which befel Pizarro*s fquadron, is for the moft pare compofed from intercepted letters : Though in- deed the relation of the infurre6tion of Orellcma and his followers, is founded on rather a lefs difputable authority : For it was taken from the mouth of an Englijh Gentleman then on board Pizarro, who of- ten converfed with Orellana -, and it was on en- quiry, confirmed in its principal circumftances by others who were in the Ihip at the fame time : So that the fa6t, however extraordinary, is, I con- ceive, not to be contefted. And on this occafion I cannot but mention, that though I have endeavoured, with my utmoft care, to adhere ftridlly to truth in every article of the enful:;g narration •, yet I am apprehenfive, that in fo complicated a work, feme overfights mud have been committed, by the inattention to which at ( a ) times INTRODUCTION. times all mankind are liable. However, I know of none but literal miilakes : And if there are other errors which have efcaped mej I flatter my- felf they are not of moment enough to afted any material tranfadion, and therefore I hope they may juftly claim the reader's indulgence. After this general account of the contents of the cnfuingwork, it might be expedled, perhaps, that I v/ould proceed to the work itfelf ; but I cannot finifh this Introdudion, without adding a few re- flexions on a matter very nearly conne6ted with the prefent fubje6l, and, as I conceive, neither deflitute of utihty, nor unworthy the attention of the Public ; I mean, the animating my country- men both in their public and private ftations, to the encouragement and purfuit of all kinds of geographical and nautical obfervations, and of every fpecies of mechanical and commerical infor- mation. It is by a fettled attachment to thefc fcemingly minute particulars, that our ambitious neighbours have eftabliflied Ibme part of that power, with which we are now flruggling : And as we have the means in our hands of purfuing thefe fubje& more effedtually, than they can, it would be a difhononr to us longer to negle6l fo eafy and beneficial a pradlice : For, as we have a Navy much more numerous than theirs, great part of v/hich is always employed in very diftant ftations, citlicr in the prote6lion of our colonies and commerce, or in afTifting our allies againll the common enemy, this gives us frequent opportu- nities of furnifhing ourfelves with fuch kind of materials, as are here recommended, and fuch as might turn greatly to our advantage, either in war or INTRODUCTION. or peace : For, not to mention what might be ex- pected from the officers of the Nav)s if their ap- plication to thefe fiibjedls were properly encou- raged, it would create no new expence to the Government to eftabliili a particular regulation for this purpofe ; fince all that would be requiiite, would be conftantly to embark on board Ibme of our men of war, which are fent on thefe diflanc cruifes, a perfon, who with the character of an engineer, and the fkill and talents neceffary to that profcfiion, fhould be employed in drawing fuch coalls, and planning fuch harbours, as the fliip fhould touch at, and in making fuch other ob- fervations of all kinds, as might either prove of advantage to future Navigators, or might any ways tend to promote the Public fervice. Befides, perfons habituated to this employment ( which could not fail at the fame time ot improving them in their proper bufuiefs) would be extremely ufeful in many other lights, and might fervc to fecure our Fleets from thofe difgraces, with which their attempts again ft places on fhore have been often attended : And, in a Nation like ours, where all fciences are more eagerly and univerfally purfued, and better underftood than in any other part of the world, proper fabjeds for fuch employments could not long be wanting, if due incouragement were given to them. This method here recom- mended is known to have been frequently prac- tifed by the French^ particularly in the inftance of Monfieur Frezier, an Engineer, who has publiihed a celebrated voyage to the South-Seas : For this perfon, in the year 1 7 1 1 , was purpofely fent by the French King into that country on board a merchantman, that he might examine and de- ( a 2 ) fcribe INTRODUCTION. icribe the coaft, and take plans of all the fortified f iaceSj the better to enable the French to profecute their illicit trade, or, in cafe of a rupture with the cbMvto^ Spain^ to form their ent^erprizes in thofe feas with more readinefs and certainty. Should we purfue this method, we might hope, that the emulation amongft thofe who were thus employ- ed, and the experience, which even in time* of peace, they would hereby acquire, might at length procure us a proper number of able Engineers, and might efface the national fcandal, which our deficiency in that fpecies of men has fome times expofed us to : And furely, every flep to encou- rage and improve this profeffion is of great mo- ment to the Public •, as no perfons, when they are properly inilrufted, make better returns in war, for the encouragement and emoluments bellowed On them in tim.e of peace. Of which the ad- vantages the French have reaped from their dex- terity (too numerous and recent to be foon forgot) arc an ample confirmation. And having mentioned Engineers, or fuch as are {killed in drawing, and the other ufual prac- tices of that profeffion, as the propereft perfons to be employed in thefe foreign enquiries, I cannot (as it offers itfelf fo naturally to the fubjed: in hand) but lament, how very imperfed many of our accounts of diftant countries are rendered by the relators being unfkilled in drawing, and in the general principles of furveying ; even where other abilities have not been wanting. Had more of our travellers been initiated in thefe acquirements, and had there been added thereto fome little fkill in the common aftronomical obfervations, ( all which a perfon of ordinary talents might attain, with INTRODUCTION. with a very moderate fliare of application) we ihould by this time have ken the geography of the globe much corre<5ler, than we now find it; the dangers of navigation would have been con- fiderably leflened, and the manners, arts and pro- duce of foreign countries v/ould have been much better known to us, than they are. Indeed, when I confider, the flrong incitements that all travel- lers have to acquire fome part at lead of thefe qua- lincations, efpecially drawing ; when I confider how much it would facilitate their obfervations, aflift and flrenghthen their memories, and of how tedious, and often unintelligible, a load of de- fcription it would rid them, I cannot but wonder that any perfon, that intends to vifit dillant coun- tries, with a view of informing either himfelf or others, fhould be unfurnilhed with fo ufeful a piece of fkill. And to inforce this argument flill further, I muft add, that befides thefe ufes of draw- ing, which are already mentioned, there is one, which, though not lo obvious, is yet perhaps of more confequence than all that has been hitherto urged i and that is, that thofe who are accuftomed to draw objects, obferve them with more diftindl- nefs, than others who are not habituated to this pradticc. For we may cafily find, by a little ex- perience, that in viewing any objc6b, liowever fimple, our attention or memor)'' is fcarcely at any time fo flrong, as to enable us, when we have turned our eyes away from it, to recolle6t exactly every part it confifted of, and to recal all the cir- cumflances of its appearance ; fmce, on examina- tion, it will be difcovered, that in fome we are miflaken, and others we had totally overlooked : But he that is employed in drawing what he fees. INTRODUCTION. is at the fame time employed in redifying this inattention ; for by confronting his ideas copied on the paper, with the object: he intends to re- prefent, he finds in what manner he has been de- ceived in its appearance, and hence he in time acquires the habit of obferving much more at one view, and retains what he fees with more corredtnefs than he could ever have done, without his pra6lice and proficiency in drawing. If what has been fiid merits the attention of Travellers of all forts, it is, I think, more par- ticularly applicable to the Gentlemen of the Navy^i«» fmce, without drawing and planning, neither charts nor views of lands can be taken ; and without thefe it is fufficiently evident, that navigation is at a full ttand. It is doubtlefs from a perfuafion of the utility of thefe qualifications, that his Majefty has eftablifhed a drawing Mafter at Portfmoutb^ for the inilrudtion of thole, who are prefumed to be hereafter intrufted with the command of his Royal Navy : And though fome have been fo far mided, as to fuppofe that the perfection of Sea-officers confiffed in a turn of mind and temper refembling the boifterous element they had to deal with, and have condemned all literature and fcience as eft^e- minate, and derogatory to that ferocity, which, they would falfely perfuade us, was the moil un- erring chara6leriftic of courage : Yet it is to be hoped, that fuch abfurdities as thefe have at no lime been authorifed by the Public opinion, and that the belief of them daily diminilhes. If thofe who adhere to thefe mifchievous pofitions were ca- pable of being influenced by reafon, or fwayed by example, I fnouid think it fufficient for their con- viction to obfervej that the moil valuable draw- ings INTRODUCTION. ings referred to in the following v/ork, though done with fuch a degree of n<:ill, that even profef- fed artifts can with difficulty imitate tiiem, were taken by Mr. Pemy Brett ^ one oi-Mv. Anfon's Lieutenants, and fince Captain of the Lion man of war; who, in his memorable engagem,ent with the Elizabeth (for the importance of the fervice, or the refolution with which it was conduded, ia- feriour to none this age has feen) has given ample proof, that a proficiency in the arts I have been here recommending is extremely confident with the moft exemplary bravery, and the moil diftin- guiilied fkill in every function belonging to the duty of a Sea-officer. Indeed, when the many branches of fcience are confidered^ of which even the common pra61:ice of navigation is compofed, and the many improvements, which men of fkili have added to this practice within thcfe few years, it would induce one to believe, that the advan- tages of refiedion and fpeculative knowledge were in no profeffion more eminent than in that of a- Tea-officer : For, not to mention fome expertnefs in geography, geometry and aftronomy, which it would be dilhonourable for him to be without, (as his journal and his eftimate of the daily po- fition of the fhip are no more than the pradice of particular branches of thefe arts) it may be well fuppofed^ that the management and working of a fhip, the difcovery of her moft eligible pofition in the water, (ufually filled her Trihi) and the difpofition of her fails in the moft advantageous manner, are articles, wherein the knowledge of mechani-cs cannot but be greatly affiftant : And perhaps the application of this kind of knowledge to naval fubjecls may produce 4S great improve- I ments INTRODUCTION. ments in failing and working a fhip, as it has already done in many other matters conducive to the eafe and convenience of human life : For when the fabric of a Ihip, and the variety of her fails are confidered, together with the artificial contri- vances of adapting them to her different motions, as it cannot be doubted, but thefe things have been brought about by more than ordinary fagacity and invention, fo neither can it be doubted but that a Ipeculative and fcientific turn of mind may find out the means of direding and difpofing this com- plicated mechanifm much more advantageoufly than can be done by mere habit, or by a fervile copying of what others may perhaps have erro- neoufly pradifed in the like emergency : But it is time to finifh this digrefTion, and to leave the rea- der to the perufal of the enfuing work ; which, with how little art foever it may be executed, will yet, from the importance of the fubjedl, and the utility and excellence of the materials, merit fome fliare of the Public attention. y A VOYAGE VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, B y GEORGE -ANSON, Efq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of his MAJESTY'S Ships. BOOK L CHAP. L Of the equipment of the fquadrori : The incidents relating thereto, from its firft appointment to its fetting fail from St. Helens. TH E fquadron under the Command of Mr. ylnfon (of which I here propofe to " recite the moft material proceedings) having undergone many changes in its deftina- tion, its force and its equipment, in the ten B months months between its firft appointment and its final failing from St. Hele7js ; I conceive the hiftory of thefe alterations is a detail neceffary to be made public, both for the honour of thofe who firfb planned and promoted this enterprize, and for the juftiiication of thofe who have been entrufted with its execution. Since it v/i]l from hence appear, that the accidents the expedition was afterwards expofed to, and which prevented it from producing all the national advantages the ftrength of the fquadron, and the expedla- tion of the public, feemed to prefage, were principally owing to a feries of interruptions^ which delayed the Commander in the courfe of his preparations, and which it exceeded his ut- mofb induilry either to avoid or to get re- moved. When in the latter end of the fummer of the year 1739, it was forefeen that a v/ar with Spain was inevitable, it was the opinion of fe- veral confiderable perfons then trufted with the Adminiftration of affairs, tliat the mofl pru- dent ftep the Nation could take, on the break- ing out of the war, was attacking that Crown in her diftant fettlements ; for by this means (as at that time there was the greateft probability of fuccefs) it was fuppofed that we fnould cut off the principal refourccs of the enemy, and re- duce them to the necellity of fincerely defiring a peace, as they would hereby be deprived of the returns of that treafure by which alone they could be enabled to carry on a war. In (3 ) In purfuance of thefe fentiments, feveral projeds were examined, and feveral refolutions taken in Council. And in all thefe delibera- tions it was from the firft determined, that George AnfoHi Efq; then Captain of the Centu- rion^ fhould be employed as Commander in Chief of an expedition of this kind : And he then being abfent on a cruize, a veffel was dif- patched to his ftation fo early as the beginning of Septe}nber\ to order him to return with his fhip to Portfmouth. And foon after he came there, that is on the loth of iVc^^;;;^^ follow- ing, he received a letter from ^\x Charles Wager ^ ordering him to repair to London^ and to attend the board cf Admiralty : Where^ when he ar- rived, he was informed by Sir Charles^ that two Squadrons would be immediately fitted out for tsvo fecret expeditions, which however would have Ibme connexion with each other : That he, Mr. Anfon^ was intended to command one of them, and Mr. Cornwall (who hath fmce loft his life glorioufly in the defence of his Coun- try's honour) the other : That the fquadron un- der Mr. uinfon was to take" on board thiee In- dependent Companies of a hundred men each, and Bland's regiment of Foot : Th^t Colonel Bland was likewife to imbark with his regi- ment, and to command the land-forces : And that, as foon as this fquadron could be fitted for the fea, they were to fet fail, with expref?^ or- ders to touch at no place till they came lo Java- Head in the Eajl- Indies : That th^rc they wTre B 2 only (4) only to (top to take in water, and thence to proceed diredly to the city of Manila^ fituated on Luconia^ one of the Philippine Iflands : That the other fquadron was to be of equal force with this commanded by Mr. Anfon^ and v/as intended to pafs round Cape Horn into the South-Seas J and there to range along that coaft ^ and after cruizing upon the enemy in thofe parts, and attempting their fettlemcnts, this fquadron in its return was to rendezvous at Manila^ and there to join the fquadron under Mr. Anfon^ where they were to refrefh their men, and refit their fhips, and perhaps receive further orders. This fcheme was doubtlefs extremely well projedied^ and could not but greatly advance the Public Sei-vice, and at the fame time the reputation and fortune of thofe concerned in its- execution ; for had Mr. Anfon proceeded for Manila at the time and in the manner propof- ed by Sir Charles JVager^ he would, in all pro- bability, have arrived there before they had re- ceived any advice of the war between us and Spain^ and confequently before they had been in^ the leaft prepared for the reception of an enemy, or had any apprehenfions of their danger. The city of Manila might be well fuppofed to have, been at that time in the fame defencelefs condi- tion with all the other Spaniflo fettlements, jull at the breaking out of the war : That is to fayy their fortifications neglected, and in many places decayed •, their cannon difmounted, or ufelefs by the (5) the mouldring of their carriages -, their maga- zines, whether of mihtary (lores or provifion, all empty •, their garrifons unpaid, and confe- quently thin, ill-afie(5tcd, and difpirited ; and the royal cheds in Peru, whence alone all thefe diforders could receive their redrefs, drained to the very bottom : This, from the intercepted letters of their Viceroys and Governors, is well known to have been the defencelefs ftate of Panama, and the other Spanijh places on the coaft of the Soutb-Seas, for near a twelvemonth after our declaration of war. And it cannot be fuppofed that the city of Manila, removed ftill farther by almoft half the circumference of the globe, fhould have experienced from the Spanifi Government, a greater Ihare of attention and concern for its fecurity, than Panama, and the other important ports in Peru and Chili, on which their poffeflion of that immenfe Empire depends. Indeed, it is well known, that Ma- nila was at that time incapable of making any confiderable defence, and in all probability would have furrendered only on the appearance of our fquadron before it. The confequence of this city, and the ifland it ftands on, may be in fome meafure eftimated, from the healthinefs of its air, the excellency of its port and bay, the number and wealth of its inhabitants, and the very extenfive and beneficial commerce which it carries on to the principal Ports in the Epft- Indies, and China, and its exclufive trade to Aca- pulco, the returns for which, being made in fil- B 3 ver. (6) ver, arc, upon the lowefl valuation, not Icfs than three jmilHons of Dollars ^^r annum. And on this Scheme Sir Charles Wager was io intent, that in a few days after this firll con- ference, that is, on November i8, Mr. Jnfon received an order to take under his command tlie ylrgyle^ Severn^ Pearly IFager^ and the ^ryal Sloop ; and other orders were ilTued to him in the fame month, and in the December following, relating to the vi6lualling of this fquadron. But Mr. Afjfon attending the Admiralty the begin- ning of January^ he was informed by Sir Charles TFager^ that for reafons ^Wth which he, Sir Charles^ was not acquainted, the expedition to Manila was laid afide. It may be conceived, that Mr. Anfon wa^ extremely chagrined at the lofing the command of fo infallible, fo honour- able, and in every refpedl, (o defirable an enter- prize, efpecially too as he had already, at a very great expence, made the neceffary provi- fion for his own accommodation in this voyage, vvhich he had reafon to expe6l would prove a very long one. However, -Sir Ci?<^r/^/, to ren- der this difappointment In fome degree more tolerable, informed him that the expedition to the Son ih -Seas was ftill intended, and that he, Mr. Anfon^ and his fquadron, as their firft dc{- tination was now countermanded, fhould be em- ployed in that fcrvice. And on the loth of January he received his commifTion, appoint- ing him Commander in Chief of the foremen- ^joned^ fquadron, which (the /irgyle being in the (7) the courfe of their preparation changed for the Gloucefter) was the fame he failed with above eio-ht months after from St. Helens. On this change of deilination, the equipment of the fquadron was ftill profecuted with as much vi- gour as ever, and the viclualling, and whatever depended on the Commodore, was fo far ad- vanced, that he conceived the fhips might be capable of putting to fea the inftant he fhould receive his final orders, of which he was in daily expecbation. And at lall, on the 2Sth o{ June 1 740, the Duke of NezvcaftL\ Principal Secre- tary of State, delivered to him his Majefty's inflrud:ions, dated January 31, 1739, with an additional inflruclion from the Lords Juflices, dated June 19, 1740. On the receipt of thefe, Mr. Anfon immediately repaired to Spithead., with a refolution to fail with the firft fair wind, flat- tering himfelf that all his delays were now at an end. For though he knew by the mAiflers that his fquadron wanted three hundred feamen of their complement, (a deficiency which, with all his alTiduity, he had not been able to get fupplied) yet, as Sir Charles ^^^^(?r informed him, that an order from the board ot Admiralty was difpatched to Sir John Ncrris to fpare him the numbers which he wanted, he doubted not of his complying therewith. But on his arrival at Portfmoiith^ he found himfelf greatly miftaken, and difappointed in this perfuafion : for on his application. Sir John Norris told him, he could fpare him none, for he wanted men for his own B 4 fleet, (8) fjeet. This occafloned an inevitable and a very coni^derable delay •, for it was the end of July before this deficiency was by any means fuppli- ed, and all that was then done was extremely fliort of his neceflities and expectation. For Almiral Balchen^ who fucceeded to the com- mand at Spithead^ after Sir John Norris had fail- ed to the weftward, initead of three hundred able failors, which Mr. Anfon wanted of his com- plementj ordered on board the fquadron a hun- dred and feventy men only ; of which thirty- two were from the hofpital and fick quarters, thirty-feven from the Salijbury^ witli three offi- cers of Colonel Lozvther's regiment, and ninety- eight marines, and thefe were all that were ever granted to make up the forementioned defi- ciency. But the Commodore's mortification did not end here. It has been already obferved, that it was at firft intended that Colonel Bland's regi- ment, and three independent companies of a hundred men each, fhould embark as land-forces on board the fquadron. But this difpofition was now changed, and all the land-forces that were to be allowed, w^ere five hundred invalids to be colledled from the out-penfioners of Chelfea col- lege. As thcfe out-penfioners confift of foldiers, who from their age, wounds, or other infirmi- ties, are incapable of fervice in marching regi- ments, Mr. ylnfon was greatly chagrined at ha- ving fuch a decrepid detachment allotted him j for he was fully perfuaded that the greatefl part cf them would pcriih long before they arrived (9) ^t the fcene of affion, fince the delays he had al- ready encountered, neceflarily confined his paf-^ fage round Cape Horn to the moft rigorous fea- fon of the year. Sir Charles JVager too joined in opinion ivith the Commodore, that invalids were no ways proper for this fervice, and folUcited fb-enuouHy to have them exchanged ; but he was told that perfons, who were fuppofed to be bet- ter judges of foldiers than he or Mr. Anfon^ thought them the propereft men that could be employed on this occafion. And upon this de- termination they were ordered on board the fquadron on the 5th of Auguft: But inflead of five hundred, there came on board no more than two hundred and fifty-nine ; for all thofe who had limbs and ftrength to walk out of Pcrtfmoutb deferted, leaving behind them only fuch as were literally invalids, mod of them being fixty years of age, and fome of them up- wards of feventy. Indeed it is difficult to con- ceive a more moving fcene than the imbarkation of thefe unhappy veterans : They were themfelves extremely averfe to the fervice they were en~ gaged in, and fully apprized of all the difaflers they were afterwards expofed to ^ the apprehen- fions of which were flrongly mark'd by the con- cern that appeared in their countenances, which was mixed with no fmall degree of indignation, to be thus hurried from their repofe into a fa- tiguing employ, to v/hich neither the flrength of their bodies, nor the vigor of their minds, were any ways proportioned, and where, with- out feeing the face of an enemy, or in the leaft ( lo) leaft promoting the fuccefs of the cnterprize they were engaged in, they would in all probability vifelefsly periili by lingring and painful difeafes •, and this too, after they had fpent the aclivity and ftrength of their youth in their Country's fervice. And I cannot but obferve, on this melancholy incident, how extremely unfortunate is was, both to this aged and difeafed detachment, and to the expedition they were employed in ; that amongft ail the out-penfioners of Chelfea Hof- pical, which were fuppofed to amount to two thoufand mtn^ the moil crazy and infirm only Ihould be culled out for lb fatiguing and peril- ous an undertaking. For it was well known» that however unfit, invalids in general might be for this fervice, yet by a prudent choice, there might have been found amongft them five hun- dred men who had fome remains of vigour left : And Mr. Anfon fully expeded, that the beft of them would have been allotted him •, whereas the whole detachment that was fent to him, feemed to be made up of the moft decrepid and miferable objeds, that could be coile6i:ed out of the whole body •, and by the defertion above- mentioned, thefe were a fecond time cleared of that little health and flrcngth which were to be found amongft them, and he was to take up with fuch as were much fitter for an infirmary, than for any military duty. And here it is necelTary to mention another material particular in the equipment of this fquadron. It was propofed to Mr. Anfon ^ after it ( lO It was refolved that he Ihould be fent to the South- Seas^ to take with him two perfons under the denomination of Agent Vidluallers. Thofe who were mentioned for this employment had formerly been in the Spmnjh IVeft-IndieSy m tha South-Sea Company's fervice, and it was fup- pofed that by their knowledge and intelligence on that coall, they might often procure provi- fions for him by compact with the inhabitants, when it was not to be got by force of arms : Thefe Agent Vidluallers were, for this.purpofe, to be allowed to carry to the value of 15,000 /. in. merchandize on board the fquadron ; for they had reprefentcd, that it would be much eafier for them to procure provifions with goods, than with the value of the fame goods in money. Whatever colours were given to this fcheme, it was difficult to perfuade the generality of man- kind, that it was not principally intended for the enrichment of the Agents, by the beneficial commerce they propofed to carry on upon that coaft. Mr. Anfon^ from the beginning, ob- jedled both to the appointment of Agent Vic- tuallers, and the allowing them to carry a cargo on board the fquadron : For he conceived, that in thofe few amicable ports where the fquadron might touch, he needed not their alTiftance to contract for any provifions the place afforded ; and on the enemy's coaft, he did not imagine that they could ever procure him the neceiTaries he fliould want, unlefs (which he was refolved not to comply with) the military operations of his fquadron were to be regulated by the ridi- culous ( 12 ) culous views of their trading proje^s. All that he thought the Government ought to have done on this occafion, was to put on board to the va- lue of 2 or 3000/. only of fuch goods, as the. Indians^ or the Spanijh Planters in the lefs culti- vated part of the coaft, might be tempted with; fmce it was in fuch places only that he imagined it would be worth while to truck with the enemy for provifions : And in thefe places it was fufE- ciently evident, a very fmall cargo would iliffice. But though the Commodore obje6led both to the appointment of thefe officers, and to their projedt ; yet, as they had infmuated that their fcheme, befides vidlualling the fquadron, might contribute to fettling a trade upon that coafl, which might be afterwards carried on without difficulty, and might thereby prove a very con-- fiderable national advantage, they were much liftened to by feme confide. able perfons : And of the 1 5,000 /. which was to be the amount of their cargo, the Government agreed to advance them 10,000 upon impreft, and the remaining 5000 they raifed on bottomry bonds ; and the goods purchafed with this fum, were all that were taken to fea by the fquadron, how much foever the amount of them might be afterwards magnified by common report. This cargo was at firft fhipped on board the Wager Store Ship, and one of the Viduallers ; no part of it being admitted on board the men of war. But when the Commodore was at St. Gz- therine'Sy he confideredj that in cafe the fquadron fhould ( i3) iKould be feparated, it might be pretended that fome of the fhips were difappointed of provifions for want of a cargo to truck with, and therefore he diftributed fome of the leaft bulky commodi- ties on board the men of war, leaving the re- mainder principally on board the PP^'ager^ where it was loil : And more of the goods perilhing by various accidents to be recited hereafter, and no part of them being difpofcd of upon the coaft, the few that came home to England^ did not produce, when fold, above a fourth part of the original price. So true was the Commodore's predi(flion about the event of this projed, which had been by many confidered as infallibly pro- dudive of immenfe gains. But to return to the tranfadions at Portfmoutb. To fupply the place of the two hundred and forty invalids which had deferred, as is men- tioned above, th.ere were ordered on board two hundred and ten marines detached from different regiments : Thefe were raw and undifciplined men, for they were juft raifed, and had fcarcely any thing more of the foldier than their regi- mentals, none of them having been fo far trained^ as to be permitted to fire. The laft detachment of thefe marines came on board th« 8th of ^«- guji^ and on the loth the fquadron failed from Sfithead to St. Helens y there to wait for a wind to proceed on the expedition. But the delays Ave had already fuffered had not yet fpcnt all their influence, for we were now advanced into a feafon of the year, when the wederly winds are ufually very conftant, and very ( 14 T very violent ; and it was thought proper that we faould put to fea in company with the fleet- commanded by Admiral Balchen, and the expe- dition under Lord Cathcart. And as we made up in all twenty-one men of war, and a hundred and twenty-four fail of merchantmen and tranf- ports, we had no hopes of getting out of the Channel with lb large a number of fhips, with- out the continuance of a fair wind, for fome confiderable time. This was what we had every day lefs and lefs reafon to expect, as the time of the equinox drew near •, fo that our golden dreams, and our ideal poireffiron of the Peruvian treafures, grew each day more faint, and the difficulties and dangers of the palTage round Cape Horn in the winter feafon filled our imaginations in their room. For it was forty days trom our arrival at St. Helens^ to our final departure from- thence : And even then (having orders to pro- ceed without Lord Cathcart) we tided it down the Channel with a contrary wind. But this in- terval of forty days was not free from the dif- pleafing fatigue of often letting fail, and being as often obliged to return ♦, nor exempt from- dangers, greater than have been fometimes ex- perienced in furrounding the globe. For the wind coming fair for the firft time, on the 23d of Auguft^ we got under fail, and Mr. Balchen fhewed himfelf truly folicitous to have proceeded to fea, but the wind foon returning to its old quarter, obliged us to put back to St. Helens^^ not without confiderable hazard, and fome da-' mage received by two of the tranfports, whoy (15) in tacking, ran foul of each otlier : Befides this, we made two or three more attempts to fail, but without any better fuccefs. And, on the 6th of September^ being returned to an anchor at St. Helens^ after one of thefe fruitlcfs efforts, the wind blew fo frefh, that the whole fleet itruck their yards and topmails to prevent their driv- ing : And, notwithftanding this precaution, the Centurion drove the next evening, and brought both cables a-head, and we were in no fmall danger of driving foul of the Prince Frederick^ a feventy-gun fhip, moored at a fmall diflance under our llcrn ; which we happily efcaped, by her driving at the fame time, and fo preferv- ing her diflance : Nor did we think ourfelves fecure, till we at laft let go the flieet anchor, which fortunately brought us up. However, on the 9th of September^ we were in fome degree relieved from this lingering vexa- tious fituation, by an Order which Mr. Anfon received from the Lords Juftices, to put to fea the firft opportunity with his own fquadron only, if Lord Qathcart fhould not be ready. Being thus freed from the troublefome company of fa large a fleet, our Commodore refolved to weigh and tide it down the Channel, affoon as the wea- ther Ihould become fufHciently moderate j and this might eafily have been done with our own fquadron alone full two months fooner, had the orders of the Admiralty, for lupplying us with feamen, been punctually complied with, and had we met with none of thofe other delays men- tioned in this narration. It is true, our hopes of ( 16 ) of a fpeedy departure were even now fomewhat damped, by a fubfequent order which Mr. An- fon received on the 1 2th of September ; for by that he was required to take under his convoy the St. Albans with the Turkey fleet, and to join the Dragon^ and the Winchefter^ with the Str eights and the American trade at Torbay or Plymouth,- and to proceed with them to fea as far as their way and ours lay together : This incumbrance of a convoy gave us fome uneafmefs, as we feared it might prove the means of lengthening our pafTage to the Maderas. However, Mr. Anfon^ now having the command himfelf, re- folved to adhere to his former determination^ and to tide it down the Channel with the firfl moderate weather ; and that the jundlion of his Convoy might occafion as little a lofs of time as poffible, he immediately fent diredions to Tor- hay^ that the fleets he was there to take under his care, might be in a readinefs to join him in- ilantly on his approach. And at lafty on the 1 8th of Septefnber^ he weighed from St. Helens ^ and though the wind was at firfl contrary, had the good fortune to get clear of the Channel imr four days, as will be more particularly related in the enfuing chapter. Having thus gone through the refpe6live fleps taken in the equipment of this fquadron, it is fufHciently obvious how diflferent an afpedt tliis expedition bore at its firfl appointmeut in the beginning of Jarmary^ from what it had in the latter end of September^ when it left the Channel j and how much its nunnbers, its ftrengthj (' I? ) ftrehgth^ ahd the probability of its fuccefs wef^. diminifhed, by the various incidents which took place in that interval. For inftead of having all our old and ordinary feamen exchanged for fuch as were young and able, (which the Commo- dore was at nift promifed) and having our num- bers compleated to their full complement^ we Were obliged to retain our firll crews^ which were very indifferent; and a deficiency of three hundred men in our numbers was no otherwife made up to us, than by fending us on board a hundred and feventy men, the greateft part com-, pofed of fuch as were difcharged from hofpitals^ or new-raifed marines who had never been at fea, before. And in the land-forces allotted us, tlie change was Hill more difadvantageous ^ foi" there^ inftead of three independent companies of a hundred men each, and Bland's regiment of foot, which was an old one, we had only four hundred and feventy invalids and marines, one part of them incapable for adlion by age and in- firmities, and the otlier part ufelefs by their ig- norance of their duty. But the diminifhing the ftrength of the fquadron was not the greateft inconveniency which attended thefe alterations; for the contefts, reprefentations, and difficulties which they continually produced, (as we have above feen, that in thefe cafes the authority of the Admiralty was not always fubmitted to) occafioned a delay and wafte of time, which in its confequences was the fource of all the difafters to which this enterprize was afterwards expofed :' For by this means we were obliged to make our G paffage ( i8) pafiage rcaind Cape Horn in the mofl; tempeftu* ous feafon of the year \ whence proceeded the reparation of our fquadron, the lofs of numbers of our men, and the imminent hazard of our total deftrudlion : And by this delay too, the enemy had been fo well informed of our defigns, that a perfon who had been employed in the South-Sea Company's fervice, and arrived from Pmiania three or four days before we left Portf- mouthy was able to relate to Mr. Anfon moft of the particulars of the deftination and ftrength of our fquadron, from what he had learnt amongft the Spaniards before he left them. And this was afterwards confirmed by a more extraordi- nary circum fiance : For we fliall find, that when the Spaniards (fully fatisfied that our expedition , was intended for the South-Seas) had fitted out" a fquadron to oppofe us, which had fo far got the ftarc of us, as to arrive before us off the idand of A'ladera, the Commander of this fquadron was fo well inftrudled in the form and make of Mr. Jnfo7i^s broad pennant, and had imitated it lb exactly, that he thereby decoyed the Pearly one of our fquadron, within gun-fhot of him,^ bibre the Captain of the Pearl was able to difi( cover his miftake. CHAP. <'.h> C H A P. IL The paflage from St. Helens to the Ifland of Madera ; with a fhort account of that Ifland, and of our flay there, ON the I Sth of Septembef\ 1740, the fqua- dron, as we have obferved in the preced- ing chapter, weighed from St. Hele?ts with a con- trary wind, the Commodore propofing to tide it down the Channel, as he dreaded lefs the in- conveniencies he fhould thereby have to ftruggle with, than the rifk he fliould run of ruining the enterprize, by an uncertain, and in all probabi- lity, a tedious attendance for a fair wind. The fquadron allotted to this fervice confided of five men of war, a floop of war, and two vidbualling fhips. They were the Centurion 'of fixty guns, four hundred men, George Anfon^ Efqj Commander ; the Gloucefter of fifty guns, three hundred men, Richard Norris Commiander ; the Severn of fifty guns, three hundred men, the Honourable Edward Legg Commander ; the Pearl of forty guns, two hundred and fifty men, Matthew Mitchel Commander ; the Wager of twenty-eight guns, one hundred and fixty men, Handy Kidd Commander -, and the Tryal Sloop of eight guns, one hundred men, the Honourable John Murray Commander -, the two Vidtuallers were Pinks, the largeft about four hundred, 'and the other about two hundred tons burthen, thefe were to attend us, till the provifions we had tiieji C 2 on (26) on board were fo far confumed, as to make roofil for the additional quantity they carried with them y which, when we had taken into our fhips, they tvere to be difcharged. Befides the complement of men born by the abovementioned ihips as their crews, there were embarked on board the fquadron about four hundred andfeventy invalids and marines, under the denomination of land- forces, as has been particularly mentioned in thof preceding chapter, which were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Cracherode. With this fqua- dron, together with the St. Albans and the Lark^ and the trade under their convoy, Mr. Anfon^ after weighing from St. Helens^ tided it down the Channel for the firfl forty-eight hours ; and, on the 20th, in the morning, we difcovered off the Ram-Head the Dragon^ Winchefier^ South-Bed Caftle^ and Rye^ v/ith a number of merchantmeii under their Convoy : Thefe we joined about noon the fame day, our Commodore having orders to fee them (together with the St. Albans and Lark) as far into the fea as their courfe and ours lay to- gether. When we came in fight of this laft men- tbned fleet, Mr. Anfon firft hoifled his broad pennant, and was faluted by all the men of waf in company. When we had joined this laft Convoy, we made up eleven men of war, and about one hundred and fifty fail of merchantmen, confifl- tng of the Turky^ the Streights^ and the American trade. Mr. Anfon the fame day, made a fignal for all th- Captains of the men of war to come on board him, where he delivered them their fighting and failing inftrudlions, and then,, witl^ ^ fair ( 21 ) i fair wind, we all ftood towards the South-Weft; and the next day at noon, being the 21ft, we had run forty leagues from the Ram-Head^ and being now clear of the land, our Commodore, to render our view more extenfive, ordered Cap- tain Mtchel^ in the Pearly to make fail two leagues a-head of the fleet every morning, and to repair to his ftation every evening. Thus we proceeded till the 25th, when \htJVi71cheJier and xht American Convoy made the concerted fignal for leave to feparate, which being anfwered by the Commo- dore, they left us : As the St, Albans and the JDragon^ with the 'Turkey and Streights Convoy, did on the 29th. After which feparation, there remained in company only our own fquadron and our two vi6luallers, with which we kept on our courfe for the Ifland of Madera, But the winds were fo contrary, that we had the mortification to be forty days in our pafTage thither from St, Helens^ though it is known to be often done in ten or twelve. This delay was a mofl un- pleafing circumftance, productive of much dif- content and ill-humour amongft our people, of which thofe only can have a tolerable ide^, who have had the experience of a like fituation. And befides the peevilhnefs and defpondency which foul and contrary winds, and a lingring voyage never fail to create on all occafions, we, in par- ticular, had very fubllantial reafons to be greatly glarmed at this unexpeded impediment. Fgr as we had departed from England much later than we ought to have done, we had placed almoft all our hopes of fuccefs in the chance of retrieving C3 is (22) in fome meafure at fea, the rime we had fo un^" happily wafted at Spitbead and St. Hdem, How- ever, at laft, on Monday^ O^ober the 25th, at five in the morning, we, to our great joy, made die land, and in the afternoon came to an an- (;hor in Madera Road^ in forty fathom water ; the Brazen-head bearing from us E by S, the Loo N N W, and the great Church NNE. We had hardly let go our anchor, when an Englijh privateer (loop ran under our ftern, and faluted the Commodore with nine guns, which we re- turned with five. And, the next day, the Con- ful of the Ifland coming to vifit the Commodore, we faluted him with nine guns on his coming on board. * This Idand of Madera, where we are now ar- rived, is famous through all our American fettle- ments for its excellent wines, which feem to be defigned by Providence for the refrefhment cf the inhabitants of the Torrid Zone. It is fitu- ated in a fine climate, in the latitude of 32 : 27 North ; and in the longitude from London of, by our different reckonings, from 18° \ to \^ k Weft, though laid down in the charts in 17^. It is compofed of one continued hill, of a confi- deriible height, extending itfelf from Eaft to Weft : The declivity of which, on the South- fide, is cultivated and interfperfed with vine- yards ^ and in the midft of this flope the Mer- chants have fixed their country fears, which help to form an agreeable profped:. There is but one confiderable town in the whole Ifland, it is named Fonchiale^ and is/eated on the South part of the Ifiand, ( 23 ) tfland, at the bottom of a large bay. This ift the only place of trade, and indeed the only one where it is poflibie for a boat to land. Fon- cbiale^ towards the fea, is defended by a higii wall, with a battery of cannon, befides a caftle on the Loo^ which is a rock ftanding in the wa- ter at a fmall dillancc from the fhore. Even here the beach is covered with large ftones, and a violent furf continually beats upon it ; fo that the Commodore did not care to venture the Ihips long boats to fetch the water off, as there was fo much danger of their being loft •, and there- fore ordered the Captains of thelquadron to em- ploy Portuguefe boats on that fervice. We continued about a week at this Ifland, wa- tering our fhips, and providing the fquadron with wine and other refrefhments. And, on the 3d of November^ Captain Richard Norris having fig- nified by a letter to the Commodore, his defirc to quit his command on board the Gloucefter^ in crder to return to England for the recovery of his health, the Commodore complied with his requeft; and thereupon was pleafed to appoint Captain Matthew Mitcbel to command the Glou- eefier in his room, and to remove Captain Kidd from the Wager to the Pearly and Captain Murray from the Tryal Sloop to the Wager^ giving the command of the ^ryal to Lieutenant Cheap, Thefe promotions being fettled, with other changes in the Lieutenancies, the Commodore, on the following day, gave to the Captains their orders, appointing St. Jago^ one of the Ca-pe de Verd IQaads, to be the firlt place of rendezvous C 4 ia (24 J In cale of reparation •, and direding them, if thbf did not meet the Centurion there, to make the beft of their way to the Ifland of St. Catbmne^y on the coaft of Brazil. The water for the fqua-^ dron being the fame day compleated^ and each Ihip fuppHed with as miich wine and other re-i frelliments as they could take in, we weighed anchor in the afternoon, and took our leave of |he Ifland of Madera. But before I go on with the narration of our own tranfa6tions, I think it neceffary to give fome account of the pro- ceedings of the enemy, and of the meafures they had taken to render all our defigns abortive. When Mr. Anfon vifited the Governor of Madera., he received information from him, that for three or four days, in the latter end of 0£fo^ (fer^ there had appeared, to the weftv/ard of thalf Ifland, feven or eight fhips of the line, and a Patache, v/hich laft was fent every day clofc in to make the land, The Governor afTured the Commodore, upon his honour, that none upon the Ifland had either given them intellir gence, or had in any fort communicated with them, but that he believed them to be eithe|» French or Spanijh^ but was rather inclined to think them Spanijh. On this intelligence, Mr, Anfon fent an Officer in a clean (loop, eight leagues to the weftward, to reconnoitre them, and, if pofTible, to difcover what they were j But the Officer returned without being able to get a fight of them, fo that we flill remained in uncertainty, However, we could not but con- jedlure, that this fleet was intended to put -a flop to '( 25 ) tn r: The return to tliis difpatch of Piig^afrtHs fronx the Viceroy of Peru was no ways favourable i inftead. of 200,000 dollars, the fum demanded* the Viceroys remitted him only 100,000^: telling him, that it was with great -difficulty he waa abk to procure him even that : Though the iniiabi- tantsac. £/««/?, who confidered the.prefence of JPizarro as abfolutcly necefliiry to their, fecurity^ were much difcontentedar this procedure, and did notrfail to aflert, that it was not " the want of jnrxneyi but -the interefted views of fbme of the Viceroy's confidents, that prevented Pizarra from having; the whole fum he had alkedfor. o: The: advice-boat ftnt to Rio Jxmeira alfo exe- cuted her commiflion, but imperfeftly .5 for though ihe brought -back a confiderable quantity of pitch, tar and cordage, yet fhe could not procure either mafts or yards : And, as art additional misfortune, Pizarro was difap- pointed of fome mafts he expedled from Pa- raguay ; for a carpenter, whom he entrufted with a large fum of money, and had fent there to cut mafts, inftead of profecuting the bufinefs he was employed in, h^d married in the country, and fefufed to return. However, by removing the mafts of the Efperanza into the JJia^ and mak- ing ufe of what fpare mafts and yards they had «>abpAt4 -tb^y -Jtnade a ihift ;o. refit the JJa and "ii'-u - the it?) the St. Efievan.' And in t\i€0^cher folio wifigj Pizarro was preparing tb put to lea with -thef^ two fhips, in order to attempt the paflage round Cape Horn a fecond time ; but the St» Eftevafty in coming down the i^vcr Plate ^ ran on a Ihoal, and beat off her rudder, on which, &nd othei* damages llie received, (he was cohdenlned ^d broke up, and P/z^rr^ in the* 4/^<« proceeded -to Tea without her. Havinrg.now the fummer be- fore him, and the winds favourable, na doUbt was made of his having a fortunate and fpeedy pafiage ^ but being off Cape Ham, and going right before the wind in very moderate weather, though in a fwelling fea, by fomc mifcondudt of the officer of the watch the fhip rolled aw^ay her mafts, and was a fecond time obliged to put back to the river of Plate in great diflrefs. '-^ ."''» The 4fia having confiderably fuffered in this fecond unfortunate expedition, the Efperanzc^ which had been left behind at Monte Vedio, was ordered to be refitted, the command of her be- ing given to Mindinuetta, who was Captain of the Guipufcoa^ when fhe was loll. He, in the November of the fucceeding year, that is, in No- vember 1 742, failed from the river of Plnte for the South-SeaSy and arrived fafe on the coaft of Chili ; where his Commodore Pizarro pafllng over land from Buencs Ayres met him. Ther$ were great animofities and contefts between thcfe two Gentlemen at their meeting, occafion-^ ed principally by the claim of Pizarro to com- mand the Efperanzaj which Mindinuetta- had brought round : For Mindinuetta refufed to de- D 3 liver ( 38 ) liver her up to him ; infifling, that as he came into the ^outh-Seas alone, and under no fuperior, it was not now in the power of Pizarro to re- fume that authority, which he had once parted with. However, the Prefident of Chili inter- jpofing, and declaring for Pizarro^ Mindinuetta, after a loqg and obftinate flruggle, was obliged to fubmit. But Pizarro had not yet compleated the feries of his adventures ; for when he and Mindinuetta came back by land from Chili to Buenos Ayre^y in the year 1745^ they found at Monte Vedio^ the AJia^ which near three years before they had left there. This fhip they refolved, if poi- fible, to carry to Europey and with this view they refitted her in the beft manner they could : But their great difficulty was to procure a fuffi- cient number of hands to navigate her, for all die remaining failors of the fquadron to be met with in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres^ did not amount to a hundred men. They endea- voured to fupply this defe6l by prefling many of the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres^ and putting on board befides all the Englijh prifoners then in their cuftody, together with a number oi Portu- guefe fmugglers, which they had taken at difi^e- rent times, and fome of the Indians of the coun- try. Among thefe laft there was a Chief and ten of his followers, which had been furprized by a party of Spanijh foldiers about three months before. The name of this Chief was Orellana^ he belonged to a very powerful Tribe, which had committed grei;t ravages in the neighbour- hood (39) , hood of Buenos /iyres. With this motly crew (all of them, except the European Spfjiiards^ ex- tremely averie to the voyage) Pizarro let fiii from Mcnte Vedio in the river of FlaU^ about the beginning of 'November 1745, and the native Spaniards being no flrangers to the difTatisfadion of their forced men, treated both thofe, the Englijh prifoners and the Indians^ with great in- folence and barbarity ; but more particularly the Indians^ for it was common for the meaneft of- ficers in the fhip t© beat them moil: cruelly on the flighted pretences, and oftentimes only to exert their fuperiority. Orellana and his fol- lowers, though in appearance fufficiently patient and fubmillive, meditated a feverc revenge for all thefe inhumanities. As he converfed very well in Spainjh^ (thefe Indians having in time of peace a good intercourfe with Buenos Ayres) he affeded to talk with fuch of the Englijh as under- ftood that language, and feemed very defirous of being informed how many EngliJJomen there were on board, and which they were. As he knew that the Englijh were as much enemies to the Spaniards as himfelf, he had doubtlefs an in- tention of difclofing his purpofe to them, and making them partners in the fcheme he had pro- jeded for revenging his v/rongs, and recovering his liberty •, but having founded them at a di- ftance, and not finding them fo precipitate and" vindidive as he expefted, he proceeded no fur- ther with them, but refolved to truft alone to the refolution of his ten faithful followers. Thefe, it*fhould feem, readily engaged to ob- D 4 fei-ve ^,^ (40) fcrvc fiis difcftions, and to execute wliatever commands he gave them ; and having agreed on the mcafures neceflary to be taken, they firft furniftied themfclvfes with Dutch knives fliarp at the poinr, which being the common knives ufed in the thip, they found no difficuky in- procur- ing rBcfides this, they employed their leifurc in fecretly cutting out thongs from raw hides, t)f which there were great numbers on board, and in fixing to each end of thefe thongs the double- headed Ihot of the fmall quarter-deck guns ; this, when fwung round their heads, according to the pra6lice of their country, was ^ moft mif- chievous weapon, in the ufe of which the Indians about Buenos Ayr es are trained from their infancy, and confequently are extremely expert. ' Thefe particulars being in good forwardnefs, the -exe- cution of their fcheme was perhaps precipitated by a particular outrage committed on Or^///?;/^ himfelf. 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 difobedience, beat him with fuch violence, that he left him bleed- ing on the deck, and ftupified for fome time with his bruifes and wounds. This ufage un- doubtedly heightened his thirft for revenge, and made him eager and impatient, till the means of executing it were in his power -, fo that within a day or two after this incident, he and his fol- lowers opened their defperate refolves in the en- fuing manner. ( 41 ) It was about niae in ihe evening, when many •f the principal Officers were on the quaner- 4ileck^ indulging in the frefhnefs of^^tlre" night air ; the walle of thc-fhip was filled with. live cattle, and the torecaftle was manned witH its cuftomary watch. -Ordllaaa and his conipanions, under cover of the nighty having prepared their weapons, and thrown off their trouzer^^and the more cumbrous part of their drcfs, came all together on the quarter-deck, and drew towards the door of the great cabbin. The Boatfwain immediately reprimaiided them, and ordered them to be gone. On tliis Orellana fpoke to his followers in his native language, w:hen four of them drew off, two towards each gangway, and the Chief and the fix remaining Indians fcemed to be (lowly quitting the quarter-deck. When the detached Indians had taken poffeffion of the gangway, Orellana placed his hands hollow to his mouth, and bellowed out the war-cry ufed by thofe lavages, which is faid to be the harfheft and mod terrifying found known in nature. This hideous yell was the fignal for beginning the maf- facre : For on this they all drew their knives, and brandifhed their prepared double-headed (hot, and the fix with their Chief, which remained on the quarter-deck, immediately fell on the Spani- ardsy who were intermingled with them, and laid near forty of them at their feet, of which above twenty were killed on the ipot, and the reft difabled. Many of the Officers, in the be- ginning of the tumult, pufhed into the great cabbin, w*herc they put out the lights, and bar- ricadocd (42) ricadoed the door. And of the others, who had avoided the firft fury of the Indians^ fome endeavoured to efcape along the gangways into the forccaille, but tiie Indians^ placed there on purpofe, ftabbed the greateft part of them, as they attempted to pafs by, or forced them off the gangways into the wafte. Others threw themfelves voluntary over the barricadoes into the wafle, and thought themfelves happy to lie concealed amongfl the cattle •, but the greateft part efcaped up the main Ihrouds, and fheltered themfelves either in the tops or rigging. And tho' the Indians attacked only the quarter-deck, yet the watch in the forecaftle finding their com- munication cut off, and being terrified by the wounds of the few, who not being killed on the fpot, had ftrength fufficient to force their paffagc along the gangways, and not knowing either who their enemies were, or what were their numbers, they likewife gave all over for loft, and in great confufion ran up into the rigging of the fore- maft and bowfprit. Thus thefe eleven Indians^ with a refolution perhaps without example, poffeffed themfelves almoft in an inftant of the quarter-deck of a ftiip mounting fixty-fix guns, with a crew of near five hundred men, and continued in peace- able poffeffion of this poft a confiderable time. For the Officers in the great cabbin, (amongft whom were Pizarro and Mindiniietta) the crew between decks, and thofe who had efcaped into the tops and rigging, were only anxious for their own fafety, and were for a long time in- capable ( 43 ) ©apable of forming any projeft for fuppreffing the infurreclion, and recovering the pofielTion of the fliip. It is true, the yells of the Indians^ the groans of the wounded, and the confufed clamours of the crew, all heightened by the ob- fcurity of the night, had at firft greatly magni- fied their danger, and had filled them with the imaginary terrors, which darknefs, diforder, and an ignorance of the real ilrength of an enemy never fail to produce. For as the Spaniards were fenfible of the difaffedlion of their preil hands, and were alfo confcious of their barbarity to their prifoners, they imagined, the confpiracy was general, and confidered their own deilruc- tion as infallible ^ fo that, it is faid, fome of them had once taken the refolution of leaping into the fea, but were prevented by their com- panions. However, when xhtlndAans had entirely cleared the quarter-deck, the tumult in a great mea- fure fubfided j for thofe, who had efcaped, were kept filent by their fears, and the Indians v/ere incapable of purluing them to renew the difor- der. Orellana^ w^hen he faw himfelf mafter of the quarter-deck, broke open the arm-cheil, which, on a flight fulpicion of mutiny, had been ordered there a few days before, as to a place of the greateft fecurity. Here he took it for granted, he fliould find cutlalTes fufticienc for himfelf and his companions, in the ufe of which weapon they were all extremely Ikilful, and with thefe, it was imagined, they pro- pofed to have forced the great cabbin : But on opening e 44 ) opening :tte ch^fl;, there appeared nothing but firc-arms3: which to them were of no ufe. There were indeed cvitlafles in the cheft, but they were hid by the fire-arms being laid over them: This, was a fenfible difappointment to them, and by. this time Pizarro and his companions in the. great cabbin were capable of conycrfrng aloud, through., the cabbin windows and port-holes, with thofc in the gun-room and between decks, and from, hence they learnt, that the Englijk (whom they, principally fufpeded) were all fafe below, and had not intermeddled in this mutiny ♦, and by other particulars they at lafl difcovered, that none were concerned in it but Orellana and his people.. On this Pizarro and the Officers refolved to at- tack them on the quarter-deck, before any of the dilcontented on board fhould fo far recover: their firfl furprize, as to relied on the facility, and certainty of feizing the ihip by a jundion- with -the Indians in the prefent emergencyv. With this view Pizarro got together what arms were in the cabbin, and diftributed them ta thofe who were with him : But there were no other fire-arms to be met with but piftols, an4: for thefe they had neither powder nor ball. However, having now fettled a correfpondence with the gun-room, they lowered down a bucket out of the cabbin- window, into which the gunner, out of one of the gun-room ports, put a quan- tity of piflol cartridges. When they had thu5 procured ammunition, and had loaded their pif- tols, they fet the cabbin-door partly open, ani fired fom^ ftipt amongl^l the /?^z nerally a frefh gale of N. E. wind, which towards the African fide rarely comes to the eaftward of E. N. E, or pafTes to the northward of N. N. E : But on the American fide, the wind is fomewhat more eafterly, though moil commonly even there it is a point or two to the northward of the Ealt : I Thai (48 ) That from lo*^ N. to 4^ N, the calms and tor- nadoes take place ; and from 4^ N. to 30^ S, the winds are generally and perpetually between the South and the Eaft. This account we expeded to ha¥e verified by our own experience •, but we found confiderable variations from it, both in re- fpe<5l: to the fteadinefs of the winds^ and the quar- ter from whence they blew. For though we met with a N. E. wind about the latitude of 28^ N, yet from the latitude of 25^ to the latitude of 1 8 '^ N, the wind was never once to the northward of the Eaft, but on the contrary, almoft con- flantly to the fouthward of it. However, from thence to the latitude of 6^ : ^d N, we had it ufually to the northward of the Eaft, though not entirely, it having for a ftiort time changed to E. S. E. From hence, to about 4" 46' N, the weather was very unfettied -, fometimes the wind was N. E. then changed to S. E, and fometimes we had a dead calm, attended with fmall rain and lightning. After this, the wind continued almoft inavariably between the S. and E, to the latitude of 7^" : 30' S •, and then again as inva- riably between the N. and E, to the latitude of 15° • 30' S \ then E. and S. E, to 2i«» : '^i '^* But after this, even to the latitude of 27^ : 44 S, tlie wind was never once between the S. and the E, though we had it at times in all the other quarters of the compafs. But this laft circum- ftance may be in fome meafure accounted for, from our .approach to the main continent of the. Brazils. I mention not thefe particulars with a view of cavilling at the received accounts of thefe trade-winds, which I doubt not are in ge-. ueral (49) nenil fufficiently accurate •, but I thought it a matter worthy of public notice, that fuch devia- tions from the eftabUHied rules do fometime^ take place. This obfervation may not only be of fervice to Navigators, by putting them on their guard againfl thefe hitherto unexpected ir- regularities, but may perhaps contribute to the folution of that great que (lion about the caufes of trade-winds, and monfoons, a queftion, which, in my opinion, has not been hitherto difcufled with that clearnefs and accuracy, which its im- portance (whether it be confidered as a naval or philofophical inquiry) feems to demand. On the 1 6th ci Noz'emhe7\ one of our Viduai- lers made a fignal to fpeak with the Commodore, and we fhortened fail for her to come up with us. The Mafter came on board, and acquainted Mr. Anfon^ that he had complied with the terms ot his charter-party, and defired to be unloaded and difmified. Mr. An[on^ on confulting th'^ Captains of the fquadron, found all the fhips had dill fueh quantities of provifion between their decks, and were withal fo deep, that they could not without great difficulty take in their feverai .proportions of brandy from the Indujlry Phiky one of the Vidhiallers only : And confeqiiently he was obliged to continue the other of them, the Anna Pink, in the fervice of attending the fqua- dron. And the next day the Commodore made a fignai for the Iliips to bring to, and to take on board their (barer, of the brandy from the Indujlry Pink j and in this, the long boat ^ of the fquadron were employed the three following days, that is, till the icth in the evening, when E the ( 50 ) the Pink being unloaded, flie parted companj' with us, being bound for Barhadoes^ there ta take in a freight for England. Moil of the Of- ficers of the fquadroft took the opportunity of writing to their friends at home by this fl:iip i but fhe was afterwards, as I have been fince in- formed, unhappily taken by the Spaniards. On the 20th oi November., the Captains of the fquadron reprefented to the Commodore, that their fhips companies were very fickly, and that it was their own opinion as well as their furgeonSy that it would tend to the prefervation of the men to let in more air between decks ^ but that their fnips were fo deep, they could not polTibly open' their lower ports. On this reprefentation, the Commodore ordered fix air fcuttles to be cut in each fhip, in fuch places where they would ieaft weaken it. And on this occafion I cannot but obferve, how much it is the duty of all thofe, who either by of- fice or authority, have any influence in the direc- tion of our naval affairs, to attend to this impor- tant article, the prefervation of the lives and health of our feamen. If it could be fuppofed that the motives of humanity were infufficient for this purpofe, yet policy, and a regard to the fuc- cefs of our arms, and the intereft and honour of each particular Commander, Ihould naturally lead us to a careful and impartial examination of every probable method propofed for maintaining a Ihio's crew in health and vigour. But hath this been always done ? Have the late invented plain and obvious methods of keeping our fnips fweet and clean^ (50 fclean,* by a conftant fupply of frefh air, been confid^red with that candour and temper, which the great benefits promifed hereby ought natu- rally to h ve infpired ? On the contrary, have no: thele '"alutary Iciiemes been often treated with negiedc and €ont::m Jt ? And have not fome of thofe wiio have been entrutled with experiment- ing their eifeds, b^en guilty of the moH inde- fenfibk partiality, in th^ accounts :hey have given of thele trials ? Indeed, it muft be con- telied, th.;: manv diflinguifhed perfons, both in the direction and comm..nd of cur fleets, have exerted themf 1 e^ on theie occafions with .. ju- dicious ind dapafiionate examination, becoming the inters idng nature of the inquiry ; but the wonder' is, that any could be found irrational enough to acl a contrary part^ in defpight of the. ftrongcft didiates of prudence and humanity. I mufl however ovn, that I do not bdieve this condud to ha\ c arifen from motives fo fayage^ as the firft retiedion thereon does naturally fug- geft : But I rather impute it to an obftinate, and in fome degree, fuperilitious attachment to liich practices as have been long eftablifhed, and to a fettled contempt and hatred of all kinds of innovations, efpecially fuch as are projedred by landmen and perfons refiding on fhore. But let us return from thrs, I hope not, impertinent digrefTion. We crofied the equinodlial with a fine frefh gale at S. E,- on^priday the 28th o'i November^ at four in the morning, being then in the longitude of 270 . ^^ Yy^^ from London. And on the 2d of D^cember^ in the morning, we faw a fail in the E 2 N.W. (50 N. W. quarter, and made the Gloucefter*s and J'rytits fignals tQ chafe \ and half an hour after, we let our reefs and chafed with the fquadron ; and about noon a fignal was made for the Wager to take our remaining Vidualler, the Anna Pinky ill tow. But at feven in the evening, finding we did not near the chace, and that the Wager was very far a-ftern, we fhortened fail, and made a fignal for the cruifers to join the fquadron. The ne^^t day but one we again difcovered a fail, which, on a nearer approach, we judged to be the fame veffel. We chafed her the whole day, and though we rather gained upon her, yet night came on before we could overtake her, and obliged us to give over the chace, to collect our fcattered fquadron. We were much chagrined at the efcape of this veffel, as we then appre- hended her to be an advice-boat fent from Old Spain to Buenos Ayres^ with notice of our expedi* tion. , But we have fmce learnt, that we were deceived in this conjeflure, and that it was our Eaft-India Company's Packet bound to St. Helena, -^ "^^ "^'^ ^• On the loth ot "December^ being by our ac- counts in the latitude of 20^ S, and 36^ : 30' longitude Weft from London^ the Tryal fired a gun to denote foundings. We immediately founded, and found fixty fathom water, the bot- tom coarfe ground with broken fhells. The Tryal being a-head of us, had at one time thirty- feven fathom, which afterwards increafed to 90 : And then fhe found no bottom, which happened to us too at our fecond trial, though we founded '^^ with ( 53 ) with a hundred and fifty fathom of line. This is the flioal which is laid down in moft charts by the name of thtJbrolIoSy and 'it appeared we were upon the very edge of it ; perhaps farther in, it may be extremely dangerous. We were then, by our different accounts, from ninety to fixty leagues Eaft of the coall of Brazil. The next day but one we fpoke with a Portugueze Brigantine from Rio Janeiro^ bound to Bahia del todos Santos^ who informed us, that we were thirty-four leagues from Cape St. "Thomas^ and forty leagues from Cape Frio^ which laft bore from us W. S. W. By our accounts we were near eighty leagues from Cape Frio *, and tho', on the information of this Brigantine, we altered our courfe, and flood more to the fouthward, yet by our coming in with the land aiterwards, we were fully convinced that our reckoning was much correcler than our Portugueze intelligence. We found a confiderable current fetting to the, fouthward, after we had pafTed the latitude of 1 6^ S. And the fame took place all along the coafl of Brazil^ and even to the fouthward of the river of PlatCy it amounting fometimes to thirty miles in twenty-four hours, and once to above forty miles. If this current is occafioned ^as it is mofl pro- bable) by the running off of the water, accu- mulated on the coaft of Brazil by the ccnilant fweeping of the eaflern trade-wind over the Ethiopic Opean, then it is moll natural to fup- pofe, that its general courfe is determined by the bearings of the adjacent ihore. Perhaps too, in E 3 almoft ( 54) almoft every other inftance of currents, the fame may hold true, as I beheve no examples occur of conuderable currents being obierved at any great diftance from land. If this then cpuld be laid down for a general principle, it would be always eafy to ccrred the reckoning by the obferved la- titude. But it were much to be wifhed, for the general xnterefts of navigation, that the a6lual fettings of the different currents which are known to take place in various parts of the world, were examined more frequen^iy and accurately thari hitherto appears to have been done. We now began to grow impatient for a fight of land, both ior the recovery of our fick, and for the refrelhmeiit and fecvirity of thofe who as yet continued healthier. When we departed f om St. HeleriSy we were in fo good a condition, that we loft but tv/o men on board the Centurion^ in our long palTage to Madera. But in this pre-r fent run between Madera and St. Catherine's we have been very fickly, fo that many died, and great numbers were confmed to their hammocks, both in our own fhip and in the reft of the fqua- dron, and feveral of thefe paft all hopes of reco- very. The diforders they in general labour un- der are fuch as are common to the hot climates, and what moft fhips bound to the fouthward ex- perience in a greater or lefs degree. Thefe are thofe kind of fevers, which they ufually call Calentures : A difeafe, which was not only ter- rible in its hift inftaace, but even the remains of . it often proved fatal to thole who confidered ithemfelves as recovered from it. Fpr it alv/ays 4 l^ft (55) left them in a very weak and helplefs condition, and ufually afflidled with fluxes and tenafmus*s. And by our continuance at fea all our complaints were every day increafing, fo that it was v/ith great joy that we difcovered the coafl: of Brazil on the 1 8th of December^ at feven in the morn- ing. The coafl o^ Brazil appeared high and moun- tiinous land, extending from the W. to W. S. W, and when we lirft faw it, it was about feventeen leagues diflant. At noon we perceived a low double land, bearing W. S. W. about ten leagues diltant, which v/e took to be the Ifland of St. Catherine's. That afternoon and the next morning, the wind being N. N. W, we gained very little to windward, and were apprehenfive of being driven to the leeward of the Ifland ; but a little before noon, the next day, the wind came about to the fouthward, and enabled us to fteer in between the North point of St. Cathe- rine's^ and the neighbouring Ifland of Ahoreda, As we ftood in for the land, we had regular foundings gradually decreafing, from thirty-fix to twelve fathom, all muddy ground. In this lafl: depth of water we let go our anchor at ?ivt o'clock in the evening of the 1 8th, the North Wefl; point of the Ifland of St. Catherine's bear- ing S. S, W, difliant three miles ; and the Ifland Ahoredo N. N. E, difliant tv/o leagues. Here we found the tide to fet S. S. E. and N. N. W, at the rate of two knots, the tide of flood com- ing from the fouthward. We could from our E 4 fhips i 56 ) ihips obferve two fortifications at a confiderablc diftaftce within us, which feemed defigned to prevent the pafTage of an enemy between the Ifland of St. Catherine's, and the main. And •^'e could foon perceive that our fquadron had alarmed the coaft, for we faw the two forts hoift their colours, and fire feveral guns, which we fuppofed to be intended for affembling the inha- bitants. To prevent any confufion, the Com- modore immediately ient a boat with an Officer on fhore, to compliment the Governor, and to defire a Pilot to carry us into the road. The Governor returned a very civil anfwer, and or- dered us a Pilot. On the morning of the 20th we weighed and flood in, and towards noon the Pilot came on board us, who, the fame after- noon, brought us to an anchor in five fathom and an half, in a large commodious bay on the continent fide, called by the French^ Bon Port, In {landing from our lall anchorage to this place, we every where found an ouzy bottom, with a furplus is. confidered as their own property, and , they have the liberty of difpoPing of it as they think fit, So that it is faid fome Negroes who have accidentally fallen upon rich wafhing places have themfcives purchafed (laves, and have lived afterwards in greiit fplendor, their original mafbeir having no other demand on them than the daily fupply of the forementioned eighth -, which as the Portugiiefe ounce is fomewhat lighter than our troy ounce, may amount to about nine fliillings fterling. The quantity of gold thus colleded in the Brazils^ and returned annually to Lifvon^ may be in fome degree efli mated from the amount of the King's fifth. This hath of late been eflieemed one year with another to be one hundred and fifty arroves of 32/. Portuguefe weight, each of which, at 4/. the troy ounce, makes very near 300,000/. fterling and confequently the capital, of which this is the M\.\\^ is about a million and a half fterling. And the annual return of gold to Lijhon cannot be kfs than this, though it be difficult to determine how much it exceeds it ; perhaps we may not be very much'miftaken in our conjedture, if we fup- pofe the gold exchanged for filver with the Spaniards at Buenos Ayres^ and what is brought privily to Europe^ and efcapes the duty, amounts to near half a million more, which will make the whole annual produce of the Brafilian gold near two millions fterling-, a prodigious fum to be found in a country, which a few years fmce was not known to furnifn a fingle grain. I have (71 ) I have already .mentioned, that bcfides gold, this country does likewife produce diamonds. The difcovery of thefe valuable ftones is much more recent than that of gold, it being as yet fcarce twenty years fmce the firft were brought to Europe. They are found in the fame manner as the gold, in the gullies of torrents and beds of rivers, but only in particular places, and not fo univerfally fpread through the country. They were often found in walking the gold before they were known to be diamonds, and were confe- quently thrown away with the fand and gravel feparated from it. And it is veiy well remem- bered, that numbers of very large fcones, which would have made the fortunes of the poflefTors, have paired unregarded through the hands of thofe, who now with impatience fupport the mortifying reflection. However, about twenty years fmce, a perfon acquainted with the appear- ance of rough diamonds, conceived that thefe pebbles, as they were then efheemed, were of the fame kind : But it is faid, that there was a confiderable interval between the firfl ftarting of this opinion, and the confirmation of it by pro- per trials and examination, it proving difficult to perfuade the inhabitants, that what they had been long accuilomed to defpife, could be of the importance reprefented by the difcovery; and I have been informed, that in this interval, a Governor of one of their places procured a good number of thefe ftones, which he pretend- ed to make ufe of at cards to mark with, in- F 4 ftead (72 ) ftcad of counters. But to proceed : It was at laft confirmed by fkilful Jewellers in Europe^ confulted on this occafion, that the ftones thus found in Brazil were truly diamonds, many of which were not inferiour either in luftre, or any other quality to thole of the Eaft-Indies. On this determination the Portuguefe^ in the neigh- bourhood of thofe places where they had firft been obferved, fet themfelves to fearch for them with great affiduity. And they were not with- out great hopes of difcovering confiderable maffcs of them, as they found large rocks of chryftal in many of the mountains, from whence the ftreams came which walhed down the diamonds. But it was foon reprcfcnted to the King of Portugal^ chat if fuch plenty of diamonds (hould be met with as their fanguine conjedures feemed to indicate, this would fo debafe their value, and diminifh their eftimation, that befides ruining all the Europeans^ who had any quantity of In- dian diamonas in their polfefTion, it would" render the diicovery itfelt of no importance, and would prevent his Majefty from receiving any advantages from it. And on thefe confidera- tions his Majefly has thought proper to reflrain the general fearch of diamonds, and has eredte^ a Diamond Company for that purpofe, with an exclufive charier. This Company, in confider^- tion of a fum paid by them to the King, have the property of all diamonds found in Brazil: But to hinder their collecting too large quanti- ties, and thereby debafing their value, they are 4 P^O" ■( 73 )^ prohibited from employing above eight Kimdretf. (laves in fearching after them. And to prevent . any of his- other fubjeds from a6ling the fame part, and Hkewife to fecure the Company from being defrauded by the interfering of interlopers in their trade, he has depopulated a large town, and a confiderable diftridt round it, and has obliged the inhabitants, who are faid to amount to fix thoufand, to remove to another part of the country ; for this town being in the neigh- bourhood of the diamonds, it was thought im- pofTible to prevent fuch a number of people, who were on the fpot, from frequently fmug.. In confequence of thefe important difcoveries in Brazil^ new laws, new governments, and new regulations have been eftabiilhed in many parts of the country. For not long fmce, a confiderable tract, pofielTed by a fet of inhabi- tants, who from their principal fettlement were called Paulifts^ was almofl: independent of the Crown of Portugal^ to which they fcarcely ac- knowledged more than a nominal allegiance. Thefe are faid to be defcendants of thofe Portti- guefe^ who retired from the northern part of Brazil^ when it was invaded and pofTeffed by the Butch. And being for a long time neglect- ed and obliged to provide for theic own fecurity ^nd defence, the necelTity of their affairs pro- duced a kind of government amonglt them, which they found fufficient for the confined man- ner of life to which they were inured. And , there- ( 74 ) therefore rejecting and defpifing the authority and mandate -of the Court of Lifuon^ they were often engaged in a ftate of downright rebelhon : And the mountains furrounding their country, and the cafiiculty of clearing the few pafil^ges that open into it, generally put it in their power to make their own terms before they fubmitted. But as gold was found to abound in this country of the Pauliftsy the prefent King of Portugal (during whofe reign almod the whole difcoveries I have mentioned were begun and compleated) thought it incumbent on him to reduce this province, which now became of great confequence, to the fame dependency and obedience with the reft of the country, which, I am told, he has at laft, though with great dif- ficulty, happily effeded. And the fame mo- tives which induced his Majefty to undertake the reduction of the Paulifts^ has alfo occafioned the changes I have mentioned, to have taken place at the Ifland of St. Catherine's. For the Governor of Rio Grande^ of whom I have already fpoken, affured us, that in the neighbourhood of this Ifland there were confiderable rivers which were found to be extremely rich, and that this was the reafon that a garrifon, a military Governor, and a new colony was fettled there. And as the harbour at this Ifland is by much the fecureft and the moft capacious of any on the coaft, it is not improbable, if the riches of the neighbourhood anfwer their expedation, but it may become in time the principal fettlement in Brazil^ {75 ) Brazil^ and the moft confiderable port in all South America, Thus much I have thought necefTary to infert, in relation to the prefent flate of Brazil^ and of the Ifland of St. Catberi?ie's. For as this laft place has been generally recommended as the moft eligible port for our crullers to refrelh at, ■which are bound to the Soiith-Seas^ I believed it to be my duty to inftruil my countiymen, in the hitherto unfufpected inconveniencies which attend that place. And as the Brazilian gold and diamonds are fubjects, about which, from their novelty, veiy few particulars have been hitherto publilhed, I conceived this account I had col- lected of them, would appear to the reader to be neither a triiiing nor a ufelefs digreflion, Thefe fubjeds being thus difpatched, I fliallnow return to the feries of our own proceedings. When we firft arrived at St. Catherine's^ we were employed in refrefliing our fick on fhore, in wooding and watering the fquadron, cleanf- ing our fliips, and examining and fecuring our mafts and rigging, as I have already obferved in the foregoing chapter. At the fame time Mr. Anfon give directions, that the fhips com- panies fhouid be fupplied with trefli meat, and that they fhouid be vidualled with whole allow- ance of all the kinds of provifion. In confe- quence of thefe orders, we had frefli beeffenton board us continually for our daily expence, and what was wanting to make up our allowance we received from our Vidualler the Anna Pink, in order (76) order to prcferve the provifions on board our Iquadron entire for our future fervice. The fea- fon of the year growing each day lefs favourable for our palTage round Cape Horny Mr. Anfon was very defirous of leaving this place afifoon as poffible ; and we were at firil in hopes that our whole bufmefs would be done, and we fhould be in a readinefs to fail *in about a fortnight from our arrival : But, on examining the Try<^/'s mafts, we, to our no fmall vexation, found inevitable employment for twice that time. For, on 4 furvey, it was found that the main-maft was" fprung at the upper woulding, though it was thought capable of being fecured by a couple of filhes i but the fore-maft was reported to be un- fit for fervice, and thereupon the Carpenters were fent into the woods, to endeavour to find a ftick proper for a fore -m aft. But after a fearch of four days, they returned without having been able to meet with any tree fit for the purpofe. This obliged them to come to a fecond conful- tation about the old fore-maft, when it was agreed to endeavour to fecure it by cafmg it with • three fifhes : And in this work the Carpenters were employed, till within a day or two of our failing. In the mean time, the Commodore thinking it necelTary to have a clean veffel on our arrival in the South-Seas^ ordered the Tryal to be hove down, as this would not occafion any lofs of time, but might be compleated while the Carpenters were refitting her mafts, which was done on Ihore. On (77) On the 27th of December we dlfcovered a fail m the offing, and not knowing but fhe might be a Spaniardy the eighteen oared-boat was manned and armed, and fent under the com- mand of our fecond Lieutenant, to examine her, before fhe arrived within the protection of the forts. She proved to be a Portuguefe Brigantine from Rio Grande, And though our Officer, as it appeared on inquiry, had behaved with the utmoft civihty to the Mafter, and had refufed to accept a calf, which the Mivfter would have forced on him as a prefent : Yet the Governor took great offence at our fending our boat ; and talked of it in a high drain, as a violation of the, peace fubfifting between the Crowns of Great- Britain and P&rtugal. We at firfl imputed this ridiculous bluftering to no deeper a caufe, than Don Jofe's inlblence ; but as we found he pro- ceeded fo far as to charge our Officer with be- having rudely, and opening letters, and parti- cularly with an attempt to take out of the veffel, by violence, the very calf which we knew he had refufed to receive as a prefent, (a circum- flance which we were fatisfied the Governor was well acquainted with) we had hence reafon to fufpccly that he purpofely fought this quarrel, and had more important motives for engaging in it, than the mere captious biafs of his temper. What thefe motives were, it was not fo eafy for us to determine at that time ; but as we after- wards found by letters, which fell into our hands in the South-SeaSy that he had difpatched an ex- prefs (78) V)rers to Buenos Ayxes^ where Pizarro then lay^ with an account of our Iquadron's arrival' at St. Catherine's^ together with the moft ample and circumftantial intelligence of our force and condition, we thence conjedlured that Don Jofe had raifed this groundlefs clamour, only to pre- vent our vifiting the Brigantine when flie lliould. put to Tea again^ lead we might there find proofs of his perfidious behaviour, and perhaps at the fame time difcover the fecret of his fmuggling correfpondence with his neighbouring Gover- nors, and the Spaniards at Buenos Ayres, But to proceed. It was near a month before the T^ryal was re- fitted ; for not only her lov/er mails were defec- tive, as hath been already mentioned, but her main top-maft and fore -yard were likewife de- cayed and rotten. While this work was carry- ing on, the other fhips of the fquadron fixed new ftanding rigging, and fet up a fufficient number of preventer fhrouds to each mafl, to fecure them in the moil effedlual manner. And in order to render the fhips ftiffer, and to enable them to carry more fail abroad, and to prevent their labouring in hard gales of wind, each Cap- tain had orders given him to ftrike dov/n fome of their great guns into the hold. Thefe precau- tions being complied with, and each fnip having taken in as much wood and water as there was room for, the T^ryal was at laft compleated, and the whole fquadron was ready for the fea : On which the tents on Ihore were ilruck, and ail the (79) the Tick were received on board. And here we had a melancholy proof how much the healthi- nels of this place liad been over-rated by former writers^ for we found that though the Centurion alone had buried no lels than twenty-eight men fmce <)ur arrival, yet the number of her fick was in the fame interval increafed from eighty to ninety-fix. And now our crews being em- barked, and every thing prepared for our depar- ture, the Commodore made a fignai for all Cap- tains, and delivered them their orders, contain- ing the fucceflive places of rendezvous from hence to the coafl of C/ji?ja. And then, on the next day, being the 1 8th of Jayiiiary^ the fignal was made tor weighing, and the fquadron put to fea, leaving without regret this Ifland of St. C^- therine's •, where we had been fo extremely dif- appointed in our refrefhments, in our accom- modations, and in the humane and friendly of- fices which we had been taught to expedl in a place, which hath been fo much celebrated for its hofpitality, freedom, and conveniency. CHAP. C HAP. VI. The run from St. Catherine's to port St. Jti-^ lian, with fome account of that port, and of the country to the fouthward of the river of Plate. IN leaving St. Catherine's^ we left the -laft ami- cable port we propofed to touch ^ ^t,, and were now proceeding to an hoflile, or at beft, a defart and inhofpitable ccail. And. as we were to expedt a more boifl;eFous climate to.the^ fouth- v/ard than any we had yet experienced, not only our danger of reparation would by this means be much greater than it had been hitherto, but other, accidents of a more pernicious nature, were likcwii^to be apprehended, and as much as pof- fibie .to be provided againil. And therefore Mr. Anfon^ in appointing the various ftations at which the Ihips of the fquadron were to rendez- vous, had confidered, that it was pofiible his own iliip might be difabied from getting round Cape Hortiy or might be loft, and had given^ proper diredlions, that even in that cafe the ex- pedition Ihould not be abandoned. For the or- ders delivered to the Captains, the day before we failed from St. Catherine's^ were, that in cafe of feparation, which they were v/ith the utmoft care to endeavour to avoid, the firft place of rendezvous Ihould be the bay of port St. Ju- lian i defcribing the place from Sir John Nar- (8i ) horough^ account of it : There they were to Tupply themleives with as much fait as they could take in, both for their own ufe, and for the ufe of the fquadron ; and if, after a ftay rhere of ten days, they were not joined by the Commodore, they were then to proceed through Streights le Maire round Cape Horny into tiie South'SeaSy where the next place of rendezvous was to be the Ifland of Nojtra Semra del Socoro^ in the latitude of 45° South, and longitude fronx- the Uzard yi° : 12' Weft. They were to bring' this IQand to bear E. N. E, and to cruife from five to twelve leagues diftancc from it, as long as their ftore of wood and water would permit, both which they were to expend with the utmoft frugality. And when they were under an abfo- lute neceflity of a frefli fupply, they were to ftand in, and endeavour to find out an anchor- ing place ; and in cafe they could not, and the weather made it dangerous to fupply their fhips by ftanding off and on, they were then to make the beft of their way to the Ifland o^ Juan Fer- nandesy in the latitude of 33^ 13 7' South. And as foon as they had there recruited their wood and water, they were to continue cruifing off the anchoring place of that Ifland for fifty-fix days ; in which time, if they were not joined by the Commodore, they might conclude that fome accident had befallen him, and they were forth- with to put thcmfelves under the command of the fenior Officer, who was to ufe his utmofl endeavours to annoy the enemy bpth by fea and. ^and. That with thefe views their new Com- G .modore ( 82' ) modorc Avas to coivtinue in thofc fcas as long as his prOvifions lafled, or as long as they were re- cruited by what he fhould take from the enemy, rcierving only a fufiicient quantity to carry him and the fhips under his command to Macao ^ at the entrance of the river Tigris near Canton on the coaft of China^ where having fupplied him- felf with a new ftock of provifions, he was thence, without delay, to make the beft of his way to England. And as it was found impofli- ble as yet to unload our Vidluiller the AnnaPink^ the Commodore gave the Mafter of her the fame rendezvous, and the fame orders to put himfeif under the command of the remaining fenior Officer. Under thefe orders the fquadron failed from St. Catherine's^ on Sunday the i8th o^ January., as hath been already mentioned in the preceding chapter. The next day we had very fqually weather, attended with rain, lightning and thunder, but it foon became fair again ^\th. light breezes, and continued thus till Wednefday evening, when it blew frefh again ; and encreaf- ing all night, by eight the next morning it be- came a moft violent ftorm, and we had with it fo thick a fog, that it was impoflible to fee at the diflance of two fhips length, fo that the whole fquadron difappeared. On this, a fjgnal was made, by firing guns, to bring to -with the larboard tacks, the wind being then due Eafl» We ourfelves immediately handed the topfaih, kainted the main-fail, and lay to under a reefed mizen till noon, when the fog difpcrfed, and • wc (8j) we foon difcovered all the fhips of the fquadron except the Pearly who did not join us till near a month afterwards. The T)yal Sloop was a great way to leeward, having loll her main- mail in this fquail, and having been obliged, for fear of bilging," to cyt away the raft. We bore down with the fquadron to her relief, and tlie Glou- cefter was ordered to take her in tow, for the weather did not entirely abate till the day after^ and even then, a great fwell continued ft-om the ealtward, in confequence of the preceding ftorm. After this accident we flood to the fuutjiward with little interruption, and here we experienced the fame fetting of the current, which we had obferved before our arrival at St. Catherine's \ that is, we generally tound ourfelves to the fouthward of our reckoning, by about twenty miles each day. This error continued, v/ith a little variation, till we had palled the latitude of the river of Plate •, and even then, w^e foun4 that the fame current, however difficult to h^: accounted for, did yet undoubtedly take place ^ for we were not fatisfied in deducing it from the error in our reckoning, but we adually tried it more than once, when a calm made it pradicable. When we had paffed the latitude of the river Q^ Plate y we had foundings all along the coafi^ Kii Patagonia. Thefe foundings, when well af- ccrtained, being of great ufe in determining the pofition of the Ihip, and we having tried them more frequently, in greater depths, and with more attention, than I believe had been done G 2 before ( 84) before us, I fliall recite our obfcrvations as fuc- cindlx as. J can, referring to the chart hercaft«r ihfert^e^ in the ninth chapter of this book, for a genefai view of the wljole. In the .latitude of jS^/i'f^'we had fixty fathorh' of water, with a bottom' of fine ^black and grey lar>d j frpm tKcnceV to 39^. : 55^, weyarie^ our depths from fifty to HglityTaf horn,' 'tTiough we had conflant- ly the fame bottom as before •, between the lafl mentioned latitude*" and 43^ : ij^V,"wc:had only fine grey fand, with the fame variation of depths, except that we once or twice leffened our water to forty fathom. After this, we continued in forty fathbm for" "about half a degree, having a bottom of coarfe land and broken Ihells, at \Vhich 'time we were in fight of land, and noti. above feveh leagues frorn it : As we edged fxom the land we met with variety of foundings ; firil black fand, then muddy, and foon after rough ground with floncs j but then encreafing our water to Tprty- eight fathom,, we had ^ muddy, bottom'to'thc latitude pf ^6^ ; lo'!, NWe.^then returned again in thirty-fix. fathom, ^d kept fhoaling our water, till at length we. came, into twelve fathom, having conftantly fmall ftone3 and pebbles at the bottorh.. Pirt of this tftne we had a'-vieWof Cape'.S//z^f^, which lies in about the latitude of 46^':'' 5V, and longiti|de Weft from London 66 ^ ^43 '.v This is t he . , mofi re- markable land upon tnccoaft : TwQ.yery exaft* views of it are exhibited in the third plate, where (b) reprefents the Cape itfelf^thefe draughts will fully enable future Voyagers to diftinguifh It. { f 3 J it. Steering from hence ^?: )ty E- nearly, Vrty iri a run of about thirty leagues, deepened our water to fifty fathom, without once altering the bottom ; and then drawing towards the fhore with a S. W. courfe, varying rather to the weft- ward, we had every where a fandy bottom, till our coming into thirty fathom, where we had again a fight of land diftant from us, about eigjit leagues, lying in the latitude of 48^^ j 3I'. Wc made this land on the 17th of i^f^r«^n', and 4t Rv€ in the afternoon we came to an anchor upon the fame bottom, in the latitude of 48 ^ : 58'., the fouthermoft land then in view tearing S. S. W, the northermoft N. f E, a fmail liland N. W, and the weftermoft hummock W. S. W. In this ftation we found the tide to fet S.. by W ; and weighing again at five the next morning, wc, an hour afterwards, difcovered a fail, upcJn which xht Sez'ern and Gloucefter were both dircfV- ed to give chace ; but wje foon perceived it to, tc the Pearly which fcparated ^from us a few days after we left St. Catherine's^ and on this we made a fignal for the Severn 10 rejoin the fquadron, leaving the Gloucefter alone in the purfuit. And now we were furprized to fee, that on the Glou- cifi^r^i approach, the people on board the Pearl increafcd their fail, and ftood from her. How- ever, the Gloucefter came up with them, but found them with their hammg.cks in their net- tings, and every thing ready for au engage- ment. At two in the atternoon the P^^r/ joined us, and running up under our fte^n, J^ieutcnaiif Salt hailed the Commodore, and acquainted him G 3 , that ( 86 ) tliat Captain Kidd died on the 31 ft of January. Hq likewife informed him, that he had feen five large fliips the loth inftant, which he for fome time imagined to be our fquadron : That he fuf-^ fercd the coiTimanding fhip, which wore a red broad pennant, exaftly refembhng that of the Commodore, at the main top-maft head, to come within gun-fhot of him before he difco- vered his miflake \ but then finding it not to.B^ the Centurion^ he haled clofe upon the wind, and crowded from them with all his fail, and ftand- ing crofs a ripUng, where they hefitated to tol- low him, he happily efcaped. He made them to be five Spanijh men of war, one of them ex- ceedingly hke the Gloucejler^ which was the oc- cafion of his apprehenfions when the Gloucefter chafed him. By their appearance he thought they confided of two fhips of feventy guns, two of fifty, and one of forty guns. I'hc whole fquadron continued in chace of him all that day, but at night finding they could not get near lum, they gave over the chace, and directed their courfe to the fouthward. And now had it not been for the necefFity we were under of refitting the 1'ryaly this piece of intelligence would have prevented our making any ftay at St. Julian's', but as it was impofiible for that fioop to proceed round the Cape in her prefent condition, fome flay there was inevita- h\ty and therefore the fame evening we came to an anchor again in twenty- five fathom water, the bottom a mixture of mud and fand, and the high hummock baring S. W. by W. And v/eigh- ing (87) ing at nine in the morning, we foon after fent the two Cutters belonging to the Cmturion and Srjern in fhore, to dilcover the harbour of St. Ju- liariy while the fhips kept (landing along the coaft, at about the diftance of a league from the land.. At fix o'clock we anchored in the bay of St. Julian^ in nineteen fathom, the bottom muddy ground with fand, the northermofl land in fight bearing N. and by E, the fouthermoft S, i E, and the high hummock, to which Sir John Narborough formerly gave the name of Wood's Mount, W. S. W. Soon after, the Cut- ter returned on board, having difcovered the harbour, which did not appear to us in our fitua- tion, the northermoft point (hutting in upon the fouthermoll, and in appearance clofmg the en- trance. To facilitate the knowledge of this coafl to future Navigators, there are two views in the 4th and 5th plates ; one of the land o^ Patagonia, to the northward of port St. Julian, where iw) is Wood's Mount, and the bay of St. Julian lies round the point {c). The other view is of the bay itfelf -, and here again (O'-) is Wood's Mount, (a) is Cape St. Julian, and {b) the port or river's mouth. Being come to an anchor in this bay of St. Ju- lian, principally with a view of refitting the Trya], the Carpenters were immediately employed in that bufmcfs^ and continued fo during our whole ftay at the place. ThcTrj^/'s main-maft having beeh carried away about twelve feet belov/ the cap, they contrived to make the remaining part ol the mad ferve agai.^ ; and the fj^^fr was ordered G 4 to ( 88 ) to fupply her with a fpare main top-maft, which the Carpenters converted into a new fore-maft. And^Ji Qannot help obfcrving, that this accident jg)) Uiqi^p-^/'s maft, which gave ,vi^ ^q much ju^- ^jifiopis.at that time, qn account , of |he delay it ^ccaiioned,. was, \a all probability, /he means ipf pr.efery,ing the floopp, and ^11 her grew. For ,^efore fhis, . h^r ji)a.fts, jho^y_ ,Y(el} jgeyef propor- jtioned to a better climaxe, were j;i)iic}^ too lofty for t^xefe high fouthqrn latixiide.^ ; §p, that had they j-vvfathered the pr.eceding llprmi,.it would .have bcea imppflibie for them to have flood ^fgainll thofe fe^s and tempefls \ye aftefwards en- countered ja pafling round Cape Horn^ and the lofs of pi^fb, in that boifterous climate, would .fcarcely Jiave. been attended with lefs than the lofs pf.jhe vefTel, and of every ma/i en board her J fince it would have been imprafticable for the other fhips to h^ve. given,^fhe^v^any relief^ during^ the cor^tinyance . of ,thpf(?*ampetuoi]s ftorms. . ;tj^.^|ino: Whilft we flayed at this place,, the Cpipmodorc appointed the Honourable taptaii) Murray to.fuc ceed to tht Pearly and Captain Ch€apitQt\i(iWag^r^ and he ^romox^dMu Charles Saunders^ his firfl- Lieutenant, to the command of the ?b'(^/ Sloop. But Captain Saunders lying dangerouOy ill of a fever on board the C^fiturioiy and it bieing the opinion of the furgeons,^hat the removing hiai on board his own fbip, in his prefent condition, might tend to the h^^zard of his life ;, Mr. J^tfon jgave an order to Mr. Saumarez^ firft: J^jeutenaat of the Centurion^ to aft as Mailer and Com- mander rnaiidef of the Trytf/, during the illnefs- oT tapr tain Saunders. ,'•*" i' '-' ".' Here the Commodore too, in order to carfe tht expedition of all unnecefTary cxpence, held a fat- thcr confultation with his Captains about unload- ing and difcharging the j^na Pink ; but they reprefented to him, that they were fo far from being in a condition of taking any part of her loading on board, that they had dill great quan- tities of provifions in the way of their guns be- tween decks, and that their fhips were withal fo very deep, that they were not fit for action with- out being cleared. This put the Commodore under a neceflity of retaining the Pink in the fer- vicc i and as it was apprehended we Ihould cer- tainly meet with the Spanijh fquadron, in palling the Cape, Mr. An/on thought it advifeable to give orders to the Captains, to put all their provifions, vvhich were in the way of their guns, on board the AHm Pinky and to remount fuch of their guns as had formerly, for the eale of their fhips, been ordered into the hold. • -"'• '' (^ This bay of St.yuliany wh^re we are ridi^r^l^- chor, being a convenient rendezvous, in cafe of feparation, for all cruifers bouhd louche foiithr ward, and the whole coafl" of P.^tagoma^ irom the river of Flale to the Streights of Magellan^ lying nearly parallel to their ufual route, a'lhcrt account of the fingularity of this country, with a particular defcription of port St. Julian^ may perhaps be neither unacceptable to the curious, nor unworthy the attention of future Kavjgatoi;s, - -•• "til. ( 9° ) 2S (cuT^e 6f them, by unforefecn accidents, may be obliged to run in with the land, and to make Ibme ilay on this coaft, in which cafe the know- led^ of the country, its produce and inhabi- tants, cannot but be of the utmoft confequence to them. To begin then with the tra6V of country ufu- ally fliled Patagonia, This is the name often given to the fouthermofl part of South America^ which is unj^xJiTefled by the Spamardsy extending from their fettlcments to the Streights of Ma- ^dldn. On- the eaft fide, this country is ex- tremely rertarkable, for a peculiarity not to be paralleled in any other known part of the globe ; for though the whole territory to the northward of the river of Tlate is full of wood, and ftored ivith immenfe quantities of large timber trees, yetto thfe*fouthward of the river no trees of any kind ai-e to be met with, except a few peach- trees, firfi: planted and cultivated by the S-p&m- m-ds in the neighbourhood of Buenos Jyres : So that on the whole eaftern coaft of Patagonia^ ex- tending n^^ four hundred leagues in length, and reaching as far back as any difcoveries have yet been made, no other wood has been found than a few infignificant fhrubs. Sir John Nar- horcugh in particular, who was fent out, by King Charles the Second, exprefsly to examine this country, and the Streights of Magellan^ and who, in purfuance of his orders, wintered upon this coaft in port St. Julian and port Bejire^ in the year 1670 ^ Sir John Narborough^ I fay, telh us, that he never faw a ftick of wood in the country, ( 9« ) country, large enough to mak?;,thehancyfe of aj| hatchet. r; .rj*^' -^ r.- : - - ;^ ^/ But though this country befodeftituteof wood^ it abounds with patUire. For the land appears in general to be made up of downs of a light dry gravelly foil, and produces great quantities of long coarle grafs, which grows in tufts inter- fperfed with large barren fpots of gravel between rhem. This grafs, in many places, feeds iinr menfe herds of cattle ; For the Spaniards at Bu^^ nos Jyi-esy having brought over a few black cat- tle from Europe at their iiril fettlement, tliey have thriven prodigioufly by the plenty of her- bage which they found here, and are now €% creafed to that degree, and are extended fo faj into the country, that they are not confidered a§ private property -, but many thouHinds at a time are flaughtered eviery year by the Hunters, only for their hides and tallow. The manner of killr ing thefe cattle, being a pradice peculiar to that part of the world, merits a more circumftantial defcription. The Fiunters employed on thi> occafion being all of them mounted on horfe^ back, (and both the Spaniards and Indians in that part of the world are ufually mofl excellent horfemen) they arm themfelves with a kind ot a fpear, which, at its end, inftead of a blade fixed in the fame line with the wood in the iifual manner, has its blade fixed acrof^ •, with this in- ftrument they ride at a beaft, and furrouhd him. The Hunter that comes behind him hamilring§ him ; and as after this operation the bead foon tumbles, without being able to raife himfelf again, ♦ they they leave Kim 6n the ground, and purfue others^ whom they ferve in the fame manner. Some^ times there is a fccond party, who attend the Hunters, to fkin the cattle as they fall r But it isfaid, that at other times the Hunters chufctb^ let them langulfh in torment till the next day^ from an opinion that the anguifh, which the ani* mal in the mean time endures, may burft the lymphaticks, and thereby facilitate the reparation of the fkin from the carcafs : And though their Prieils have loudly condemned this moft bar- barous praftice, and have gone fo far, if my memory does not fail mb^ as to excommunicate thofe who follow it, yet all their efforts to put an entire Hop to it have hitherto proved in- effe6hial. rt.um^. ^•Befides the numbers of cattle which are every year flaughtered for their hides and tallow, in the manner already defcribed, it is often ne- ceffary for the purpofes of agriculture, and like- wife with other views, to take them alive, and without wounding them : This is performed with a moft wonderful and almoft incredible dexterity, and principally by the ufe of a ma- chine, which the Englijb^ who have refided af Buenos Ayres^ generally denominate a lafh. It is made of a thong of feveral fathoms in length, and very ftrong, with a running noofe at one end of it: This the Hunters (who in this cafe are alfo mounted on horfeback) take in their right hands, it being firft properly coiled up, and having its end oppofite to the noofe faftened to the faddle •, and thus prepared they ride at a herd (93 ) herd of cattle. When they arrive within a cer- tain diilancc of- a be*^, ^h^Y throw thein thongi at him with fuch exadneis, that they never fail of- fixing the noofe about hjs- horns. The beail^- when he finds himfelf entangled,- generally runs,, but.the horfe, being fwifter, attends him, and prevents the thong from being too much flrained, till a fecond Hunter, who follows the game, throws another noofe about one of its hind legs v and this being done, both horfes (they being trained for this purpofe) inllantly turn different ways, in order to, llrain the two thongs in con- trary direiftiofts, on which the bcail, by their oppofite pulls, is. prefently overthrown, and theft the horfes fl:op, keeping the thongs Hill upon the ftretch : Being thus on the ground, and in- capable of refiilance, (for he is extended between- the two horfes) the Hunters alight, and fecure him in fuch a manner, that they afterwards eafily convey him to whatever place they pleafe, la the famp manner they noofe horfes, and, as it is laid, even tygers ; aad however flrange this kit (jircumftance may appear, there ^renof wanting perfons pf credit who affert it. indeed,, it muli be owned, that .the addre£s bptli of the ^S^wV, ards znd Ifidians iii that part of. the world, ia the ufe of this lafh or noofe, and the .<;ertainty with which they throw it,' and fix it on ^ny. in- tended part of the beaftat a confiderahk 4ift?^ce, are matters only to be, believed, from the, re-, peated and concurrent.teflimony of all >yhQ.have^ frequented that country, and might reafonably be quellioned, did ir relv en a fingle report, or, had ( 94 ) had it been ever contradided or denied by any one who had refided at Buenos Ayres, The cattle which are killed m the manner ! have already oblerved, are flaughtered only for tlieir hides and tallow, to which fometimes are added their tongues, and the reft of their fleflv is left to putrify, or to be devoured by the birds and wild beafts •, but the greateft part of this carion falls to the fhare of the wild dogs, of which there are immenfe numbers to be found in that country. They are fuppofed to have been originally produced by Spanijh dogs from Buenos Ayres ^ who, allured by the great quantity of carion, and the facility they had by that means of fubfifting, left their Mafters, and ran wild amongft the cattle j for they are plainly of the breed of the European dogs, an animal not ori- ginally found in America, But though thefe dogs are laid to be fome thoufands in a company, they hitherto neither diminiih nor prevent the increafc of the cattle, not daring to attack them, by reafon of the numbers which conftantly feed together^ but contenting themfelves with the; carion left them by the Hunters, and perhaps now and then with a few ftragglers, who, by ac-' cidents, are feparated from the herd they belong to. Befides, the wild cattle which have fpread themfelves in fuch vaft herds from Buenos Ayres towards the fouthward, the fame country is in like manner furnifhed with horfes. Thefe toa were firft brought from Spain^ and are alfo pro- digioufly increafed, and run wild to a much greater diftance than the black cattle : And though (95) though many of them are excelknt, yet their number makes them of very little value-, the beft of them being often fold, in a country where money is plenty and commodities very dear, for not more than a dollar a-piece. It is not as yet certain how far to the fouthwai'd xhcih herds of wild cattle and.horfes have extended chcmfclvcs ^ but there Ls fome reafon to conjec- ture, that ifragglers of both kinds are to be mtt with very near the Streights of Magellan ; and they will in time doubtlefs fill the fouthern part of this Continent with their breed, which cannot feil of proving oi confiderable advantages to fucli fhips as may touch upon the coalt ; for the horfes themftlves ^re i.iid to be very good eat- ing, and as fuch, to be preferred by fome of die hidians even before the black cattle. But what- ever plenty of this kind may be hereafter found here, there is one material retrefhmcnt which tins caftem fide of Patagonm feems to l^e very defec- tive in, and that is frefh water ; for the Y^md. be- ing generally of a nitrous and ialine nature, the ponds and ftreams are frequently brackiih. Jbiowever, as good water has been found there, though in fmall quantities, it is not improbable, but on a further leorch, this inconvenience may be removed. Befides the cattle and horfes which 1 have mentioned, there are in all parts of this country a good number of Vicunnas or Peruvian fhecpH- but thefe, by reafon of their fnynefs and fwift*-' nefs, are killed with difficult^^ On the eaOteir? coall too, there abouiiJi, innaei^de quantities of -leai?.^ ( 96 ) feals, and a vafl variety of lea-fowl, amongft which the mofl remarkable are the Penguins ; they are in fize and fliape like a goofe, but in- ftead of wings they have fhort (lumps like fins, which are ot no uie to them except in the water ; their bills are narrow, like that of an Albitrofs^ and they (land and walk in an erefl pofturc. From this, and their white bellies, Sir John Narborougb has whimfically likened them to lit- tle children (landing up in white aprons- The inhabitants of this cadern coaft (to which I have all along hitherto confined my relation) appear to be but few, and have rarely been ^ttn more than two or three ac a time, by any Ihips that have touched here. We, during our (lay at the port of St. Julian^ faw none. However, towards Buenos Jyres they are fufficiently nume- rous, and ottentimes very troublefome to the Spaniards ; but there the greater breadth and va- riety of the country, and a milder climate, yield them a better protedlion ; 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 fame Indians^ that frequent the wedern coad of Patagonia and the Streights of Magellan^ often ramble to this fide. As the India^js near Buenes jiyres exceed thefe fcuthern Indians in number, fo they greatly furpafs them in adivity and fpi- rit, and fecm in their manners to be nearly allied to thofe gallant Chilian Indians^ who have long fet the whole Spanijh power at defi- ance, have often ravaged their country, and re- main C97) .. ttij^ln to t^Ms houf^.independent.. Fbf the hdiJkft about Buenos Ayres have Jeamt to be excel len:r liorfemen, and ate. extremely expert in the ma-: nagemenc of all cutting weapons, thbngh igno- rahttrf^^che ufe of fife arms, which the S^aHtdrdi are very folicitcus i6 keep out of their hands* And. of the vigour and refolution of thefe Indianh the behaviour of Orellana and his followers^ whom we have formerly mentionedi-is aoiemo-. rable inftance. Indeed were we difpofcd tp aim at the utter fubverfion of the Spanip power in America^ ng means feem more probable to efFe^ it, than due encouragement and afTiflance giverl to thefc Indians^^nd vhofe of Chili i Thus aiuch may fuffice in relation to the eafl:- ern coaft of Pafagonia. The weftern coail is of lefs extendi and by reafon of the Andes which fkirt it, and flietch quite doWn to the water, is a very rocky and dangerous fhore. However, I fhall be hereafter necellitated to make further mention of it, and therefoie (hall not enlarge thereon at this time, but (hall conclude this ao count with a fliort defcription of the harbour of St. Julian, the general form of which may be conceived from the (ketch in the 6th plate. But it muft b^ remembered, that the bar which is there marked at the entrance, is ofcen fhifting and has many holes in it. The tide flows, here N. and S, and ^at full and change, rifes four fathom. We, on our fif(i arrival here, fent an Officer on fhore to the falt-pond, marked (Dj in the plan, in o-rder to procure a quantity of fait for H the ( 98) the ufc of the fquadron, Sir John Narhorough having obfcrvcd, when he was here, that the fait produced in that place was very white and good, and that in Feburary there was enough of it to fill ithoufand IKips ; but our Officer returned with a fanftple -which was very bad, and he told us, that even of this there was but little to be got •, Ifuppofe the weather had been,inore rainy than prdi^ry, and had deftroyed it^" .Jlo give the ieadex. A; better idea of this port, and of the ad- jacent country, to which the whole coaft I have defcribed bears a great refemblancC; I have in- ferred two very accurate views, (which may be feeain the 7th and 8th Plates) one of them rcprefenting the appearance of the country, when looking up the rivers the other, being a view talcen from the fame fpot, but the obferver is now fuppofed to turn rpund oppofite to his for- mer fituation, and confequently this is a repre- fentationpf the appearance of the country down the river, betwixt the ftation of the obferver, and the river's mouth, j^rii ^btjloqoiq \^qV ^ Y; :-.-'' -A hnz — -^^ *- •i«ti ,sfna^»Ti«] 3d3 3£ ,mr.h3 gaimioin \i f'vfbrxlvl tiA. fli b^ni55no:> tjloinjt n*. «fc^v :• yi luov- • - •• — - ■ majJ Zi\ 'imK}*j sr.; ;;i t^l^i^^iiiiO.- «v;3 . ii C H A P. ( 99 ) C H A P. VII. ; >vq Departure from the hay of St. Julian^ and the paffage from thence to Streights;^X^^4feV .At four the ,next morning, being the;7tliof.'M<^^<^^» we made fail, and ac jsig^tiaw the tail d) and foon after we began to qpeprthe Streights at which time Cape St. Jafiiu bore froojfU^ E.'S. E, Q^^^ Si, Vincent ^.¥..{Ei tH« 'n^iddjei3!)G)ft'.;of the thrt^C: brothers S. and by W, Mmt.egord(kSoyithy and Cape St. Bartbo- fawex^, W^ij:h is^ the fpuchermoft point o^ Stat en- land^ E. S. fij.; qThe appfear^liKe, of the Streights in tlvs fi.tu4j;icip, is represented in the elevctnth |)l4te^, whe^^ (f) is paiC of Sta^^'4-.lpind^ {b\ Capo 3f.- Bi^'tkt'iQm^fi^rAc}. p^t; ' of: ^crra M Fuego.y («^;PQrt:/4^/^^^f!»:'^od i&) fuppofed to be Vden- £«/f'jr]bay, ,or . tj^e bay of g^c^d fuccefs. And be^e I miijl^ obA^Bve, that Frezi&r has given us a yi?f5f Corre(?t ^^pfpewlof the... part of Tirra del ^i^^^^ wVi^h->tM(^ Streights hm ha^ omitCfd t,h;^r QiSfaten-^la/fd-, which forms the op^ j^ftr© ilifXiQ? ',^'ife^;ice we fou-nd it difficult to ^tetn^n^ eiQifUy where, thd Streights ky, ti^ L^\ '■ 1 _ they ( I05 ) they began to open to our view ; and for wan! of this, if we had not happened to have coafted a confiderable way along fhore, wc might have miifed the Streights, and have got to the eaft- ward of Staten-land before we knew it. This is an accident that has happened to many fhips, particularly, as Frezier mentions, to the Incar- nation and Concord s who intending topafs through Streights Le Maire^ were deceived by three hills on Staten land like the three brothers, and fome creeks refembling thofe of Terra del Fuego^ and thereby over-fhot the Streights. To prevent thefe accidents for iht future, there is added, in the 1 2th Plate, the Weft profped: of Staten- land, where (a) is Cape St. Diego, on Terra del Fuego, {b) Cape St. BarthGlornnv, on Staten land. This Drawing will hereafter render it impofiible for any fhips to be deceived in the manner abovementioned, or to find any difficulty in diftinguilhing the points of land by which the Streights are formed. And on occafion of this proipedb of Staten- land here inferted, I cannot but remark, that though Terra del Fuego had an afped: extremely barren and defolate, yet this Illand of Staten- land hr furpaffes it, in the wildnefs and horror of its aprearance : It feeming to be entirely com- pofedof inacccfTible rocks, without the leaft mix- ture of earth or mould between them. Thefe rocks terminate in a vaft number of ragged points, which fpire up to a prodigious height, and are all of them covered with everiatbng fnow; the points themfelves are on every fide furrounded with frightful precipices, and often overhang in a moft ( io6) niofl aftonifhing manner; and the hills which bear them, are generally feparated from each other by narrow clefts, which, appear as if the country had been rent by earthquakes ; for thefe chafms are nearly perpendicular, and extend through the fubftance of the main rocks, almoft to their very bottoms : So that nothing can be imagin*d more favage and gloomy, than the whole afped of this coaft. But to proceed, I have above-mentioned, that on the 7th of March^ in the morning, we opened Streights Le Matre^ and foon after, or about ten o'clock, the Pearl and the Tryal being ordered to keep a head of the fquadron, we entered them with fair weather and a brifk gale, and were hurried through by the rapidity of the tide in about two hours, through they are between feven and eight leagues in length. As thefe Streights are often confidered as the boundary between the Atlan- tick and Pactfick Oceans, and as we prefumed we had nothing now before us but an open fca, till we arrived on thofe opulent coafts where all our hopes and wifties centered, we could not help flattering ourfelves, that the grea tell difficulty of our paffage was now at an end, and that our mod fanguine dreams were upon the point of being realifed i and hence we indulged our ima- ginations in thofe romantick fchemes, which the fancied poiTeffion of the Chilian gold and Peruvian filver might be conceived to infpire. Thefe joyous ideas were heightened by the bright- nefs of the Iky, and the ferenity of the weather, which was indeed moft remarkably plcafing ; for the* ( ^^7 ) tho* the winter was now advancing apace, yet the morning of this day, in its brilliancy and mildnefs, gave place to none we had feen fince our departure from England. Thus animated by thefe delufions, we travers'd thefe memorable Streights, ignorant of the dreadful calamities that were then impending, and juft ready to break upon us ; ignorant that the time drew near, when ihe fquadron would be feparated never to unite again, and that this day of our paflage was the laft chearful day that the greateft partofiis would ever live to enjoy. \ 00 9W 1 bnfc . . won r A CHAP. ( io8) ^- C H A P. VIII. . From Streights Le Maire to Cape Noir. ^ T 7 E had fcarcely reached the fouthern 7iVV extrennity of the Streights o{ Le Mam^ when our flatcering hopes were inftantly loll in theapprehenfionsof immediate deftruc^ion : For before the fternmoft fhips of the fquadron were clear of the Streights, the ferenity of the iky was fuddenly changed, and gave us all the prefages of an impending ftorm \ and immediately the wind fhifted to the fouthward, and blew in fuch violent fqualls, that we were obfiged to hand our top-fails, and reef out main-fail : The tide too, which hitherto favoured us, now turned againft us, and drove us to the caftward with prodigious rapidity, fo that we were in great anxiety for the Wager and the Anna Pink, the two flernmoll vefTels, fearing they would be daflied to pieces againft the Ihore of St at en-land ; nor were our apprehenfions without foundation, for it was with the utmoft difficulty they efcaped. And now the whole fquadron, inftead of pur- fuing their intended courfe to the S. W, were driven to the eaftward by the united force of the florm, and of the ourrents -, fothat next day in the morning we found ourfelves near feven leagues to the eaftward of Staten-land, which then bore from us N. W. The violence of the current, Vfhicb h^fet us with fo much precipitation to the e^ward, together with the force and conftancy of A the C '09 ) rhe wefterly winds, foon taught us to corifider the doubling of C^pe Horn as an enterprize that might prove too mighty for our efforts^ though fome amongft us had lately treated the difficulties which former voyagers were faid to have met with in this undertaking, as little bet- ter than chimerical, and had fuppofed them to ariie rather from timidity and unfkilfulnefs, than trom the real embarraflments of the winds and feas ; but v/e were feverely convinced, that thefe cenfures were rafli and ill-grounded : For the diilrefles with which we ilruggled, during the three fucceeding months, will not eafily be pa- ralleled in the relation of any former naval ex- pedition. This will, I doubt not, be readily allowed' by thole who fliall carefully perufe the enfuing narration. From the ftorm. v;hich came on before v/e had well got clear of Streights Le Maire^ we had a continual fuccefTicn of fuch tempeftuous weather, as furprized the oldeft and moft ex- perienced Mariners on board, and obliged them to confefs, that what they had hitherto calkd ftorms were inconfiderabie gales, compared with the violence of thefe v/inds, which raifed fuch fhort, and at the fame time fuch mountainous waves, as greatly furpalTed in danger all feas known in any other part of the globe : And ic was not without great reafon, that this unufuaj appearance filled us with continual terror ; for had any one of theft- waves broke fairly over us, it' mull, in all probability,, have fent us to the bottom. Nor did v/e efcape with terror only ; tor ( no ) for the fbip rolling incdTantly gunwale to, gave us fuch quick and -violent motions, that the men were in perpetual danger of being daflied to pieces againft the decks, or fides of the Ihip. And though wc were extremely careful to fe- cure ourfelves from thefe ihocks, by grafping fome fixed body, yet many of our people were forced from their hold-, fome of whom were killed, and others greatly injured -, in particular, one of our beft feamen was canted over-board and drowned, another diflocated his neck, a third was thrown into the main-hold and broke his thigh, and one of our Boatfwain's Mates broke his collar-bone twice •, not to mention many other accidents of the lame kind. Thefe tem- pefls, fo dreadful in thcmfelves, though unat- tended by any other uniavourable circumftancc, were yet rendered more mifchievous to us by their inequality, and the deceitful intervals which they at fometimes afforded ^ for though we v/ere oftentimes obliged to ue to for days together un- der a reefed mizen, and were fometimes reduced to lie at the mercy of the waves under bur bare poles, yet now and then we ventured to make fail with our courfes double reefed ; and the weather proving more tolerable, would perhaps encou rage us to fet our top- fails ; after which, the wind, without any previous notice, would return upon us with redoubled force, and would in an inftant tear our fails from the yards. And that no circum- ftance might be wanting which could aggrandize owr diftrefs, thefe blafts generally brought with them A.great quantity of fnow and fleet, which ■■.(- hib • cafcd ( "I ) cafcd our rigging, and froze our fails, thereby rendring them and our cordage brittle, and apt to fnap upon the (lighted (train, adding great difficulty and labour to the working of the fhip, benumbing the limbs of our people, and making them incapable of exerting themfelves with their ufual aclivity, and even difabling many of them , by mortifying their toes and fingers. It were in- deed endlefs to enumerate the various difafters o( different kinds which bcfel us ; and I fhall only mention the mod material, which will fufficiently evince the calamitous condition of the whole fquadron, i during the courfe of this navigation. It was on the 7th of A^rcb^ as hath been al- ready obferved,that we palTed Streights Le Maire^ and were immediately afterwards driven to the eaflward by a violent dorm, and the force of the current which let that way. For the four or five fucceeding days we had hard gales of wind from the fame quarter, with a mod prodigious fwell ; fo that though we dood, during all that time, to- wards the S.W, yet we had no reafon to imagine, we had made any way to the wedward. In this interval we had frequent fqualls of rain and fnow, and (hippedgreat quantities of water •, after which, for three or four days, though the feas ran moun- tains high, yet the weather was rather more moderate : But, on the i8th, we had again drong gales of wind with extreme cold, and at mid- night the main top-fail fplit, and one of the draps of the main dead eyes broke. From hence, to the 23d, the weather was more favourable, though often intermixed with rain and fleet, and Som^ hard gales j but as the waves did not fub- fide, (iiO fide, the fhip, by labouring in this lofty fta^ was now grown fo loofe in her upper woi'ks^ tliat Ihe let in the water at every feam, lb that every part within board was conftantly expofed to the fea-water, and fcarcely any of the Officer^ ever lay in dry beds* Indeed it was very rare^ tliattwo nights ever pafTed without many of therrt being driven from their beds, by the deluge of water that came upon them. On the 23d, we had a moll violent ftorm of wind^ hail, and rain, with a very great fea^ and though we handed the main top-fail before the height of the fquall^yet we found the yard fprung 5 and foon after thefoot-rope of the main-lail break- ing, the main-fail itfelf fplit inlbnrly to rag?^ and, in fpite of our endeavours to lave it, much the greater part of it was blown over-board. On this, the Commodore made the fignal tor the fquadron to bring to ^ and the ftorm at length flattening to a calm, v/e had an opportunity of getting down our main top-fail yard to pat^tH^ Carpenters at work upon itj and of repairing our rigging ; after which, having bent a new mainfail, we got under fail again with a mode- rate breeze ; but in lefs than twenty-four hours we were attacked by anothef ftoriti ftill more fu- rious than the former -, for if proved a perfect hurricane, and reduced us to the neceiTity of ly- ing to under oiir bare poles. As our fliip kept the wind better than any of the reft, we wxre obliged, in the afternoon, to wear lliip, in or- der to join the fquadron to the leeward, which otherwifc we Hiould have been in danger of lof- ing in the night : And as we cared not venture any ( M3 ) any fail abroad, wc were obliged to make ufc of an expedient, whch anlwered our purpofe ; this was putting the helm a weather, and manning the tbre-llirouds : But rho' this method proved fuccefstiil for the end intended, yet in the exe- cution of it, one of our ablcil feaman was canted over-board ; and notwithftanding the prodigious agitation of the waves, we perceived that he fwam very ftrong, and it was with the utmoll concern that we found ourfelves incapable of aflifcing him -, and we were the more grieved at his unhappy fate, fmce we loft fight of him ftniggling with the waves, and conceived from the manner in which he fwam, that he might continue fenfible, for a confiderable time longer, of the horror attending his irretrievable fituation. Before this laft mentioned ftorm was quite abated, we found two of our main-fhrcuds and one mizen-fliroud broke, all which we knotted, and let up immediately ; and from hence vve had an interval of three or four days lets tempeftuou ■» than ufual, but accompanied with a thick fog, in which we were obliged to fire guns almoft ever/ half hour, to keep our fquadron together. On the 31ft, we were alarmed by a gun fired from the Gloucefter^ and a fignal made by her to fpeak with the Commodore ; we immediately bore down to her, and were prepared to hear of fome terrible difafter ^ but we were apprized of it be- fore we joined her, for we law that her main- yard was broke in the flings. This was a griev- ous misfortune to us all at this jundure ; as it was I obvioiii ( iH) obvious it would prove an hindrance to our lail-» ing, and would detain us the longer in thefe in- hofpitable latitudes. But our future fuccefs and fafety was not to be promoted by repining, but by refolution and activity ^ and therefore, that this unlucky incident might delay us. as little as poiTible, the Commodore ordered feveral Car- penters to be put on board the Glcucsfier from- the other fnips of the fquadron, in order to re- pair her damage with the utmoil expedition^ And the Captain of the Tryal complaining at the fame time, that his pumps were fo bad, and the floop made fo great a quantity of water, that he was fcarcely able to keep her free, the Commo- dore ordered him a pump ready fitted from his own fhip. It was very fortunate for the Glou- cefter and the Tryal^ that the weather proved more favourable this day than for many days-, both before and after ; fince by this means they v/ere enabled to receive the afTiflance v/hich feemed eiTential to their prefervation, and which they could fcarcely have had at any other time, as it v/ould have been extremely hazardous ta have ventured a boat on board. The next day, that is, on the ifl o^ April y the v/eather returned again to its cufbomary biafe, the fl^y looked dark and gloomy, and the wind began to frefhen and to blow in fqualls ; how- ever, it was not yet fo boifterous, as to prevent' our carrying our top-fails clofe reefed ; but its appearance was fuch, as plainly prognofliicated tliat a fall feverer tempefl: was at hand : And ac- cordinglyr ( "5 ) cordingly, on the 3d of Aprils there came ori ^ ftorm, which both in its violence and continua- tion (for it lafled three days) exceeded all that V/e had hitherto encountered. In its firft onfet ^e received a furious fhock from a fea which broke upon our larboard quarter, where it ftove in the quiTter giiilery, and rufhed into the fhip like a deluge •, our rigging too fuffered ex- tremely, for one of the ilraps of the main dead- eyes was broke, as was alfo a main fhroud and puttock-fhroud, fo that to eafe the flrcfs upon the mafts and fhrouds, we Icvrered both ouf main and fore-yards^ and furled all cur fails^ and in this pofture we lay to for three days, when the fborm fomewhat abating, we ventured to make fail under our courfes only •, but even this we could not do long, for, the next day, which was the ^rh, we had another gale of v/ind, with lightning and rain, which obliged us to lie to again all night. It was wonderful, that not- withftanding the hard weather we had endured, iio extraordinary accident had happened to any of the fquadron fince the breaking of the Glou- cefter\ main-yard : But this wonder foon ceafed ; for at three the next morning, feveral guns were fired to leeward as fignals of difcrefs. And the Commodore making a fignal for the fquadron to bring to, we, at day-break, faw the IVager a confiderable way to leeward of any of the other fhips ; and v/e foon perceived that flie had loil her mizen-m.alL, and main top-fail yard. We- immediately bore down to her, and found this I 2 dIMer ( "6) difaller had arifen from the badncfs of her iron work ; for all the chain-plates to windward had given way, upon the fhip's fetching a deep roll. This proved the more unfortunate to the W^ager^ as her Carpenter had been on board the Glou.cefter ever fince the 3 1 ft of March^ and the weather was now too fevere to permit him to return : Nor was the Wager the only fhip of the fquadron that had fuffered in the late tempeft ^ for, the next day, a fignal of diftrefs was made by the Anna Pink, and, upon fpeaking with the Ma- iler, we learnt that they had broke their fore-ftay and the gammon of the bow-fprit, and were in no fmall danger of having all the mails come by the board ; fo that v/e were obliged to bear away until they had made all fall, after which we haled upon a wind again. >^ And now, after ail our folicitude, and the numerous ills of every kind, to which we had been incefiantly expofcd for near forty days, we had great conlblation in the flattering hopes we entertained, that our fatigues were drawing to a period, and that we fhould foon arrive in a more hofpitable climate, where we fhould be amply repay ed for all our pafl fuiferings. For, to- wards the latter end of March ^ we were ad- vanced, by our reckoning, near 10^ to the wefl- ward of the weilermoft point of Terra delFuego^ and this allowance being double what former Navigatrjrs have thought neceffary to be taken, in order to compenfate the drift of the eaflern current, we efleemed ourfelves to be well ad- vanced within the limits of the fouthern Ocean, and ( "7) and had therefore been ever fince ftanding to the northward with as much expedition, as the tur- bulence of the weather, and our frequent dif- afters permitted. And, on the 1 3th of Jprily we were but a degree in latitude to the fouth- ward of the Weft entrance of the Streights of Magellan j fo that we fully expe6led, in a very few days, to have experienced the celebrated tranquility of the Pacifick Ocean. But thefe were delufions which only ferved to render our dillippointment more terrible ; for the next morning, between one and two, as we were ftanding to the northward, and the weather, which had till then been hazy, accidentally cleared up, the Pink made a fignal for feeing land right a-htad ; and it being but two miles diftant, we were all under the moft dreadful ap- prehcnfions of running on fliore ^ which, had either the wind blown from its ufual quarter with its wonted vigour, or had not the mcon fuddcnly (lione out, not a fliip amongft us could poftibly have avoided : But the wind, which fome few hours before blew in fqualls from the S. W, having fortunately fhifted to W. N. W, we were enabled to ftand to the fouthward, and to clear ourfelves of this unexpeded danger ; fo that by noon we had 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 fouthern outlet defcribed in Frezier's Chart of the Streights of Magellan^ and was fuppofed to be that point called by him Cape Noir, It was indeed moft wonderful, that the I 3 cur- ( n8 ) currents jfhoiild have driven us to the eaftward with -fuch ftrength ; for the whole fquadron efteemed themfclves upwards often degrees more v/eilerly than this land, fo that in running dov/n, by our account, about nineteen degrees of longi- tude, we had not really advanced above half that diilance. And now, inflead of having our la- bours and anxieties relieved by approaching a v/armer clirnate and more tranquil feas, we were to fleer again to the fouthv/ard, and were again to combat thofe wcftern blails, which had fo often terriiied us ; and this too, when we were weakned by our men falling fick, and dying apace, and when our fpirits, dejecled by a long continuance at fea, and by our late difappoint- ment, were m.uch lefs capable of fupporting us in the various difliculties, which we could not but expedl in this new undertaking. Add to all this too, the difcouragement we received by the diminution of the ilrcngth of the fquadron ; for three days before this, we lofb fight of the Se- vern and the Fearl in the morning ; and though we fj3read our fhips, and beat about for fome time, yet we never faw them more -, v/hence vve had apprehenfions that they too might have- fall-n in v/ith this land in the night, and by be- ing lefs favoured by the wind and the moon than v/e were, might have run on fhore and have pc^rifned. Full of thefe dejeded thoughts and gloomy prcfages, we flood av/ay to the S. \¥, prepared by cur late difafrer to fufpedl, that hov/ large fcevcr an allowance v/e made in our wcfling for the drift of the eailern current, we might ftiil, upon a fecund trial, perhaps find it infutricient. C H A ?, (119) CHAP. IX. Obfervations and diredlions for facilitating the paffage of our future Cruifers round Cape Horn, TH E improper feafon of the year in which we attempted to double Cape Horn^ and to which is to be imputed the dilappointment (recited in the foregoing chapter) in falling ia with Terra del Fuego^ when we reckoned our- fclves at leaft a hundred leagues to the weftward of that whole coaft, and confequently well ad- vanced into the Faclfick Ocean ; this unfeafonable navigation, I fay, to which we were necefTitated by our too late departure from England^ was the fatal fource of all the misfortunes we afterwards encountered. For from hence proceeded the fe- paration of our lliips, the dcflrudlion of our peo- ple, the ruin of our prcjcfl on Bald'rcia^ and of all our other views on the Spc.niJJj places, and the reduction of our fquaJron from the formidable condition in which it pafTed Streights Le Maire^ to a couple of fhjittered half-manned cruifers and a (loop, fo far difabled, that in many climates they fcarcely durll have put to fea. To prevent therefore, as much as in me lies, all fhips here- after bound to the South-Seas from fufFering the fame calamities, I think it my duty to infert in this place, fuch direftions and obfervations, as either my own experience and reEedion, or the converfe of the mcfl; fiiilful Navigators on board I 4 the ( 1^0 ) the fquadron could furnifh me with, in relation to the mofl eligible manner of doubling Cape Horn^ "^vhether in regard to the feafon of the year, 'JLhe courfe proper to be fleered, or the places of refreihmcnt both on the Eafl and Weft- fide pf South-America, ^ ' And firft with regard to the proper place for refrefhment on the Eaft-fide of South- America. For this purpofe the Ifland of St. Catherine's has been ufually recommended by former writers, and on their faith we put in there, as has been formerly mentioned : But the treatment we met wdth, and the fmali ftore of refreihments we could procure there, are fufficient reafons to ren- der all Hiips for the future cautious, how they truft themfelves in the government o^ Ben Jcfe Silva de Paz \ for they may certainly depend on having their flrength, condition and defigns be- trayed to the S-paniards^ as far as the knowledge, the Governor can procure of thefe particulars, will give leave. And as this treacherous con- du6l is infpired by the views of private gain, in the illicit commerce carried on to the river of Tlate^ rather than by any national affedlion which the Portugiicfe bear the Spaniards^ the fame per- fidy niay perhaps be expected from mod of the Governors of the Brazil coall ; fince thefe fmug- gling engagements are doubtlefs very extenfive and general. And though the Governors fhould themfelves detefl fo faithlefs a procedure, yet as ihips are perpetually pafTing from fome or other of the Brazil ports to the river of Plate^ tht" Spaniards could fcarcely fail of receiving, by this { I2« ) this means, cafual intelligence o^ ^ny Britjjb fhips upon the coaft •, which, however imperfect fuch intelUgence might be, would prove of dan- gerous import to the views and interefts ot thofc cruilers who were thus difcovered. i For the SpaniJJj trade in the South-Seas running all in one track from North to South, with very- little deviation to the eafhvard or weftward, it is in the pov/er of two or three cruifers, properly ftationed in different parts of this track, to poftefs themfelves of every Ihip that puts to fea : But this is only fo long as they can continue concealed from the neighbouring coaft ; for the inftant an enemy is known to be in thofe feas, all naviga- tion is flopped, and confequently all captures are at an end •, fmce the Spaniards^ well apprized ot thefe advantages of the enemy, fend exprelTes along the coail, and lay a general embargo on all their trade j a meafure which they pruden- tially forefee, will not only prevent their vefTcls being taken, but will foon lay any cruifers, who have not ftrcngth fufficient to attempt their places, under a neceflity of returning home. Hence then appearsthe great importance of con cealing all expeditions of this kind ; and hence too it follows, how extremely prejudicial that intelligence may prove, which is given by the P or tuguefe Govtrnors to the Spaniards:^ m rel;i- tion to the defigns of Ihips touching at the ports of Brazil. However, notwithilanding the inconvenien- cies we have mentioned of touching on the coaft of Brazil^ it will oftentimes happen, th it fhips bound C 122 ) fcound round Cape Horn will be obliged to call there for a fupply of wood and water, and other refrefhments. In this cafe St. Catherine's is the laft place I would recommend, both as the pro- per animals for a live ftock at fea, as hogs, fheep and fowls cannot be procured there, (for want of which v/e found ourfelves greatly diftreiTed, by being reduced to live almoil entirely on fait provifions) but alio becaufe from its being nearer the river o^ Plate than many of their other fet- tlements, the inducements and conveniencies of betraying us are much fcronger. The place I would recommend is Rio Janeiro^ v/here two of our fquadron put in after they were feparated from us in pafiing Cape Horn •, for here, as I have been informed by one of the Gentlemen on board thofe fliips, any quantity of hogs and poultry may be procured, and this place being more diftant from the river of Plate^ the difh- culty of intelligence is fomewhat inhanced, and confequently the chance of continuing there un- difcovered, in fome degree augmented. Other meafures, which may efFedually obviate all tlicfe embarraffments, will be confidered more at larffe hereafter. And now I proceed to the confideration of the proper courfe to be fleered for doubling Cape Horn. And here, I think, I am fufficiently au- thorifed by our ovvn fatal experience, and by a careful comparifon and examination of the jour- nals of former Navigators, to give this piece of advice, which in prudence I think ought never to ( 123 ) to be departed from : That is, that all fliips bound to the Soutb-SeaSy inilead of pafiing through Streights Le Maire^ iliould conllantly pafs to the eallward of Staten4and^ and Ihoiild be invariably bent on running to the fouthward as far as the latitude of 6 1 or 62 degrees, before they endea- vour to Hand to the weftward ; and that when they are got into that latitude, they fnould then make lure of lufiicient wefting, before they once think of fleering to the northward. But as dixedtions diametrically oppofite to thefe have been formerly given by other writers, it is incumbent on me to produce my reafons for each part of this maxim. And hrfc, as to the pafling- to the eaftward of Staten-land. Thole who have attended to the rifque wc ran in palling Streights Le Maire^ the danger v/e were in of bemg driven upon Staten-Iand by the current, when, though we happily efcr^ped being put on fliore, wc were yet carried to the eaitvvard of that Ifland : Thofe wno renect on this, and on the like accidents which have happened to o:her ihips, v/ilf furely not eftcem it prudent to pals through Streights Le Maire^ and run the rifque of liiip- wreck, and attcr ail (ind themfelves no farther to the v/efcv/ard (the only reafon hitherto given for this practice) than tiiey might have been in the iame time, by a fecure navigation in an open lea. And next, as to tiie oircciiions I have given for running inro v^^ latitu^'ie ^vi 61 or 62 South, be- fore any en Jea^^our is m^/'e to ftand to the weft- ward. The reafons lor this precept are, that in all probability the violence of the currents will be ( 124) be hei-eby avoided, and the weather will prove Icfs tempelluous and uncertain. This laft cir- cumftance we oiirrelves experienced mod remark,^ ably -, for after we had unexpededly fallen m with die land, as has been mentioned in the pre* ceding chapter, we flood away to the fouthward to run clear ot it, and were no fooner advanced into fixty degrees or upwards, but we met with much better weather, and fmoother water than in any other part of the whole pafiage : The air in- deed was very cold and lliarp,. and we had ftrong gales> but they were fteady and uniform, and we had at the fame time funfliine and a clear fky ; whereas in the lower latitudes, the winds every now and then intermitted, as it were, to recover new ftrength, and then returned fuddenly in the moft violent guils, threatening at each blaft the lofs of our mails, which muft have ended in our certain deflru6tion. And that the currents in this high latitude would be, of much lefs effi- cacy than nearer the land, feems to be evinced from thefe confiderations, that all currents run with greater violence near the fliore than at fea, and at greater diilances from fhore they are fcarcely perceptible : Indeed the reafon of this feems fufficiently obvious, if we confider, that conftant currents are, in all probability, produced by conllant winds, the wind driving before it, though with a flow and imperceptible motion, a large body of water, which being accumulated upon any coafl that it meets with, this fuperfiu- ous water mufl efcape along the fhore by the endeavours of its furface, to reduce itfelf to the fame ( 125 ) fame level with the reft of the Ocean. And it is reafonable to fuppole, that thole violent gufts of wind which we experienced near the fhcre, fo very different from what w-e found in the la- titude of fixty degrees and upwards, may be ow- ing to a fimilar caufe •, for a wefteriy wind almoll perpetually prevails in the fouthern part of the Pacijick Ocean : And this current of air being interrupted by thofe immenfe hills called the Andes^ and by the mountains on Ten'a del Fu£go^ which together bar up the whole country to the fouthward as far as Cape Hcrn^ a part of it only can efcape over the tops of thofe prodigious pi-e- cipices, and the reft muft naturally follow the direction of the coaft, and muft range down the land to the fouthward, and fweep with an im- petuous and irregular blaft round Cape Horn^ and the fouthermoft part of 'Terra delFnego. How- ever, not to rely on thefe fpeculations, we mav, I believe, eftabliili, as inconteftable, thefc mat- ters of facf, that both the rapidity of the currents, and the violence of the weftern gales, are kis fenfible in the latitude of 6i or 62 degrees, tlian nearer the ftiore of I'erra del Fue^o, But though I am fatisfied both from cur own experience, and the relations of ether Naviga- tors, of the importance of the precept I here in- fift on, that of running into the latitude of 61 or 62 degrees, before any endeavours are made to ftand to the weftward ; yet I would advife no iliips hereafter to truft fo far to this management, as to negled another moft eftential maxim, which ' is the making this paflagc in the height of fum- mer. C 126 ) tner, that is, in the months o^ December and January ; and the more diftant the time ot paffing is taken from this fealbn, the more difaftrous it may be reafonably expedled to prove. Indeed^ if the mere violence of the weftern winds be con- fidered, the tim.e of our pafTage, which was about the Equinox, was perhaps the moft unfavourable feafon ; but then it muft be confidered, that in the depth of V7 inter there are many other incon- veniencies to be apprehended in this navigation^ v/hich are almoil infuperable : For the feverity of the cold, and the fhortnefs of the days would render it impracticable at that feafon to run fo far to the fouthward as is here reconim. ended ;■ and the fame reafons would greatly augment the alarms of failing in the neighbourhood of an un- known fliore, dreadful in its appearance in the midil of fummer, and would make a winter na- vigation on this Goafc to be, of ail others, the moft difmaying and terrible. As I would there- fore advife all fhips to make their pafTage in De- cemher and January^ if pofiible, fo I would v/arn them never to attempt the fea to the fouthward of Cape Horn J after the month of March. And now^ as to the remaining confideration^ that is, the properefl port for cruifers to refrelh at on their fird arrival in the South- Seas. On this head there is fcarcely any choice, the liland o^ Juan Fcrnandes being the only place that can be prudently recommended for this purpofe. For though there are many ports on the wellern fide of Patagonia, between the Strtights of Magellan £«d theoj)^;///:/ fettlements (a plan of one of which will ( 127 ) will be referred to in the courfe of this work) where fl^ips might ride in great fafety, might recruit thi^ir wood and water, and might pro- cure fome few refrefliments \ yet that coalL is in itfelf fo terrible, from the rocks and breakers it abounds with, and from the violence of the welfern winds, which blow conftantly full upon it, that it is by no means advifeable to fall in with that land, at lead till the roads, channels and anchorage in each part of it are accurately furveyed, and both the dangers and fnelter it abounds with arc more diilincBy known. Thus having given the beft diredtions in my power for the fuccefs of future cruifcrs bound ta the South-Seds^ it might be expected that I fhould again refume the thread of my narration. But as both in the preceding and fubfequent parts of tliis work, I have thought it my duty not only to recite all fuch facls, and to inculcate fuch maxims as had the lead appearance of proving beneficial to future Navigators, but alfo occafion- ally to recommend fuch meafures to the Public, as I conceive are adapted to promote the fame laudable purpofe, I cannot defiil from the pre- lent fubjedt, without befeeching thofe to whom the condudt of our naval affairs is committed, ta endeavour to remove the many perplexities, and embarralTments with which the navigation to the Soutb-Seas is, at prefent, necefiarily encumbered. An effort ot this kind could not fail of proving highly honourable to themfelves, and extremely beneiicial to their country. For it is to me fuf-' ficiently evident, that whatever advantages na-- vi'^a- ( I'^S ) vigation fhall receive, either by the invention of methotis that fhaJl render its pradice lels hazard- ■ ous, or by the more accurate delineation of the coafts, roads and ports already known, or by the difcovery of new nations, or nev/ fpecies of com- merce •, it is evident, I fay, to me, that by what- ever means navigation is promoted, the convcr niencies hence arifmg muil ultimately redound to the emolument of Great -Britain, Since as our fleets are at prefent fuperior to thofe of the whole world united, it muft be a matchlefs de- gree of fupinenefs or mean-fpiritednefs, if we permitted any of the advantages which new dif- coveries, or a more extended navigation may produce to mankind, to be raviflicd from us. As therefore it appears chat all our future ex- peditions to the South-Seas muft run a confider- able rifquc of proving abortive, whilft we are under the neceiiity of touching at Brazil in our pafiage thither, an expedient th^t might relieve us from this difficulty, would furely be a fubje6l worthy of the attention of the Public ; and this feems capable of being efiected, by the difcovery of fome place more to the fouthward, where Ihips might refrelh and fupply thcmfelves with the neceir4ry fea-ftock for their voyage round Cape Horn. And we have in reality the imper- fed knowledge of two places, which might per- haps, on examination, prove extremely conve- nient for this purpofe •, the firft of them is Pepys'% liland, in the latitude of 47^ South, and laid down by Dr. Halley., about eighty leagues to the eaftward of C^L^tBlancOy on the coaft o^ Pata- gonia i ( 129 ) goma\ the fecond, is F^Jkland* s Idcs^ in the 'la- titude of 51^ I nearly South of Pepys's Ifland. The hiil ot thefe was difcovcred by Captain Cozu- ley^ in his Voyage round the World in the year 1686; who reprefents it as a commodious place tor fhips to wood and water at, and fays, it is provided with a very good and capacious harbour, where a thoufand fail of fliips might ride at an- chor in great fafety ; that it abounds with fowls, and as the fhore is either rocks or lands, it feems to promife grtat plenty of Rib. The fecond place, or Falkland'% Illes, have been feen by many fhips both French and Englijh^ being the land laid down by Frezie'f\ in his Chare of the extremity of South Afnerica^ under the title of the Ne^ju Jjlands, H'oads Rogers^ who run along the N. E. coaft of thefe Iflcs in the year 1708, t:lls us, that they extended about two degrees in iengrh, and appeared with gentle dcicenrs from hill to hill, and feemed to be good ground, witii woods and harbours. Either of thefe places, as they are Iflands at a confiderable diflance Irom tiie Continent, may be fuppofed, from their latitude, to lie in a climate fufncientiy temperate. It is true, they are too little known to be at prefent recommended for proper places of refrefhmenn for (hips bound to the foutliward : But if the Ad- miralty fnould think it advifeable to order them to be furveyed, which may be done at a very fmall expence, by a velTel fitted out on purpofe ; and if, on this examination, one or both of thefe places fhould appear proper for the purpofe in- tended, it is fcarcely to he conceived, of what K prodi- ( 13^ ) prodigious import a convenient ftation might prove, fituated lb far to the fouthward, and fa near Cape Horn. The Duke and Duchefs of Briftol viere but thirty-live days from their lofing fight of Falkland's Ifles to their arrival at Juan Fernandes in the South-Seas : And as the return- ing back is much facihtated by the weftern windsy I doubt not but a voyage might be made from Falkland's Ifles to Juan FernavJes and back again^ in little more than two months. This, even in time of peace, might be of great confequence to this Nation -, and, in time of v^ar, would make us maflers of thofe feas. And as all difcoveries of this kind, though extremely honourable to thofe who diredt and promote them, may yet be carried on at an in^ confiderable expence, fince fmall vefiels are much the propereft to be employed in this fervice, it were to be wifhed, that the whole coafb of Pa- tagonia^ 'Terra del F'^^go^ and Staten-lund^ were carefully furveycd, and the numerous channels,? roads and harbours with which they abound, ac- curately examined j this might open to us fa- cilities of pafTjng into the Pacific Ocean, which as yet we may be unacquainted with, and would render all that fouthern navigation infinitely fe- eurer than at prefent ; and particularly, an exa<5t draught of the Weft coaft of Patagonia^ from die Streights of Magellan to the Spaniflj fettle- ments, might perhaps furnifh us with better aixl more convenient ports for refrefliment, and bet- ter fituated for the purpofes either of war or com- and above a fortnight's fail nearer to Falk^ ( 131 ) Falkland's Iflands, than the Ifland of Juan Fer^ 7mndes, The difcovery of this coail hath for- merly been thought of fuch confequencc, by reafon of its neighbourhood to the Araucos and other Chilian Indians^ who are generally at war, or at lead on ill teims with their Spanijh neigh- bours, that Sir John Narhorough was purpofely fitted out in the reign of King Charles IIj to fur- vey the Streights of Magellan^ the neighbouring coaft of Patagonia^ and the SpaniJJ: ports on that frontier, with diredlions, if poflible, to procure fome intercourfe v/ith the Chilian India7ts^ and to cftablifh a commerce and a lading correfpondence with them. His Majefty's views in employing Sir John Narhorough in this expedition, were ncC folely the advantage he might hope to receive from the alliance of thofe favages, in reftraining and intimidating the Crown of Spain •, but he con- ceived, that independent of thofe motives, the immediate traffick with thefe Indians might prove extremely advantagious to the Englijh Nation. For it is well known, that at the firil difcovery of Chili by the Spaniards^ it abounded with vait quantities of gold, much beyond what it has at any time produced, fuice it has been in their poflTtflion. And hence it has been generally be- lieved, that the richcil mines are prudently con- cealed by the Indians^ as well knowing that the difcovery of them to the Spaniards would only excite in them a greater thirft for conqueft and tyranny, and render their own independence, precarious. But with refpet5t to their commerce K % with ( 132 ) with the lEngliJh^ theie reafons would no longer, influence them ; fince it would be in our power to furnifli them with arms and ammunition of all kinds, of which they are extremely defirous, together with many other conveniencies, which their intercourfe with the Spaniards has taught them to relifh. They would then, in all pro- bability, open their mines, and gladly embi-ace a traffick of fuch mutual convenience to both Nations •, for then their gold, iriftead of proving the means of enflaving them, would procure them weapons to alTert their liberty, to chaftife their tyrants, and to fecure themfeives for ever from the SpajiiJIo yoke -, whilft with our afliftance, and under our protection, they might become a confiderable people, and might fecure to us that wealth, which formerly by the Houfe of Auftria^ and lately by the Houfe of Bourbon^ has been moft mifchievouily lavifhed in the purfuit of univerfal Monarchy. It is true, that Sir John Narhorough did not fucceed in opening this commerce, which in ap- pearance promifed fo many advantages to this Nation. However, his difappointment was merely accidental, and his tranfadtions upon that coaft (befides the many valuable improvements he furniflied to geography and navigation) are rather an encouragement for future trials of this kind, than any objec^lion againflthem j his prin- cipal misfortune being the lofing company of a fmall bark which attended him, and having fome of his people trapanned at Baldivia, However, it appeared, by the precautions and fears oi the Spa- ( 133 ) Spaniards^ that they were fully convinced of the pradicability of the fcheme he was fent to exe- cute, and extremely alarmed with the apprehca- fion of its confequences. It is faid, that his Majefty King Charles the Second was fo far prepofieifed with the hopes ot the advantages redounding from this expedition, and fo eager to be informed of the event of it, that having intelligence of Sir John Narborough's pafling through the Downs ^ on his return, he had not patience to attend his arrival at Court, but went himfelf in his barge to Grave/end to meet him. To facilitate as much as pofiible any attempts of this kind, which may be hereafter undertaken,. 1 have here annexed the thirteenth plate, con- taining a chart of that part of the world, as far as it is hitherto known, which I flatter myfelf is in fome refpedts much corre6ler than any hither- to publiHied. To evince which, it may be ne- ceJary to mention what materials I have princi- pally made ufc of, and what changes I have in- troduced different from other authors. The two moil celebrated charts hitherto pub- lifhed of the fouthermoft part of South America^ are thofe of Dr. Halley^ in his general chart of the magnetic variation, and cf Frezier in his voyage to the South-Seas. But befidcs thefe, there is a chart of the Streights of Magellan, and of fome part of the adjacent coail, by Sir John Narbcrough above-mentioned, v/hich is doubtlefs infinitely exader in that part than Frezm\ and in fome refpeds fupericr to Ralley, particuLtrly in K 3 what ( 134 ) what relates to the longitudes of the different parts of thofe Straights. The coaft from Cape Blanco to Terra del Fuego^ and thence to Strcights Le Maire^ we were in fome mealure capable of correcfting by our own obfervations, as we ranged that Ihore generally in fight of land. The pofi- tion of the land, to the northward of the Streights of Magellan^ on the Weft fide, is doubtlefs laid down in our chart but very imperfedly •, and yet I believe it to be much nearer the truth than what has hitherto been done : As it is drawn from the information ot fome of the Wagefs, crew, who were fhipwreckcd on that fliore, and afterwards coafted it down ; and as it agrees pretty nearly with the defcription of fome Sfanijh. inanufcripts I have feen. The Channel dividing Tt7'r/^ del Fuego is drawn from frezier-, but in the Spanijh manufcripts there are feveral Channels delineated, and I have reafon to fuppofe, that whenever this country is thoroughly examined, this circumftance will prove true, and 'Terra del Fuego will be found to confift cf feveral Iflands. And having mentioned Frezier fo often, I muft not omit warning all future Navigators, againft relying on the longitude of Streights Le Maire^ or of any part of that coaft, laid down jn his chart j the whole being from S to lo de- grees too far to the caftward, if any faith can be given to the concurrent evidences of a great num- ber of journals, verified in fome particulars by aftronomical obfervation. For inftance. Sir John Narhorough lays down Cape Virgiri Mary in 6^^ : 4V ( ns ) 4.2' of Weft longitude trom the Lizardy that is in 71" : 20 from London. And the fhips of out: fquadron, who took their departure from St. Ca- tberine's (where the longitude was redified by an obfervation of the eclipfe of the moon) found Cape / irgin Mary to be from 70^ : 46', to 71^ : 30' from London., according to their dif- ferent reckonings : And there were no circum- llances in our run that could render it confider- ably erroneous, fo that it cannot be eftcemcd ia iefs than 71 degrees of Weft longitude; whereas yrezier lays it down in Icfs than (iG degrees from P^m, that is little more than 6^ degrees from London., which is doubtlefs 8 degrees ftiort of its true quantity. Again, our fquadron found Cape Virgin Mary and Cape St. Bartholomsw on the caftern fide of Streights Le Maire to be only 2^ : 8'ditferent in longitude, which in Frezi^r are diftant near 4 degrees •, fo that not only the longitude of Cape St. Bartbolomeiv is laid down in him near 10 degrees too little, but the whole coaft, from the Streights of Magellan to Streights Le Maire., is enlarged to near double its real extent. But to have done with Frezier^ whofe errors, the importance of the fubject and not a fondnefs for cavilling, has obliged me to remark, (though his treatment of Dr. Kalky might, on the prefent occafion, authorife much feverer ufage) I muil, in the next place, particularize wherein the chart I have here mentioned differs from th^t of our learned countryman. K 4 It ( 136 ) It is wjsll known that this Gentleman was l;:nt abroad by the Public, to make fuch geographi- cal and allronomical obfervations, as might faci- litate the future pradlice of navigation, and par- ticularly to determine the variation of the com- pafs in fuch places as he Hiould touch at, and if poflible^ to afcertain its general laws and aiFec- tions. Tliefe things Dr. HaUe)\ to his immortal re- putation and the honour of our Nation, in good mesufure accompliflied, particularly with regard to the variation of the compafs, a fubjcdt, of all others, the moft interefling to thofe employed in the art of navigation. He likewife corre6ted the pofition of the coafl of Brazil^ which had been very erroneouOy laid down by all former Kydfographers •, and by a judicious comparifon of the obfervations of others, has happily fuc- ceeded in fettling the geography of many pirts of the globe, where he had not himfelf been. So that the chart he publilhed, wdth the variation of the needle miarked thereon, bei;ig the refuk of his labours on this fubjedl, was allowed by all Europe to be far compleater in its geography than any that had then appeared, and at the fame time moit furprizingly exa6l in the quantity of varia- tion afiigned to the different parts of the globe j a fu bjed fo very intricate and perplexing, that all general determinations about it had till then iippeared impoflible. But as the only means he had of correcling thofe coafts where he did not touch himfelf was the obfervations of others j where thofe obferva- tions ( ^37 ) tidns were wanting, or were inaccurate, it was no imputation on his f!nce learned, continue in company together: And this total feparation was the more wonderful, as we had hitherto kept together for feven weeks, through all the reiterated tempefts of this turbulent climate. It mull indeed be owned, that this feparation gave us rocKU to exped, that we might make our paf- lage in a shorter time, than jf we had continued together, becaufe we could now make the beft I of ( HI ) of our way without being retarded by the mil- forrunes of other iTiips ; but then wc had the melancholy rePiCiStion, that we ourklves were hereby deprived of the afllftance of others, and our fafety would depend upon our fingle ihip ; fo that U a piank darted, or any other accident of the fame nature fhould take place, we muft all irrecoverably peri 111 -, or fliould we be driven on fhore, we had the uncomfortable prol'pedl of ending our days on fome defolate coaft, without any reafonable hope of ever getting away ; whereas with another fhipin company, all tliefe calamities are much Jefs formidable, fmce in every kind of danger, there wouitl be fon>e pro- bability that one fliip at Itafr might efcape, and might be capable of prckrving or relieving the crew of the other. The remaining part of this month of Jpril we had generally hard gales, akloiigh we had been every day, fi nee the zzd, edging to the north- ward 5 however, on the hi\ day of the month, we flattered ourfelvcs with the hopes of ib;^n ter- minating all our fufferings, for we that day found ourfeives in the latitude of 52® : 13', which be^ ing to the northward of the Streights of Ala- gellan, we were afiTured that we had compleated our panage, and had arrived in the confines of the fouthern Ocean ; and this Ocean being no- minated Pacific^ from the equability of the fea- fons which are faid to prevail there, and the fa- cility and fecurity with which navigation is there carried on, we doubted not but we fhould be fpeedily cheared with the moderate gales, the fm.ooth ( H2 ) . fmodth water, and the temperate air, for which that tradl of the globe has been fo renowned* And under the influence of thefe pleafing cir- cumflanccs, we hoped to experience fome kind of conipenfation ; for the compHcated miferies which had fo conftantiy attended us for the laft eight weeks. But here we were again difap- pointed ; for in the fucceeding month of Alay^ our fufferinga rofe to a much higher pitch than they had ever yet done, whether we confider the violence of the fiorms, the fhattering of our fails and rigging, or the diminifhing and weakening of our crew by deaths and ficknefs, and the pro- bable profpe(5l of our total deftra6lion. All this will be fufficiently evident, from the follow- ing circumftantial account of our diverfified mif- fortunes. Soon after our pafTing Streights Le Maire ; the fcurvy began to make its appearance amongft iis; and our long continuance at fea, the fatigue we underwent, and the various difappointment* we met with, had occafioned its fpreadingto fucli a degree, that at the latter end of April there were but few on board, who were not in fome degree afHided with it,~and in that month nolefs than forty- three died of it on board the Centu- rion. But though we thought that the diftem- per had then rifen to an extraordinary height, and were willing to hope, that as we advanced to the northward its malignity would abate •, yety we found, on the contrary, that in the month of Aia-j we loll near double that number: And as 4 we ( '43 ) "wt did not get to land till the middle of ymie^ the mortality went on increafing, and the diftafe extended itfeit lb prodigioufly, that after th6 lofs of above two hundred men, we could not at lad mufler more than fix fore-m.aft men in a watch capable of duty. This difeafe fo frequently attending all long voyages, and fo particularly deflrudive to us, is furely the moft fingular and unaccountable of any that afiefts the human body. For its fymp- toms are inconftant and innumerable, and its progrefs and effedls extremely irregular; for fcarcely any two perfons have the fame com- plaints, and wiiere there hath been found fome conformity in the fymptoms, the order of their appearance has been totally different, tlowever, though it frequently puts on the form of many other (jifcuff-S and is therefore not to be defcribed by any exclufive and infallible ciicerions ; yet there are fome lyrnptoms which are more gene- ral than the reft -, and therefore, occurring the oftneft, deferve a more particular enumeration. Thefe common appearances are large difcoloured fpots difperfed over the whole furface of the bod)% fwclied legs, putrid gums, and above all, an extraordinary lalfitude of the whole body, €f}>ecially after any exercife, however inconfide- rablc i and this lallitude at lafl: degenerates into a proncnefs to fwoon on the leaft exertion of ftrength, or even on the leaft motion. This difeafe is likewife ufually attended with a ftrange dejedion of the fpirits, and with flii- verings, tremblings, and a difpofition to be fcized with ( 144 ) tvith.tlrc'mofl dreadful terrors on the ilighteil accident. Indeed it was moft remarkable, in all our reiterated experience of this malady, that whatever difcouraged our people, or at any time damped their hopes, never failed to add new vigour to the diHemper •, for it ufuaily killed thofe who were in the laft ftages of it, and con- fined thofe to their hammocks, who were before capable of fome kind of duty -, fo that it feemed as if alacrity of mind, and fanguine thoughts^ were no contemptible prefervatives from its fa- tal malignity. But k is not eafy to compleat the long roll of the various concomitants of this difcafe •, for it often produced putrid fevers, pleurifies, the jaundice , and violent rheumatic k pains, and fometimes it occafionfed an obftinate coftivenefs,' which was generally attended with a difficulty of breathing ; and this v/as eileemed the moll deadly of all the fcorbutick fymptoms : At other times the whole body, but more efpecially the legs, were fubjed to ulcers of the worll kind, attended with rotten bones, and fuch a luxuriancy of fungous flefli, as yielded to na remedy. But a moll extraordinary circumllance, and what woufd be fcarcely credible upon any fingle evidence, is, that the fears of wounds which had been for many years healed, were forced open again by this virulent diftemper: Of this, there was a remarkable inftance in one' of the invalids on board the Centurion^ who had been wounded- abeve- fifty years before at the -*i^-" " battle (Hi) feattlc of the Boyne ; for though he was curdd foon after, and had continued well for a great number of years paft, yet on liis being attacked by the fcurvy, his wounds, in the progrefs of his difeafc, broke out afrelh ^ and appeared as if they had never been healed : Nay, what is ftill more aftonifliing, the callous of a broken bone, which had been compleatly formed for a long time, was found to be hereby diflblved, and the fradbjre feemed as if it had never been confoli- dated. Indeed, the ef&6ls ©f this difeafe were in almoft every inftance wonderful ; for many of our people, though confined to their ham- mocks, appeared to have no inconfiderable Ihare of health, for they eat and drank heartily, were chearful, and talked with much feeming;, vigour, and with a loud ftrong tone of voice ; and yet on their being the leaft moved, though it was only from one part of the fhip to the other, and that in their hammocks, they have immediately expired; and others, who have confided in their feeming flrength, and have refolved to get out of their hammocks, have died before they could well reach the deck ; and it was no uncommon thing for thofe who were able to walk the deck, and to d<5 fome kind of duty, to drop down dead in an inftant, on any endeavours to ad: with their utmoft vigour, many of our people having periflied in this manner during the courfe of this voyage. With this terrible difeafe we ftruggled the greateft part of the time of our beatjlng round L Cape ( 146 ) Cape Horn \ and though it did not then rage with its utmofl violence, yet we buried no lefs than forty-three men on board the Centurion^ in Ae month of Aprily as hath been already ob- ferved, but we ftill" entertained hopes, that when we' fhould have once fecured our pafiage round the Cape, we ihould put a period to this, and all the other evils which had fo conilantly pur- fued us. But it w^as our misfortune to find, that the Pacific Ocean was to us lefs hofpitable_ than the turbulent neighbourhood of Terra del Fuego and Cape Horn : For being arrived, on the 8th of Ma)\ off the Ifland of Socoro, which was the. firfl rendezvous appointed for the fquadron,. and where we toped to have met with fome bf our companions, we cruized for them in that, ftation feveral days. And here we were not only difappointed in our hopes of being joined ^ir bur friends, and were thereby induced to favbyr tlie gloomy fuggeHions of their having; ajl perifned '-, but v/e^ were likewife perpetually alarmed with the fears of being driven on lliore upon this ccaft, which appeared too craggy and irregular to give ,us the leaft hopes, that in fuch a cafe any of us could poflibly efcape imme- diate deftrudlipn. For the land liad indeed a moll tremendous afped : The moft diftant part of it, and which appeared far within the coun- try,, being the mountains ufually called the j^ndes QY Cordilleras, was extremely high,, and covered with fnow ', and the coaft itfelf feemed quite rocky and barren, and the water's edge fkirted with' with precipices. In fome places indeed there appeared levcral deep bays running into the land, but the entrance into them was generally blocked up by numbers of little .Iflands \ and though it was not improbable but there might be convenient fhelter in fome of thofe bays, and proper channels leading thereto ; yet as we were utterly ignorant of the coaft, had we been driven alliore by the weftern winds which blew almoft conftantly there, we did not expecl to have avoided the lofs of our fhips and of our lives. And this continued peril, which lafled for above a fortnight, was greatly, aggravated by the difficulties we found in working the iliip ', as the fcurvy had by this time deflroyed fo great a part of our hands, and^had in fome degree affecled almod the whole crew. Nor did we, as we hoped, find the winds lefs vio- lent, as we advanced to the northward ; for we had often prodigious fqualls which fplit our fails, greatly damaged our rigging, and en- dangered our mails. Indeed, during the greateft part of the time we were upon this coaft, the wind blew fo hard, that in another fituation, where we had fufficient fea-room, v/e fhould certainly have lain to -, but in the • prefent exi- gency we were neceffitated to carry both our courfes and top-fails, in order to keep clear of this lee-fliore. In one of thefe fqualls,' which was atxended by feveral violent claps of thunder, a fudden fiafn of fire darted along our decks, which, dividing, exploded with a report like L 2 that ( 148 ) that of fevcral piflols, and wounded many of our men and officers as it pafled, marking them in different parts of the body : This flame was attended with a ftrong fulphurous ftench, and was doubtlefs of the fame nature with the larger and more violent blafts of lightning which then filled the air. It were endlefs to recite minutely the various difallers, fatigues and terrors which we encoun- tered on this coaft \ all thefe went on increafing till the 2 2d of May^ at which time, the fury of all the florms which we had hitherto encoun- tered, feemed to be combined, and to have con- fpired our deflrudlion. In this hurricane almofl all our fails were fplit, and great part of our {landing rigging broken j and, about eight in the evening, a mountainous overgrown fea took us upon our ftarboard-quarter, and gave us fo prodigious a Ihock, that feveral of our fhrouds broke with the jerk, by which our mails were greatly endangered ; our ballad and flores too were fo flrangely fhifted, that the fhip heeled afterwards two ftreaks to port. Indeed it was a moil tremendous blow, and we were thrown into the utmofl conllernation from the appre- henfion of inflantly foundering-, and though the wind abated in a few hours ; yet, as we had no more fails left in a condition to bend to our yards, the Ihip laboured very much in a hollow fea, rolling gunwale to, for want of fail to fleady her : So that we expe6led our mails, which were now very llenderly fupported, to corae ( H9 ) coine by the board every moment. However, we exerted ourfelves the bed we could to ftirrup our fhrouds, to reeve new lanyards, and to mend our fails j but while thefe neceflary operations were carrying on, we ran great rifque of being driven on (hore on the Ifland of Cbiloe^ which was not far diflant from us ^ but in the midft of our peril the wind happily fhifted to the fouthward, and we fleered off the land with the main-fail only, the Mailer and myfelf under- taking the management of the helm, while every one elfe on board was bufied in fecuring the mads, and bending the fails as fail as they could be repaired. This was the lafl effort of that llormy climate ; for in a day or two after, we got clear of the land, and found the weather more moderate than we had yet experienced fince our pafflng Streights Le Maire. And now having cruized in vain for more than a fort- night in quell of the other fhips of the fqua- dron, it was refalved to take the advantage of the prefent favourable feafon and the offing we had made from this terrible coafl, and to make the bed of our way for the Ifland of Juan Fer- nandes. For though our next rendezvous was appointed off the harbour of Baldivia^ yet as we had hitherto feen none of our companions at this firfl rendezvous, it was not to be fuppofed that any of them would be found at the fecond : Indeed we had the greateft reafon to fufpefl, that all but ourfelves had periflied. Befides, wc were by this time reduced to fo low a con- L 3 dition. dition, that inftead of attenfiptirig to • attack tlii* places of the enemy, our'utmoft Hopes could only fuggeil to us the poiTibility of' faving the Ihip, and fome part of the reiTrdiniiig enfeebled crew, by our fpeedy arrival 'at 7^^^;^ F The wind.being northerly when we firft made the Illand, we kept plying all that day, and the next night, in prder to get in with the land ; and wearing tlie fhip in I'.ie miadle watch, we had a melancholy inftance of the almoft incredi- ble debility of -^ur people^ for the Lieutenant could mufler no more than two Quarter- mailers', idhd fij^' Foi^d-iriafl men cafiable of working j fo that without! the alTiilance of the officers, fervants and the boys, it might have proved impoflible for us to have reached the Ifland, after we had got fight, of it Y and even with this aJfTiflance .they were two hours in trimming the fails : Tq fb wretched a condition was a fixty gun fhip re- -duoed, , which hadpalTed Streights L^ i'^f^/V oa the loth in thei afternoon, we got under the lee of the Iiland, and kept rang- ing along it, at about two miles di^ance, in or- 4^r: ,t9. Jook out for the proper anchorage, which was ( 155) was defcribed to be in a bay on the North fide. And now being nearer in with the (hore, we could difcover that the broken craggy precipices, which had appeared fo unpromifing at a diilance, were far from barren, being in moil places covered with woods ; and that between them there were everywhere interf|)erfed the fined vallies, clothed with a moft beautiful verdure, and watered with Numerous ftream's and cafcades, no valley of any extent, being unprovided of its proper rill. The water too, as we afterwards found, was not in- ferior to any we had ever tailed, and was con-, ftantly clear : So that the afped: of this country would, at all times, have been extremely de- lightful, but in our diftrelTed fituation, languifh- ing as we were for the land and its vegetable productions, ( an inclination conftantly attend- ing every ftage of the fea-fcurvy) it is fcarcely credible with what eagernefs and tranfport we viewed the fhore, and with how much impati- ence we longed for the greens and other refrefh- ments which were then in fight, and particularly for the water, for of this we had been confined to a very fparing allowance for a confiderable time, and had then but five ton remaining on board. Thofe only who have endured a long feries of thirft, and who can readily recal the de- fire and agitation which the ideas alone of fprings and brooks have at that time raifed in them, cui^ judge of the emotion with which we eyed a Lige cafcade of the moft tranfparent water, wiiich poured' itfelf from a rock near a hundred teet high ( 156) high mto the fea, at a fmall diftance from the fhip. Even thofe amongft the difeafed, who were not in the very lail ftages of the diftemper, though they had been long confined to their ham- moclvs, exerted the fmall remains of ftrength that was left them, and crawled up to the deck to feafl themfelves with this reviving profped. Thus we coafled the Ihore, fully employed in the contemplation of this diverfified landfkip^ which flill improved upon us the farther we ad- vanced. But at lad the night clofed upon us, before we had fatisfied ourfelves which was the proper bay to anchor in -, and therefore we re-. folved to keep in foundings all niglit, (we hav- ing then from fixty-four to feventy fathom) and to fend our boat next morning to difcover the road : However, the current fhifted in the night, and fet us fo near the land, that we were obliged to let go the beil bower in fifty-fix fathom, not half a mile from the Ihore. At four in the morning, the Cutter* was difpatclied with our third Lieutenant to find out the bay we were in fearch of, who returned again at noon with the boat laden with feals and grafs ; for though the Ifland abounded with better vegetables, yet the boat's-crew, in their fhort ftay, had not met with them ^ and they well knew that even grafs would prove a dainty, and indeed it was all foon and eagerly devoured. The feals too were con- fidered as frefii provifion ♦, but as yet were not much admired, tho' they grew afterwards into more repute : For what rendered them lefs va- Suable at this jundure, was the prodigious quan- tity ( ^57 ) tity of excellent fiih, which the people on board had taken, during the abfence of the boat. The Cutter, in this expedition, had difco- vered the bay where we intended to anchor, which we found was to the wefbward of our pre- fent ftation ^ and, the next morning, the weather proving favourable, we endeavoured to weio-h, in order to proceed thither : But though, on this Qccafion, we muftered all the llrength we could, obliging even the Tick, who were fcarce able to keep on their legs, to afTift us ; yet the capftan was fo weakly manned, that it was near four hours before we hove the cable right up and down : After which, with our utmoft efforts, and with many furges and fome purchaies we made ufe of to increafe our power, we found ourfelves incapable of flarting the anchor from the ground. However, at noon, as a frefh gale blew towards the bay, we were induced to fct the fails, which fortunately tripped the anchor ; on which we fleered along fhore, till we came a-breall of the point that forms the eaftern part of the bay. On the opening of the bay, the wind, that had befriended us thus far, fhifted and blew from thence in fqualls ; but by means of the head-way we had got, we loofed clofe in, till the anchor brought us up in fifty-fix fathom. Soon after we had thus got to our new birth, we difcovered a fail, which we made no doubt was one of our fquadron , and on its nearer ap- proach, we found it to be the Tryal Sloop. We immediately fent fome ©f our hands on board her, by whofe affiftance (he was brought to an anchor ( 158 ) anchor between us and the land. We fooii found that the Sloop had not been exempted from tliofe calamities which we had fo feverely felt •, for her Commander, Captain Saunders^ waiting on the Commodore, informed him, that out of his fmall complement, he had buried thirty^ four of his men •, and thofe that remained were: fo univerfally affli6led with the fcurvy, that only himfelf, his Lieutenant, and three of his men, were able to Hand by the fails. The Tryal came to an anchor within us, on the 1 2th, about noon, and we carried our hawfers on board her, in or- der to moor ourfelves nearer in ihore ; but the wind coming off the land in \dolent gufls, pre- vented our mooring in the birth we intended, efpecially as our principal attention was now em- ployed on bufmefs rather of more importance \ for we w^ere now extremely occupied in fending on fhcre materials to raife tents for the reception of the fick, who died apace on board, and doubtlefs the diilemper was confiderably aug-^ mented, by the ftench and filthinefs in which they lay •, for the number of the difeafed was fa great, and fo few could be fpared from the ne- ceflary duty of the fails to look after them, that it was impofTible to avoid a great relaxation in. the article of cleanlinefs, which had rendered the fhip extremely loathfome between decks. But notwithllanding our defire of freeing the fick from their hateful fituation, and their own ex- treme impatience to get on Ihore, we had not. hands enough to prepare the tents for . their reception before the i6thi but on tliat and the 159 ) tiie two .following days we fent them all .,0A fhore, amounting to a hundred and fixty-fevea perfons, befide.s at leafb a dozea who died in the boats, on their being expofed to' the frefli air. The greateft . part of our fick were fo infirm,, that we were obliged to carry them out of the (hip in their -lammocks, a;id convey them af- terwards in the lame manner from the water-fide to their tents, over a flony beach. This was a work of cunfiderable fatigue to the few who were healthy, and therefore the Commodore, with his accuftomcd humanity, not only aflifled. herein with his own labour, but obliged his Of- ficers, without diftindion, to give their helping hand. The extreme weaknefs of olir fick may in fome meafure be collected from the numbers w^ho died after they had got on fhore ^ for it had generally been found, that the land, and the re- frefhments it produces, very foon recover mofl ftagcs of the fea-fcurvy ; and we flattered our- felves, that thofe who had not periilied on this firfl expofure to the open air, but had lived to be placed in their tents, would have been fpeedily reftored to their health and vigour : But, to our great mortification, it v\ras near twenty days after their landing, bcfoic the mortality was tolerably ceafed ; and for the fir ft ten or twelve days, we' buried rarely lefs than fix each day, and many of thofe, w ho furvived, recovered by very (low and infenfible degrees. Indeed, thofe who were well enough at tlieif firll getting en fliore, to creep out of their tents, and crawl about, were foon relieved, and recovered their health'and flrength ( i6o) h a very fliort time ; but in the reft, the difeafe feemed to have acquired a degree of inveteracy which was altogether without example. Having proceeded thus far, and got our Tick on Ihore, I think it neceflary, before I enter into any longer detail of our tranfadtions, to give a diftind account of this Ifland of Juan FernandeSj its fituation, produ6tions, and all its convenien- cies. Thefe particulars we were well enabled to be minutely inftruded in, during our three months ftay there ; and as it is the only com- modious place in thofe feas, where BritiJIo crui- fers can refrelh and recover their men after their paiTage round Cape Horn^ and where they may remain for fome time without alarming the ^fa- nijh coaft, thefe its advantages well merit a cir- cumftantial defcription. And indeed Mr. Anfon was particularly induftrious in directing the roads and coafts to be furveyed, and other obfervations to be made, knowing, from his own experience, of how great confequence, thefe materials might prove to any Britijh veflels hereafter employed in thofe feas. For the uncertainty we were in of its pofition, and our ftanding in for the Main on the 28th of May^ in order to fecure a fufficient eaft- ing, when we were indeed extremely near it, coft us the lives of between feventy and eighty of our men, by our longer continuance at fca ; From which fatal accident we might have been exempted, had we been furnifhed with fuch an account of its fituation, as we could fuJly have depended on, The ( J6i ) Tlie Ifland of Juan Fernandes lies in the lati- tude ot 33^ : 40' South, and is a hundred and ren leagues diftant from the Continent of Chili. It is laid to have received its name from a Spiini- ard, who formerly procured a grant of it, and refidcd there Ibme time with a view of fettling it, bur afterwards abandoned it. On approach- ing it on its eaft fide, it appears, as reprefented in the fourteenth plate, where {a) is a fmall Ifland, called Goat JJland^ to the S. W. of it y (h) a rock, called Monkey Ke)\ almoft contigu- ous to it; (r) is the Euft Bay, {d) Cumberland Ba)\ where we moored, and which, as will be obferved, is the befl: road fur fliipping, and {e) the Eaft bay. The lilairii itfclf is of an irregu- lar figure, as may be leei\ by the very exa6l jjlan of it in the fifteenth plate. Its greatefl extent being between four and five leagues, and ir:> grcateft breadth fomewhat fiiort of two leagues. The only fafe anchoring at this Ifland is on the North fide, where are the three bays mentioned above, but the middlemoft known by the name of Cumberland Ba)\ is the wideft and deepefl:, and in all refpeds much the beft ; the other two bays, denominated the Eaft and Weft bays, are fcarcely more than good landing place:, where boats may conveniently put their cafls. on fhore. There is a plan of the N. E. fide of the Ifland, containing thcfe three bays, drawn by a large fcale, in plate the fixteenth ; where it appears, that tluni- berland Bay is pretty well fecured to the fouth- ward, lying only expofed from the N. by W. to the E. by S ; and as the northerly winds feldom M blow ( i62 ) blow in that climate, and never with any vio- lence, the danger from that quarter is not worth attending to. To diflinguilli this bay the better at fea, I have added a very exadl view of it, in the 17th plate, which will enable all future Navigators readily to find it. As the bay laft defcribed, or Cumberland Bay^ is by far the mod commodious road in the Idand, fo it is advifeable for all ihips to anchor on the weftern fide of this bay, within little more than two cables length of the beach. Here they may ride in forty fathom of water, and be, in a great meafure, fheltered from a large heavy fea, which comes rolling in whenever an eaftern or a weftern wind blows. It is however expedient, in this cafe, to cackle or arm the cables with an ironr chain, or good rounding, for five or fix fa- thom from the anchor, to fecure them from being rubbed by the foulnefs of the ground. I have before obferved, that a northerly wind, to which alone this bay is expofed, very rarely blew during our flay here ; and as it was then winter, it may be fuppofed, in other feafons, to be lefs frequent. Indeed, in thofe few inflances, when it was in that quarter, it did not blow with any great force : But this perhaps might be owing to the highlands on the fouthward of the bay, which checked its current, and thereby abated its violence ; for we had reafon to fup- pofe, that a few leagues off, it blew with confi- derable force, fince it fometimes drove before it a prodigious fea, in which we rode fore-caflle in. But though the northern winds are never to be appre- ( i63 ) apprehended, yet the fouthern ^v^"lds, which ge- nerally prevail here, frequently blow off the land in violent gufts and fqualls, which however rarely laft longer than two or three minutes. This feems to be owing to the obfl:ru6lion of the fouthern gale, by the hills in the neighbour- hood of the bay ; for the wind being colle6led by this means, at laft forces its pafiage through the narrow vallies, wliich, like fo many funnels, both facilitate its efcape, and increafe its vio- lence. Thefe frequent and fudden gufts make it difficult for fhips to work in with the wind ofif ihore, or to keep a clear hawfe when anchored. The northern part of this IQand is compofed of high craggy hills, many of them inaccef- fible, though generally covered with trees. The foil of this part is loofe and fhallow, fo that very large trees on the hills foon perilli for Vani; of root, and are eafily overturned ; which oc- cafioned . the unfortunate death of one of our failors, who being upon the hills in fearch of goats, caught hold of a tree upon a declivity to afllft him in his afcent, and this giving way, he immediately rolled down the hill, and tho' in his fall he faftened on another tree of confi- derable bulk, yet that too gave way, and he fell amongft the rocks, and was dafhed to pieces. Mr. Brett too met with an accident only by raft- ing his back againft a tree, near as large about as himfelf, which ftood on a flope •, for the tree giving way, he fell to a confiderable diftance, though without receiving any harm. M 2 The ( i64 ) The fouthern, or rather the S.W. part of the Ifland, as diftinguifhed in the plan, is widely different from the reft, being dry, ftony, and deftitLite of trees, but very fiat and low, com- pared with the hills on the northern part. This part of the Ifland is never frequented by fhips, being furrounded by a fteep fhore, and having little or no frefh water •, and befides, it is ex- pofed to the foutherly wind, which generally blows here the whole year round, and in the winter folftice very hard. The trees of which the woods on the northern fide of the Ifland are compofed, are moft of them aromaticks, and of many different forts : There are none of them of a fize to yield any confiderable timber, except the myrtle-trees, which are the largeft on the Ifland, and fupplied us with all the tim- ber we made ufe of-, but even thefe would not work to a greater length than forty feet. The top of the myrtle-tree is circular, and ap- pears as uniform and regular, as if it had been clipped by art •, it bears on its bark an excre- fcence like mofs, which in tafte and fmell re- fembles garlick, and was ufed by our people inftead of it. We found here too the piemento- tree, and likewife the cabbage-tree, though in no great plenty. Our prifoners obferved, that the appearance of the hills in fome part of the Ifland refembled that of the mountains in Chili ^ where the gold is found : So that it is not impoflible but mines might be difcovered here. We obferved, in fome ( i65) fome places, feveral Iiills of a peculiar fort of red earth, exceeding vermilion in colour, which perhaps, on examination, might prove ufeful for many purpofes. Befides a great number of plants of various kinds which are to be met with upon the Ifland, but which we were not botanifls enough either to defcribe, or attend to, we found there almoft all the vegetables, which are ufually efteemed to be particularly adapted to the cure of thofe fcorbutick diforders, which are contradled by fait diet and long voyages. For here we had great quantities of water-crefles and purflain, with excellent wild-forrel, and a vaft profufion of turnips and Sialioii radifhes : Thefe two lafl, having fome refemblance to each other, were confounded by our people under the general name of turnips. We ufually preferred the tops of the turnips to the roots, which were often Itringy j though fome of them were free from that exception, and remarkably good. Thefe vegetables, with the lifh and flefh we found here, and which I fhall more particularly de- fcribe hereafter, were not only extremely grate- ful to our palates, after the long courfe of fak diet which we had been confined to, but were like wife of the mod faiutary confcquence to our fick in recovering and invigor::ting them, and of no niean fervice to us who were well, in dc- ftroying the lurking feeds of the fcurvy, from which perhaps none of us were totally exempt, and in refrefning and reftoring us to our wonted (Ircngth atKl activity. M 3 Befides ( i66 ) Befidcs the vegetables I have mentioned, of which we made perpetual ufe, we found many acres of ground covered with oats and clover. There were alfo fome few cabbage-trees upon the Ifland, as obferved before -, but as they general- ly grew on the precipices, and in dangerous fi- tuations, and as it was necefiary to cut down a large tree for every fingle cabbage, this was a dainty that we were able but rarely to indulge in. The excellence of the climate and the loofe- nefs of the foil render this place extremely pro- per tor all kinds of vegetation j for if the ground be agy where accidentally turned up, it is immediately overgrown with turnips and Si- cilian radifhes ; and therefore Mr. Jnfcn having Vy'ith him garden-feeds of all kinds, and floncs of different forts of fruits, he, for the better accommodation of his countrym.en Vv'ho fhould hereafter touch here, fowed both lettices, car- rots, and other garden plants, and fet in the woods a great variety of plumb, apricock, and peach fbones; And thefe laft he has been in- formed have fince thriven to a very remarkable degree ; for fome Gentlemen, who in their paf- fage from Lij^^a to Old Spain were taken and brought to England^ having procured leave to wait upon Mr. Anfon^ to thank him for his gene- rofity and humanity to his prifoners, fome of whom were their relations, they, in cafual dif- courfe with him about his tranfadlions in the South-Seas^ particularly afked him, if he had not planted a great number of fruit-flones on the ( '67) the liland of Juan Fernandes^ for they told him, their late Navigators had difcovered there num- bers of peach-trees and apricock-trees, which being fruits before unobferved in that place, they concluded them to be produced from ker- nels fet by him. And this may in general fuflice as to the foil and vegetable produ6lions of this place : But the face of the country, at leafb of the North part of the liland, is fo extremely fmgular, that I cannot avoid giving it a particular con- fideration. I have already taken notice of the wild, inhofpitable air with which it firfl appear- ed to us, and the gradual improvement of this uncouth landfkip as we drew nearer, till we were at lad captivated by the numerous beauties we difcovered on the fliorc. And I mufl now add, that we found, during the time of our refidence there, that the inland parts of the Ifland dixl no ways fall fhort of the fanguine prepoflefiions which we firft entertained in their favour. For the wcods which covered mod of the fteepeft hills, were free from all bullies and un- derwood, and afforded an cafy paflage through every part of them ; and the irregularities of the hills and precipices, in the northern part of the IQand, neceffarily traced out by their va- rious combinations a great number of romantic vaUies \ moil of which had a ftream of the cleared water mnning through them, that tum- bled in cafcades from rock to rock, as the M 4 bottom ( i68 ) bottom of the valley, by the courfc of the neighbouring hills, was at any time broken into a fudden iharp defcent : Some particular fpots occurred in thcfe vallies, where the fliade and fragrance of the contiguous woods, the lof tinefs of the overhanging rocks, and the tranfparency and frequent falls of the neighbouring ftream^. prefented fcenes of fuch elegance and dignity, as would perhaps with difficulty be rivalled in any other part of the globe. It is in this place^ p'erhaps, that the fimple produdions of unaffift- ed nature may be faid to excel all the fictitious defcriptions of the moft animated imagination I fhall finifh this article with a fliort account of that fpot where the Commodore pitched his tent, and which he made choice of for his own refidence, though I defpair of conveying an adequate idea of its b(iauty. This piece of ground which he chofe was a fmall lawn, that lay on a little afcent, at the difbance of about half a mile from the fea. In the front of his tent there was a large avenue cut through the woods to the fea-fide, which floping to the wa- ter, with a gentle dcfcent, opened a profped of the bay and -the Ibips at anchor. This lawn was fcreened behind by a tall wood of myrtle fweeping round it, in the form of a theatre, the i^round on which the wood flood, rifing with a much fharper afcent than the lawn itfelf, though not fo much, but that the hills and precipices w^ithin land towered up confiderably above the tops of the trees, and added to the grandeur of the ( i69 ) the view. There were, befides, two dreams dt chryftal water, which ran on the right and left of the tent, within an hundred yai'ds dillance, and were lliaded by the trees which fkirted the lawn on eitlier fide, and compleatcd the fym- metry of the whole. Some faint conceptions of the elegance of this fituation may perhaps be better deduced from the draught of it, to be iQGn in the i8th plate. It remains jiow only that we fpeak of the animals and provifions which we met with at this place. Former writers have related, that this Ifland abounded with vaft numbers of o-oats, and their accounts arc not to be queftioned, this place being the ufual haunt of the buccaneers, and privateers, who formerly frequented thofe feas. And there are two inftances ; one of a Mufq^uito Indian^ and tlie other of Alexander Sel- kirk^ a Scotchman^ who were left by their re- fpedtive lliips, and lived alone upon tliis Ifland for fome years, and confequently were no Gran- gers to its produce. Selkirk^ \/no was the laft, after a flay of between tour and ^y^ years, was taken off the place by the Duke and Duchefs Privateers of Brijiol^ as may be (ttn at large in the journal of their voyage : His manner of life, during his folitude, was in moil particulars very remarkable j but there is one circumflance he relates, which was fo flrangely verified by cur own obfervation, that I cannot help reciting it. He tells us, among other things, as he often caught more goats than he wanted, ly. fometimes ( '7° ) fometimes marked their ears and let them go. This was about thirty -two years before our ar- rival at the liland. Now it happened, that the firft goat that was killed by our people at their landing had his ears flit, whence we concluded, that he had doubtlefs been formerly under th-e power of Selkirk. This was indeed an animal of a mofl venerable afped, dignified with an exceeding majeftic beard, and with many other fymptoms of antiquity. During our ftay on the Ifland, we met with others marked in the fame manner, all the males being diftinguifhed by an exuberance of beard, and every other charaderiilick of extreme age. But the great numbers of goats, which for- mer writers defcribed to have been found upon this Ifland, are at prefent very much diminifhed : For the Spaniards being informed of the advan- tages which the buccaneers and privatetrs drew from the proviflons which goats-fiern here fur- niflied them with, they have endeavoured to ex- tirpate the breed, thereby to deprive their ene- mies of this relief. For this purpofe, they have put on fliore great numbers of large dogs, who have encreafed apace and have defl:royed all the goats in the accefiible part of the country ; fo that there now remain only a few amongft the craggs and precipices, where the dogs cannot follow them. Thefe are divided into feparate herds of twenty or thirty each, which inhabit diftind faflnefles, and never mingle with each •ther: By this means we found it extremely difficult ( 171 ) difficult to kill them -, and yet we were fo dc- firous of their flefh, which we all agreed much refembled venifon, that we got knowledge, I believe, of all their herds, and it was conceiv- ed, by comparing their numbers together, that they fcarcely exceeded two hundred upon the whole liland. I remember we had once an op- portunity of obferving a remarkable difpute be- twixt a herd of thefe anim.als and a number of dogs ; for going in our boat into the eaftern bay, we faw fome dogs running very eagerly upon the foot, and being willing to difcover what game they were after, we lay upon our oars fome time to view them, and at laft we faw them take to a hill, and looking a litde fur- ther, we obferved upon the ridge of it an herd of goats, which feemed drawn up for their re- ception ; there was a very narrow path fkirted on each fide by precipices, on which the Maf- ter of the herd polled himfelf fronting the enemy, the reft of the goats being all behind him, where the ground was more open : As this fpot was inacceflible by any other path, ex- cepting where this champion had placed himfelf, the dogs, though they ran up-hill with great alacrity, yet when they came within about twen- ty yards of him, durft not encounter him, (for he would infallibly have driven them down the precipice) but gave over the chace, and quietly laid themfelves down, panting at a great rate. The dogs, who, as I have mentioned, are mafters of all the accefllble parts of the Illand, are ( ^72 ) are of various kinds, but fome of them very large, and are multiplied to a prodigious degree. They fometimes came down to our habitations at night, and Hole our provifion; and once or twice they fet upon fingle perfons, but afliftance being at hand, they were driven off without doing any mifchicf. As at prefent it is rare for goats to fall in their way, we conceived that they lived principally upon young feals •, and indeed fome of our people had the curiofity to kill dogs fometimes and drefs them, and they feemed to agree that they had a fifhy tafte. Goats-flefh, as I have mentioned, being fcarce, we rarely being able to kill above one a day, and our people growing tired offifh, (which, as I fhall hereafter obferve^ abounds at this place) they at laft condefcended to eat fcals, which by degrees they came to relilh, and called it lamb. The feal, numbers of which haunt this Illand, hath been fo often defcribed by former writers, that it is unneceffary to fay any thing particular about them in this place. But there is another amphibious creature to be met with here, called a fea lion, that bears fome refemblance to a feal, though it is much larger. This too we eat un- der the denomination of beef; and as it is fo ex- traordinary an animal, I conceive, it well merits a particular annotation. They are in fize, when arrived at their full growth, from twelve to twenty feet in length, and from eight to fifteen in circumference: They are extremely fat, fo that after having cut thro' the fkin, which is about an inch in thicknefs, there is at leaft a foot of ( 173 ) of fat before you can come at either lean or bones •, and we experienced more than once, that the fat of fome of the largeft afforded us a butt of oil. They are likewife very full of blood, for if they are deeply wounded in a dozen places, there will inftandy gufh out as many fountains of blood, fpouting to a confiderable diftance •, and to try what quantity of blood they contained, wc fhot one firft, and then cut its throat, and mea- furing the blood that came from him, wc found, that befides what remained in the veflels, which to be fure was confiderable, we got at leaft two hogfheads. Their (kins are covered with (here hair of a light dun colour, but their tails and their fins, which ferve them for feet on fhore, are almoft black -, their fins or ft- tt are divided at the ends like fingers, the web which joins them not reaching to the extremities, and each ot thefe extremities is furnifhed with a nail. They have a diftant refemblance to an overgrown feal, though in fome particulars there is a manifeft dif> ference, efpecially in the males, who have a large fnout or trunk hanging down five or fix inches below the end of the upper jaw -, this par- ticular the females have not, and this renders the countenance of the male and female eafy to be diftinguiihed from each other, and befides, the males are of a much larger fize. The form and appearance both of male and female are very exaftly reprefented in the 19th plate, only the difproportion of their fize is not ufually fo great as is there exhibited, for the male was drawn from the life, after the largeft of thefe animals, which ( 174 ) which was found upon the Ifland : He was the mafter of^he flock, and from his driving off the other males, and keeping a great number of fe- males to himkJfj he was by the feamen Judi- croufly ftiled the Bafhaw* Thefe animals divide their time equally between the land and fea, con- tinuing at fea all the fummer, and coming on ihore at the fetting in of the winter, where they refide during that whole feafon. In this interval they engender and bring forth their young, and have generally two at a birth ; thefe they fuckle with their milk, they being at firit about the fize of a full-grown feal. During the time of thefe animals continuance on fhore, they feed on the grafs and verdure which grows near the bank of the frefh-water ftreams •, and, when not em- ployed in feeding, fleep in herds in the mod miry places they can find out. As they feem to be of a very lethargic difpofition, and not eafily awakened, each herd was obferved to place fome of their males at a diflance in the nature of fen- tinels, who never failed to alarm them, when- ever our men attempted to moleft, or even to approach them •, and they were very capable of alarming, even at a confiderable diftance, for the noife they make is very loud and of different kinds, fometimes grunting like hogs, and at other times fnorting like horfes in full vigour. They often, efpecially the males, have furious battles which each other, principally about their females -, and we were one day extremely fur- prized by the fight of two animals, which at firfl appeared different from all we had ever ob- ferved 5 ( ^7S) ferved ; but, on a nearer approach, they proved to be two fea-lions, who had been goring each other with their teeth, and were covered over with blood : And the Bafliaw before- mentioned, who generally lay furrounded with a feraglio of females, which no other male dared to ap- proach, had not acquired that envied pre-emi- nence without many bloody contefts, of which the marks ftill remained in the numerous fears which were vifible in every part of his body. We killed many of them for food, particularly for their hearts and tongues, which we efteemed exceeding good eating, and preferable even to thofeof bullocks: And in general there was no difRculty in killing them, for they were incapa- ble either of efcaping or refilling, their motion being the moft unweildy that can be conceived, their blubber, all the time they are moving, be- ing agitated in large waves under their fkins. However, a failor one day being carelefsly cm- ployed in fkinning a young fea-lion, the female, from whence he had taken it, came upon him iinperceived, and getting his head in her mouth, fhe with her teeth fcored his fkull in notches in many places, and thereby wounded him fo def- perately, that though all pofTible care was taken of him, he died in a few days. Thefe are the principal animals which we found upon the lOand : For we faw but few birds, and thofe chiefly hawks, blackbirds, owls, and humming birds. We faw not the Pardela, which burrows in the ground, and which former writers have mentioned to be found here ; but as I ^7e ( 176 ) we met with their holes, we fuppofed that the dogs had Jeftroyed them, as they have almoft done tlie cats, which were very numerous in Selkirk's time, but we faw not above one or two during our whole flay. However, the rats dill keep their ground, and continue here in great nuni'^ers, and were very troublelbme to us, by infeftingour tents nighdy. But that which furnifhed us with the mod de- licious repafts at this IQand, remains ftill to be defcrihed. This was the filh, with which the whole bay was mofl: plentifully (tored, and with the greateft variety : For we found here cod of a prodigious fize -, and by the report of fome of our crew, who had been formerly employed in the Newfoundland filhery, not in lefs plenty than is to be met with on the bmks of that IQand. We caught alfo caval'ies, gropers, large breams maids, filver fifh, congers of a peculiar kind, and above all, a black fiHi which we mod efteemed, called by fome a Chimney fweeper, in fhape refembling a carp. Indeed the beach is every where fo full of rocks and loofe ftones, that there is no pofllbility of haling the Seyne-, but with hooks and lines we caught what num- bers we pleafed, fo that a boat with two or three lines would return loaded with fifh in about two or three Iiours time. The only interruption we ever met with, arofe from great quantities of dog-fifli and large (harks, which fometimes at- tended our boats and prevented our fport. Be- fides die fifli we have already mentioned, we found here one delicacy in greater perfection, both ( 177 ) both as to fize, flavour and quantity, than is perhaps to be met with in any other part of the world : This was fea cra-filh j they generally weighed eight of nine pounds apiece, were of a mofl excellent tafte, and lay in fuch abundance near the water's edge, that the boat-hooks often llruck into them, in putting the boat to an^^ from the ihorfe. Thefe are the mofl material articles relating to the accommodations, foil, vegetables, animals, and other produdions of the liland of Juan Fer- nandes : By which it muft appear, how properly that place was adapted for recovering us from the deplorable fituation to which onr tedious and un- fortunate navigation round Cape Honi had re- duced us. Arid Having thus given the reader fome idea of the fite and circumflances of this place, which was to be our rendence for three nnonths, I ihall now proceed, in the next chap- ter, to relate all that occurred to us in that in- terval, refuming my narration from the igth (fey of June, being the day in which the Tryal Sloop, having by a fcjuail been driven out to fea three days before, carne again to her moorings, ihe day in which we finilhed the fending our Tick on fhore, and about eight days after our firft anchoring at this Illand. N CHAP, ( 178) CHAP. II. The arrival of the Gloucejier and the An?if Pink at the Ifland of Juan Fernandes^ and the tranfadions at that place during this interval. TH E arrival of the T!'ryd Sloop at this Ifland, fo foon after we came there oiir- felves, gave us great hopes of being fpeedily joined by the reft of the fquadron ; and we were for fome days continually looking but, in ex- pedlation of their coming in fight. But near a fortnight being elapfed, without any of them having appeared, we began to defpair of ever meeting them again -, as we knew that, had our fliip continued fo much longer at fea, we fhould every man of us have perilhed, and the vefTel, occupied by dead bodies only, would have been left to the caprice of the winds and waves ; And this we had great reafon to fear was the fate of our conforts, as each hour added to the probabihty of thefc defponding fuggeftions. But on the 2ift oijune^ fome of our people, from an eminence on fhore, difcerned a fhip to leeward, with her courfes even with the horizon : and they, at the fame time, particularly ob- ferved, that fhe had no fail abroad except her courfes and her main top-fail. This circum- ftance made them conclude that it was one of pur fquadron, which had probably fuffered in her ( 179 > her fails and Hgging as feverely as we had done : But they were prevented from forming more definite conjedhires about her -, for, after viewing her for a fhort time, the weather grew thick and hazy, and they loft fight of her. On this report, and no fhip appearing for fome days, we were all under the greateft concern, fufpecling that her people were in the utmoft diltrefs for want of water, and fo diminifhed and weakened by ficknefs, as not to be able to ply up to windward ; fo that we feared that, after having been in fight of the Ifland, her whole crew would notwithftanding perilh at fca. However, on the 26th, towards noon, we dif- cerned a fail in the North-Eaft quarter, which we conceived to be the very fame fhip that had been fecn before, and our conjectures proved true ; and about one o'clock (he approached fo near, that we could diftinguiih her to be the Gloucefter, As we had no doubt of her being in great diftrefs, the Ccmmodore immediately ordered his boat to her affiftance, laden with frelh water, fifh and vegetables, which was a very feafonable relief to them ; for our apprc- henfions of their calamities appeared to be but too well grounded, as perhaps there never was a crew in a more diftreited fituation. They had already thrown over-board two thirds of their complement, and of thofe that remained alive, fcarcely any were capable of doing duty, ex- cept the officers and their fervants. They had been a confiderable time at the fmall allowance N 2 ©f ( i8o ) of a pint of f refli water to each man for twenty-'' four hours, and yet they had fo little left, thaty had it not been for the fupply we lent themy they mufh foon have died of thirft. The'fhip plied in within three miles of the bay ; but, the winds and currents being contrary, fhe could not reach the road. However, fhe continued in the offing the next day, but had no chance of coming to an anchor, unlefs the wind and cur- rents fhtfted ; and therefore the Commodore repeated his afliftance, fending to her the Trj^/'s boat manned with the Centurion\ people, and a farther fupply of water and other refrefhments. Captain Mitchell the Captain of the Gloucefter^ was under a neceffity of detaining both this boat and that fent the preceding day \ for without tlie help of their crews he had no longer ftrength enough to navigate the fhip. In this tantalizing :Gtuation the Glouc-efier continued for near a fort- night, without being able to fetch the road^ though frequently attempting it, and at fome times bidding very fair for it. On the 9th of yiify-, we obferved her ftretching away to the caftwai'd at a confiderable diilance, which wc fuppofed was witi a defign to get to the fouth- "ward of tke liland •, but as we foon loft fight of her, and fhe did not appear for near a week,- we were prodigioufly concerned, knowing that fhe muft be again in extreme diftrefs for want of water. After great impatience about her, we difcovered her again on the i6th, endea- vouring to fome round the eaftern point of the IfliUid y but the wind, ftill blowing diredly from the- ( i8i ) the bay, prevented her getting nearer than withr in four leagues of the land. On this. Captain Mitchel made fignals of diftrefs, and our long- boat was fent to him with a ftore of water, and plenty of fifh, and other refrefhments. And the long-boat being not to be fpared, the Ccck- fwain had pofitive orders from the Commodore to return again immediately \ but the weather proving ftormy the next day, and the boat not appearing, we much feared Ihe was loft, which would have proved an irretrievable misfortune to us all : But, the third day after, we were re- lieved from this anxiety, by the joyful fight of the long-boat's fails upon the water; and we i^ViX. the Cutter immediately to her afliftance, who towed her along-fide in a few hours. The crew of Qur long-boat had taken in fix of the Gloucefter'% fick men to bring them on fhore, two of which had died in the boat. And now we learnt that the Gloucejter was in a moft dread- ful condition, having fcarcely a man in health on board, except thofe they received from us ; and, numbers of their fick dying daily, we found that, had it not been for the laft fupply fent by our long-boat, both the healthy and dif- eafed muft have all perifhed together for want of water. And thefe calamities were the more terrifying, as they appeared to be without re- medy : For the Gloucefter had already fpent a month in her endeavours to fetch the bay, and fhe was now no farther advanced than at the firft moment fhe made the Ifland ; on the con- ^ 3 trary, ( i82 ) trary, the people on board her had worn out all their hopes of ever fucceeding in it, by the many experiments they had made of its difficul- ty. Indeed, the fame day her fituation grew more defperate than ever, for after ihe had received our laft fupply of refrefliments, we again loft fight of her j fo that we in general defpaired of her ever coming to an anchor. Thus was this unhappy vefTel bundled about within a few leagues of her intended harbour, whilft the neighbourhood of that place and of thofe circumftances, which could alone put an end to the calamities they laboured under, ferved only to aggravate their diftrefs, by torturing them with a view of the relief it was not in their power to reach. But fhe was at laft delivered from this dreadful fituation, at a time when we leaft expected it , for after having loft fight of her for feveral days, we were pleafingly fur- prized, on the morning of the 23d of July^ to fee her open the N. W. point of the bay with a flowing fail \ when we immediately difpatched what boats we had to her affiftance, and in an hour's time from our firft perceiving her, fhe anchored fafe within us in the bay. And now we v/ere more particularly convinced of the importance of the alTiftance and refreftiments we fo often fent them, and how impofTible it would have been for a man of them to have furvived, had we given lefs attention to their wants •, for notwitliftanding the water, the greens, and frefh provifions which' we fupplied them with. (i83) with, and the hands we lent them to navigate the fhip, by which the fatigue of their own people was diminifhed, their fick reHeved, and the mortahty abated ; notwithftanding this in- dulgent care of the Commodore, they yet bu- ried three fourths of their crew, and a very fmall proportion of the rerrtainder were capable of aflifling in the duty of the fhip. On their coming to an anchor, our firft care was to aflift them in mooring, and our next to fend the fick on fliore : Thefe were now reduced by deaths to lefs than fourfcore, of which we expedted to lofe the greatefl part ; but whether it was, that thofe tartheft advanced in the diftemper v/ere all dead, or that the greens and frefh provifions we had fent on board had prepared thofe which remained for a more fpeedy recovery, it hap- pened contrary to 'our exped:ations, that their fick were in general relieved and reilored to their ftrength, in a much fhorter time than our own had been when we firft came to the Ifland, and very few of them died on fhore. I have thus given an account of the principal events relating to the arrival of the Gloucejler^ in one continued narration : I fhall only add, that we never were joined by any other of our fhips, except our Victualler, the Anna Pink^ who came in about the middle o{ Augnfi^ and whofe hiftory I fliall more particularly relate hereafter. And I lliall now return to the ac- count ot our own tranfactions on board and on ihore, during the interval of the Gloiuefier\ N 4 frequent ( i84 ) frequent and ineffcdlual attempts to reach the liland. Our next employment, after fending our fick on fhore from the Centurmi^ was cleanfmg our fhip and filling our water. The firft of thefe meafures was indifpcnfibly neceflary to our future health, as the numbers of fick, and the unavoidable negligence arifmg from our deplo- rable fituation at fea, had rendered the decks moil intolerably loathfome. And the filling our water was a caution that appeared not lefs effen- tial to our future fecurity, as we had reafon to apprehend that accidents might oblige us to quit the Ifland at a very fhort warning ;, for fome Appearances, v/hich we had difcovered on fliorc upon our firfl landing, gave us grounds to be- lie^T, that there were Spanifh cruifers in thefe feas, which had left the Idand but a fhort time before our arrival, and might pofTibly return there again, either for a recruit of water, or in fearch of us ; for as we could not doubt, but that the fole bufmefs they had at fea was to in- tercept us, and we knew that this Ifland was the likeliefl place, in their own opinion, to meet with us. The circumftances, which gave rife to thefe refiedions (in part of which we were not miflaken, as fhail be obferved more at large hereafter ) were our finding on fhore feveral pieces of earthen jars, made ufe of in thofe feas for water and other liquids, which appeared to be frefh broken : We faw too many heaps of afhcs, and near them filh-bones and pieces of iifh. ( i85 ) fifti, befides whole fifh fcattered here and thertf^ which plainly appeared to have been but a fhort time out of the water, as they were but juft beginning to decay. Thefe appearances were certain indications that there had been fhips at this place but a fhort time before we came there ; and as all Spanijfj Merchant-men are in- ftrufted to avoid the Ifland, on account of its being the common rendezvous of their enemies, we concluded thofe who had touched here to be fhips of force ; and not knowing that Pixarra was returned to Buenos Jyres^ and ignorant what ftrength might have been fitted out at CallaOy we were under feme concern for our fafety being in fo wretched and enfeebled a condition, that notwithllanding the rank of our fnip, and the fixty guns fhe carried on board, which woukl only have aggravated ourdifhonour, there was fcarcely a privateer feat to fea, that was not an over-match for us. However, our fears on this head proved imaginary, and we were not jcxpofed to the disgrace, which might have been /expeded to have befallen us, had we been ne- ceflitated (as we mud have been, had the ene- my appeared) to fight our fixty-gun fhip with no more than thirty hands. Whilil the cleaning pur Ihip and the filling our water went on, we fet up a large copper- oven on .ihore near the fick tents, in which we baked bread every day for the fhip's company, being extrcipely defirous of recovering our fick as foon as pofiible, and conceiving ihat new bread ( iS6 ) bread added to their greens and frefli fifli, might prove a powerful article in their relief. Indeed we had all imaginable reafon to endeavour at the augmenting our prefent flrength, as every little accident, which to a full crew would be infignificant, was extremely alarming in our prefent helplefs fituation : Of this, we had a troublefome inftance on the 30th of June •, for at five in the morning, we were ailoniflied by a violent guft of wind diredly off fliore, whicji inftantly parted our fmall bower cable about ten fathom from the ring of the anchor : The lliip at once fwung off to the befl bower, w hich happily Hood the violence of the jerk, and brought us up with two cables an end in eight fathom. At this time we had not above a dozen feamen in the fhip, and we were apprehenfive, if the fquall continued, that we fhould be driven to fea in this wretched condition. Plowever, we fent the boat on fhore, to bring off all that were capable of ading \ and the wind, foon abating of its fury, gave us an opportunity of receiving the boat back again with a reinforcement. With this additional flrength we immediately went to work, to heave in what remained of the cable, which we fufpedled had received fome damage from the foulnefs of the ground before it part- ed i and agreeable to our conje6lure, we found that fcven fathom and a half of the outer end had been rubbed, and rendered unferviceable. In the afternoon, wc bent the cable to the fpare anchor, and got it over the fhip's fide ^ and the A next ( i87) next morning, July i, being favoured 'yv^ith the wind in gentle breezes, we warped the fhip in again, and let go the anchor in forty-one fa- thom •, the eaftermoft point now bearing from us E. f S •, the weftermoft N. W. by W ^ and the bay as before, S. $. W ; a fituation, in which ^ we remained fecure for the future. But we were much concerned for the lofs of our anchor, and fwept frequently for it, in hopes to have reco- vered it ; but the buoy having funk at the very inilant that the cable parted, we were never able to find it. And now as we advanced in July^ fome of our men being tolerably recovered, the ftrongeft of them were employed in cutting down trees, and f^litting 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- fide : This they performed, fome of them with the help of crutches, and others fupported by a fingle flick. We next fent the forge on fhore, and employed our fmiths, who were but jufb ca- pable of working, in mending our chain-plates, and our other broken and decayed iron work. We began too the repairs of our rigging ; but as we had not a fufficient quantity of junk to make fpun-yarn, we deferred the general over- hale, in hopes of the daily arrival of the Glou- cefter^ who we knew had a great quantity of junk on board. However, that we miglit make as great difputch as poflible in our refitting, we fet up a large tent on the beach for the fail-makers ; and ( i88 ) and th^y were immediately employed in repairing our old fails, and making us new ones. Thele occupations, with our cleanfing an^ watering the Ihip, (which was by this time pretty well compleated) the i^ttendance on our fick, and the trequcnt relief fent to the Gloucefte7\ were the principal tranfavSlions of our infirm crew, till tlie arrival of the Ghucefter at an anchor in tl>c tay. And then Captain Mitchel waiting on the Commodoie, informed him, that he liad been forced by the winds, in his laft abfence, as i^r as the fmail Ifland called Mafa-Fuero^ lying aboqt -twenty -two leagues to the weft ward oijuan Fer- nandes ; an I that he endeavoured to fend his boat on J here at this place for water, of which he could obferve feveral ftreams, but the wind blew fo fhrong upon the fhore, and occafioned fuch a furf, that it was impoflible for the boat to land ^ though the attempt was not altogether uiilefs, as they returned with a boat load of lifli. This IQand had been reprefented by former Naviga- tors as a barren rock ; but Captain Mitchel aifure^ the Commodore, that it was almoft every where covered with trees and verdure, and was near four miles in length ; and added, that it appear- ed to him far from impoflible, but fomc fmalj bay might be found on it, which might afford fufficient ihelter for any fliip defirous of refreihi- ^jng there. As four fhips of our fquadron were miffing, this defcription of the Ifland of Mafa-Fuero gave rife to a conjefture, that fome of them might poffibly have fallen in with that Ifland, and have miftakea ( i89 ) Tnlflakeh It for the true place of our rendezvous ? and this fufpicion was the more plaufible, as we had no draught of either IQand that could be re- lied on. In confequence of this realbning, Mr. Anfon determined to fend the ^?3'^/ Sloop thither, as foon as fhe could be fitted for the fea, im order to examine all its bays and creeks, that we might be fatisfied whether any of our milTing fhips were there or not. For this purpofe, fome of our beft hands were fcnt on board the Tryal the next morning, to overhale and hx her rigging ^ and our long boat was employed in compleating her water ; and whatever ftores and neceflfaries fhe wanted, were immediately fuppHed, either trom the Centurion or the Gloucefter, But it was the 4th of Augnji before the Tryal was in readinefs to fail, when having weighed, it foon after fell falm, and the tide fct her very near tlie eaflern ihore ; Captain Satmders hung out lights, and fired feveral guns to acquaint us with his danger 5 upon which all the boats were fent to his relief, wlio towed the Sloop into the bay ; where Ihe anchored until the next morning, and then weighed again, proceeded on her cruize with a fair breeze. And now after the Gte^^'?^r's arrival, we were employed in earneft in examining and repairing our rigging ; but in the (IrippLng our foremaft, we were alarmed by difcovering it was fprung juft above the partners of the upper deck. The fpring was two inches in depth, and twelve in circumference j but the Carpenters infpeding it, gave it a^ fheir' opinion', thut firfiing it wkh two leaves ( 19^ ) feaves of an anchor flock, would render it as fecure as ever. But our greatell difficulty in re- fitting was the want of cordage and canvas j for though we had taken to fea much greater quan- tities of both, than had ever been done before, yet the continued bad weather we met with, had occafioned fuch a confumption of thefe florcs, that we were driven to great flraits : For after working up all our junk and old fhrouds, to make twice-laid cordage, we were at lafl obliged to unlay a cable to work into running rigging. And with all the canvas, and remnants of old fails that could be muflered, we could only make up one compleat fuit. Towards the middle of Aiigufi our men being indifferently recovered, they were permitted to quit their fick tents, and to build feparate huts for themfelves, as it was imagined, that by liv- ing apart, they would be much cleanlier, and corkfequently like to recover their fbrength the fooner j but at the fame time particular orders were given, that on the firing of a gun from the fhip, they fhould inflantly repair to the water- fide. Their employment on fhore was now cither the procuring of refrefhments, the cutting of wood, or the making of oil from the blubber of the fea-hons. This oil ferved us for feveral ufes, as burning in lamps, or mixing with pitch to pay the fliips fides, or, when mixed with wood-afhcs, to fupply the u^e of tallow, of which we had none left, to give the fhip boot-hole tops. Some of the men too were occupied in faking of cod \ for there being two Newfoundland fifher- men ( rgi ) men in the Centurion^ the Commodore made ufe of tht'm in laying in a confiderable quantity of faked cod for a fea-ftore ; but very little of it was made ufe of, as it was afterwards thought to be as productive of the fcurvy, as any other kind of fait provifions. I have b-jfore-mentloned, that we had a cop- per-oven on fliore to bake bread for the fick ; but it happened that the greatell part of the flower, for the ufe of the fquadron, was em- barked on board our Victualler the Anna Pink : And I fhould have mentioned, that the Trjal Sloop, at her arrival, had informed us, that on the 9th of May fhe had fallen in with our Vic- tualler, not far diflant 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 gave us fome room to hope that flic was fafe, and that ike might foon join us ; but all June and July being pafl: v/ithout any news of her, we fufpcded flie was lofl: ; and at the end of July the Commodore ordered all the fliips to a fliort allowance of bread. And it was not in our bread only, that v/e feared a deficiency j for fince our arrival at this Ifland, we difcovered that our former Purfer had negledled to take on board large quantities of feveral kinds of provi- fions, which the Commodore had exprefsly or- dered him to receive j fo that the fuppofcd lofs ot our Viduallcr, was on all accounts a morti- fying ccnfideration. However, on Sunday^ the 1 6th of Auguft^ about noon, we efpied a fail in the northern quarter, and a gun w^as immediate- 1/ ( 192 ) ly fired from the Centurion^ to call off the people from fhore *, who readily obeyed the fummons, and repaired to the beach, where the boats waited to carry them on board. And how being pre- pared for the reception of this Ihip in View, whe- ther friend of enemy. We had various fpecula- tions about her ; at firfl, many imagined it to be tlie Tryal Sloop returned from her cruize ; but as fhe drew nearer this opinion was confuted, by oblerVing flie was a veflel with three mafts ; and then other conjeftures were eagerly canvalTed, fome judging it to be the Severn^ 6thers the Pearly and feveral affirming tliat it did not be- long to our fquadron : But about three in the afternoon our difputes wefe ended, by an una- nimous perfuafion that it was our Victualler the Anna Pink. This fhip, though, like the Glou- cefter^ fhe had fallen in to the northward of the Ifland, had yet the good fortune to come to an' anchor in the bay, at five in the afternoon. Her arrival gave us aU the fmcereft joy ; for each' fhip's company was now reilored to their full allowance of bread, and we were now freed from' the apprehenfions of our provifions falling Ihorr,' before we could reach fome amicable port ; a- calamity, which in thefe feas is of all others the moil irretrievable. This was the laft fhip that joined us -, and the dangers fhe encountered, and the good fortune which Ihe afterwards met with, being matters worthy of a feparate narration, I fliaJl refer them, together with a Ihort account of the other fliips of the fquadron, to the enfu-' ing chapter. CHAP. ( m ) i\ CHAP. IIL A fliort narrative of what befel the Jnm Phk before Oie joined us, with an account ot the lofs of the Wager ^ and of the putting bacS of rhe Severn and Pearly the two remain- ing fl:iips of the fquadron* ON the firft appearance of the Anna Pink^ it feemed wonderful to us how the crew of a vefTel) which came to this rendezvous two months after us, fhould be capable of working their Ihip in the manner they did, with fo little appearance of debility and diftrefs : But this dif- ficulty was foon folved when fhe came to an an- chor j for we then found that they had been in harbour fmce the middle of May^ which was near a month before we arrived at Juan Fernandes : So that their fufFerings (the rifque they had run of fhipwreck only excepted) were greatly fhort of what had been undergone by the reft of the fquadron. It fecms, on the i6th of M?j, they fell in with the land, which was then but four leagues diftant, in the latitude of 45^ : 15' South. On the firft fight of it they wore fhip and ftood to the fouthward, but their fore-topfail fplitting, and the wind being W. S. W, they dr(,ve to- wards the fhore ; and the Captain at laft, eithzr unable to clear the land, or as others fay, re- folved to keep the fea no longer, fteered for the coaft, with a view of cifcovering fome fhelter O amongti ( 194 ) amongft the many IQands which then appeared m fight : And about four hours after the firft view of the land, the Pink had the gocxi fortune to come to an anchor, to the eaftward of the Ifland of Incbm j but as they did not run fufficiently near to the Eaft-fhore of that IQand, and had not hands to veer away the cable brifkly, they were foon driven to the eaftward, deepning their wa- ter from twenty-five fathom to thirty-five, and ftill continuing to drive, they, the next day, the 1 7th of May, let go their fheet anchor ; which, though it brought them up for a fhort time, yet, on the 1 8th, they drove again, till they came into fixty-five fathom water, and were now v.ithin a mile of the land, and expected to be forced on fhore every moment, in a place where the coaft was very high ^nd ftcep to, that there was not the leaft profped ofTaving the fhip or cirgo ; and their I^^at.s being very ieaky, and there being naappeara^Kre of a landing-place, the whole crew, confifting of fixteen men and boys^ gave themfelves over for loft,- for tlicy appre- hended, that if a«y cf them by fome extraordi- nary chance fhouldget on Ihore,' they would,- iii all probabihty, be maflacred by the Savages oa the coaft : For thefe,^ knowing no othtr- Euro- pans but Spaniards, it might be expeded they- would treat all ftrangers with the iame cruelty which they had fo often and fo fignally exerted againft their SpaniJJo neighbours. Under thefc terrifying circumftances the P/»y^ drove nearer and nearer to the rocks which formed the fhore ; but at laft, when the cr§w expeded each inftant to ( ^95 ) to ilrike, they perceived a ini ail open iiit^;n the land, which rai;:.i their hopes j and immediate* ly cutting awciy iieir two anchors, they ileered for it, and found it to be a fmdl channel JDetwi3ct an liland and the Main, which led them into a moil excellent harbour, which, for its fccurity againft all winds and fwclls, and the fmoothneis of its waters, may perhaps compare with any in the known world. And this place being fcarce- ly two miles diftant from the fpot where they deemed their deftrudioh inevitable, the horrors of Ihipwreck and of immediate death, which had fo long, and fo ftrongly pofiefled them; vaniflied almofr inftantaneoufly, and gave place to the more joyous ideas of fecurity, repofe, and re- freshment. In this harbour, difcovered in this almoft mi- raculous manner, the Pmk came to an anchor in twenty-five fathom water, with only a hawfer, and a fmall anchor of about three hundredweight. And h.re fhe continued for near two months, refrefhing her people, who were many of them ill of the fcurvy, but were foon reflored to per- fc(5t health by the frefh provifions, of which they procured good ftore, and the excellent water with which the adjacent fhore abounded. But as this place may prove of the greatefl: import- ance to future Navigators, who may be forced upon this coaft by the wefterly winds, which are almoft perpetual in that part of the world ; I fhall, before I enter into any farther particulars of the adventures of the Phjk^ give the heft ac- O ji co\int (196) count I could colle6l of this Port, its fituation, conveniffncies and productions. To facilitate the knowledge of this place ta thofe who may hereafter be defirous of making ufe of it, there is, in the 20th Plate, a plan both of the harbour itfelf, and of the large bay before it, through which the Pink drove. This plan is not perhaps in all refpecls fo accurate as might be wifhed, it being compofed from the memo- randums and rude fketches of the Mafter and Surgeon ; who were not, I prefume, the ablefb draughts-men. But as the principal parts were laid down by their eftimated diftances from each other, in which kind of ellimations it is well known the greateft part of failors are very dex- trous, I fuppofe the errors are not very confider- able. Its latitude, which is indeed an important point, is not well afcertained, the Pink having, no obfervation either 'the day before fhe came here, or within a day of her leaving it r But it IS fuppofed that it *is riot'. very difbant from 45^ : 30' South,' and the large extent of the bay before the harbour renders this uncertainty the lefs material. The Illand oi Incbin lymg before the bay is fuppofed to be one of the IQands of Chonos^ which are mentioned in. the Spanijh ac^ counts, as fpreading all along that coaft ; and are faid by them to be inhabited by a barbarous people, famous for their hatred of the Spaniards^ and for their cruelties to fuch of that Nation as have fallen into their hands : And it is pofllbk too that the land, near which the harbour itfelf EeSj; may be aaother of thofe Iflands, and that th(? ( 197 ) tlie Continent may be confiderably farther to the caftward. The depths of water in the different parts of the Port, and the channels by which it communicates with the bay, are fufficiently marked in the plan.. But it muft be remembred, that there are two coves in it where fhips may conveniently heave down, the water being con- flantly fmootli : And there are feveral fine runs of excellent frelh water,, which fall into the har- bour, and fome of them lo luckily fituated, that the cail- P ner ( 2IO ) ner 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 ihould be prefent to confront them : And there- fore, when they were juft ready to put to fea^ they fet him at liberty, leaving him and the tew who chofe to take their fortunes with him, no other embarkation but the yawl, to which the barge was afterwards added, by the people on board her being prevailed on to return back. When the fhip was wreckt, there remained alive en board the Wager near an hundred and thirty perfons •, of thefe above thirty died during their ftay upon the place, and near eighty went oif in the long-boat, and the Cutter to the foutli- ward : So that there remained with the Captain, after their departure, no more than nineteen per- fons, which however was as many as the barge and the yawl, the only embarkations left them, could well carry off. It was the 1 3th of O^ober^ five months after the Ihipwreck, that the long- boat, converted into a fchooner, weighed, and .flood to the fouthward, giving the Captain, who, with Lieutenant Hamilton of the land- forces and the furgeon, was then on the beach, three cheers at their departure. It was the 29th of January following before they arrived at Rio Grande^ on the coaft oi Brazil : And having, by various accidents, left about twenty of their peo- ple on fhore at the different places they touched at, and a -greater number -having periflied by hunger ( 21,-^) hunger during the courfe of their navigation, there were no more tlian thirty of them left, when they arrived in that Port. Indeed, the undertaking of itfelf was a moft extraordinary one •, for, not to mention the length of the run, the veflcl was fcarcely able to contain the num- ber that firil put to fea in her j and their ilock of provifions (being only what they had faved out of the fhip) v/as extremely flender, and the Cutter, the only boat they had with them, foon broke away from tlie flern, and was ftaved to pieces ; fo that when their provifion and their water failed them, they had frequently no means of getting on fhore to fearch for a frefli fupply. When the long-boat and Cutter were gone, the Captain, and thofe who were left with him., propofed to pafs to the northward in the barge and yawl : But the weather was fo bad, and the difficulty of fubfifbing fo great, that it was two months after the departure of the long-boat be- fore he was able to put to fea. It feems, the place, where the Wager was call away, was not ^ part of the Continent, as was firft imagined, but an Ifland at fome diftance from the Main, which afforded no other forts of provifion but Ihell-iilh, and a few herbs ; and as the greatcft part of what they had gotten from the Ihip was carried off in the long-boat, the Captain and his people were often in great neceffity, efpecially as they chofe to preferve, what little fea-provifiona remained, for their ftore when they fhould go to the northward. During their refidence at this Ifland, which was by the feamen denominated P 2 Wager\ ( 2 12 ) tVager's I/land^ they had now and then a ftraggling canoe or two of Indians^ which came and bar- tered their fifh and other provifions with our people. This was indeed fome Httle fuccour, and at another fealbn might perhaps have been greater ; for as there v/ere feveral Indian huts on the fliorc, it was fuppofed tliat in fome years, during the height of fummer, many of thcfe fa- vages might refort thither to fifli: : And from what has been related in the account of the Anna Pink, it fliould feem to be the general pradlice of thofe Indians to frequent this coaft in the fummer-time for the benefit of fifhing, and to retire in the winter into a better climate, more to the northward. And on this mention of the Anna Pink, I can- not but obferve, how much it is to be lamented, that the IFager's people had no knowledge of her being fo near them on the coaft-, for as Ihe was not above thirty leagues diftant from them, and came into their neighbourhood about the fame time the JFager was loft, and was a fine roomy fiiip, Ihe could eafily have taken them all on board, and have carried them to Juan Fernandes. Indeed, I fufpedl fhe was ftill nearer to them than what is here eftimated ; for feveral of the IVager'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, efpecially as what was heard at Pf^a- ger'^s I/land was about the fame time of the day^ But to return to Captain Cheap. LTpaa { 213 ) 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 wdth them ail the provifions tliey could amais from the wreck of the fliip ; but they had fcarcely been an hour at fea, when the wind be- gan to blow hard, and the fea ran ^o high, that they were obliged to throw the greateft part of their pix)vifions over-board, to avoid immediate dcftrudion. This v/as a terrible misfortune, in a part of the world w^here food is fo difficult to be got : However, tliey ftill perfiftcd in tlieir defign, putting on fhore as often as they could to feek fubfiftance. But about a fortnight after, another dreadful accident befel them, for the yawl funk at an anchor, and one of the men in her was drowned ; and as the barge was incapa- ble of carrying the whole company, they were now reduced to the hard necefTity of leaving four marines behind them on that defolate fhore. But they flill kept on their courfe to the northward, ftruggling with their difafters, and greatly de- layed by the perverfenefs of the winds, and the frequent interruptions which their fearch after food occalioned : Till at laft, about the end of January^ having made three unfuccefsful at- tempts to double a head-land, which ihey fup- pofed to be w^hat the Spaniards called Cape Tres Monies^ it was unanimoufly refolved to give over this expedition, the difficulties of which appeared i-nfuperable, and to return again to Wage)' Jfiandy where they got back about the middle ot iv- trunry^ quite difiieartned and dejeded with their P z reiterated ( 214 ) reiterated difappointments, and almoft perilhmg with hunger and fatigue. However, on their return they had the good luck to meet with feveral pieces of beef, which had been waflied out of the fhip, and were fwimming in the fea. This was a moft feafona- ble rejief to them, after the hardfliips they had endured :. And to compleat their good fortune, there came, in a Ihort time, two canoes of In- dians^ amongft which was a native of Chiloc^ who fpoke a httle SpaniJJj •, and the Surgeon, who was with Captain Cheapo underilanding that language, he made a bargain with the Indian^ that if he would carry the Captain and his peo- ple to Chiloe in the barge, he fhould have her, and all that belonged to her for his pains. Ac- cordingly^ on the 6th of Marchy the eleven perfons CQ which the company was now reduced, embarked in the barge on this new expedition \ but after haying proceeded for a few days, the Captain and four of his principal Officers being on fhore^ jthe fix, who together with an Indian remained in the barge, put off with her to fea, and did not return. - By this means there were left on fhorc CapT cain Cheapy Mr. Hamilton Lieutenant of Marines," the -Honourable Mr. Byron^ and Mr. Campbell Midfhipmen, and Mr. Elliot^ the Surgeon. One would have thought their diilrefTes had long be- fore this time been incapable of augrpentation -, but they found, on reflection, that their prefent fituation was much more difmaying than anj^ ihij^ig they had yet gone through, being left oi'^ a de- (215) a defolate coaft, without any provifion, or the means of procuring any ; for their arms, am- munition, and every conveniency they were mafters of, except the tattered habits they had on, were all carried away in the barge. But when they had fufficiently revolved in their own minds the various circumflances of this unexpeded calamity, and were perfuaded that they had no relief to hope for, they per- ceived a canoe at a diftance, 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 feems he had left Cap- tain Cheap and his People a little before to go a fifhing, and had in the mean time committed them to the care of the other Indian, whom the failors had carried to fea in the barge. But when he came on fhore, and found the barge gone and his companion miffing, he was ex- tremely concerned, and could with difficulty be perfuaded that the other Indian was not murder- ed ; but, being at laft fatisfied with the account that was given him, he ftill undertook to carry them to the Spanijh fettlements, and (as the In- dians are well fkilled in fifhing and fowling) to procure them provifions by the way. About the middle of March^ Captain Cheap and the four who were left with him, fet out for Chiloe^ the Indian having procured a num- ber of canoes, and gotten many of his neigh- bours together for that purpofe. Soon after they embarked, Mr. Elliot the Surgeon died. To 2 P 4 that ( ai6 ) that .there now remained only four of the whole cprnpany. At lafl, after a very comphcated pail age by land and water, Captain Cheapo Mr. ^jr<7«,, and Mr. Campl^^l^zrrWtd in the begin- ning of June at the Ifland of Chike^ where they were received by the Spaniards with great hu- manity ; but, on account of fame quarrel a- mong the Indians , Mr. Hamilton did not get thither till two months after. Thus^ above a twelvemonth after the lofs of the Wager ^ ended . thjs fatiguing peregrination, which by a variety Q^. misfortunes had diminiflied the company, from twenty to no more than four, and thofc too brought lb low, had their diftrefTes con- tinued but a few days longer, in all probability, none of them would have furvived. For the- Ci?.ptain himfelf was with difficulty recovered; and the reft were lb reduced by the feverity of the weather, their labour, and their want of all kinds of necelTaries, that it was wonderful how they fupported themfclves {o long. After fome ftay at Chlloey the Captain and the three who w-ere with him were fent to Valparaifo^ and t^cncc to Su.Jci'go^ the Capitol of Chili^ where .th^y con- tinued above a year : But on the advice of a cartel, being fettled betwixt Great-Britain and Spain^ Captain Cheapo Mr. Byron^ and Mr. Ha- ■miton, were permitted to return to Eurape on board a French fliip. Tlie other Midfhipman, Mr. Camphel^ having changed his religion, whilil at St. y^igo^ chofe to go back to Buenos /lyres wixh. Pizarro and liis Officers, with whom he , ViXnt afterwards to Spain on board the JJIa j and 4 there ( 217 ) there having failed in his endeavours to pro- cure a commiflion from the Court of Spain^ he returned to England^ and attempted to get re- inftated in the BritiJJj Navy ; and has fince pub- lifhcd a narration of his adventures, in which he complains of the injuftice that had been 'done him, and llrongly difavows his ever being ia the Spanijh fervice : But as the change of his religion, and his offering himfclf to the Court of Spain^ ( though not accepted ) are matters which, he is confcious, are capable of being inconteftably proved ; on thefe two heads, he has been entirely filent. And now, after . this account of the accidents which befel the j^nna Pink, and the cataftrophe of the IVager, I fiiall again refume the thread of our own ilory. CHAP. IV. Conclufion of our proceedings at yuan Fer^ naJideSy from the arrival of the Anna Pink^ to our final departure from thence, AB O U T a week after the arrival of our Vidluallec, the Tryal Sloop, that had been fent to the IQand of Mafd-FuerOy returned to arv anchor at Juan Fernandes^ after having been round that IQand, without meeting any part of our fquadron. As, upon this occafion, the Ifland of Mafa-Fuero was more particularly ex- amined, than I dare fay it had ever been before, or ( 2l8) or perhaps ever will be again -, and as the know- ledge of it may, in certain circumftances, be of great confcquence hereafter, I think it incum- bent on me to infert the accounts given of this place, by the officers of the Tryal Sloop. The Spaniards have generally mentioned two Iflands, under the name of Juan Fernandes^ ftiling them the greater and the Icls: The greater being that Ifland where we anchored, and the lefs be- ing the Ifiand we are now defcribing, which, becaufe it is more dlftant from the Continent, th^y have dillinguiflied by the name of Mafa-Fuero. The Tryal Sloop found that it bore from the greater Juan Fernandes W. by S, and was about twenty- two leagues diftant. It is much largfer than has been generally reported •, for former writers have reprefented it as a barren rock, def- titute of wood and water, and altogether inac- ceffible ; whereas our people found it was covered with trees, and that ther^ v/ere feveral fine falls of water ,pouring down its fides into the fea : They found too, that there was a place where a £hip might come to an anchor on the North fide of it, though indeed the anchorage is inconve- nient ; for the bank extends but a little way, is ■ftcep to, and has very deep water upon it, lo that you mufl: come to an anchor very near the ihore, and there lie expofed to all the winds but a foutherly one : And befides the inconve- nience of the anchorage, there is alfo a reef ol: rocks running off the eaftern point of the Ifiand, •about two miles in length : but there is little danger to be feared from them, becaufe they are always ( 219 ) always to be feen by the feais breaking over them^ This place has at prefent one advantage beyond the IQand of Juan Fernandes •, for it abounds with goats, who, not being accuftomed to be difturb- ed, were no ways fhy or apprehenfive of danger, till they had been frequently fired at. Thefe ani- mals rcfide here in great tranquillity, the Spa- niards having not thought the Ifland confiderable enough to be frequented by their enemies, and therefore they have not been folicitous in deftroy- ing the provifions upon it \ lb that no dogs have been hitherto kt on fliore there. And befides the goats, our people found there vaft numbers of feals and fea-lions : And upon the whole, they feemed to imagine, that though it was not the mofl: eligible place for a fliip to refrefh at^ yet in cafe of neceflity it might afford fome fort of /belter, and prove of confiderable ufe, efpe- cially to a fingle fliip, who might apprehend meeting with a fuperior force at Fernandes, The appearance of its N. E. fide, and alfo of it$ Weft fide, may be feen in the 21ft and 22d plates. This may lufHce in relation to the Ifland q{ Mafa-Fuero. The latter part of the month of Auguft was fpent in unloading the provifions from the Anna Pink \ and here we had the mortification to find that great quantities of our provifions, as bread, rice, groats, l£c. were decayed, and unfit for ufe. This was owing to the water the Fink had made by her working and ftraining in bad wea- ther \ for hereby feveral of her cafkshad rotted, and her bags were foaked through. And now, as we f 220 ) we had no farther occafion for her fervice, the Cooimodore, purfuant to his orders from the board of Admiralty, fent notice to Mr. Gerard her Mafter, that he difcharged the Jnna Pink from, the, fervice of attending the fquadron -, and gave him, at the fame time, a certificate, fpeci- fying how long fhe had been employed. In con- fequence of this difmifllon, her Mailer was at liberty, either to return diredlly to England, or to make the beft of his way to any Port, where he thought he could take in fuch a cargoe, as would anfwer.the interefl of h-s Owners. But the Mailer, being fenfible of the bad condition of the fh'p and of her unfitnefs for any fuch voya-. , wiote the next day an anfwer to the Co '• ''"'5J meflfage acquainting Mr. jdnfon, t ,:-gr.e^t--Jq.uar)trtv of water the Pink ■ m, J^^r p«ri5ige). r6iirtii Ope Horn, and .., in the tempeftuous w atlier he had .nwi With on the coaft of Chili ^ he h ^d rtafon to apprehend that her bottom was very n uch decay- ed 5 and that befides, her upper works were rot- ten abaft ; that Ihe was extremely leaky *, that her fore-beam was broke ; and that, in his opi- nion, it was impoffible to proceed to fea with her, before fhe had been thoroughly refitted : He therefore requefted the Comntodore, that the Carpenters of the fquadron might bediredled to furvey her, that their judgment of her condition might be known. In compliance with this de- ftre, Mr. Anfon immediately ordered the Carpen- ters to take a careful and (Irid: furvey of the Jnna Pinky and to give him a faithful report under their ( 221 ) their hands of the condition in which they found her, directing them at the fame time to proceed herein with fuch circumfpedion^ that, if they Ihouldbe hereafter called upon, they might be able to make oath of the veracity of their pro- ceedings. Purfuant to thcfe orders, the Carpen- ters immediately fet about the examination, and ihc next day made their report ; which was, that the Pink had no lefs than fourteen knees and twelve beams broken and decayed •, that one breall-hook was broken, and another rotten •, that her water- ways were open and decayed •, that two ftandards were broken, as alfo feveral damps, befides others which were rotten •, that all her iron-work was greatly decayed •, that her fpirkit- ing and timbers were very rotten •, and that, hav- ing ripped oit part of her fheathing, they found her wales and oucfide planks extremely defective, and tier bows and decks very leaky -, and in con- fequence of thefe defcds and decays they certi- fied, that in their opinion Die could v\oz depart from the Ifland without great hazard, unlefs fhc was firft of all thoroughly refitted. The thorough refitting of the Amm Pink^ pro- pofed by the Carpenters, was, in our prefent fituation, impoITible to be complied with, as all the plank and iron in the fquadron was infuffici- ent for that purpofe. And now the Mailer find- ing his own fentiments confirmed by the opinion of all the Carpenters, he ofi'ered a petition to the Commodore in behalf of his Owners, dellring that, fince it appeared he was incapable of leav- ing the IQand, Mr, /lnjo?i would pleale to pur- chsfc ( 222 ) chafe the hull and furniture of the Pijik for the ufe of the fquadron. Hereupon the Commodore ordered an' inventory tp be taken of every par- ticular beJonging to the Pink, with its juft value: And as by this inventory it appeared, that there were many (lores which would be ufeful in refit- ting the other fhips, and which were at prefent very fcarce in the fquadron, by reafon of the great quantities that had been already expended^ he agreed with Mr. Gerard to purchafe the whole together for 300/. The Pink being thus broken up, Mr. Gerard, with the hands belonging to the Pink, were fent on board the Gloucefler -, as that fhip had buried the greateft number of men in proportion to her complement. But after- wards, one or two of them were received on board the Ceniurion on their own petition, they being extremely averfe to failing in the fame fhip with their old Mafter, on account of fome parti- cular ill iifage they conceived they had fuffered from him. This tranfa6lion brought us down to the be- ginning o{ September^ and cur people by this time were fo far recovered of the fcurvy, that there was little danger of burying any more at pre- fent ; and therefore I lliaU now fum up the total of our lofs fince our departure from England^ the better to convey fome idea of our pail fuf^er- ings, and of our prefent (Irength. We had buried on board the Centurion, fmce our leaving St. Helem, two hundred and ninety-two, and had now remaining on board two hundred and fourteen. This will doubtlefs appear a mofl ex- traordinary ( 223 ) traordinary mortality : But yet on board the Gloucefter it had been much greater -, for out of a much fmaller crew than ours chey had buried the fame number, and had only dghty-tv/o re- maining alive. It might be expeded that on board the Tryal, the (laughter would have been the moft terrible, as her decks were almoH: con- ftantly knee-deep in water -, but it happened otherwife, for ihe efcaped more favourably than the refl, fince (he only buried forty-two, and had now thirty-nine remaining alive. The havock of thisdifeafe had fiallenftiil feverer on the invalids and marines than on the failors -, for on board the Centurion^ out of fifty invalids and feventy- ninc marines, there remained only four invalids, including officers, and eleven marines •, and on board the Ghucejler every invalid perifhcd ; and out of forty- eight marines, only two efcaped. From this account it appears, that the three (hips together departed from England with nine hun- dred and fixty one men on board, of whom fix hundred and twenty-fix were dead before this time ; fo that the whole of our remaining crews^ which were now to be difiributed amongft three filips, amounted to no more than three hundred and thirty-five men and boys-, a number, great- ly infufficient for the manning the Centurion a- lone, and barely capable of navigating all the three, with the utmoft exertion of their ftrength and vigour. This prodigious redu6tion of our men was ftill the more terrifying, as we were hi- therto uncertain of the fate of Pizarro's fqua- dron, and had reafon to fuppofe, that fome part of ( 224 ) of it at leaft had got round into thefe feas: In- deed, we were fatisfied from our own experienc*^ that they muft have fuffered greatly in their paf- fage; but then every port in the South-Seas was open to them, and the whole power of Chili dind Peru would doubtlcfs be united in refrefliing and refitting them, and recruiting the numbers they had* loft. Befides, we had fome obfcure know- ledge of a force to be fitted out from Callao -, and, however contemptible the (hips and Tailors of this part of the world may have been gene- rally efteemed, it was fcarcely pofTible for any thing, bearing the name of a fhip of force, to be feebler or lefsconfiderable than ourfelves. And had there been nothing to be apprehended from the naval power of the Spafjiards in this part of the world, yet our enfeebled condition would ne- verthelefs give us the greateft uneafmefs, as we were incapable of attempting any of their con- fiderable places ; for the rifquing of twenty men, weak as we then were, was rifquing the fafety of the whole : So that we conceived we fliould be necefTitated to content ourfelves with what few prizes we could' pick up at fea, before we were difcovered ; after which, we (hould in all probability be obliged to depart with precipita- tion, and cfteem ourfelves fortunate to regain our native country, leaving our enemies to triumph on the inconfiderable mifchief they had received from a fquadron, whofe equipment had filled them with fuch dreadful apprehenficns. This was a fubje6l, on which we had reafon to imagine the Sj^anifi oftcntation would remarkably exert ( 225 ) itkif ; though the caufes of our diiappointment and their fccurity were neither to be fought for in their valour nor our mifcondudt. Such were the defponding refiedions which at that time arofe on the review and comparifgn of our remaining ftrength winh our original num- bers : Indeed our fears were far from being groundlefs, or difproportioned to our feeble and almofl dcfperate fituation. It is true, the final event proved more honourable than we had fore- boded ; but the intermediate calamities did like- wife greatly furpals oi^ moll gloomy apprehen- (ions, and could they have been predided to us at this Ifland of Juan Fernandes^ they would doubtlefs have appeared infurmountable. But to return from this digreflion. In the beginning of September, as hath been al- ready mentioned, our men were tolerably well recovered ; and now, the time of navigation in this climate drawing near, we exerted our- felves in getting our fhips in readinefs for the fea. We converted the fore-maft of the Vidu- aller into a main-mail for the 1'ryal Sloop ^ and ftill flattering ourfelves with the pofllbility of the arrival of fome other Ihips of <9ur fquadron, we intended to leave the main-mafl of the Vidlual- ler, to make a mizen-mafl for the Wager, Thus all hands being employed in forwarding our de- parture, we, on the 8th, about eleven in the morning, efpied a fail to the N. E, which con- tinued to approach us, till her courfe appeared even with the horizon. In this interval we all had hopes ihc mi^ht prove one of our own fqua- Q^ dron > ( 226 ) dfon ; fcut at length finding fhe fteered away tcp the eaftward, without haling in for the Ifland, wc concluded Ihe muft be a Spaniard. And now great difputes were {et on foot about th-epoflibi- lity of her having difcovercd our tents on Ihore, fome of us ftrongly infifting, that fhe had doubt- iefsbeen near enough to have perceived fbmething that had given her a jea-loufy of an enemy^ which had oGcafioned her {landing to the eaftward with^ out hahng in -, but leaving thefe contefts to be lettled afterwards^ it was refolved to purfue her,^ and, the Centurion being in the greateft forward- nefs, we immediately got all our hands on board,- fet up our riggings bent our fails, and by five *n the afternoon got under fail. We had at thi* time very little wind, fo' that all the boats were employed to tow us out of the bay ; and even what wind there was lafted only long enough to give us an offing of two or three leagues, when it flatted to a calm. The night coming on we loft fight of the chace, and were extremely impati- ent for the return of day-light, in hopes to find that fhe had been becalmed as well as we ; though I muft confefs, that her greater diftance from the land was a reafonable ground for fufpedling the contrary, as we indeed found in the morning tO' our great mortification j for though the weather continued perfe6tly clear, we had no fight of the fliip from the mafl-head* But as we were now fatisficd that it was an enemy, and the firft wc- had feen in thefe feasy we refolded not to give over the fearch lightly v aWdy a fmall breeze ipfin^ing tip from the W; N. W,- v/e got up our ■ ( 227 ) top-gallant mafts and yards, fet all the fails, and fleered at the S. E, in hopes of retrieving out chace, which we imagined to be bound to / W- paraifo. We continued oil this courfe all that day and the ncxtj and then not getting fight of our chace we gaVe over the purfuit, conceiving that by that time fhe muft, in all probability,; have reached her Port. And now we prepared to return to Juan Feitiandes^ and haled Up to the S. W, with that view, having but very little wind till the 12th, when, at three in the morn- ing, there fprung up a frefh gale from the W. S, W, and we tacked and flood to the N. W : And at day-break we were agreeably furprized with the fight of a fail on our weather-bow,- between four and five leagues diflant. On this we croud- fed all the fail we could, and flood after her, and foon perceived it not to be the fame fhip we ori- ginally gave chace to. She at firfl bore down iipon us fhowing Spani/h colours,- and making z fignal, as to her confort j but obferving that we did not anfwer her fignal, fhe inflantly loofed clofc to the wind, and flood to the font h ward. Our people were now all in fpirits, and put the fhip about with great alacrity •, and as the chace appeared to be a large fhip, and had miflaken us for her confort, we conceived that fhe was a man ()f war, and probably one of Tizarrd'% fquadron : This induced the Commodore to order all the officers cabins to be knocked down and thrown over-board, with feveral cafks of water and pro- vifions which flood between the guns ; fo that we had foon a clear fliip, ready for an engage- Q^ 2- mcnt:. ( 228) ment. About nine o'clock we had thick hazy weather and a fhower of rain, during which we loft fight of the chace ; and we were apprehen- five, if the weather fhouM continue, that by go- ing upon the other tack, or by fome other arti- fice, flie might efcape us ; but it clearing up in lefs than an hour, we found that we had both weathered and fore-reached upon her confiderably, and now we were near enough to difcover that ihe was only a Merchantman, without fo much as a fingle tire of guns. About half an hour af- ter twelve, being then within a reafonable dif- tance of her we fired four ihot amongft her rig- ging ; on which, they lowered their top-fails, and bore down to us, but, in very great confufion, their top-gallant fails and Hay-fails all fluttering •in the wind : This was owing to their having let run their fheets and halyards juft as we fired at them •, after vvhich, not a man amongft them had courage enough to venture aloft (for there the ftiot had pafted but juft before) to take them irk As foon as the veiTel came within hail of us, the Commodore ordered them to bring to under his lee-quarter,, and then hoifted out the boat, and lent Mr. Saumarez^ his fwft Lieutenant, to take pofTeftion of the prize, with directions to fend all the prifone^rs on board the Centurion^ but firft the officers and paffengers. When Mr. Saumarez came on board them, they received him at the fide with the ftrongeft tokens of the moft abje6t fubmiffion ; for they were all of them (efpecially the paflengers, who were twenty-five in number) extremely terrifted, and under the greateft ap- prehenfions ( 229 ) prehenfions of meeting with very fevere and cruel ulage •, but the Lieutenant endeavoured, with great courtefy, to diffipate their fright, af- furing them, that their fears were altogethcF groundlefs, and that they would find a generous enemy in the Commodore^ who was not lefs re- markable for his lenity and humanity, than for his rcfolution and courage. The prifoners, who were firfl fent on board the Ce7tturion^ informed us, that our prize was called Nueftra Senora del Monte Carweloy and was commanded by Don Manuel Zaniorra, Her cargoc confided chiefly of fugar, and great quantities of blue cloth made in the province of '^itc^ fomewhat refembling the Englijh coarfe broad-cloths, but inferiour to them. They had befides feveral bales of a coar- fer fort cloth, of different colours, fomewhat like Colchcfter bays, called by them Pojinia da Ticrra, with a few ba'es of cotton and tobacco j which, though ftrong, was not ill flavoured.. Thei'e were the principal goods on board her ; but we found befides, what was to us much more valuable than the reft of the cargoe : This was fome truaks of wrought plate, and twenty- three ferons of dollars, each weighing upwards of 200 /. averdupois. The fhip's burthen was about four hundred and fifty guns ^ fhe had fifty-three faiiors on board, both whites and blacks ; fhe came from Callao, and had been twenty-feven days at fea, before Ihe fell into our hands. She was bound to the port of Vdparaifo in the king- dom of Chili^ and propofed to have returned from thence loaded with corn and Chili wiae, fomc CL3 gold. ( 230 ) gold, dried beef, and Imall cordage, which at Callao they convert into larger rope. Our prize had been built upwards of thirty years •, yet as ^hey lie-in harbour all the winter months, and tl\e climate is favourable, they efteemed it nq vfery great age. Her rigging was very indiffe- rent, as were likewife her fails, which were |nadc of Cotton. She had only three four TpounderSj, which were altogether unferviceable, theii^ carriages being fcarcely able to fupport thern : And there were no fmall arms on board, except a few piflols belonging to the paflengers. The prifcners informed us, that they left Callao. in company with two other fhips, whom they had parted with fome days before, and that at firfl they conceived us to be one of their com- pany ; and by the defcription we gave them of the fhip we had chafed from Juan Fernandes^ they afTured us, fhe was of their number, but that the coming in fight of that Ifland was dir redely repugnant to the Merchant's inftru6lions, who had exprefsly forbid it, as knowing that if any Englifb fquadron was in thofe feas, the Ifiand of Fernandes was moft probably the place of their rendezvous. And noWj after this fhort account of the fhip and her cargoe, it is necelTary that I fhould re- late the important intelligence which we met v^ith on board her, partly from the information of the prifoners, and partly from the letters and •papers which fell into our hands. Wie here firft learnt with certainty the force and deftination 6f that fquadron, which cruifed off th'e Maderas at our ( 231 ) pur arrival there, and afterwards chafed the Pearl in our paflage to port St. Julian, This we now knew was a fqnadron compofed of five large Spanijh fhips, commanded by Admiral Pizarro^ and purpofely fitted out to traverlb our dcfigns, as hath been already more amply related in the 3d chapter of the ift book. And we had, at the fame time, the fatisfadjtion to find, tliat Pizarro^ after his utmoil endeavours to gain his palfage into thefe feas, had been forced back again into the river of Plate^ with tlic lofs of two of his largeft fhips : And be- fides this difappointment of Pizarro^ which, confidering our great debility, was no unaccep- rabie intelligence, we farther learnt, that an em^ bargo had been laid upon all fhipping in thefe feas, by tat Viceroy of Peru^ in the month of May preceding, on a fuppofition that about that time we might arrive upon the coall. But on the account fent over-land by Pizarro of his own diilrcfies, part of which they knew we mufl have encountered, as we were at fea durino* the fiime time, and on their having no news of us in eight months after we were known to fet fail from St, Catherine' Sy they were fully per- fuaded that we were either fhip-wreck'd, or had periflied at fea, or at leaft had been obliged to put back again ; for it was conceived impoflible for any fiiips to continue at fea during lb lono* an interval : And therefore, on the application of the Merchants, and the firm perfuafion of iDur having mifcarried, the embargo had been lately taken off. .CL4 This ( 232 ) This iafl article made us flatter ourfelves, that, as the enemy was ftill a ilranger to our having got round Cape Horn^ and the naviga- tion of thefe feas was reftored, we might meet with fome confiderable captures, and might thereby indemnify ourfelves for the incapacity we were now under rf attempting any of their confiderable fettlements on fhore. And thus much we were certain of, from the information of our prifoners, that, whatever our fuccefs might be as to the prizes we might light on, v/e had nothing to fear, weak as we were, fnom the Spa7tijh force in this part of the world ; th©' we difcovered that we had been in moll im- minent peril from the enemy, when we leaft apprehended it, and when our other diftrcffes * were at the greateft height ; for we learnt, from the letters on board, that Pizarro^ in the ex- prefs he difpatched to the Viceroy of Peru, after his return to the river of Plate, had intimated to him, that it was pofFible fome part at leaft of the Englijh fquadron might get round ; but that, as he was certain from his own experience, that if they did arrive in thofe feas, it muft be in a very weak and defencelefs condition, he advifed the Viceroy, in order to be fecure at all events, to fit out what fliips of force he had, and fend them to the fouthward, where, in all probability, they would intercept us fmgly, and before we had an opportunity of touching any where for refreihment •, in which cafe, he doubt- ed not but we fhould prove an eafy conqueft. The Viceroy of Peru approved of this advice, 2 and ( 233 ) and immediately fitted out four Ihips of forfce- from Callao ; one of fifty guns, two of forty " guns, and one of twenty-four guns : Three of them were ftationed off the Port of Conceptmiy and one of them at the Ifland of Fernandes ; and in thefe ilations they continued cruifing for us till the 6th of June^ when, not feeing any thing of us, and conceiving it to be impoflibie that v/e could have kept the feas lb long, they quit- ted their cruife and returned to Callao^ fully fa- tisfied that we had either periflied, or at leafl had been driven back. As the time of their quitting their ftation was but a few days before our arrival at the Ifland of Fernandes^ it is evi- dent, that had we made that Ifland on our firfl fearch for it, without haling in for the main to fecure our eafting, (a circumftance, which at that time we coniidered as very unfortunate to us, on account of the numbers which we loft* by our longer continuance at fca) had we, I fay, made the Ifland on the 2Sth of Mrzjy, when we firft expeded to fee it, and were in reality very near it, we had doubtlefs fallen in with fome part of the Spaniflj fquadron ; and in the diftref- fed condition we were then in, the meeting with a healthy well provided enemy, was an incident that could r>ot but have been perplex- ing, and might perhaps have proved fatal, not only to us, but to the ^ryal^ the Gloucefter^ and the Anna Pink^ who feparately joined us, and who were each of them lefs capable than we were of making any confiderable refiftance. I fnali only add, that thefe Spanijh fbips feat out to ( 234 ) |K> intercept us, had been greatly fliattered by a dorm during their cruife ; and that, after their arrival at Callao^ they had been laid up. And our prifoners aflured us, that whenever in- teUigence was received at Lima^ of our being in thefe feas, it would be at leaft two months be-' fore this armament could be ag^in fitted out. The whole of this intelligence was as favour- able, as we in our reduced circumftances could wifh for. And now we v/ere fully fatisfied as to the broken jars, alhes, and filh-bones, which we had obferved at our firft landing at Juan Fernandes^ thefe things being doubtlefs the re- Ji6ts of the cruifers flationed off that Port. Having thus fatisfied ourlelves in the material iirticles, and having gotten on board the Centu- rion moft of the prifoners, and all the filver, we, at eight in the fame evening, made fail to the northward, in company with our prize, and at fix the next morning difcovered the Wand of Fernandes^ where, the next day, both we and our prize came to an anchor. And here I cannot omit one remarkable inci- dent which occurred, when the prize and her crew came into the bay, where the refl of the fquadrQii lay. The Spaniards in the Carmelo had been fufhciently informed of the dillreffes we had gone through, and were greatly furprized that we had ever furmounted them : But when they faw the 'Tryal Sloop at anchor, they were ftill more aflonifhed, that after all our fatigues, we had the indufiry (befides refitting our other jhips) to compleat fuch a vefTel In fo ftiort a time. ( 235 ) time, they, taking it for granted that flie had been built upon the fpot. And it was with great difficulty they were prevailed on to be- lieve, that fhe came from England with the reft of the fquadron ; they at firft infifted, that it was impoflible fuch a bawble as that could pafs round Cape Horn., when the beft fhips of Spain were obliged to put back. By the time we arrived at Juan Fernandes^ the letters found on board our prize were more minutely examined : And, it appearing from them, and from the accounts of our prifoners, that feveral other Merchantmen were bound from Callao to Valparaifo^ Mr. Anfcn difpatched the Tryd Sloop the very next morning to cruife off the laft-mentioned Port, reinforcing him with ten hands from on beard his own fhip. Mr. Anfon likewife refolved, on the intelligence recited above, to feparate the Ihips under his command, and employ them in diflin6t cruifes, as he thought that by this means we fhould not only encreafe our chance for prizes, but that we (hould likewife run a lefs rifque of alarming the coaft, and of being difcovered. And now the fpirits of our people being greatly raifed, and their defpondency diflipated by this earneft of fuccefs, they forgot all their paft diftrefles, and refumed their wonted alacrity, and laboured in- defatigably in compleating our water, receiving our lumber, and in preparing to take our fare- wel of the Ifland : But as thefe occupations took us up four or five days with all our induftry, Ihe Convnodore, in that interval, dircfted that ^ th? ( 236 ) the guns belonging to the Anna Pink, being four fix pounders, four four-pounders, and two fwivels, fhould be mounted on board the Car- meloy our prize : And having fent on board the GlGuceJler fix paffengers, and twenty-three lea- men to afTift in navigating the (hip, he dire6led Captain Mitchel to leave the Idand as foon as pofTible, the fervice requiring the utraoft dif- patch, ordering him to proceed to the latitude of five degrees South, and there to cruife off the highland of Paita, at fuch a diftance frcm ihore, as fhould prevent his being difcovered. On this ftation he was to continue till he fhould be joined by the Commodore, which would be whenever it fhould be known that the Viceroy had fitted out the fhips at Callao^ or on Mr. An- fonh receiving any other intelHgence, that fhould make it neceffary to unite our ftrength. Thefe orders being delivered to the Captain of the Gloucefter, and all our bufmefs compieated, 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 laft leave of the Ifland of Juan FernandeSy and fleering to the eaflward, with an intention of joining the Tryal Sloop in her flation off Valparaiso. C H A y. ( 237 ) CHAP. V. Our cruife from the time of our leaving "Juan Femandci^ to the taking the town of Paita. ALTHOUGH the Centurioriy with her prize, the Carmelo^ weighed from the bay of Juan Fernandes on the 1 9th of Sepianb€r^ leaving the Gloucejler at anphor behind her -, yet, by the irregularity and flu6tuation of the winds in the offing, it was the 22d of the fame month in the evening, before we loll fight of the Ifland ; After which, we continued our courfe to the eaftward, in order to reac^ our ftation, and to join the Tryal off Valparaifo, The next night, the weather proved fqually, and we fplic our maintop-fail, which we handed for the pre- fent, but got it repaired, and fet it again the next morning. And now, on the 24th, a little before fun-fet, we faw two fail to the eaftward ; on which, our prize ftood diredlly from us, to avoid giving any fufpicion of our being cruifers ; whilft we, in the mean time, made ourfclves ready for an engagement, and fteered towards the two (hips we had difcovered with all our Canvas. We foon perceived that one of thefe, which had the appearance of being a very ftout fhip, made diredly for us, whilft the other kept at a very great diftance. By itvtn o'clock we were within piftol-ftiot of the neareft, and had a broad- i tfbad-fide ready to pour into her, the Gun- ners having their matches in their hands, and only waiting for orders to fire ; but as we knew it was now impoflible for her to efcape us^- Mr.- Anfon^ before he permitted them to fire, order- ed the Mailer to hail the Ihip in Spanijh -, on which the commanding officer on board her, who proved to be Mr. Hughs^ Lieutenant of th« 'J'ryd^ anfv/ered us in Englijh^ and informed us,- that fhe was a prize taken by the "Tryal a few days before, and that the other fail at a diitance •was the T'ryal herfelf, difabled in her mafls.- We were foon after joined by the Tryal •, and Captain Saunders^ her Commander, came orf board the Centurion. He informed the Com-, modore, that he had taken this Ihip the 1 8 th in- ftant ; that fhe was a prime failor, and had cofb him thirty-fix hours chace, before he could come up with her 5 that for fome time he gained fo little upon her, that he began to defpair of taking her ; and the Spaniards^^ though alarm ei at firft with feeing nothing but a cloud of fail in purfuit of them, the TryaPs hull being fo low in the water that no part of it appeared, yet- knowing the goodnefs of their fhip, and find-- rng how little the Tryal neared them, they atr kngth laid afidc their fears, and, recommending, themfelves to the bleffed Virgin for protedion, began to think themfelves fecure. And indeed their fuccefs was very near doing honour ta their Ave Marians -, for, altering their courfe in' the night, and fhutting up their windows ta prevent any of their lights from being feeny diey ( n^ ) tKey had fome chance of efcaping ; but a fmatll crevice in one of the fhutters rendered all their invocations ineffedual •, for through thrs crevice the people on board the Tryal perceived a light, which they chafed, till they arrived within gun- fhot j and then Captain Saunders alarmed them unexpe6tedly with a broadfide^ when they flat- tered themfelves they were got out of his reach : However, for fome time after they ftill kepc the fame fail abroad, and it was not obferved that this^firft falute had made any impreffion on them ; but juft as the Tryal was preparing ta repeat her broad fide, the Spaniards crept from their holes, lowered their fails, and fubmitted without any oppofition. She was one ot the krgeft Merchantmen employed in thofe feas, beifTg about fix hundred tuns burthen, and wa^ called the Arranzazu. She was bound from CaRao to Vcharaifo^ and had much the fame cargoe with the Carmelo wc had taken before^ except that her filver amounted only to about 5000/. fterling. But to balance this fuccefs, we had the mif- fortune to hnd that the Tryal had fprung her main-maft, and that her maintop-mail had come by the board •, and as we were all of us {landing to the eaftward the next morning, with a frefh gale at South, fhe had the additional ill luck ta fpring her fore-maft : So that now (he had not a mail left, on- which fhe could carry faik Thefe unhappy incidents were ilill aggravated by the fmpoflibihty we were juft then under of afiiiling her y for the wind blew fo hard, and raifed fuch a hoi- ( 240 ) a hollow fea, that we could not venture to hoiit out our boat, and confequently could have no communication with her •, fo that we were ob- liged to lie to for the greatefl part of forty-eight hours to attend her, as we could have no thought of leaving her to herfelf in her prefent unhappy fituation : And as an accumulation to our mif- fortunes, we were all the while driving to the, leeward of our llation, at the very time when, by our intelligence, we had reafon to expert feveral of the enemy's (hips would appear; upon the coaft, who would now gain the port of, Valparaifo without obftrudtion. And I am verily ; perfuadcd, that the embarafment we received from the difmafting of tlie ^ry^/, and our abfence from our intended ftation occafioned thereby, deprived us of fome very confiderable captures. The weather proving fomewhat more mode- rate on the 27th, we fent our boat for the Cap- tain of the Tryal^ who, when he came on board us, produced an inftrument, figned by himfeif and all his officers, reprefenting that the Sloop, befides being difmafted, was fo very leaky in her hull, that even in moderate weather it was necef- fary to keep the pumps conftantly at work, and that they were then fcarcely fufficient to keep her free •, fo that in the late gale, though they had all been engaged at the pumps by turns, yet the water had increafed upon them ; and, upon the whole, they apprehended her to be at prefent fo very defedivc, that if they met with much bad wea- ( 241 ) father, they mud all inevitably pcrifli ; aili therefore they petitioned the Commodore to take fome meaiures- for their future iafety. "But the refitting of the "Tryal^ and the repainng'of her defefe, was an undertaking that' in the prefent conjundure greatly exceeded his power ^,' for we had no mails to fpare her, we had no fibres to compleat her rigging, nor had we' any port where flie might be hove down, and her bottorri examined : Befides, had a port arid proper re- quifites for this purpofe been in our poffefii on, yet it would hive been extreme imprudence,' lA fo critical a conjun6lure, to have loitered away fo much time, as would have been necefiarv for thefe operations. The Commodore therefore had no choice \t{t him, but that of taking out her people, and deflroying her: But, 'tf' the' fame time, as he conceived it neceffary for his 'Ma- jefly's fer\ace to keep up the hppearance of our force, he appointed the 'Try an prize (which had been often employed by the Viceroy of Peru a^ a man of war) to be a frigate in* his Majefly'S fervice, manning her with the TryaPs crew, and giving new commiiTions to the Captain and dl the iriferior officers accordingly. This n*ew fri- gate, when in the Spanijh fervice, had mounted thirty-two guns ; but fhe was now to have only twenty, which were the twelve that \^ere on board the Tryal^ and eight that had belonged to the j4nna Pink. When this affair was thus far regulated, Mr. Aitfon gave orders to Captain Saunders to put it in execution, dirc6ling hrm to take out of the Sloop the arms, flores, am.mu- R nition. ( 242 ) tiition, kfld every thing that could be of any ufe to the other fhips, and then to fcuttle her and fink hef . And after Captain Saunders had feen "Ker dellroyed, he was to proceed with his new Trigate (to be called the ^'rydh prize) and to cruife off the highland of Valfaraifo^ keeping it from him N.N. W, at the diflance of twelve or fourteen leagues : For as all fhips bound from Valparaifo to the northward fleer that courfe; Mr. Anfon propofed by this means to flop any Intelligence, that might be difpatched to Callao^ of two cf their fhips being mifTmg, which might give them apprehenfions of the Englift) fquadron being in their neighbourhood. The 'TryaW prize was to continue on this ftation twenty- four days, and, if not joined by the Commodore at the expiration of that term, fhe was then to proceed down the coail to Fifco or Nafca^ where flie would be certain to meet with Mr. Anfon. The Commodore likewife ordered Lieutenant Saumarez^ who commanded the Centurionh prize, to keep comj^ny with Captain Saunders^ both to alTifl him in unloading the Sloop, and alfo that by fpreading in their cruife, there might be lefs danger of any of the enemy's fhips flipping by iinobferved. Thefe orders being difpatched, the Centurion parted from them at eleven in the even- ing, on the 27th of September^ dire6i:ing her courfe to the fouthward, with a view of cruif- ing for fome days to the windward of Valparaifo. And now by this difpofition of our fhips we Hattered'ourfelves, that we had taken all the ad- vantages of the enemy that we pofTibly could with ( ^43 ) with our fmall force, fince our difpofition was doubtlefs the moft prudent that could be pro- jected. For, as we might fuppofe the Gloucejier by this time to be drawing near her ftation off the highland of Paita^ we were enabled, by our fe- parate ftations, to intercept all veflels employed cither betwixt Peru and Chili to the fouthward, or betwixt Panama and Peru to the northward : Since the principal trade from Peru to Chili be- ing carried on to the port of Valparaifo^ the Cen^ turion cruifing to the windward of Valparaifo^ would, in all probability, meet with them, as it is the eonftant pradlice of thofe fhips to fall in with the coall, to the windward of that port : And the Gloucejier would, in like manner, be in the way of the trade bound from Panama or the northward, to any part ot Peru y fince the high- land off which fhe was flationed is conftantly made by all fhips in that voyage. And whilft the Centurion and Gloucejier were thus fituated for interrupting the enemy's trade, the Tryal's prize and Centurion's prize were as conveniently fla tioned for preventing all intelligence, by inter- cepting all Ihips bound from Valparaijo to the northward ; for it was on board thefe veflels that it was to be feared fome account of us might pof- Tibly be fent to Peru, But the moft prudent difpofitions carry with them only a probability of fuccefs, and can never enfure its certainty : Since thofe chances, which it was reafonablc to overlook in deliberaticno, are fometimes of moft pov/erful infiuence in exQ- R 2 cution. ( 244 ) cution. Thus in the prefent cafe, the diflrefs of the Tryal^ and the quitting our ilation to afTifl her (events which no degree of prudence could either forefee or obviate) gave an opportunity to all the fhips, bound to Valparaifo^ to reach that port without moleftation, during this unlucky interval. So tha,t though, after leaving Captaiij Saunders^ we were very expeditious in regaining our ftationj where v/e got the 29th at noon, yet in plying ©n and off till the 6th of O^oher^.^t haxl not the good fortune to difcover a fail of any fort : And then having loft all hopes of making any advantage by a longer ftay, we made fail to the leeward of the port, in order to join our prizes •, but when we arrived on the ftation ap- pointed for them, we did not meet with them, though we continued there four or five days. We fuppofed that fome chace had occafioned their leaving their ftation, and therefore we pro- ceeded down the coaft to the highland of Nafca^ where Captain Saunders was dire6led to join us. Here we arrived on the 21ft, and were in great expe6lation of meeting with fome of the enemy's ftiips on the coaft, as both the accounts of former voyages, and the information of our prifoners af- fured us, that ail ftiips bound to Callao conftantly make this land, to prevent the danger of run- ning to the leeward of the port. But notwith- ftanciing the advantages of this ftation, we faw no l^iil till the 2d of NovembeVy when two ftiips appeared in fight together ; we immediately gave them chace, but foon perceived that .they were the Tryar^ and Centurion's prizes : As they had the (245) ^e wind of us, we brought to and waited theif coming up -, when Captain Sannders came on board us, and acquainted the Commodore, that he had cleared the ^ryal purfuant to his orders, and having fcuttled her, he remained by her till fhe funk, but that it was the 4th of October be- fore this was efFeded ; for there ran fo lar.q-e and hollow a fea, that the Sloop, having neither mails nor fails to fteady her, rolled and pitched fo violently, that it was impolTible for a boat to lay along- fide of her, for the greateft part of the time : Arid during this attendance on the Sloop, they were all driven fo far to the North- weft, that they were afterwards obliged to ftrctch a long way to the weftward to regain the ground they had loft \ which v/as the reafon that we had not met with them on their ftation as we ex- pedled. We found they had not been more for- tunate in their cruife than we were, for they had feen no veilel fmce they feparated from us. The httle fuccefs we all had, and €>ur certainty, that had any fhips been ftirring in thefe feas for fome time paft we muft have met with them, made us believe, that the enemy at Valparaifo^ on the milling of the two ftiips we had taken, had fuf- pecled us to be in the neighbourhood, and had confequently laid an embargo on all the trade in the fouthern parts. We hkewife apprehended, that they might by this time be fitting out the men of war at Callao % for we knew that it was no uncommon thing for an exprefs from Valpa- raifo to reach Lima in twenty-nine or thirty days, R 3 ;ind and It was now more than fifty, fince we had taken our firft prize. Thefe appvehenfions of an embargo along the coafl, and of the equipment of the Sfanijh fquadron at Cdlao^ determined the Commodore to haften down to the leeward of CallaOy and to join Captain Mitchel (who was fla- tioned pfF Paita) as foon as pofTible, that our flrength being united, we might be prepared to. give the fhips from Callao a warm reception, if they dared p put to fea. With this view we bore ^way the fame afternoon, taking particular, care to keep at fuch a diftance from the fhore, that there might be no danger of our being dif- covered from thence ; for we knew that all the country Ihips were commanded, under the fe- yereft penalty, not to fail by the port of Callao without ftopping ; and as this order was con- ftantly complied wuth, we ihould undoubtedly be known for enemies, if we were feen to a(ft contrary to it. In this new navigation, not be- ing certain whether we rpight not meet the Spa- nijh fquadron in our route, the Commodore took on board the Cenlumn part of his crew, with which he had formerly manned the Carmck. And now ftanding to tlie northward, we, be- fore night came on, had a yiew of the fmall Ifland called St. Gallan^ which bore from us N. N. E. I: E, about feyen leagues diflant. This Ifland lies in the latitude of about fourteen de- grees South, and about hyt miles to the north- ward of a highland, called Morro veijo^ or the old man's head. I niention this Ifland, and the highland near it, mere particularly, becaufe be- tween ( 247 ) tween them is the mofl eligible ftation on that coaft for cruifing upon the enemy ; as all fliips bound to Callaoy whether from the northward or the fouthward, run well in with the land in this part. By the 5th of November^ at thre^ in the afternoon, we were advanced within view of the highland of Barranca^ lying in the latitude of 10*^ : 36' South, bearing from us N. E, by E, diflant eight or nine leagues •, and an hour and an half afterwards we had the fatisfadtion we had fo long wilhed for, of feeing a fail. She firft: appeared to leeward, and we all immedi- ately gave her chace -, but the Coiturion fo much outfailed the two prizes, that we foon ran them out of fight, and gained confidcrably on the chace : However, night coming on before we came up with her, we, about feven o'clock, loft fight of her, and were in fome perplexity what courfe to fteer •, but at laft Mr. Anfon re- folved, as \^e were then before the wind, to keep all his fails fet, and not to change his courfe : For though we had no doubt but the chace would alter her courfe in the night ; yet, as it was un- certain v/hat tack ftie would go upon, it was thought more prudent to keep on our courfe, as we muft by this means unavoidably near her, than to change it on conjedlure ; when, if we fhould miftake, we muft infallibly lofe her. Thus then we continued the chace about an hour and half in the dark, fome one or other on board us conftantly imagining they difcerned her fails right a head of us •, but at laft Mr. Brett ^ then our fccond Lieutenant, did really difcover her R 4 about. ( 2484 about four points on the lafboard-bow, fte^mg off- to the feav/ard: We immedUtely clapped the helm a weather, and flood for her ; and jin lefs than an hour came up with her, and having fired fourteen fhot at her, fhe flruck. Our third Lieutenant, Mr. Dennis^ was fent in the boat with fixteen men, to take pofleffion of the prize^, and to return the prifoners to our fhip. This rtiip was named xht Santa T^enfa dejefus^ built i at Guaiaquily of about, three hur.dred tuns bur-- then, and was commanded by Bartolome Urru-^ rMga^ 2. Bifcayer: She was bound from Guaia- quil^Q Callao\ her loading confilled of timber, cacao, coco-nuts, tobacco, hides, Bito thread (which is very ftrong, and is made of a fpecies of grafs) ^Ato cloth, w^ax,- l£c. The fpecies on board her was inconfiderable, being princi- pally fmall filver money, and not amounting to more than 170/. flerling. It is true, her cargoe was of great value, could we have difpofed of it •, but, the Spaniards having fhrid orders never to ranfom their fhips, all the goods that we took in thefe feas, except what little we had occalion. for ourfelves, were of no advantage to us. In- deed, though we could make no proiit thereby ourfelves, it was fome fatisfaclion to us to con- ftderj that it was fo much really loil to theene-; my, and 'that the defpoihng them was no con- temptible branch of that fervice, in which wq were now employed by our country. Behdes our prize's crew, which amounted to^ forty-five hands, there were on boa^d her t^Vi\ pafiengerc, confifting of four men and three wo- ( 249 ) women, who Were natives of the country, born- of Spanijh parents, and three black female flaves' that attended them. The women were a mo- ther and her two daughters, the eldeft about twenty -one, and the youngell:, about fourteen. It is not to be wondered at, that women of thefe years fiiould be excefiively alarmed at the falling into the hands of an enemy, whom, from the former outrages of the Buccaneers, and by the artful infinuations of their Priefts, they had been taught to confider as the moft terrible and brutal of all mankind. Thefe apprehenfions too were in the prefent inftance exaggerated by the fingu- lar beauty of the youngefl of the women, and the riotous difpofition which they might well ex- pert to find in a fet of failors, that had not k^n a woman for near a twelvemonth. Full of thefe terrors, the women all hid themfelves when our officer went on board, and when they were found out, it was with great difficulty that he could perfuade them to approach the light : However, he foon fatisfied them, by the humanity of his condu(fl and his affurances of their future fecu* rity and honourable treatment, that they had no- thing to fear. And the Commodore being in- formed of the matter fent dircdlions that the/ fhould be continued on board their own fhip, with the ufe of the fame apartments, and with all the other conveniencies they had enjoyed be- fore, giving ftrid orders that they Ihouid re- ceive no kind of inquietude or molcftation what^ ever : And that they might be the more certain of having thefe orders complied with, or of cora- 4 plaining ( HO y plaining if they were not, the Commodore per- mitted the Pilot, who in SpaniJJj (hips is gene* rally the fccond perfon on board, to (lay with them, as their guardian and protedor. He was particularly chofen for this purpofe by Mr. Anfon^ as he fcemed to be extremely interefted in all that concerned the women, and had at firft declared that he was married to the youngeft of them *, though it afterwards appeared, both from the information of the reft of the prifoners, and other circumftances, that he had allerted this with a view, the better to fecure them from th« infults they expelled on their firft fallmg into our hands. By this compaftionate and indulgent behaviour of the Commodore, the confteration of our female prifoners entirely fubfided, and they continued eafy and chearful during the whole time they were with us, as I fhall have occafion to mention more particularly hereafter. I have before obferved, that at the beginning of this chace the Centurion ran her two conforts out of fight, for which reafon we lay by all the night, after we had taken the prize, for Captain Saunders and Lieutenant Saumarez to join us, firing guns, and making falfe fires every half hour, to prevent their pafTing us unobfcrved ; but they were fo far a-ftern, that they neither heard nor faw any of oiir fignals, and were not able to come up with us till broad day-light. When they had joined us we proceeded together to the northward, being now four fail in com- pany. We here found the fea, for many miles round us, of a beautiful red colour : This, upon exami- ( 250 examination, we imputed to an immenfc quan?; tity of fpawn fpread upon its furface •, and tak- ing up fome oi the water in a wine-glafs, it foon changed from a dirty afpedl to a clear chryftal^ with only fome red globules of a flimy nature float- ing on the top. And now having a fupply of tim- ber on boar our new prize, the Commodore ordered our boats to be repaired, and a fwivel gun-flock ^0 be fixed in the bow both of the barge and pinnace, in ord^r to increafe their force, in cafe we (hould be obliged to have re- cogrfe to them for boarding fhips, or for any at- tempts on (hore. As we flood from hence to the northward, nothing remarkable occurred for two or three days, though we fpread our fhips in fuch a man- ner, that it was not probable any vefTel of the enemy could efcape us. In our run along this coafl we generally obferved, that there was a current which fet us to the northward, at the rate of ten or tewlve miles each day. And now being in about eight degrees of South latitude, we began to be attended with vafl numbers of flying fifh and bonitos, which were the firfl we faw after our departure from the coafl of Brazil. But it is remarkable, that on the Eaft fide of South America they extended to a much higher latitude than they do on the Wefl fide ; for we did not lofe them on the coafl of Brazil^ till we approached the fouthern tropic. The reafon for this diverfity is doubtlefs the different degrees of heat obtaining in the fame latitude on different fides of that Continent. And on this occafion^ I mufl ( 252 ) I muft beg leave to make, a fhort digreffion ort the heat and cold of different climates, and pn the varieties which occur in the fame place in different parts of the year, and in different places lying in the fame degree of latitude. The Ancients, as appears in many ploccsy conceived that of five zones, into which they divided the furface of the globe, two only were habitable, fuppofing that all between the tropics was too hot, and all within the polar circle too cold to be fupported by mankind. The falfe-» hood of .this reafoning has been long evinceid v but the particular comparifons of the heat and cold of thefe various climates, has as yet been very imperfedlly confidered. However, enough is known fafely to determine this pofition, that all places between the tropics are far from being the hotteft on the globe, as many of thofe with- in the polar circles are far from enduring that extreme degree of cold, to which their fituatioa fliould feem to fubjedt them : That is to fay, in other words, that the temperature of a place depends much more upon other circumftances, than upon its diftance from the pole, or its prox- imity to theequinodial. This propofitlon relates to the general tem- perature of places, taking the whole year round ; and in this fenfe it cannot be denied, but thac the City of London^ for in fiance, enjoys much warmer feafons than the bottom of lludJoif% Bay, which is nearly in the fame ladtude with it ; for there the feverity of the winter is fo great, that it will fcarcely permit the hardiefl of our gardea ( 253 ) garden plants to live. And if the comparifoil be made between the coaft of Brazil and the weilern lliore of South America^ as for exam- ple, betwixt Bahia and Linia^ the difference will be ilill more remarkable •, for though the coaft of Bra:dl is extremely fuitry, yet the coaft of the South- Seas in the fame latitude is perhaps as temperate and tolerable as any par;: of the globe ; fince in ranging along it, we did not once meet with fo warm weather, as is frequent in a fumr mer's day in England : And this was the more rematkable, as there never fell any rains to re- frefh and cool the air. The caufes of this temperature in the South- Seas are not difficult to be afilgned, and ftiall be hereafter mentioned. I am now only folicitous to eftablifh the truth of this affcrtion, that the latitude of a place alone is no rule whereby to judge of the degree of heat and cold which ob- tains there. Perhaps this pofition might be more briefly confirmed, by obferving, that on the tops of the AndeSy though under the eqinoc- tial, the fnow never melts the whole year round; a criterion of cold, ftronger than what is known to take place in many parts far removed within the polar circle. I have hitherto confidered the temperature of the air all the year through, and the groli efti- mations of heat and cold which every one makes from his own fenfation. If this matter be examined by means of Thermometers, which in refped to the abfoluce degree of heat and cold ^e doubtlefs the moft unerring evidences ; if this this fee d6nc, the rcfult will be indeed mbft wonderful : For it will appear that the heat in very high latitudes* as at Peterjhurgh for in^ ftance, is at partlculiar times much greater than any that has been hitherto obferved between the tropics ; and that even at Lpndon, in the year 1746, there was the part of one day confidera- bly hotter than what was at any time felt by a fhip of Mr. Jnfons fquadron, in running from hence to Cape Horn and back again, and paffing twice under the fun •, for in the fummer of that year, the thermometer in London fbeing one of thofe graduated according to the method of Farenheit) ftood once at 78^ •, and the greateft height at which a thermometer of the fame kind ftood in the foregoing flilp, I find to be 76° : This was at St. Catherine's^ in the latter end of December^ when the fun was within about three degrees of ihe vertex. And as to Peterjburghy I find, by the a6ts of the academy eftablifhed there, that in the year i734f on the 20th and 25th of July^ the thermometer rofe to 98^ in the (hade, that is, it was twenty-two divifions higher than it was found to be at St. Catherine 5 \ which is a degree of heat that, were it not au- thorifed by the regularity and circumfpedlion with which the obfervations feem to have been made, would appear altogether incredible. If it fhould be afked, how it comes to pafs then, that the heat in many places between the tropics is efteemed fo violent and infufferable, when it appears by thefe inftances, that it is fometimes rivalled or exceeded in very high la- titudes, -dtudes not far from the polar circle ? I fhould anfwer, that the eftimation of heat in any par- ticular place, ought not to be founded upon that degree of heat which may now and then obtain there, but is rather to be deduced from the medium obferved in a whole feafon, or per- haps in a whole year : And in this light it will cafily appear, how much more intenfe the fame degree of heat may prove, by being long con- tinued without remarkable variation. For in- flance, in comparing together St. Catherine's and P^terfhurgh^ we will fuppofe the fummer heat at St. Catherine's to be '76^, and the win- ter heat to be twenty divifions fhort of it ; I do not make ufe of this laft conjeclure upon fuf- ficient obfervation ; but I am apt to fufpedl, that the allowance is full large. Upon this fuppofition then, the medium heat all the year round will be 66^ ^ and this perhaps by night as well as day, with no great variation : Now thofe who have attended to thermometers will readily own, that a continuation of this degree of heat for a length of time would by the gene- rality of mankind be ftiled violent and fufFo- cating. But now at Peterjburgh^ though a few times in the year the heat, by the thermometer, may be confiderably greater than at St. Cathe- rine's^ yet, ^as at other times the cold is im- menfely Iharper, the medium for a year, or even for one feafon only, would be far Ihort of 66^. For I find, that the variation of the ther- mometer at Petcrjhin'gh is at lead five times greater, from its higheft to its loweil point, than what I ( 256 ) what I' feve fuppofed to^ take place fk Sr. CaH thmm*^^ ' . . - • But befides tliis- -eftihiation of the' heat of" a felaccy -by taking the tnedium for a confiderable time ■ together, • there h another circumilancc Which will flill augment the apparent heat of the warmer cHmates, and diminifh that of the cold^/ though Idb not remember to have feen {freitrairked in any author. To explain my- fd^ iTOre- diftindtly upon this head, I muft ob- fe^Y' ri'.af the meafure of abfoiute heat, mark- dd*bytllfe- thermometer^' is riot the certain ■ crite- non '9f the fenfatibn of heat, with which hu- fiian^lDMies are affedled: For as the prefence aiilf perpetual fuccelTioh of frefh air is neceflary t6"our refpiration, fo there isa fpecics of tainted ibi ilagriated ah:, which is often produced by the eotiBritiance of great lieats, which never fails to ex^dte iri us an idea of fultrinefs arrd fuffocating warmth, much bey 6hd what the rrtere heat of the- aiir iione^' fuppbfing it pure and . agitated, would 6rcafion. ■' Hence iC foUbwSj .that the mere1nfpe6liOn of the therrriometer will nevefj determine the heat which the human body feels from this caufe •, and hence it^'fbllows too, that the heat -in moft'places between' the tropics muft^ be ''much' more tfoubleforrie and uneafyi than the fame degree of abfoiute heat iria high lati- tude: For the equability and duration. of the tropical heat contribute to impregnate the air with a multitude of fteams and vapours from the foil and water, and thefe being, many of them, of an impure and noxious kind, and be- ing ( 257 ) Jflg oot cafily removeJ, by reafon of the regu- larity of the winds in thofe parts, which only fhift the exhalations from place to place, with- out difperfing them, the atmofphcre is by this means rendered lefs proper for refpiration, and mankind are confequently affefted with what they flile a moft intenfe and (lifting heat 2 Whereas in the higher latitudes thefe vapours are probably raifed in fmaller quantities, and the irregularity and violence of the winds fre- quently difperfe them -, fo that, the air being in general pure and lefs flagnant, the fame degree of abfolute heat is not attended with that un- cafy and fuffocating fenfation. This may fufHcc in general with refpe^fl to the prefent fpecula- tion ; but I cannot help wilhing, as it is a fub- je6t in wj;iich mankind, efpecially travellers of all forts, are very much interelled, that it were more thoroughly and accurately examined, and that all fhips bound to the warmer climates would furniih themfelves with thermometers of a known fabric, and would obferve them daily, and regifter their obfervations j for confidering the turn to philofophical fubjedls, which has obtained in Europe for the lafl fourfcore years, it is incredible how very rarely any thing of this l^ind hath been attended to. For my own part, I do not recollect that I have ever ^ttn any obfer- vations of the heat and cold, either in the Eaft or Weft'IndieSy which were made by mariners or officers of veflels, except thofe made by Mr. Anfon\ order, on board the Centurion^ and by Captain Leg on board the Severity which was another Ihip of our fquadron, S This ( 258 ) This digreflion I have been in fom6 meafiii^' drawn into, by the confideration of the fine weather we met with on the coaft of Peru^ even under the equinoctial itfelf, but the par- ticularities of this weather I have not yet de- fcribed : I fhall now therefore add, that in this climate every circumftance concurred,, that could render the open air and the day-light defirable. For in other countries the fcorching heat of the* fun in fummer renders the greater part of the day unapt either for labour or amufement ; and the frequent rains are not lefs troublcfome in the more temperate parts of the year. But in this happy climate the fun rarely appears : Not that the heavens have at any time a dark and gloomy look ; but there is conftantly a chearful grey flcy, juft fufficient to Icreen the fun, and to mitigate the violence of its perpendicular rays, without obfcuring the air, or tinging the day-light with- an unpleafant or melancholy hue. By this means all parts of the day are proper for labour or exercife abroad^ nor is there wanting, that re- firelhment and pleafing 'refrigeration of the air, which is fometimes produced in other cli- mates by rains ; for here the fame effedl is brou^t about, by the frefh breezes from the cooler regions to the fouthward. It is reafona- ble to fuppofe, that this fortunate complexion^ df the heavens is principally owing to the neigh- bourhood of thofe vaft hills, called the Andes y which running nearly parallel to the fhore, and at afmall diftance from it, and extending them- iclves" immenlcly higher than any other ifioun- taiil^ t ^59 ) lains iipon the globe, form upon theif fitfes arid declivities a prodigious tvaS: of country, where^ according to the different approaches to the fammit, all kinds of climates may at all feafons of tlie year be found. Thefe mountains, by intercepting great part of the eaftern winds which generally blow over the Continent of South America, and by cooling that part of the air which forces its way over their tops, and by keeping bcfides a prodigious extent of the at^ mofphere perpetually cool, by its contiguity td the fnows with which they are covered ^ thefe hills, I fay, by thus extending the intitience of their frozen crefts to the neighbouring coails and feas of Perii^ arc doubtlefs the caufe ©f the temperature and equability which conilantly pre- vail there. For when we were advanced beyond the equinodtial, where thefe mountains left us,- and had nothing to fereen us to the eaftward, but the high lands on the lithmus of Panama^ which are but mole -hi lis to the Aftdes, we then foon found that in a Ihort run we had totally changed our clrmate, paffing in two or three days from the temperate air of Peru, to the fultry burning atmofphere of the Weft-Indies, But it is time to return to our narration. On the I oth of AVj^w/*^r we were three leagues South of the fou'thermoft IQand of Lbhos, lying !n the latitude 6^: 27' South : There are two IQands of this name ; this, called Lohos de Id Mar •, and another, which hes to thfe northward of it, very much refembling it in fhape and appearance, and often miftakcn for it, called S 2 Lvhoi ( 26o ) Lohos de tiena. We were now drawing near to the ftation appointed to the Gloucejler, for which realbn, fearing to mifs her, we made an eafy fail all night* The next morning, at day-break, we faw a fhip in fhore, and to windward, plying up to the coaft : She had pafled by us with the favour of the night, and we foon perceiving her not to be the Gloucejler, got our tacks on board, and gave her chace •, but it proving very little wind, fo that neither of us could make much way, the Commodore ordered the barge, his pinnace and the Trj^fs pinnace to be manned and armed, and to purfue the chace and board her. Lieutenant Brett ^ who commanded the barge, came up with her firfl, about nine o'clock, and running along-afide of her, he fired a volley of irnall fliot between the mads, juft over the heads of the people on board, and .then inftantly entered with the greateft part of his men •, but the enemy made no refillancc, being fuflicLently frightened by the dazzling of the cutlafTcs, and tlie volley they had juft re- ceived. Lieutenant Brett ordered the faihi to be trimmed, and bore down to the Commo- dore, taking up in his way the two pinnaces. When he was arrived within about four miles of us he put off in the barge, bringing with him a number of the prifoners, who had given him fome material intelligence, which he was de- firous the Commodore fhould be acquainted with as loon as poflible. On his arrival we learnt, that the prize was Called Nueftra Senora del Car- min, of about two hundred and feventy tuns burthen ; ( 26i ) burthen •, ilie was commanded by Marcos Mo- rfnay a native of. Tenicey and had on board forty - thitt mariners : She was deep laden with fleel, ^)epper, cedar, plank, fnuff, rofarios, ^..r:^cun bale goods, powder-blue, cinnamon, -?^ -":;1> indulgencies, and other fpecies of mer- ciu.i.diz€: And though this cargoe, inbiirpre- fent circumifances, was but of little value to us, yet with refped: to the Spaniards^ it was the moft confiderable capture that fell into our hands in this part of the world i for it amounted to up- wards of 400,000 dollars prime coft at Panama. This fhip was bound to Callaoy and had flopped at Paita in her pafTage, to take in a recruit of water and provifions, and had not left that place above twenty-four hours, before fhe fell into our hands. I have mentioned that Mr. Brett Jiad received fome important intelligence from the prifoners which he endeavoured to acquaint the Commo- dore with immediately. The firft perfon he re- ceived it from (though upon further examina- tion it was confirmed by the other prifoners) was one Job)i Wiliams^ an Trijhman^ whom he found on board the Spanijh veiTel. JVilliams was a Pa- pill, who worked his pafTage from Cadiz, and had travelled over all the kingdom of Mexico as a Pedlar : He pretended, that by this hufincfs he had got 4 or 5000 dollars, but that he was embarralTed by the Priefts, who knev/ he had liioney, and was at laft ftript of all he had. He was indeed at prefent all in rags, being but juft got gut of Paita goal, where he had been 11^, " ' ^ 3 con. ( 262 ) confined for fome mirdemeanor : he exprcfled great joy upon feeing his countrymen, and im- mediately informed them, that a few days be-: fore, a veflel came into Faita-^ where the Mailer of her informed the Governor, that he had beeri chafed in the offing by a very large Ihip, which from her fize, and the colour of her fails, he was perfuaded mult be one of the EngliJIo fqua- dron : This we then conjedured to have been the GJoucefier^ as we aftei'wards found it was. The Governor, upon examining the Mailer, was fully fatisned of his relation, and immediately ftht -away an expvefs to Lir,ia to acquaint the Vicei-"oy therewith : And the Royal Officer re- fiding at Paita^ being apprehenfive of a vifit fi-om the Englijh^ was bufily employed in re- jgaoving the King's treafure and his own to Piura^ ' a town within land, about fourteen leagues diflant. We further learnt from our prifoners, that there was a very confiderabk fum of money belonging to fome Merchants at Zima^ that was now lodged at the Cuflom-houfe at Paita ; and that this was intended to be ffiip- ped on board a veflel, which was then in the port of Paita^ and was preparing to fail with the utmoll expedition, being bound for the bay of Sofifonnate^ on the coaft of Mexico^ in order to purchafe a part of the cargoe of the Manila, Ihip. This veflel at P^//^ was efteemed a prime failor, and had jufl received a new coat of tal- low on her bottom ; and, in the opinion of the prifonei-s, ffie might be able to fail the fucceed- ing .morning. The cha^ader they gave us of this (263 ) this veflel, on which the money was to- be fhlp- ped, left us Uttle reafon to believe that our Ihip, which had been in the water near two years, could have any chance ot coming up with hei;, if we once fufFered her to efcape out of the Port. And therefore, as we were now dif- covered, and the coaft would be foon alarmed, and as our cruifing in thefe parts any longer would anfwer no purpofe, the Commodore re- solved to furprizc the place, having firft mi- nutely informed himfelf of its ftrength and condition, and being fully fatisfied, that there was little danger of lofmg many of our men in the attempt. This furprize of Taita^ befides the treafure it prom i fed us, and its being the only enterprize it was in our power to under- take, had thefe other advantages attending ir, that we fhould in all probability fupply our- felves with great quantities of live provifion, of which v/e were at this time in want : And we fhould likewife have an opportunity of Set- ting our prifoners on Ihore, who were now very numerous, and made a greater confump- tion of our food than our flock that remained was capable of furnifhing long. In all thefe lights the attempt was a mofl eligible one, and what our neceflities, our fituation, and every prudential confide ration, prompted us to. How it fucceeded, and how far it anfwered our expec- tations, fhall be the fubjed of the following chapter. S 4. CHAR ^-264 ) *^-''^" CHAP. VI. The taking of Pai f a, 2.nd our proceedings till •lo zr ^^ igf^ jj^^ ^Q^^ Qf p^^^^ TH E town of Paita is fituated fif tile lati- tude of 5°: 1 2' South) in a mofl barren foil, rompofed only of fand and flate : The ex- tent of it (as may be feen in the plan of it) is but fmall, containing in all lefs than two hundred families. The houfes are only ground- floors ; the walls built of fplit cane and mud, and the roofs thatched with leaves : Thefe edi- fices, though extremely flight, are abundantly fufficient for a-climate, where rain is confldered as a prodigy, and is not feen in many years : So that it is faid, that a fmall quantity of rain falling in this country in the year 1728, it ruined a great number of buildings, which moul- dered away, and as it were melted before it. The inhabitants of Paita are principally Indians and black flaves, or at leafl a mixed breed, the whites being very few. The port of Paita^ though in reality little more than a bay, is efl:eemed the befl: on that part of the coaft j and is indeed a very fecure and commodious anchor- age. It is greatly frequented by all veflels com- ingfrom the North;' iince it is here only that the (hips from Aeapulco, Sonfonnate^ Realeijo and Pana- wj,can touch and refrefli in their paflagetoC^&^j" And the length of tliefe voyages (the wind for the greateft part of the year being full againft: them) ( 2*5 ) them) renders it impoflible to perform them without calling upon the coaft for a recruit of frefh water. It is true, Paita is fituated on fo parched a fpot, that it does not itfelf ^ furnilh a drop of frefh water, or any kind of greens or provifions, except fifh and a few goats : But there is an Indian town called Colan, about two or three leagues diftant to the aorthward, from whence water, maize, greens, fowls, is^c. arc brought to Paita on balfas or floats, for the con- veniency of the ihips that touch here ; and cat- tle are fometimes brought from Piura^ a town which lies about fourteen leagues up in the coun- try. The water brought from Colan is whitilh, and of a difagreeable appearance, but is faid to be very whollbme : For it is pretended by the inhabitants, that it runs through large woods of farfaparilla, and that it is fenfibly impregnated therewith. , This port of Pj/Vj, befides furnilh- ing the. northern trade bound to CallaOy with water and ne.cefTaries, is the ufual place where paffengers from Acapulco or Panama^ bound to i.ima^ difembarki for, as it is two hundred leagues from hence to Callao^ the port of Lima^ and as the wind is generally contrary, the paf- f^ge by Tea is very tedious and fatiguing, but by land there i& a tolerable good road parallel to the coaft, with many ftations and villages for the accomnjod^tion of travellers. It appears by the plan, that the town of Paita is itfelf an open plaqe \ fo that its fole protec- tion and defence is the fort marked (B) in the plan, pl^e the twenty-third. It was of confc- quence ( 266 ) qu«ice to us to be well informed of the fabriclj; and ftrength of this fort ; and by the examina- tion of our prifoners av^ found, that, there were eight pieceis of cannon n^^ounted in it, but that it had neither ditch nor outwork, being only furrounded by z plain brick wall ; and that the garriion confifted of only one weak company, but the town itfelf might pOiTibly arm three hundred men more. Mr. Jnfon having informed himfelf of the ftrength of the place, refolved (as hath been faid in the preceding chapter) to attempt it that^ very night. We were then about twelve leagues diftant from the fhore, far enough to prevent our being difcovered -, yet not fo far, but that by making all the fail we could, we might ar- rive in the bay with our iTiips in the night. However, the Commodore prudently confklered, that this would be an improper method of pro- ceeding, as our fhips, being fuch large bodies, might be eafily difcovered at a diftance even in the night, and might thereby alarm the inhabi- tants, and give them an opportunity of remov- ing their valuable effecls. He therefore, as the ftrength of the place did not require our whole force, refolved to attempt it with our boats only, ordering the eighteen oared barge, and our own and the Tryal's pinnaces on that fervice ; and having picked out fifty-eight men ta man them, -well provided with drms and ammunition, he gave the command of the expedition to Lieute^ nant ^rett, and gave him his neceffary orders, At\d 'the better to prevent the difappointment ' ' and ( 267 ) aiid confu(ion which might arile from the darkr nefs of the night, and the ignorance of the ftreets and pafTages of the place, two of the Spr.nijb Pi- lots were ordered to attend the Lieutenant, and to conduct him to the moil convenient landing- place, and were afterwards to be his guides on fhore ; and that we might have the greater fe- curity for their faithful behaviour on this occa-. fion ; the Commodore took care to aflure all our prifoners, that, if the Pilots a6led properly, they fhould all of them be releafed, and let oi\ ihore at this place ; but in cafe of any mifcondu<3; or treachery, he threatened them that the Pilots fhould be inftantly fhot, and that he would carry all the reft of the Spaniards ^ who were on board him, prifoners to England, So that the pri- foners themfelves were interefted in our fuccefs, and therefore we had no reafon to fufpedl our Condudlors either of negligence or perfidy. And on this occafion I cannot but remark a fmgular circumftance of one of the Pilots em- ployed by us in this bufmefs. It feems (as we afterwards learnt) he had been taken by Captain Clipperton above twenty years before, and hacl been forced to lead Clippertcn and his people to the furprife of fruxillo, a town within land to the fouthward of PaUa, where however he contrived to alarm his countrymen, and to fave them, though the place was taken. Now that the only two attempts on fhore, which were made at fo long an interval from each other, fliould be guided by the fame perfon, and he too a prifoner both times, and forced upon the employ con- ga^-y C 26S y trary to his inclination, is an incident fo very ex- traordinary, that I could not help taking notice of it. But to return to the matter in hand. During our preparations, the fhips themi'elves il©od towards the Port with all the fail they could make, being fecurc that we were yet at too great a diftance to be feen. But about ten o'clock at night, the fhips being then within live leagues of the place. Lieutenant Brett ^ with the boats under his command, put off, and arrived at the mouth of the bay without being difco- vered -, but no fooner had he entered it, than fome of the people, on board a veflel riding at anchor there, perceived him, who inftantly put off in their boat, rowing towards the fort, fhout- ing and crying, the Englijh^ the Englijh dogs^ &c. by which the whole town was fuddenly alarmed, and our people foon obferved feveral lights hur- rying backwards and forwaais in the fort, and other marks of the inhabitants being in great motion. Lieutenant Br^t^ on this, encouraged his men to pull brifkly up to the (hore, diat they might give the enemy as little time as pof- (ible to prepare for their defence. However, before our boats could reach the (hore, the peo- ple in the fort had got ready fomc of their can> non, and pointed them towards the landing- place ; and though in the darknefs of the night it might be well fuppofed that chance had a greater fhare than (kill in their diredion, yet the firll: (hot pafTed extremely near one of the boats, v/hiftling juft over the heads of the crew, This made our people redouble their efforts •, fo that they ( 269 ) they had reached the Ihore, and were In part di£ir embarked by the time the fecond gun fired. As Toon as our men landed, they were condudled by one of die Sfanijh Pilots to the entrance of a narrow ftrect, not above- fifty yards diflant from the beach, where they were covered from the lire of the fort ; and being formed in the bell manner the fhortnefs of the time would allow^ they immediately marched for the parade, which was a large Iquare at the end of this ftreet, the fort being one fide df the fquare, and t^e Gover- nor's houfe another, as may be feen more di- Hindly in the plan, where likewife the road they took from their landing to the fort is marked out by a prickt line. In this march (though performed with tolerable regularity) th© ihouts and clamours of threefcore failors, who had been confined lb long on fliip-board, and were now for the firft: time on fhore in an enemy's country, joyous, as they always are, when they land, and animated bcfides in the prefent cafe with the hopes of an immenfe pillage ; the huzza's, I fay, of this fpirited detachment, joined with the noife of their drums, and favoured by the night, had augmented their numbers, in the opinion of the enemy, to at leafl three hundred ; by which perluafion the inhabitants were fo greatly intimi- dated, that they were mucji more folicitous about the means of their flight than of their refifl- ance : So th^t though upon entering the parade, our people received a volley from the Merchants who owned the treafure then in the town ; and who, with a few others, had ranged thcmfelves in in ^ gallery that ran round the Governor's houfe; yet that poft was immediately abandoned upori the firft fire made by our people, who were thereby left in quiet poffeiTion of the parade. On this fuccefs Lieutenant Brett divided hif men into two parties, ordering one of them to iurround the Governor's houfe^ and if pofilble to fecure the Governor, whilft he himfelf with the other marched to the fort, with an intent tx> force it. But, (Contrary to his expedation, he entered it without oppofition ; for the enemy ^ on his approach, abandoned it, and made the'if ^fcape over the walls. By this means the whole place was mattered in lefs than a quarter of an hour's time from the firft landing, with no other lofs than that of one man killed on the fpot, and rw^o wounded; one of which was the Sfanijh Pilot of the T^ertfa^ who received a flight bruife by a ball which grazed on his wrift : Indeed ano- ther of the company, the Honourable Mx.Kepple^ fon to the Earl of Albemarle^ had a very narrow efcape •, for having on a jocky cap, one fide of the peak was ihaved off clofe to his temple by a ball, which however did him no other injury. And norw Lieutenant Brett^ after this fuccefs, placed a guard at the fort, and another at the Governor's houfe, and appointed centinels at aU the avenues of the town, both to prevent any fur- prize from the enemy, and to fecure the eftefts i-n the place from being embezzled. And this being done, his next care was to fcize on the Cuftom-houfe where the treafure lay, and to examine if any of the inhabitants remained in the to-v^nj ( 271 ) ■ffewn,- fhat he might know what farther precdtr-' tions it was neceffaiy to take •, but he foon found that the nunrtbers left behind were no ways for- midable : For the greateft part of them (being in bed when the place was furprized) had run away with fo much precipitation, that they had not given thcmfelves time to put on their cloaths. And in this precipitate rout the Governor was not the laft to fccure himfelf, for he fled betimes half naked, leaving his wife, a young Lady of about feventeen years of age, to whom he had been married but three or foyr days, behind him, though Ihe too was afterwards carried off m her fhift by a couple of centinels, juft as the detachment, ordered to inveft the houlc, arrived before it. This efcape of the Governor was are tinpleafing circumftance, as Mr. Anfon had par- ticularly recommended it to Lieutenant Brett to lecure his pcrfon, if poffible, in hopes that by that means we might be able to treat for the ran- fom of the place : But it feems his alertnefs ren- dered it impofTible to feize him. The few in- habitants who remained were confined in one of the churches under a guard, except fome llout Negroes which were found i-n the place ; thefe, milead of being fhut up,- were employed the remaining part of the night to afTifl in carrying the treafure from the Cuftom-houfe and othei^ places to the fort : However, there was care taken that they fhould be always attended by a file of mufqueteers. ^ The tranfporting the treafure from the Cuf- tom-houfe to'iiiij^fort:, was the principal occupa- tion ( ^72 ) tion of Mr. Bre/i's people, after he had got pof- feflion of the place. But the failors, while they were thus employed, could not be prevented from cntring the houfes which lay near them, in fcarch of private pillage. And the firft things which occurred to them, being the cloaths which the Spaniards in their flight had left behind them, and which, according to the cuftom of the coun- try, were moft of them either embroidered or laced, our people eagerly feized thefe gUttcring habits, and put them on over their own dirty trowfers and jackets ; not forgetting, at the fame time, the tye or bag-wig and laced hat, which were generally found with the cloaths ; and when this pradice was once begun, there was no preventing the whole detachment from imitating it : And thofe, who came lateft into the falhion, not finding mens cloaths fufficient to equip themfelves, they were obliged to take up with womens gowns and petticoats, which (provided there was finery enough) they made no fcruple of putting on, and blending with their own greafy drefs. So that when a party of them thus ridiculoufly metamorphifed firft appeared before Mr. Brett^ he was extreamly furpized at their appearance, and could not immediately be fatisfied they were his own people. Thefe were the tranfadtions of our detachment on (here at Paita the firft night. And now to return to what was done on board the Centurm in that interval. I muft obferve, that after the boats were gone off, we lay by till one o'clock in the morning, and then fuppofing our datach- ment in'efitfo'be ne^r 'landing, we made an ea^ la|l fbr the bay. About feven in^ the morning wp began to open the bay/ nn'd fdcn after v:e hacl a view of the t :o rea- . ion to doubt of the luccels pi:^ the enterpr^2e> yet ft was with great joy that we nril difcov^re^ an hifallib^e riQ:K-]. of tl;e ccrtamty of our hope's' j ^His Vv. .' CM' perfpeftives, f9r,thro* tjfem vvc favv an EngliJJj flag hoifiied" pn the ilag-i ftaff of the fort:, which to lis was an incontefla- ble proof ^t hat our people had got poffcflion of tRetdvvEiclla,"tJien^WewIJ)^ fhorc, ' would permit us;. And at elevjei^ th§ Ti-ycir?, bode pme on boai-d,us, joaden with^dol,- lars antf cKufch-plate v and ti^e oiBccr wJ^ com^ mandt>.' ' .■ " - lormed us o^.the preceding fight's tranfaccioii.s, fuch as we have already. :^^ed them. ABout tv n in the afternoon we came to an anchor in tc: . .. ...iJ. :. half, at a nxiie;a£>4 a half diltancq: from jr^tQwn, and..wQi?e Gft^fej qutntly ne^r. enough to h4^[e. a more in\Ti-i^i^m interccurf.' with tlv-'^^- r.r-' n.rire. . And mov/ ^e found tlyc. Mr. Z. . .iieita gone qa i|ji colle6ting.and removing thertr^afure.withQyt^jiit, terruption •, but that the, enemy , had -reutlez- voufed frpm all parts of the pountry on a, hill, at the, back .of the. town, vvhere they made, no inconfi^^isa-l^le appearancejf^^yoF arnongft, the red o^.^their. forc,e, tl^exe. were two hundred ho rfe ^eamingly,yery,weij arme^, and mpuntcd,- and, ^s we cojiceived, properly trained and rc^i*. inented, being furnifhed with trumpets, drums T and ( 274 ) and ftandards. Thefe troops paraded about the hill .with great oftentation, founding their mili- tary niufick, and pradlifing every art to intimi- date us, (as our numbers on fhore were by this time not unknown to them) in hopes that we might be induced by our fears to abandon the place before the pillage was compleated. But we were not fo ignorant as to believe, that this body of horfe, which feemed to be what the enemy principally depended on, would dare to venture in flreets and among lioufes, even had their numbers been three times as great ; and therefore, notwithftanding their menaces, we went on, as long as the day-light lafled, calmly, in fending off the treafure, and in employing the boats to carry on board the refrelhmentj, fuch as hogs, fowls, y^. which we found here in great abundance. But at night, to prevent any furprize, the Commodore fent on fhore a rein- forcement, who pofted themfelves in all the ftreets, leading to the parade ; and for their greater fecurity, they traverfed the ftreets with barricadoes fix feet high : And the enemy con- tinuing quiet all night, we, at day-break, re- turned again to our labour of loading the boats, and fending them off. By this time we were convinced of what con- fequence it would have been to us, had fortune feconded the prudent views of the Commodore, by permitting us to have fecured the Governor. For WT found in the place many ftore-houfes full of valuable effeds, which were ufelefs to us at prefent, and fuch as we could not find room for on ( 275 ) fen board. But had the Governor been in our power, he would, in all probability, have treat- ed for a ranfom, which would have been ex- tremely advantageous both to him arid us: Whereas, he being now at liberty, and having colledted all the force of the country for many leagues round, and having even got a body of 'mihtia from Piura^ which was fourteen leagues diftant, he was fo elated with his numbers, and fo fond of his new military command, that he feemed not to trouble himfelf about the fate of his Government. So that though Mr. An/on fent feveral meiTages to him by the inhabitants, who were in our power, dc firing him to enter into a treaty for the ranfom of the town and goods, giving him, at the fame time, an inti- mation that he fhould be far from infilling on a rigorous equivalent, but perhaps might be fatif- fied with fome live cattle, and a few neccflarics for the ufe of the fquadron, and aflTurino- him too, that if he would not condefcend at leail tp treat, he would fet fire to the town, and all the warehoufcs 5 yet the Governor was fo imprudent and arrogant, that he defpifed all thefe reiterated applications, and did not deign even to return the leail: anfwer to them. On the fecond day of our being in poflefTion of the place, feveral Negroe Haves deferted from the enemy on the hill, and comino- into the town, voluntarily entered into cur fervice : One of thefe was well known to a Gendeman on board, who remembered him formerly at Panama. And the Spaniards without the town T 2 being ( 276 ) being In extreme want ot water, many of theif flaves crept into the place by ftealth> and car- ried away Teveral jars of water to their mailers on the liill ; and though fome of them were leized by our men in the attempt, yet the third amongft the enemy was fo prefling, that they continued this practice till we left the place. And now, on -this fecond day we were affured, both by the deferters and by thefe prifoners we took, that the Spaniards on the hill, who were by this time encreafed to a formidable number,, had refolved to ftorm the town and fort the fucceeding night ; and that one Gordon^ a Scotch Papifl, and Captain of a fhip in thofe feas, was to have the command of this enterprize. But we, notwithfbnding, continued fending off our boats, and profecuted our work without the leafl hurry or precipitation till the evening $• and then a reinforcement was again fent on fhore by the Commodore, and Lieutenant Brett doubled his guards at each of the barricadoes ; and our polls being connected by the means of centinels placed within call of each other, and the whole being vifited by frequent rounds, at- tended with a drum, thefe marks of our vigi- lance which the enemy could not be ignorant of^ as they could doubtkfs hear the drum, if not the calls of the centinels ; thefe marks, I fay,, of our vigiLmce, and of our readinefs to receive them, cooled their refolution, and made them; lorgct the vaunts of the preceding day ; fo that we paffed this fecond night with as little mo^ leftation as v/e had done the firH. 4 . We ( ^11 ) We had finifhed fending the Xreafure on board the Centurion the evening before ; fo that the third morning, being the 1 5th of November^ the bocits were employed in carrying off the moil valuable part of tlie etfeds that remained in the town. And the Commodore intending to fail this day, he, about ten o'clock, purfuant to his promife, fent all his prifoners, amounting to eighty-eight, on fnore, giving orders to Lieutenant Brett to fecure them in one of the churches, under a ftrid guard, till he was ready to embark his men. Mr. Brett was ac the fame time ordered to fet the whole town on fire, except the two churches (which by good fortune flood at fome diilance from the other houfes) r.nd then he was to abandon the place, and to come on board. Thefe orders were punctually complied with •, for Mr. Brett im- mediately fet his men to work, to dlilribute pitch, tar, and other combullibles (of which great quantities were found here) into houfes fituated in different ilreets of the town, fo that, the place being fired in many quarters at the fame time, the deftruClion might be more vio- lent and fudden, and the enemy, after our de- parture, might not be able to extinguifh it.-' Thefe pi^eparations being made, he, in the next place, ordered the cannon, which he found in the fort, to be nailed up ; and then fetting fire to thofe houfes which were moil windward, he collected his men, and marched towards the beach, where the boats waited to carry them ofiF. And the part of the beach where he in- I' 3 tended i ^7^ D tended; tg embr.rk being an open place without the town, near where the churches are marked i [1, the foremen cioned plan, the Spaniards on the ,^l]l pei-jCeiving he was retreating, refolved to 'try if they could not precipitate his departure, and thereby lay fome foundation for their future boafting. And for this purpofe a fmall fqua- dron of their horfe, confiding of about fixty, picked out, as I fuppofe, for this fervice, marched down the hill with much feeming re- folution ; fo that, had we not been prepoffefTed with a jufter opinion of their prowefs, we might have fufpeded, that now we were on the open beach with no advantage of fituation, they would certainly have charged us : But we pre- fumed (and we were not miftaken) that this was mere oftentation. For, notwithftanding the pomp and parade they advanced with, Mr. Breti had no fooner ordered his men to halt and face about, but the enemy Hopped their career, and never dared to advance 4 ftep further. When our people were arrived at their boats, and were ready to go on board, they were for fome time delayed, by mifling one of their number; bpt being unable, by their mutual enquiries amongft each other, to inform them- felves where he was left, or by what accident he was detained, they, after a confiderable de- lay, refolved to get into their boats, and to put off without him. And the lafl man was adually embarked, and the boats juft putting off, when they heard him calling to them to take him in. The town was by this time fo thoroughly on fire, ( '^l^ ) fire, and the fmoke covered the beach fo effeC' tually, that they could Icarcely fee him, though they heard his voice. The Lieutenant inflantly ordered one of the boats to his reHef, who found him up to the chin in water, for he had waded as far as he durft, being extremely fright- ned with the apprehenfions of failing into the hands of an enemy, enraged, as they doubtlefs were, with the pillage and deftrudion of their town. On enquiring into the caufe of his flay- ing behind, it was found that he had taken that morning too large a dofe of brandy, which had thrown him into fo found a fleep, that he did not awake till the fire came near enough to fcorch him. He was flrangely amazed on firft opening his eyes, to fee the place all in a blaz- on one fide, and feveral Spaniards and Indians not far from him on the other. The greatneis and fuddennefs of his fright infbantly reduced him to a flate of fobriety, and gave him fu/fici- ent prefence of mind to pufh through the thickeft of the fmoke, as the likelieft means to efcap^ the enemy •, and making the befl of his way to the beach, he ran as far into the water as he duril, (for he CDuld not fwim) before he ventured to look back. And here I cannot but obferve, to the honour of our people, that though there were great quantities of wine and fpirituous liquors tound in the place, yet this man was the only one who was known to have fo far negledted his duty, as to get drunk. Indeed, their whole behaviour, while they were on fhore, was much T 4 more more regular than could well have been cxpe6b- e^, from Tailors, who had been. fo Ipng confinecl to a ihip : And though part of this pmdent de- meanor muft doubtlefs be impyted to the dili- gence of their Officers, and to the excellent difcipline to which they had been long inured on board the Commodore, yet it was doubtlels no fmall reputation to the men, that they fhould in general refrain from indulging themfelves in thofe intoxicating liquors, which they found ready to their hands in almoil every warehoufe. And having mentioned this fmgle inftance of drunkenncfs, I cannot pafs by another over.- fifyht, which was likewife the only one of its kind, and which was attended with very partir cular circumftances. There was an Englijhfnan^ who had formerly wrought as a fhip-carpenter in the yard at Pcrtfmouth^ but leaving his coun-. try, had afterwards entered into the Spanijh fer- vice, and was employed by them at the port ojf Guaiaqtfil 5 and it being well known to his friends in. England that he wa^ then in that part of 'the w^orld, they put letters on board the Centurion^ directed .to him. , This man being then by accident amongft the Spaniards^ wlao were retired to the hill at Paita^ he was defirous (as it fhould feem) of acquiring fome reputadon amongft his new Mailers. With this view he came down unarmed to a centinel of ours, v/ho was placed at fome diftance from the fort to- wards the enemy, and pretending to be .defirous of furrendring himfelf, and of entering into our fervice. Our centinel had a cock'd piftol, but ( 28l ) but being deceived by the other's fair fpeeches» he was lo imprudenc as to let him approach much nearer than he ought ; fo that the Ship- wright, watching his opportunity, ruflied on the centinel, and feizing his pifloJ, wrenched it out of his hand, and inftantly ran away with it up the hill. By this time, two of our peo- ple, who feeing the fellow advance, had fufped- ed his intention, were making towards him, and were thereby prepared to purfue him ; but he got to the top of the hill before tliey could reach him, and then turning about, hred the piftol ; at which inftant his purfuers fired at him, and tliough he was at a great diflance, and the crefb of the hill hid him as foon as they had fired, fo that they took it for granted they had mified him, yet we afterwards learnt that he was fhot thi'ough the body, and had fallen down dead the very next flep he took after he was out of fight. The centinel too, who had been thus grofsly impofed upon, did not efcape unpuniihed -, for he was ordered to be feverely whipt for being thus fhamefully furprized upon his poft, and for having given an example of carelefTnefs, vrhich, if followed in other in- fiances, might prove fatal to us all. But to return : By the time our people had taken their com- rade out of the water, and were making the bell of their way for the fquadron, the flames had taken pofTeflion of every part of the town, and had got fuch hold, both by means of combuf- tibles that had been diilributed for that purpofe, and ( 282 ) and by the (lightnefs of the materials of which the houfes were compofed, and their aptitude to take fire, that it was fufficicntly apparent, no efforts of the enemy (though they flocked down in great numbers) could pofTibly put a ftop to it, or prevent the entire deflrudlion of the place, and all the merchandize contained therein. A whole town on fire at once, efpe- cially a place that burnt with fuch facility and violence, being a very fmgular fpedlacle, Mr, Brett had the curiofity to delineate its appear- ance, together with that of the fhips in the har- bour, which may be feen in the twenty-fourth plate. Our detachment under Lieutenant Brett hav- in"" fafely joined the fquadron, the Commodore prepared to leave the place the fame evening. He found, when he firft came into the bay, fix vefTels of the enemy at anchor ; one of which was the fhip, which, according to our intel- ligence, was to have failed with the treafure to the coafl of Mexico^ and which, as we were per- fuaded fhe was a good failor, we refolved to take with us : The others were two Snows, a Bark, and t^vo Row-gallies of thirty-fix oars a-piece : Thefe laft, as we were afterwards in- formed, with many others of the fame kind built at different ports, were intended to pre- vent our landing in the neighbourhood oiCallao : For the Spaniards^ on the firft intelligence of our fquadron and its force, expelled that we would attempt the city of Lima. The Commodore, having no occafion for thefe other veffels, had ordered (283 ) ordered the mafts of all five of them to be cuf away on his firft arrival *, and now, at his leaving the place, they were towed out of the harbour, and fcuttled and funk ; and the command of the remaining fhip, called the Solidad^ being given to Mr. Hughs, the Lieutenant of the Tryal, who had with him a crew of ten men to navigate her, the fquadron, towards midnight, weighed an- chor, and failed out of the bay, being now aug- mented to fix fail, that is the Centurion and the Tryal Prize, together with the Carmelo^ the ^erefa, the Carmin, and our laft acquired velTel the Solidad. And now, before I entirely quit the account of our tran factions at this place, it may not perhaps be improper to give a fuccindb relation of the booty we made here, and of the lofs the Spaniards fuftained. I have before obferved, that there were great quantities of valuable effedls in the town ; but as the greateft part of them were what we could neither difpofe of nor carry away, the total amount of this merchandize can only be rudely guefled at. But the Spaniardsy in the reprefentations they made to the Court of Madrid^ ( as we were afterwards aflured ) eftimated their whole lofs at a million and a half of dollars: And when it is confidcred, that no fmall part of the goods we burnt there were of the richeft and moil expenfive fpecies, as broad- cloaths, filks, cambrics, velvets, (£c, I cannot but think their valuation fufficiently moderate. As to our parts, our acquifition, though in- confiderable in comparifon of what we deftroyed, was (284 ) was yet in itfelf far from defpicable ; for the wrought plate, dollars and other coin which fell into our hands amounted to upwards of 30,000/. fterling, befides feveral rings, brace- lets, and jewels, whofe intrinfic value we could pot then determine -, and over and above all this, the plunder, which became the property of the immediate captors, was very great •, fo that upon the whole it was by much the mod important booty we made upon that coafl. There remains, before I take leave of this place, another particularity to be mentioned, which, on account of the great honour v/Iiich our national charader in thofc parts has thence received, and the reputation which our Com- modore in particular has thereby acquired, merits a diftind and circumftantial difcufTion. It has been already related, that all the prifoners taken by us in our preceding prizes were put on ihore, and difcharged at this place ; amongft which, there were feme perfons of confiderable di'flinc- tion, particularly a youth of about feventeen years of age, fon of the Yice-Prefident of the Council of Chili. As the barbarity of the Buc- caneers, and the artful ufe the Ecclefiaftics hdd made of it, had filled the natives of thofe coun- tries with the moil terrible ideas of the Englijh cruelty, we always found our prifoners, at their firft coming on board us, to be extremely de- jedled, and under great horror and anxiety. In particular this youth, whom I lafl mentioned, having never been from home before, lamented his captivity in the raoft moving manner, re- gretting, gretcing, in very plaintive terms, his parents his brothers, his fillers, and his native country, of all which he was fully perfuaded he had taken liis laft farewel, believing that he was now devoted, for the remaining part ot his life, to an abjed and cruel fervitude y nor was he fingular in his fears, for his companions on board, and indeed all the Spam ards that came into our power, had the fame defponding opr- nioa of their fituation. Mr. Jnfon conflantly exerted his utmolt endeavours to cffiice thefe inhuman imprefTions they had received of us; always taking care, that as many of the princi- pal people among them as there was room for, fliould dine at his table by turns ; and giving the ftrideft orders too, that they fliould at all times, and in every circumftance, be treated with the utmoft decency and humanity. But notwich (landing this precaution, it was generally obferved, that for the firfl: day or two they did not quit their fears, but fufpeded the gentlenefs of their ufage to be only preparatory to fome unthonght-cf calamity. However, being con- firmed by time, they grew perfe6lly eafy in their fituation, and remarkably chearful, fo that i£ was often difputable, whether or no they con- fidered their being detained by us as a misfor- tune. For the youth I have above-mentioned, who was near two moni:hs on board us,, had at laft fo far conc^nered his melancholy fjrmifes, and had taken fuch an affedlion to Mr. ylnfotiy and feemed fo much pleafed with the mianner of life, totally different from all he had ever kzn before. ( 286 ) before, that it is doubtful to me, whether, if his own opinion had been taken, he would not have preferred a voyage to England in the Cen- turion^ to the being fet on (hore at Paita, where he was at liberty to return to his country and iis friends. en This condudb of the Commodore to his pri- foners, which was continued without interrup- tion or deviation, gave them all the higheft idea of his humanity and benevolence, and induced them likewife (as mankind are fond of forming general opinions) to entertain very favourable thoughts of the whole Engli/h Nation. But whatever they might be difpofed to think of Mr. An/on before the taking of the ^erefa^ their veneration for him was prodigioudy increafed by his condufl towards thofe women, whom fas I have already mentioned) he took in that veflel : For the leaving them in the polTefTion of their apartments, the ftri(5l orders given to prevent all his people on board from approaching them, and the permitting the pilot to ftay with them as their guardian, were meafurcs that feemed fo different from what might be ex- pedled from an enemy and an heretic, that the Spaniards on board, though they had themfelves experienced his beneficence, were furprized at this new inftance of it, and the more fo, as all this was done without his ever having feen the women, though the two daughters were both cfteemed handfome, and the youngeft was cele- brated for her uncommon beauty. The women themfelves too were fo fenfibie of the obligations they ( 287 ) they owed him, for the care and attention with which he had proteded them, that they abfo- lutely refufed to go on Ihore at Paita^ till they had been permitted to wait on him on board the Centurion^ to return him thanks in perfon. Indeed, all the prifoners left us with the ftrongeft afiurances of their grateful remembrance of his uncommon treatment. A Jefuit in particular, whom the Comm.odore had taken, and who was an EccleCaftic of fome diftinction, could not help exprefling himfelf with great thankfulnefs for the civilities he and his countrymen had found on board, declaring, that he fhould con- fider it as his duty to do Mr. Anfon juftice at all times -, adding, that his ufage of the men- prifoners was fuch as could never be forgot, and fuch as he could never fail to acknowledge and recite upon all occafions : But that his behaviour to the women was fo extraordinary, and fo extremely honourable, that he doubted all the regard due to his own ecclefiaftical cha- ra(fler, would be fcarcely fufficient to render it credible. And indeed we were afterwards in- formed, that both he and the reft of our pri- foners had not been filent on this head, but had, both at Lima and at other places, given the greateft encomium to our Commodore ; the Jefuit in particular, as we were told, having, on his account, interpreted in a lax and hypo- thetical fenfe that article of his Church, which afferts the impollibility of hereticks being faved. And ( 288 ) And let it not be imagined, that the iitl- prefTions which the Spaniards hence received to our advantage, is a matter of fmaJI import;- for, not to mention feveral of our countrymen •who have already felt the good effeds of thefe prepofTeflions, the Spaniards are a Nation, whofe good opinion of us is doubtlefs of more con- ftquence than that of all the world befides i Not only as the commeice v/e have formerly carried on with them, and perhaps may again hereafter, is fo extremely valuable ; but alfo as the tranfa(5ling it does fo immediately depend on the honour and good faith of thofe who are entrufted with its management. But however, had no national conveniencies attended it, the Commodore's equity and good temper would not lefs have deterred liim" from all tyranny and cruelty to thofe, whom the fortune of war had put into his hands. I fliall only add^ that by his conftant attachment to thefe hu- mane and prudent maxirhs, he has acquired a diftinguiflied reputation amorgft the' Creolian Spaniards^ which is not confined merely to the coafl of the South-Seas^ but is extended through all the SpaniJJj fertlements in America \ fo that his name is frequently to be met with in the mouths of mod cf the Spanijh inhabitants of that prodigious empire. chap: (^89) CHAP. VII, From our departure from Paita^ to our arri- val at Sluibo. WHEN we got under fail from the road of Paita (which, as I have already obferved, was about midnight, on the i6th of Novemi^er)\vc flood to the weftward, and in the morning the Commodore gave orders, that the whole fquadron fhould fpread themfelves, in order to look out for the Gloucefter. For we now drew near to the ftation where Captain Mitchel had been directed to cruife, and hourly expeded to get fight of him j but the whole day pafTed without feeing him. And now a jealoufy, which had taken its rife at Paitay between thofe who had been ordered on fhore for the attack, and thofe who had con- tinued on board, grew to fach a height, that the Commodore, being made acquainted with it> thought it necelfary to interpofe his authority to appeafe it. The ground of this animofity was the plunder gotten at Paita^ which thofe who had aded on fliore had appropriated to them- felves, and confidered it as a reward for the rifques they had run, and the refolution they had fhown in that fervice. But thofe, who had re- mained on board, confidered this as a very par- tial and unjuft procedure, urging, that had it been left to their choice, they fhould have preferred U the ( 296 > the a6lirtg on Hiore to the continuing on board j that their duty, while their comrades were on? fhore, was extremely fatiguing •, for befides the labour of the day, they were conftantly under arms all night to fecure the prifoncrsy whofcf numbers exceeded their own, and of whom it was then neceflary to be extremely watchful, ta prevent any attempts they might have formed in that critical conjundure : That upon the whole it could not be denied, but that the pi'efence of a fufficient force on board was as neceffary to the fuccefs of the enterprize, as the adlion of the others on fhore, and therefore thofe who had continued on board infilled, that they could not be deprived of their fhare of the plunder, with- out manifeft injuftice. Thefe were the contefls* amongft our men, which were carried on with great heat on both fides : And though the plun-^ der in queftion was a very trjfle, in comparifon of the treafure taken in the place, (in which? there was no doubt but thofe on board had an* equal right ) yet as the obftinacy of failors is not always regulated by the importance of the' matter in difpute, the Commodore thought it necelTary to put a Hop to this ferment betimes. And accordingly, the marning after our leaving of Paita., he ordered all hands upon the quarter- deck ; where, addrefiing himfelf to thofe who* had been detached on Ihore, he commended their behaviour, and thanked them for theitf fer\''ices on that occafion : But then reprefenting. to them the reafons urged, by thofe who had con-*' tinued on board, for an equal diilpibulionof tlta^ ^ plundeiti ( 291 ) plunder, he told them, that he thought thefe teafons very conclufive, and that the expeclations of their comrades were juflly founded; and ihere- fore he ordered, that not only the men, but all the officers likewife, who had been employed in taking the place, Ihould produce the whole of their plunder immediately upon the quarter-deck; and that it Ihould be impartially divided amongit the whole crew, in proportion to each man's rank and commiffion : And to prevent thofe who had. been in poilellion of the plunder from murmur- ing at this diminution of their ihare, the Commo- dore added, that as an encouragement to others who might be hereafter employed on like fer- vices, he would give his entire fhare to be diftri- buted amongit thofe who ha^l been detached for the attack of the place. Thus this troublefome affair, which if permitted to have gone on, might perhaps have been attended with mifchievous confequences, was by the Commodore's prudence foon appeafcd,- to tlie general fatisfaftion of the fhip's company : Not but there were fome few^ whofe feiiilh difpofitions were uninfluenced by the juftice of this procedure, and v/ho were in- capable of difcerning the force of equity, how- ever glaring, when it tended to deprive theox tjf any part of what they hiid once got into their hands. This important bufmefs employed the befb part of the day, after we came from Pai^a. And now, at night, having no fight of the Gloucejler^ the Commodore ordered the fquadron to bring io, that we might net pafs her in the dark. The U 2- next- ( 292 ) next morning we again looked out for her, and at ten we faw a fail, to which we gave chace ; and at two in the afternoon we came near enough to her to difcover her to be the Gloucejler^ with a fmall vefTel in tow. About an hour after, we were joined by them ; and then we learnt that Captain Mitch el, in the whole time of his cruife, had only taken two prizes ; one of them being a fmall Snow, whofe cargoe confided chiefly of wine, brandy, and olives in jars, with about 7000 /. in fpecie •, and the other a large boat or launch, which the Gloncefter's barge came up with near the Ihore. The prifoners on board tliis veflel alledgcd, that they were very poor, and that their- loading confifted only of cotton -, tho' the circumftances in which the barge furprized them, fcemed to iniinuate that they were more opulent than they pretended to be -, for the GIgu- cejier's people found them at dinner upon pidg- eon-pye, fcrved up in filver didies. However, the OfBcer who commanded the barge having opened feveral of the jars on board, to fatisfy his curiofity, and finding nothing in them but cot- ton, he was inclined to beheve the account the prifoners gave him : But the cargoe being taken into the Glouceftery and there examined more llridly, they were agreeably furprized to find, that the whole was a very extraordinary piece of- falfe package-, and that there was concealed amongfl the cotton, in every jar, a confiderable quantity of double doubloons and dollars, to the amount in the whole of near 12,000/. This treafure was going to P^ita^ and belonged to the fame ( 293 } fame Merchants who were the proprietors of the greateft part of the money we had taken there ; fo that had this boat efcaped the Glouceftsr^ it is probable her cargoe would have fallen into our hands. Befides thefe two prizes which we have mentioned, the Glcuccjier's people told us, that they had been in fight of two or three other fhips of tlie enemy which had efcaped them ; and one of them we had reafon to believe, from fome of our intelligence, was of an immenfe value. Being now joined by the Glouceftcr and her prize, it was refolved that we Ihould ftand to the northward, and make the beft of our way either to Cape St. Lucas on California^ or to Cape Cori- erites on the coaft of Mexico. Indeed the Com- modore, when at Juan Fernandes^ had determin- ed with himfelf to touch in the neighbourhood of Panama^ and to endeavour to get fome correfpon- dtnct over land with the fleet under the command of Admiral Vernon, For when we departed from England^ we left a large force at Portfmouthj which was intended to be fent to the IVeft-Indies, there to be employed in an expedition againft Ibme of the Spanijh fettlements. And Mr. An- Jon taking it for granted, that this enterprize had fucceeded, and that Porto Bello perhaps might be then garrifoned by Britijh troops, he hoped that on his arrival at the JJlhmuSy he ihould eafily procure an intercourfe with our country-men on the other fide, either by the Indians^ who were greatly difpofed in our favour, or even by the Spaniards themfclves, fome of whom, for pro- per rewards, might be induced to carry on this U 3 intelli- ( 294 I intelligence, which, alter it- was once beo;un, inight be continued with very little difficji. y :, fq that Mr. Jrifon flattered himfeif, that he might \)y this means have received a reinforcement qf pien from the other fide, and that by fettling a prudent plan of operations with our Commanders in the IVeft - Indies ^ he might have taken even P^;^^;«cj itfelf ; which would have given to the Britijh Nation the poffeflion of that IfthmuSy whereby we fliould have been in eflfedl mafterq of all the treafures of Peru^ and fhould have had in our hands an equivalent for any demands, however extraordinary, which we might have been induced to have made on either of the branches of the Houfe of Bourbon. Such were the projedls which the Commodore ^evolved in his thoughts at the Ifland oijuan Fernandes^ notwithilanding the feeble conditio^ to which he was then reduced. And indeed, had the fuccefs of our force in the Weft-Indies beeq anfwerable to the general expe6i:ation, it cannot be denied but thefe views would have been the mofl prudent that cpuld have been thought of. But in examining the papers which were found on board the Carmelo., the firft prize we took, we learnt (though I then omitted to mention it) that our attempt againft Carthagena had failedj^ and that there was no probability that our fleet, in that part of the world, would engage in any new enterprize, that would at all facilitate this; plan. And therefore Mr. Anfon gave over all hopes of being reinforced a-crofs the Ifthmus., and fpnfequently had no inducement at prefent tq pro- ( 295 ) proceed to Panama^ as he was incapable of ati Slacking the place ; and there was great reafoa to beheve, that by this time there was a gene* ral embargo on all the coail. The only feafible meafiire then which was left us, was to get as foon as poflibie to the fouthern parts of California^ or to the adjacent coaft of Mexico y there to cruife for the Manila Galeon, which we knew was now at fea, bound to the port o{ Acafulco, And we doubted not to get on that ftation, time enough to intercept her ; for this Ihip does not aftually 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 paflage thither would coft us above a month or five weeks •, fo that we imagined, we had near twice as niuch time as was neceffary for our purpofe. Inaeed there was a bufmefs which we forefaw would occafion fome delay, but we flattered ourfelves that it would be difpatched in four or five days, and therefore could not interrupt our projedV. This was the recruiting of our water ; for the number of pri- foners we had entertained on board, fince our leaving the Ifiand of Fernandes^ had fo far ex- haufted our ftock, that it was impoflible to think of venturing upon this paffage to the coaft of Mexico, till we had procured a frefh fupply ; efpscially as at Paita, where we had fome hopes of getting a quantity, we did not find enough for our confumption during the time we ftayed there. It was for fome time a matter of delibe- ration, where we fhould take in this neceffary ar- U 4 tides '( 296 ) tide J but by confulting the accounts of former Navigators, and examining our prifoners, we at !afl refolved for the liland of ^iboy fituated at the mouth of the bay of Panama : Nor was it but on good grounds that the Commodore con- ceived this to be the propereft place for watering the fquadron. Indeed, there was a fmall Ifland called Cocos^ which was lefs out of our way than Quibo^ where fome of the Buccaneers have pre- tended they found water ; but none of our pri- foners knew any thing of it, and it was thought too hazardous to rifque the fafety of the fqua- dron, and expofe ourfelves to the hazard of not meeting with water when we came there, on the mere authority of thefe legendary writers, of whofe mifreprefentations and falfities we had al- moft daily experience. Befides, by going to ^libo we were not without hopes that fome of the enemies fliips bound to or from Panama might fall into our hands, particularly fuch of them as were put to fea, before they had any in- telligence of our fquadron. ELaving determined tlierefore to go to ^libo^ we dire<5l:ed our courle to the northward, being eight fail in company, and confequently having the appearance of a very formidable fleet ; and on the 19th, at day-break, we difcovered Cape Blanco^ bearing S. S. E. k E, feven miles dif- tant. This Cape lies in the latitude of 4^ : 15^ South, and is always made by fhips bound either to windward or to leeward ; fo that off this Cape is a moft excellent ftation to cruife upon the ene- my. By this time we found that our laft prize, the Solida4 ( 297 ) Solidadv?^^ far from anfwering the character givea her of a good failor ; and flie and the Santa Terefa delaying us confiderably, the Commodore ordered them both to be cleared of every thing that might prove ufeful to the reft of the fhips^ and then to be burnt -, and having given proper inftru6lions, and a rendezvous to the Gloucefier and the other prizes, we proceeded in our courfe fOr ^{ibo ; and, on the 2 2d in the morning, faw the Ifland of Plata^ bearing Eaft, diftant four leagues. Here one of our prizes was ordered to ftand clofe in with it, both to difcover if there were any fhips between that Ifland and the Con- tinent, and likewife to look out for a ftream of frefh water, which was reported to be there, and which would have faved us the trouble of going xo^iho\ but ihe returned without having feen any fhip, or finding any water. At three in the afternoon point Maiita bore S. E. by E. ^tYtn miles diftant; and there being a town of the fame name in the neighbourhood. Captain Mii- chcl took this opportunity of fending away feve- ral of his prifoners from the Gloucefier in the Spa- nijh launch. The boats were now dally employ- ed in diftributing provifions on board the Tryd and other prizes, to compleat their ftock for fix months : And that the Centurion might be the better prepared to give the Manila ftiip (one of which we were told was of an immenie fize) a warm reception, the Carpenters were ordered to fix eight ftocks in the main and fore-tops, which were properly fitted for the mounting of fwivel guns. On ( 29S ) Gn the 25th we had a fight of the Ifland oF Gallo^ bearing E. S. E, {- E, four leagues diftant j ^d from hence we crofled the bay of Panama with a N. W. courfe, hoping that this would have carried us in a dire6l Jine to the Ifland of ^ibo. But we afterwards found that we ought to have flood more to the weft ward ; for the winds in a fhort time began to incline to that quarter, and made it diiBcuit for us to gain the Ifland. And now, after pafling the equinodial, (which we did on the 2 2d) and leaving the neighbour- hood of the Cordilleras^ and flanding more and more tow^ards the JJlhmus^ where the communi- cation of the atmofphere to the eafhvard and ^e weflward v/as no longer interrupted, wc found in very few days an extraordinary alterati^ on in the climate. For inftead of that uniforni temperature, where neither the excefs of heat or Gold was to be complained of, we had now for feveral days together clofe ^nd fultry weather, refembling what we h^d before met with on the coaft of Brazil^ and in other parts between the tropics on the eaflern fide of America, We had befides frequent calms and heavy rains ; which we at firft afcribed to the neighbourhood of the line, where this kind of weather is generally found to prevail at all feafons of the year ; but ob- fervingthat it attended us to the latitude of (tv^n degrees North, we were at length induced tq believe, that the flormy feafon, or, as the Spa- niards call it, the Vandevals, was not yet over 5 though many writers, particularly Captain SheU vodcy pofitively affert, that this feafon begins in ( m ) in yuney and is ended in November ; and our prU foners all affirmed the fame thing. But perhaps its end may not be always conftant, and it might; lafl this year longer than ufual. On the 27th, Captain Miubel haying finilhed the clearing of his largeft prize, fhe was fcuttled, and kt on fire ; but we ftill confifted of five ihips and were fortunate enough to find them all good failors ; fo that we never occafioned any de- lay to each other. Being now in a rainy climate, which we had been long difufed to, we found it neceflary to caulk the decks and fides of the Centurion^ to prevent the rain-wajtep from running into her. On the 3d of December we had a view of the Ifland of S>uibo ; the Eaft end of which thea bore from us N. N. W. four leagues diilant, and the Ifland of Siuicara W. N. W, at about the fame diflance. Here we ftruck ground with ^\x-' ty-five fathom of line, and found the bottom tp confift of grey fand, with black fpecks. There is inferted, in the 28th plate, (being contained in the fame plate with a view of the hill oi Pet apian) a view of thefe two Iflands, where (a) reprefents the S. E. end of ^ibo^ bearing N. by W. four leagues diftant : And (b) the Ifland of §utcara^ which bears from the point (a) W. S. W. f S, and is diilant from it four leagues, the point (a) being itfelf in the latitude of 7^ : 20' North, When we had thus got fight of the land, we found the wind to hang wefterly ; and therefore, night coming on, we thought it advifeable to ftaiid off till morning, as there are faid to be forhc ( 30O ) ibme fhoals in the entrance of the channel. At fix the next morning point Mariato bore N. E. i N, three or four leagues diftant. In weather- ing this point all the fquadron, except the Cen- turion^ were very near it •, and the Gloucefter be- ing the leewardmoft fhip, was forced to tack and ftand to the fouthward, fo that we loft fight of her. At nine, the Ifland Sehaco bore N. W. by N, four leagues diftant •, but the wind ftill prov- ing unfavourable, we were obliged to ply on and off for the fucceeding twenty-four hours, and were frequently taken aback. However, at eleven the next morning the wind happily fettled in the S. S. W, and we bore away for the S. S. E. end of the Ifland, and about three in the afternoon entered Canal BuenOy paffing round aftioal which ftretches off about two miles from the South point of the Ifland. This Cafial BuenOy or Good Channel^ is' at leaft {ix miles In breadth; and as we had the wind large, we kept in a good depth of water, ge- nerally from twenty-eight to thirty-three fathom, and came not within a mile and a half diftance of the breakers •, though, in all probability, if it had been neceflfary, we might have ventured much nearer, without incurring the leaft danger. At feven in the evening we came to an anchor in thir- ty-three fathom muddy ground ^ the South point of the Ifland bearing S, E. by S. a remarkable high part of the Ifland W. by N. and the Ifland Sebaco E. by N. Being thus arrived at this Ifland of ^iboy the account of the place, and of our tranfadions there, fliall be referred to the enfu- ing chapter, C H A P. ( 30I ) CHAP. vm. Our proceedings at ^tibo, with ah' account of the place, TH E next morning, after our coming to an anchor, an officer was difpatched on ihore to difcover the watering place, who hav- ing found it, returned before noon ; and then . we fent the long-boat for a load of water, and at the fame time we weighed and Hood farther in with our fhips. At two we came again to an anchor in twenty-two fathom, with a bottom of rough gravel intermixed with broken Ihells, the watering place now bearing from us N* W. | N, only three quarters of a mile diftant. A plan of the road where we lay and of the Eaft-end of the Illand is to be feen in the 20th plate, where the foundings are laid down, fuch as we found them, the latitude of the S. E. point of the IQand be- ing, as hath been already mentioned, j^ : 20' North. This Ifland of ^iho is extremely convenient for wooding and watering *, for the trees grow clofe to the high-water mark, and a large rapid ftream of frefh water runs over the fandy beach into the fea : So that we were little more than two days in laying in all the wood and water we wanted. The whoL Ifland is of a very mode- rate height, excepting one part. It confifts of a continued wood fpread over the whole furface of the ( 302 f the country, which preferves its verdure all the year round. Amongft the other wood, wc found there abundance of cafTia, and a few lime- trees. It appeared fmgular to v.s, that confi- dering the climate and the fhelter, wcfhould fee no other birds there than parrots, parroquets^ and mackaws ; indeed of thefe laft there were prodigious flights. Next to thefe birds, the animals we found there in moil plenty were mon- keys and guanos, and thefe we frequently killed for food ; for though there were many herds of deer upon the place, yet th^ difficulty of pene- trating the woods prevented our coming near them, fo that though we faw them often, wc killed only two during our flay. Our prifoners* aflured us, that this Ifland abounded" with tygers y and we did once difcover the print of a tyger's paw upon the beach, but the tygers themfelves we never faw. The Spaniards too informed us,' that there was often found in the woods a moft- mifchievous ferpent, called the flying fnake, which they faid darted itfelf from the boughs of trees on either man or beafl: that came within its reach ; and whofe fting, they believed, to be mevitable death. Befides thefe mifchievous land- animals, the fea hereabouts is infefted with great numbers of alligators of an extraordinary fize y and we often obferved a large kind of flat-filh, jumping a confiderable height out of the water, which we fuppofed to be the fiih that is faid fre- quently to deftroy the pearl divers,' by ciafping. them in its fins as they rife from the bottom y and we were told that the divers, for their fe-' curit)^ ( 303 ) turity, are now always armed with a lliarp knlfef; which, when they are entangled, tliey ftick inco^ the belly of the B.ih^ and thereby difengage them«t feives froni its embraces. Whilit the iliip continued here at anchor, the Commodore, attended bv fomc of his officers,' went in a boat to examine a bay which lay to the northward ; and they after\vards ranged all along, the eaftern fide of the Ifland. And in the places? where they put on fhore in the courie of hisf Expedition, they generally found the foil to be extremely rich, and met with great plenty of excellent water. In particular, near the N. E«' point of the Ifland, they difcovered a natural caf- cade, which furpaded, as they conceived, every thing of this kind, which human art or induftry hath hitherto produced. It was a river of traof- parent water, about forty yards wide, which ran down a declivity of near a hundred and fifty yards in length. The channel it ran in was very irregular •, for it was entirely formed of rock, both its fides and bottom being made up of large detached blocks ; and by thefe the courfe of the water was frequently interrupted : For in fome places it ran floping with a rapid but uniform motion,- while in other parts it tumbled oirer the ledges of rocks with a perpendicular defcent. All the neighbourhood of this ftream was a fine wood ; and even the huge maffes of rocks which overhung the v/ater, and wliich, by their vari- ous projedlions, formed the inequalities of the channel,, were covered with lofty forefl trees. Whiii]: the Commoaore, and: thole wno were with ( 3^4 ) with him, attentively viewing thisr place, and were remarking the different blendings of the water, the rocks and the wood, there came in fight (as it were with an intent ftill to heighten and animate the profped:) a prodigious flight of mackaws, which hovering over this fpot, and often wheeling and playing on the wing about it^ affording a mofl brilliant appearance, by the glittering of the fun on their variegated plumage -, ib that fome of the fpedlators cannot refrain from a kind of tranfport, when they recount the com- plicated beauties which occurred in this extraor- dinary water-fall. In this expedition, which the boat made along the eaftern fide of the Ifland, though they met with no inhabitants, yet they faw many huts up- on the fliore, and great heaps of Ihelb of fine mother of pearl fcattercd up and down in dif- ferent places : Thefe were the remains left by the pearl-filhers from Panama^ who often fre- quent this place in the fummer feafon ^ for the pearl oyfters, which are to be met with every where in the bay of Panama^ are fo plenty at ^Aboy that by advancing a very little way into the fea, you might floop down and reach them from the bottom. They are ufually very large, and out of curiofity w& opened fome of them with a view of tailing them, but we found them extremely tough and unpalatable. And having mentioned thefe oyflers and the pearl-fifhery, I muft beg leave to recite a few particulars rela- ing thereto. ' The ( 3^5 ) The oyfters moft produdive of pearls are thofe found in confiderable depths ; for though what are taken up by wading near Ihore are of the fame fpe- cies, yet the pearls found in them are very rare and very fmall. It is faid too, that the pearl partakes in fome degree of the quality of the bottom on which the oyftef is found ; fo thit if the bottom be muddy, the pearl is dark and ill-coloured. The taking up oyfters from great depths for the fake of the pearls they contain, is a work perform- ed by Negro flaves, of which the inhabitants of Panama and the neighbouring coaft formerly kept great numbers, which were carefully trained to this bufinefs. And thefe are faid not to be efteemed compleat divers, till they have by degrees been able to protradl their ftay under water fo long, that the blood gulhes out from their nofe, mouth and ears. And it is 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 they have no apprehenfion either that any in- convenience can attend it, the bleeding generally (topping of itfelf, or that there is any probability of their being ever fubjedl: to it a fecond time. Eut to return from this digrefiion. Though the pearl oyfter, as hath been faid, was incapable of being eaten, yet the fea at this place furnifhed us with another dainty, in the greatefl plenty and perfection : This was the turtle, of which we took here what quantity we pleafed. There are generally reckoned four fpecies of tur- tle •, that is, the trunk turtle, the loggerhead, the hawkfbill, and the green turtle. The two firft are rank and unwholefome ; the hawkfbill (which fur- nilhes the tortois-lhell) is but indifferent food. tlaough (3o6) though better than the other two ^ but the green turtle is generally eileemed, by the greatefl part of thofe who are acquainted with its tafle, to be the jnoft delicious of all eatables -, and that it is a moil whollbme food, we are amply convinced by our own experience : For we fed on this laft fpecies, or the green turtle, for near four months, and con- fequently had it been in any degree noxious, its ill effeds could not poflibly have efcaped us. At this iriand we took what quantity we pleafed with great facility ; for as they are an amphibious animal, and get on fhore to lay their eggs, which they gene- rally depofit in a large hole in the fand, juft above the high- water mark, covering therrtup, and leav- ing them to be hatched by the heat of the fun, we iifually difperfed feveral of our men along the beach, whofe bufmefs it was to turn them on their backs when they came to land ^ and the turtle being tliereby prevented from getting away, we carried them off at our leifure : By this means we not only fccured a fufficient ftock for the time we flayed on the Illand, but we took a number of them with us to fea, which proved of great fervice both in length- ning out our ftore of provifion, and in heartning the whole crew with an almoft conftant fupply of frefh and palatable food ; for the turtle being large, they generally weighing about 200 lb, weight each, thofe we took with us lafted us near a month, aad by that time we met with a frefh recruit on the coaft of Mexico^ where we often faw them in the heat of the day floating in great numbers on the furface of the water fafl afleep -, when we difcover- ed them, we ufually fent out our boat with a man in the bow, who was a dextrous diver, and when the boat came within a few yards of the turtle, the d iv^r ( 3^7 ) diver plunged into the water, and took care to rife clofc upon it; and feizing the Ihell near the tail, and prefTing down the hinder parts, the turtle, when awakened, began to ftrike with its claws, which motion Ripported both it and the diver, till the boat came up and took them in. By this ma- nagement we never wanted turtle for the fucceed- ing four months in which we continued at fea; and though, v/hen at Sh;tibo^ we had already been three months on board, without otherwiie putting our foot on fhore, than in the few days we flayed at this Ifland of ^iho^ (except thofe employed in the attack of Paita) yet in the whole feven months, from our leaving Juan Femandes to our anchoring in the harbour o\ C^eojtetan^ v/e buried no more in the whole fquadron than two men •, a mod incon- teflable proof, that the turtle, on which we fed ior the lad four months of this term, was at leaft in- nocent, if not fomcthing more. Confidering the fcarcity of provifions on fome part of the coaft of thefe feas, it appears wonder- ful, that a fpecies of food fo very palatable and fa- lubrious as turtle, and fo much abounding in thofc parts, fhould be prefcribed by the Spaniards as un- wholefome, and little lefs than poifonous. Perhaps the flrange appearance of this animal may have been the foundation of this ridiculous and fuperfti- tious averfion, which is ilrongly rooted in all the inhabitants of that coaft, and of which we had ma- ny inftances in the courfe of this navigation. I have already obferved, that we put our Spani/h pri- foners on fhore at Paita^ and that the Gloucejier fcnt theirs to Mantua \ but as we had taken in our prizes fome Indian and Negro flavcs, we did not fet thefe on fhore with their maflers, but continued them X 2 on ( 3o8 J on board, as our crews were thin, to aflift in navi- gating our fliips. Thefe poor people being pof- feffed with the prejudices of the country they came from, were aftonifhed at our feeding on turtle, and feemed fully perfuaded that it would foon deflroy us ; but finding that none of us died, nor even dif- fered in our health by a continuation of this diet, they at lafl got fo far the better of their averfion, as to be perfuaded to tafle it, to which the abfence of all other kinds of frefh provifions might not a little contribute. However, it was with great re- lu dance, and very fparingly, that they firfl began to eat of it : But the relifh improving upon them by degrees, they at lall 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 delicious and plentiful repafls it would be always in their power to pro- cure, when they iliould again return back to their country. Thole who are acquainted with the man- ner ot life of thefe unhappy wretches, need not be told, that next to large draughts of fpirituous li- quors, plenty of tolerable food is the greateft joy they know, and confequently the dilcovering a method which would always fupply them with what quantity they pleafed, of a food more luxuri- ous to the palate than any their haughty Lords and Mailers could indulge in, was doubtlefs a circum- flance, which they confidered as the mofl fortunate that could befal them. After this digreffion, which the prodigious quan- tity of turtle on this Ifland of ^di^o^ and the ftore of it we thence took to fea, in fome meafure led mc into, I Ihall now return to our own proceedings. ( 309 ) In three days time we had compleated our bufi- nefs at this place, and were extremely impatient to put to fea, that we might arrive time enough on the coafl of Mexico to intercept the Manila galeon. But the wind being contrary detained us a night, and the next day, when we got into the offing, (which we did through the fame channel by which we entered) we were obliged to keep hovering about the Ifland, in hopes of getting fight of the Gloiiceftcr \ who, as I have in the iaft chapter men- tioned, was feparated from us on our firft arrival. It was the 9th of December^ in the morning, when we put to fea, and continuing to the fouthv/ard of the Ifland, looking out for the Gloucefier^ we, on the loth, at five in the afternoon, difcerned a fmall fail to the northward of us, to which we gave chace, and coming up with her took her. She proved to be a bark from Panama^ bound to Cheripe^ an inconfiderable village on the Continent, and was called the Jefu Nazareno. She had nothing on board but fome oakum, ab®ut a tun of rock fait, and between 30 and 40 /. in fpecie, mod of it con* fifting of fmall filver money, intended for pur- chafing a cargo of provifions at CJberipe. And on occafion of this prize I cannot but ob- ferve, for the ufe of future cruifers, that had we been in want of provifions, we had by this capture an obvious method of fupplying ourfelves. For at Cheripe^ whither flie was bound, there is a conflant fbore of provifions prepared for the vefTels who go thither every week from Panama^ the market of Panama being chiefly fupplied from thence : So that by putting a few of our hands on board our prize, we might eaflly have feized a large fliorc without any hazard, fince Cheripe is a place of no X 3 Ilrengrh ( 3^0 ) ftrength. And as provifio;is are the ftaple com- modity of that place and of its neighbourhood, the knowledge of this circumftance may be of great ufe to fuch cruifers, as find their provifions grow fcant, and yet are defirous of continuing on that coaft as long as pofTible. But to return : On the 1 2 th o'i December we were at laft relieved from the perplexity we had fuffered, by the repa- ration of the Gloiicefter-y for on that day fhe joined us, and informed us, that in tacking to the fouth- ward, on our firil arrival, fhe had fprung her fore- top-mall, which had difabled her from w^orking to windward, and prevented her from joining us iboner. And now we fcuttled and funk the Jefu Nazareno^ the prize we took laft ; and having the greateft impatience to get into a proper ftation for the galeon, we ilood all together to the weftw^ard, leaving the Ifland of ^ibo (notwithftanding all the impediments we met with) in about nine days after pur firfl coming in fight of it. C H A P. IX. From ^ibo to the coaft of Mexico,. ON the 1 2 th of December we flood from ^iho to the weftwai'd, and the fame day the Com- modore delivered frefh inftrudions to the Captains of the men of war, and the commanders of our prizes, appointing them the rendezvoufes they were to make, and the courfes they were to lleer in cafe of a feparation. And firil, they were dired- cd to ufe all poflible difpatch in getting to the north- (3U ) northward of the harbour of Acaptilco^ where they were to endeavour to fall in with the land, between the latitudes of i8 and 19 degrees-, from thence, thev w^cre to beat up the coaft at eight or ten leagues diftance from the fhore, till they came a-breail of Cape Corientes^ in the latitude of 20° : 20'. When they arrived there, they were to continue cruifing on that ftation till the 14th of February ; and then they were to proceed to the middle Ifland of the Tres Marias^ in the latitude of 21^ : 25', bearing from Cape Corientes N. W. by N, twenty-five leagues diftant. And if at this IQand they did not meet the Commodore, they were there to recruit their wood and water, and then to make the beft of their way to the Illand of Macao^ on the coaft of China. Thefe orders being diftributed to all the fhips, we had little doubt of arriving foon upon our intended ftation, as we expedled, upon the increafing our offing from ^ibo^ to fall in with the regular trade-wind. But, to our extreme vex- ation, we were baffled for near a month, either with tempcftuous weather from the weftern quarter, or with dead calms and heavy rains, attended with a fultry air ; lb that it was the 25th of December before we got a fight of the Ifland of Cocos^ which by our reckoning was only a hundred leagues from the Continent; and we had the mortification to make fo little way, that we did not lofe fight of it again in five days. This Ifland we found to be in the latitude of 5° : 20' North. It is a high hum- mock towards the weftern part, which defcends gradually, and at laft terminates in a low point to the eaftward. From the Ifland of Cocos we ftood W. by N, and were till the 9th of January in run- ning an hundred leagues more. We had at firft X 4 flat- C 312 ) flattened ourfelve?, that the uncertain weather and wefliern gales we met with were owing to the neighbourhood of the Continent, from which, as we got more diflant, we expe6led every day to be rehcved, by falhng in with the eaftern trade* wind : But as our hopes were fo long baffled, and our patience quite exhaufled, we began at length, to defpair of fucceeding in the great purpofe we had in view, that of intercepting the Manila ga- leonj and this produced a general deje6tion a- mongft us, as we had at firft confidered this pro- ject as almoil infallible, and had indulged ourfelves in the moil boundlefs hopes of the advantages we fhould thence receive. However, our defpon- dency was at lafb fomewhat alleviated, by a fa- vourable change of the wind ; for, on the 9th of January^ a gale for the firft time fprung up from the N.E, and on this we took the Carmelo in tow, as the Gloucefter did the Carmin^ making all the fail we could to improve the advantage, for we Hill fufpeded that it was only a temporary gale, which would not lafl long; but the next day we had the fatisfadion to find, that the wind did not only continue in the fame quarter, but blew with fo much brifknefs and fteadinefs, that we now no longer doubted of its being the taie trade-wind. And as we advanced a-pace towards our ftation, our hopes began to revive, and our former defpair by degrees gave place to more fanguine prejudices : For though the cullomary feafon of the arrival of the galeon at Acapulco was already elapfed, yet we were by this time unreafonable enough to flatter ourfelves, that fom.e accidental delay might, for cur advantage, lengthen out her pafTage beyond its ulual limits^ When ( 3^3 ) When we got into the trade-wind, we found nO alteration in it till the 17th of January^ when we were advanced to the latitude of 12^: 50', but on that day it Ihifted to the weftward of the North: This change we imputed to our having haled up too foon, though we then efteemed ourfelves full feventy leagues from the coaft, which plainly fiiows, that the trade-wind doth not take place, but at a confiderable diftance from the Continent, After this, the wind was not fo favourable to us as it had been : However, we dill continued to advance, and, on the 26th of January^ being then to the northward of Acapulco^ we tacked and ftood to the eaftward, with a view of making the land. In the preceding fortnight we caught fome turtle on the furface of the water, and feveral dolphins bonito's, and albicores. One day, as one of the fail- maker's mates was filhing from the end of the gib-boom, he loft his hold, and dropped into the fea ; and the ihip, which was then going at the rate of fix or feven knots, went diredlly over him : But as we had the Carmelo in tow, we inftantly called out to the people on board her, who threw him over feveral ends of ropes, one of which he fortunately caught hold of, and twifting it round his arm, they haled him into the (hip, without his having received any other injury than a wrench in his arm, of which he foon recovered. When, on the 26th of January, we ftood to the eaftward, we expected, by our reckonings, 10 have fallen in with the land on the 28th ; but though the weather was perfedtly clear, we had no fight of it at fun-fet, and therefore we continued on our courfe, not doubting but we Ihould fee it by the next morning. About ten at night we dif- 4 covered ( 3H ) Covered a light on the larboard- bo w^ bearing from us N. N. E. The 'Tryal*^ prize too^ who was about a mile a head of us, made a fignal at the fame time for feeing a fail; and as we had none cf us any doubt but what we faw was a fhip's Jight, we were all extremely animated with a firm perfuafion, that it was the Manila galcon, which had been fo long the fubjed of our wiihes : And what added to our alacrity, was our expedation of meeting with two of them indead of one, for we took it for granted, that the light in view was car- ried in the top of one fhip for a diredion to her con fort. We imn>ediately call off the Carmelo and prelTed forward with all our canvafs, making a fignal for the Gloucefter to do the fame. Thus we chafed the light, keeping ail our hands to their refpedive quarters, under an expecftation of en- gaging in the next half hour, as we fometimes conceived the chace to be about a mile diftant, and at other times to be within reach of our guns -, and fome on board us pofitively averred, that be- fide the light, they could plainly difcern her fails. The Commodore himfelf was fo fully perfuaded that we fliould be foon along-fide of her, that he fent for his firft Lieutenant, who commanded between decks, and direded him to fee all the great guns loaded with two round-fhot for the firfl: broadfide, and after that with one round-fhot and one grape, ftridly charging him, at the fame time, not to fuffcT a gun to be fired, till he, the Com- modore, fhould give orders, which he informed the Lieutenant would not be till we arrived within piftol-fhot of the enemy. In this conftant and eager attention we continued all night, always pre- fuming that another quarter of an hour would bring us (315) .US up with this Manila Ihip, whofe wealth, with .that of her fuppoied confort, we now eilimated by round milHons. But when the morning broke, ^nd day-light ca^ne on, we were mod ftrangcly and vexatioufly difappointed, by finding that the light which had occafioned all this buftle and ex- pedancy, v/as only a fire on the Ihore. Indeed the circumftances of this deception are fo extra- ordinary as to be fcarcely credible ; for, by our run during the night, and the diftance of the land in the morning, there was no doubt to be made but this fire, when we firft difcovered it, was above twenty-five leagues from us : And yet I believe there was no perfon on board, who doubt- ed of its being a fhip's light, or of its being near at hand. It was indeed Lpon a very high moun- tain, and continued burning for feveral days after- wards -, it was not a vulcano, but rather, as I fup- pofe, flubble or heath fet on fire for fome purpofe of agriculture. At fun-rifing, after this mortifying delufion we found ourfelves about nine leagues off" the land, which extended from the N. W. to E. f N. On this land we obferved two remarkable hum- mocks, fuch as are ufually called paps, which bore North from us : Thefe, a Spani/h Pilot and two ' Indians^ who were the only perfons amongft us that pretended to have traded in this part of the world, affirmed to be over the \\7i\ho\iro^ J ^apulco. Indeed, we very much doubted their knowledge of thecoaft ; for we found thefe paps to be in the latitude of 17^: ^6\ whereas thofe oytr Ac apuko are faid to be in 1 7 degrees only ; and we after- wards found our fufpicions of their fkill to be well grounded : However, they were very confi- dent. (3^6) dent, and aflurcd ns, that the height of the moun- tains was itfelf an infallible mark of the harbour ; thecoaft, as they pretended (though falfly) being generally low to the eaftward and weftward of it. And now being in the track of the Manila ga- leon, it was a great doubt with us (as it was near the end of January) whether fhe was or was not arrived : Bat examining our prifoners about it, they aiTured us, that fhe was fometimes known to come in after the middle of February ; and they endeavoured to perfuade us, that the fire we had feen on fhorc was a proof that fhe was as yet at fea, it being cuftomary, as they faid, to make ufe of thefe fires as fignals for her diredion, when fhe continued longer out than ordinary. On this in- formation, flrengthened by our propenfity to be- lieve them in a matter which fo pleafingly flattered our wifhes, we refolved to cruife for her for fome days ; and we accordingly fpread our fhips at the diflance of twelve leagues from the coaft, in fuch a manner, that it was impofTible fhe fhould pafs usunobferved : However, not feeing her foon, we were at intervals inclined to fufped that fhe had gained her port already ; and as we now began to want a harbour to refrefh our people, the uncer- tainty of our prefent fituation gave us great un- eafinefs, and we were very folicitous to get fome pofitive intelligence, which might either itt us at liberty to confult our necefhties, if the galeon was arrived, or might animate us to continue on our prefent cruife with chearfulnefs, if fhe was not. With this view the Commodore, after examining our prifoners very particularly, refolved to fend a boat, under colour of the night, into the harbour QiAcapiilcOy to fee if the Manila fhip was there or not. ( f»7 > not, one of the Indians being very pofitive that this might be done without the boat itfelf being difcovered. To execute this projcfi:, the barge was difpatched the 6th of February^ with a fuf- ficient crew and two officers, who took with them a Spanijh Pilot, and the Indian who had infilled on the pradlicability of this mcafure, and had under- taken to conduft it. Our barge did not return to us again till the eleventh, when the officers ac- quainted Mr. jlnfon^ that, agreeable to our fufpi- eion, there was nothing like a harbour in the place where the SpaniJJj Pilots had at firft aiferted Aca- pilco to lie ; that when they had fatisfied them- felves in this particular, they fleered to the eaft- ward, in hopes of dilcovering it and had coafted along lliore thirty-two leagues ; that in this whole range they met chiefly with Tandy beaches of a great length, over which the fea broke with fo much violence, that it was impoffible for a boat to land i that at the end of their run they could juft difcover two paps at a very great diftance to the eaflward, which from their appearance and their latitude, they concluded to be thofe in the neighbourhood of Acapulco ; but that not having a fufficient quantity of frefh water and provifion for their pafTage thither and back again, they were obliged to return to the Commodore, to acquaint him with their difappointment. On this intelli- gence we all made fail to the eaflward, in order to get into the neighbourhood of that port, the Commodore refolving to fend the barge a fccond time upon the fame enterprize, when we were ar- rived within a m^oderate diftance. And the next day, which was the 1 2th of February^ we being by that time con fide rably advanced, t!.ie barge was agam {' 31^ )> again difpatched, and particular infl:ru6lions givert to the officers to ureferve themfelves from being' feen from the fhore. On the 13 th we efpied a high land to the eaftward, which we firft imagined to be that over the harbour of Acapulco •, but we afterwards found that it was the high land of 5^- guatenco^ where there is a fmall harbour, of which we fhall have occafion to make more ample men- tion hereafter. And now, having waited fix days without any news of our barge, we began to be uneafy for her fafety ; but, on the 7th day, that is, on the 19th of February, fhe returaed. The officers informed the Commodore, that they had difcovered the harbour of Aiapuko^ which they efteemed to bear from us E. S. E. at leaft fifty leagues diftant : That on the 17th, about two in the morning, they were got within the Ifland that lies at the mouth of the harbour, and yet neither the Spanijh Pilot, nor the Indian who were with them, could give them any information where they then were -, but that while they were lying upon their oars in fufpence what to do, being ig- norant that they were then at the very place they fought for, thty difcerned a fmall light upon the furface of the water, on which they inftantly plied. their paddles, and moving as filently as pofTible. towards it, they found it to be in a fifhing canoe,- which they furprized, with three Negroes that, belonged to it. It feems the Negroes at firft at- tempted to jump overboard ; and being fo near the land, they would eafily have fwam on fhore ; but they were prevented by prefenting a piece at them, on which they readily fubmitted, and were taken into the barge. The officers further added, that they had immediately turned the canoe adrift againft ( 3^9 ) ^alnft the face of a rock, where it would inevi- tably be dallied to pieces by the fury of the Tea : This they did to deceive thole who perhaps might be fent from the town to fearch after the canoe ; for upon feeing feveral pieces of a wreck, they would immediately conclude that the people on board her had been drowned, and would have no fufpicion of their having fallen into our hands. When the crew of the barge had taken this pre- caution, they exerted their utmoft ftrength in pull- ing out to fea, and by dawn of day had gained fuch an ofiing, as rendered it impoflible for them to be feen from the coaft. And now having gotten the three Negroes in our poflefTion, who were not ignorant of the tranf- aclions at ^capulco^ we were foon fatisfied about the mod material points which had long kept us in fufpencc : And on examination we found, that we were indeed difappointed in our expedation of intercepting the galeon before her arrival at Jca- pulcoj but we learnt other circumftances which ftill revived our hopes, and which, we then con- ceived, would more than balance the opportunity we had already loft : For though our Negroe pri- foners informed us that the galeon arrived at ^ca^\ pulco on our 9 th of January, which was about twenty days before we fell in with this coaft, yet they at the fame time told us, that the galeon had delivered kcr cargoe, and was taking in water and provifions for her return, and that the Viceroy of Mexico had by proclamation, fixed her departure from Acapulco to the 14th of Mard\ N. S. This laft news was moft joyfully received by us, as we had no doubt but fhe muft certainly fall into our hands, and as it was much more eligible to fcize her on I her ( 320 ) her return, than it would have been to have taken her before her arrival, as the fpecies for which Ihc had fold her cargoe, and which ihe would now have on board, would be prodigioufly more to be elleemed by us than the cargoe itfelf •, great part of which would have perifhed on our hands, and no part of it could have been difpofed of by us at fo advantageous a mart as Acaptilco. Thus wev/ere a fecond time engaged in an eager cxpedlation of meeting wich this Manila fhip, which, by the fame of its wealth, we had been taught to confider as the moft defirable prize that was to be met with in any part of the globe. As all our future projedls will be in fome fort regu- lated with a view to the pofifefTion of this cele- brated galeon, and as the commerce which is car- ried on by means of thefe vedels between the city of Manila and the port of Acapulco is perhaps the mod valuable, in proportion to its quantity, of any in the known world, I fhall endeavour, in the enfuing chapter, to give as diftinft 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 fome degree interefted, and as I flatter my- felf, that from the materials which have fallen into my hands, lam enabled to defcribe it with more diilindnefs than has hitherto been done, at leaft in «ur language. CHAP ( 321 ) C H A p. X. An account of the commerce carried on be* uveen the city of Manila on the liland of Luconia, and the port of Acapuko on th© Coaft of Mexico, ABOUT the end of the 15th Century and the beginning of the i6th, the difcovery of new countries and of nev/ brancl-kes of con:i- merce was the reigning paiTion of feveral ot the European Princes. But thofe who engaged moil deeply and fortunately in thefe purfuits were the Kings of Spain 2ind Porlugal % the iirft of thefc having difcovered the immenfe and opulent Con- tinent of America and its adjacent Iflands, whilil the other, by doubling the Cape of Good Hope, had opened to his fleets a palTagc to the fouthern coafh of JJia, ufually called the Eaft-IndieSy and by his fettlements in that part of the globe, became pof- feflcd of many of the manufa6tures, and natural productions with which it abounded, and which, for fome ages, had been the wonder and delight of the more polifhed and luxurious part of mankind. In the mean time, thefe two Nations of Spain and Portugal^ who were thus profecuting the fame views, though in different quarters of the world, grew extremely jealous of each other, and became apprehenfive of mutual encroachments* And there- fore to quiet their jcaloufies, and to enable them with more tranquillity to purfue the propagation of the Catholic Faith in thefe diflant countries, (they having both of them given didinguiihed y mar% ( 3^2 ) marks of their zeal for their mother church, hf their butchery of innocent Pagans) Pope Alexan- der VI. granted to the Spanijh Crown the property and dominion of all places,. ;either already difcover- ed, or that Hiould be difcovered an hundred leagues s to the weftward of the Idands di Azores i. leaving all the ufiknown countries to the eaftward of this limit, to the indufbry and future difquifition of the Forttt- guefe : And this boundary being, afterwards remov- ed two hundred and fifty leagues more to the weft- ward, by the agreement of both Nations, it was imagined that by this reguhtion all the feeds of future contefts were fupprefled. For th'e Spaniards prefumed,. that thtPortuguefe would be hereby pre- vented from meddling with their colonies m Ame- rica : And the Portuguefe fuppofed that their Eaft- Indian fettkments, and particularly the fpice Iflands, which they had then newly difcovered, were fecur- cd from any future attempts of the SpaniJh^2iX\on. But it feems the infallibility of the Holy Father had, on this occafion, deferted him^^ and for want of being more converfant in geography, he had not forefeen that the Spaniards^ by puftiing their dif- eovcries to the Weft, and the Portuguese to the Eaft, might at laft meet with each other, and be again embroiled ; as it a(5lually happened within a few years afterwards. For Frederick Magellan^ who j was an officer in the King of Pdrtugal's fervice^ " having received Ibme difguft from that Court, ei- ther by the defalcation of his payy or by having his parts, as he conceived, too cheaply conftdered, he entered into the femce of the King of Spain •, and being,- as it appears, a man of ability,, he was very defirous OtTignalizing li^s taleots by feme enterprize^ which might prove extremely vexatious to his for- 4 mcr ( 323 ) tiier Mafters, and might teach them to efthiiate his worth by the greatneis of the rhiichief he brought upon them, this being the moft obvious and natu- ral turn of all fugitives^ dnd more efpecially of thofe, who, being redly men of capacity, have quitted their country by reafon of the fmall account that has been made of them. Magellan^ in purfuance of thefe vindidiiive views, knowing that the Portuguefi Court confidered their poflefiion of the fpice Idands as their m.oft important acquifition in the Eaft-In- idjes, refolved with himfelf to inftigate the Court of S^am to an enterprize, which, by flill pufhing their difcoveries, would give" them a right to interfere both in the property and commerce of thofe re- nowned Porttignefe fettlements ; and the King of Spain approving of this projccl, Magellan^ in the year 151 9, fet fail from the port o^ Sevil, in order to carry this enterprize into execution. He had with him a confiderable force, confifling of five fliips and two hundred and thirty-four men^ with which he flood for the coaft of South America^ and ranging along fhore^ he at lafl, tov/ards .the end K^OEloher^ 1520^ had the good fortune to difcover thofe Streights, which have fiace been denominated from him, and wliich opened him a paflage into the Pacific Ocean. And this firfl part of his fcheme be- ing thus happily accomplifhed, he, after feme flay on the coafl of Peru^ fet fail again to the weftward^ with a view of falling in with the fpice Iflands. In this extenfive run he firfl dilcovered t\iz Ladrofies or Marian IHands ; and continuing on his courfe, he at length reached l\it Philippine Iflands, which are the mofl eailern part oS. Afia^ where, venturing on ihore ifi an hollile manner, and fkirmilliang with the Indians^ he was flaln^- { 3^4 ) By the death of Magellan^ the original projew^f^ fettlements in an immediate d^tridence on their mother-country, without per- miVtingMiem to carry on directly any gainful traf- fic "i^ith other Powers, thefe confidcrations have dccafrdn^d m.any remonftrances to be prefented to the Court' of Spain againft the Indian trade, hereby ' allowed ( 329 ) allowed to the Kingdom of Peru and Mexico ; k having been urged, that the filk. manufactures of Valencia and other parts of Spain are hereby greatly prejudiced, and the linnens carried from Cadiz are much injured in their fale : Since the Chinefe filks coming almoft directly to Acafulco^ can be afford- ed much cheaper there tlian any Eurcpean manu- tadures of equal goodnefs ; and the cottons from the Corcmondel coaft, make the European linnens almoft ufelefs. So that the Alamla trade renders both Mexico and Peru lefs dependent upon iypnin tor a fuppiy of their necelTities than they ought to be ♦, and exhaufts thofe countries of a confidcrablc quantity of filver, the greateft part of which, were this trade prohibited, would center in Spain, either in payment for Spaniflj commodities, or in gains to the Spanijh Merchant •, whereas now the only advantage which arifes from it is, the enriching the Jefuits and a few particular perfons befides, at the other extremity ot the world. Thefe argu- ments did fo far influence Don Jofeph Patinhoy who was then Prime Miniiler, but an enemy to tlie Jefuits, that about the year 1725, he had rcfolved to aboliili this trade, and to have permitted no Indiayi commodities to be introduced into any of the Spanijh ports of the Wejl-Indies, but what were carried diere in the regiller fhips from Europe. But the powerful intrigues of the Jefuits prevented this regulation from taking place. ,^^^ ^^^omy This trade from Alamla to Acapulco and back again, is ufually carried on in one or at moft two annual fhips, which itx. fail from Manila about 7«/y, and arrive at Acapulco in the December, Janu- ary, or February following, and having there dif- poled of their effecfts, return for Manila fometinie in ( 33® ) in March, where they generally arrive in June ; fo that the whole voyage takes up very near an en- tire year : For this reafon, though there is often no more than one fhip employed at a time, yet there is always one ready for the fea when the other arrives ; and therefore the commerce at Manila are provided with three or four flout fhips, that, in cafe of any accident, the trade may not be fufpend- ed. The largeft of thefe lliips, whofe name I have not learnt, is defcribed as little lefs than one of our firft rate men of war, and indeed fhe muft be of an enormous fize ; for it is known, that when fhe was employed with other fhips from the fame port, to cruife for our China trade, fhe had no lefs than twelve hundred men on board. Their otlier fliips, though far inferior in bulk to this, are yet ftout large veffels, of the burthen of twelve hundred tun and upwards, and ufually carry from three hundred and fifty to fix hundred hands, paflengers included, with fifty odd guns. As thefe ai*e all King's fhips, commifTioned and paid by him, there is ufually one of the Captains, who is Hiled the General, and v/ho carries the royal ftandard of Spain at the main-top gallant mafl- head, as v/e fhall more particularly obferve here- after. And now, having defcribed the port of Manila and the fhipping they employ, it is neceflary to give a more circumftantial detail of their naviga- tion. The fhip having received her cargoe on board, and being fitted for the fea, generally weighs from the mole of Cabite about the middle of July, taking the advantage of the weflerly monfoon, which then fets in, to carry them to fea. It ap- pears by the chart already referred to, that the getting ( 330 getting through the Boccadero to the eaftward muffi be a troubleibme navigation, and in fa6l, it is fometimes the end of Auguft before they get clear of the land. When they have got through this paffage, and are clear of the Iflands, they Hand to the northward of the eaft, in order to get into the latitude of 30 odd degrees, where they ex- ped: to rneet with w^efterly winds, before which they run away for the coaft of California. To give a better idea of the track which they hold ia this navigation, I have inferted, towards the latter end of the third book, the copy of a manufcript chart, which was taken on board one of thefe fhips, containing all that Ocean between the Philip- pine Iflands and the coaft of Mexico^ in which I have laid down the particular route of this vcflel, both in her paffage from Manila to Acapulco^ and from Acapulco back again. In this chart (as it was drawn for the ufe of the Spanijh General) there are contained all the difcoveries which the Manila fliips have at any time made in traverfing this vaft: Ocean •, whence it appears what minute and incon- fiderable fragments of land are difperfed in that prodigious fea •, and it is moft remarkable, that by the concurrent teftimony of all the Spa7tifi) Navi- gators, there is not one port, nor even a tolerable road as yet found out betwixt the Philippine Ifiands and the coaft of California., and Me: without coming in fight of ( 341 ) the enemy ; and in cafe he fhould be dlfcovered when in port, and fhould be ajpprehenfive cf an attack, he is then to land his treaHire, and to take fome of his artillery on fhore for its defence, not negle6ling to fend frequent and particular accounts to the city o^ Manila of all that paffes. But if, af- ter the firft fire on fhore, the Captain obferves that two others only are made by the centinels, he is then to conclude, that there is nothing to fear : And he is to purfue his courfe without interruption, and to make the befl: of his way to the port of Ca~ bite, which is the port to the city of Manila^ and the conflant flation for all the fhips employed in this commerce to Acapulco. CHAP. XI. Our cruife off the port of Acapulco for the Manila fliip, 1H AVE already mentioned, in the ninth chap- ter, that the return of our barge from the port of Acapulco^ where fhe had furprized three Negro fifhermen, gave us inexprefTible fatisfadion, as we learnt from our prifoners, that the galeon was then preparing to put to fea, and that her departure was fixed, by an edid of the Viceroy of Mexico^ to the 14th of March ^ N. S. that is, to the 3d of March^ according to our reckoning. What related to this Manila fliip being the m.at- ter to which we were mofl attentive, it was ne- cefTarily the firft article of our examination ; but Z 3 having having fatisfied ourfelves upon this head, we then indulged our curiofity in enquiring after other news ; when the prifoners informed us, that they had received intelligence at Acapulco^ of cur hav- ing plundered and burnt the town of Paita ♦, and that, on this occafion, the Governor of Acapulco had augmented the fortifications of the place, and had taken feveral precautions to prevent us from forcing our way into the harbour ^ that in particu- lar, he had placed a guard on the Ifland which lies at the harbour's mouth, and thit this guard had been withdrawn but two nights before the arrival of our barge : So that had the barge fucceeded ih her firfl: attempt, or had fhe arrived at the port the fecond time two days fooner, fhe could fcarcely have avoided being feized on. Or if fhe had efcaped, k mud have been with the lofs of the greateft part of her crew, as flie would have been under the fire of tlie guard, before flie had knovm her danger. The withdrawing of this guard was a circum- ftance that greatly encouraged us, as it feemed to demonflrate, not only that the enemy had not as yet difcovercd us, but likewife that they had now no farther apprehenfions of our vifiting their coaft. Indeed the prifoners afTured us, that they had no knowledge of our being in thofe feas, and that they had therefore flattered themfelves, that, in the long interval fince our taking of Paita, we had fleered another courfe. But we did not confider the opi- nion of thefe Negro prifoners as fo authentick a proof of our being hitherto concealed, as the with- drawing of the guard from the harbour's mouth ; for this being the adion of the Governor, was of all arguments the mgfl convincing, as he might be fup*- ( 343 ) iippofed to have iritelUgence, with which the reft of the inhabitants were unacquainted. Satisfied therefore that we were undifcovered, and that the time was fixed for the departure of the galeon from Acapulco^ we made all neceflary pre- parations, and waited with the utmoft impatience for the important day. As this was the 3d of March, and it was the 1 9th of February when the barge returned and brought us our intelligence, the Commodore refolved to continue the greatefl part of the intermediate time on his prefent llation, to the weilward of ylcapulco, conceiving that in this fituation there would be lefs danger of his being feen from the fliorc, which was the only circum- ftance that could deprive us of the immenfe trea- fure, on which we had at prefent fo eagerly fixed our thoughts. During this interval, we were em- ployed in fcrubbing and cleanfing our fnips bot- toms, in bringing them into their moft advantage- ous trim, and in regulating the orders, fignals and Itations to be obferved, when we fhould arrive off Acapulco, and the time of the departure of the ga- leon fhould draw nigh. And now, on the firft of March, we made the high lands, ufually called the paps over Acapulco^ and got with all pofTible expedition into the fitua- tion prefcribed by the Commodore's orders. The diftribution of our fquadron on this occafion, both for the intercepting the galeon, and for the avoid- ing a difcovery from the fliore, was fo very judi- cious, that it well m.erits to be diftindly defcribed. The order of it was thus : The Centurion brought the paps over the harbour to bearN. N. E, at fifteen leagues diftance, which was a fufficient ofHng to prevent our being feen by Z 4 the ( 344 ) the enemy. To the v/eftward of the Centurion there was {lationed the Carmelo^ and to the eailward were the ^ryal Prize, the Gloucefter, and the Car- mn : Thelc were all ranged in a circular line, and each fhip was three leagues diflant from the next ; fo that the Carnulo and the Carmin^ which were the two extremes, were twelve leagues diftant from each other: And as the galeon could, without doubt, be difcerned at fix leagues diftance from ei- ther extremity, the whole fweep of our fquadron, within which notliing could pafs undifcovered, was at lead twenty-four leagues in extent •, and yet we were fo connected by our Iignals, as to be eafily and fpeedily inform.ed of what was feen in any part of the line : And to render this difpofition ftili more compleat, and to prevent even the pofTibi- lity of the galeon's efcaping us in the night, the two Cutters belonging to the Centurioi and the GlGUceJhr were both manned and fent in fhore, and were ordered to lie ail day at the diftance of tour 01" five leagues from the entrance of the port, where, hj reafon of their fmallnefs, they could not pofiibly be difcovered ; but in the night they v/ere dire«fled to ftand nearer to the harbour's mouth, and as the light of the morning came on, thty were to return back again to their day-pcfts. Wiien the Cutters fhould firft difcover the Manila fhip, one of them was ordered to return to the fquadron, and to make a fignal, whether the ga- leon ftood to the eaftward or to the wefhward ; whilfl the other was to follow the galeon at a di- ftance, and if it grew dark, was to dire6l the fqua- dron in their chace, bv iliewingr falfe fires. The p-irticular fituation of each fhip and of the Cutters, and the bearings from each other, which they were to ( 345 ) to obferve in order to keep their ftatlons, will be better underftood by the delineation exhibited in the twenty-feventh plate ; a draught of which was de- livered to each of the Commanders at the fame time with their orders. Befides the care we had taken to prevent the ga- leon from palTing by us unobferved, v/e had not been inattentive to the means of engaging her to advantage, when we came up with her : For con- fidering the thinnefs of our hands, and the vatint" ing accounts given by the Spaniards of her fize, her guns, and her ftrength, this was a confidera- tion not to be negle<5led. As we fuppofed that none of our fhips but the Centurion and the Gloucefter were capable of lying along fide of her, we took on board the Centurion all the hands belonging to the Carmelo and the Carmin, except what were juft fufficient to navigate thofe fhips -, and Captain Saun- ders wa*^ ordered to fend from the Tryal Prize ten EiiglijJmeny and as many Negroes, to reinforce the crew of the Gloucefter: And for the encouragement of our Negroes, of w^hich we had a confiderable number on board, we promifed them, that on their good behaviour they fhould all have their freedom ; and as they had been aimou every day trained to the management of the great guns for the two pre- ceding months, they were very well qualified to be of fervice to us-, and from their hopes of li- berty, and in return for the ufage they had met with amongft us, they ftemed difpofed to exert themfclves to the utmoft of their power. And now being thu^ prepared for the reception of the galeon, we expedied, with the utmoft im- patience, the fo often mentioned third of March, the day fixed for her departure. And on that day we we were all of us mofl: eagerly engaged in looking out towards Acapuko \ and we were fo ftrangejy prepofTeired with the certainty of our intelligL-nce, and with an allurance of her coming out ol port, that fome or other on board us were conflantly wagining that they difcovered one of our Cutters returning with a fignal. But to our extreme vexa- tion, both this day and the fuccceding nigiic paiTcd over, without any news of the galeon : Huwever, we did not yet defpair, but were all . heartily dif- pofed to flatter ourfelves, thar foaie unfcrefeen ac- cident had interver.ed, which might have put off her departui'e for a few days ; apd fuggeftions of this kind occurred in plenty, as we knew that the time fixed by the Viceroy for her failing, was of- ten 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 Pafiion week, which is obferved by the Papifts with great llridtnefs, and a total ccfTation from all kinds of labour, fo that EO fhip is permitted to (lir our of port during the whole week, this quieted our apprehenfions for fome days, and difpofed us not to exped the galeon till the week following. On the Friday in this week our Cutters returned to us, and the officers on board thern were very confident that the galeon was flill .ip port, for that flie could not poiTibly have come out but they muft have fetn her. On the Monday morning fucceeding paffion week, that is, on the 1 5th of March ^ the Cutters were again difpatched to their old (latioR, and our hopes were once more indulged in as fanguine prepofleflions as before •, but in a week's time our eagernefs was greatly abated, and a general dejedtion and defpon- dency ( 347 ) dency took place in its room] ^?t is tfu^,- there were fome few amongfl us - wft^'iftiH kept up their fpirits, and were very ingertior ^ ;^; out rea- fons to fatisfy themfelves, mat ld- uuappointment we l.ad hitherto met with had offlf -been occafioned by a cafual delay of the galeon, which' a- few days would remove, and not by a total fafp^rfion of her departure for the whole feafon : But thcil- fpecula- tions were not reliflied by the generality of our peo- ple ; for they were perfuaded that the enemy had, by fome accident, difcovered our being upon the coaft, and had therefore laid an embargo on the galeon till the next year. And indeed this perfua- fion was but too well founded ; for we afterwards learnt, that our barge, when fent on the difcovery of the port of Acapuko, had been feen from the fhore ; and that this circum (lance fno embarkati- ons but canoes ever frequenting that coaft) was to them a fufficient proof of the neighbourhood of our fquadron ; on which, they flopped the galeon till thefucceeding year. The Commodore himfelf, though he declared not his opinion, was yet in his own thoughts very apprehenfive that we were difcovered, and that the departure of the galeon was put off-, and he had, in confequence of this opinion, formed a plan for poffefling himfelf of Acapulco ; for he had no doubt but the treafure as yet remained in the town, even though the orders for the difpatching of the galeon were countermanded. Indeed the place was too well defended to be carried by an open attempt ; for befides the garrifon and the crew of the galeon, there were in it at lead a thoufand men well armed, who had marched thither as guards to the treafure, when it was brought down from the city of Mexi- co: (348) fc : For the roads thereabouts are (o much infefted either by independent Indians or fugitives, that the Spaniards never trull the filver without an armed force to proted it. And beftdes, had the ibength of the place been lefs confiderable, and fuch as might have appeared not fupenor to the efforts of our fquadron, yet a declared attack would have prevented us from receiving any advantages from its fuccefs j fince upon the firft difcovery of our fquadron, all the trealure would have been ordered into the country, and in a few hours would have been out of our reach ; lo that our conquett would i^ave been only a defolate town, where we fhould have found nothing that could have been of the leall confequence to us. For thefe reafons, the furprifal of the place was the only method that could at all anfwer our pur- pofe ; and therefore the manner in Vv'hich Mr. An^ [on propofed to condudl this enterprize was, by fet- ting fail with the fquadron in the evening, time enough to arrive at the port in the night -, and as there is no danger on that coaft, he would have flood boldly for the harbour's mouth, where he ex- peded to arrive, and might perhaps have entered it, before the Spaniards were acquainted with his defigns : AlToon as he had run into the harbour, he intended to have pufhc two hundred of his men on fhore inhistoats, who were immediately to attempt the fort markt (C) in the plan mentioned in the preceding chapter ; whiKl he, the Commo- dore, with his fhips, was employed in firing upon the town, and the other batteries. And thefe dif- ferent operations which would have been executed ^ith great regularity, could hardly have failed of fucceeding againll an enemy, who would have been • . pre- ( 349 ) prevented by the fuddennefs of the attack, and b^ the want of day-light, from concerting any mea-< fures for their defence -, fo that it was extremely probable that we fhoiild have carried the fort by ftorm ; and then the other batteries, being open behind, mud have been foon abandoned ; after which, the town, and its inhabitants, and all the treafijre, mufl: neceflarily have fallen into our hands; for the place is fo cooped up with mountains, that it is fcarcely poflible to efcape out of it, but by the great road, markt fH.!!.) in the plan, which palfes under the fort. This was the projeft which the Commodore had fettled in general in his thoughts; but when he began to inquire into fuch circum- flances as were necefiary to be confidered in order to regu'are the particulars of its execution, he found there was a difficulty, which, being inluperable, cccafioned the enterprize to be laid afide : For on examining the prifoners about the winds which pre- vail near the fhoiv, he learnt (and it was after- wards confirmed by the officers of our cutters) that nearer in (hore there was always a dead calm for the greatefb part of the night, and that towards morning, when a gale fprung up, it conftantly blew off the land •, fo that the fetting fail from our prefent Ration in the evening, and arriving at Aca- ^k/^9 before day-light, was impoffible. This fcheme, as hath been faid, was formed by the Commodore, upon afuppofuion that the galeon was detained till the next year: But as this was a matter of opinion only, and not founded on intel- ligence, and there was a poffibility that fhe might ftill put to fea in a fhort time, the Commodore thought it prudent to continue his cruife upon this flation, as long as the necefiary attention to his ftores ( 35^ ) ftores of wood and water, and to the convenient feafon for his future pafTage to China^ would give him leave ; and therefore, as the cutters had been ordered to remain btiox^ Ac apulco till the 23d of March^ the fquadron did not change its pofition till that day ; when the cutters not appearing, we were in fome pain for them, apprehending they might have fuffered either from the enemy or the weather ; be we were relieved from our concern the next morning, when we difcovered them, though at a great diftanc^ and to the leeward of the fqua- dron : We bore down to them and took them up, and were informed by them, that, conformable to their orders, they had left their ftatlon the day be- fore, without having feen any thing of the galeon ; and we found, that the reafon of their being fo far to the leeward of us was a ftrong current, which had driven the whole fquadron to windward. And here it is neceffary to mention, that, by in- formation which was afterwards received, it ap- peared that this prolongation of our cruifc was a very prudent meafure, and afforded us no con- temptible chance of feizing the treafure, on which we had fo long fixed our thoughts. For it feems, after the embargo was laid on the galeon, as is be- fore-mentioned, the perfons principally interefted in the cargoe fent feveral expreffes to Mexico^ to beg that fhe might ftill be permitted to depart: For as they knew, by the accounts fent from TaitGy that we had not more than three hundred men in all, they infifted that there was nothing to be feared from us ; for that the galeon (carrying above twice as many hands as our whole fquadron) v/ould be greatly an overmatch for us. And though the Viceroy was inflexible ; yet, on the account of 2 their ( 351 )■ their reprefentation, fhe was kept ready for the fca for near three weeks after the firft order came to detain her. n ^m ?s ,^iot3i3rb on When we had taken up the Cutters, all the fhips being joned, the Commodore made a fignal to fpeak with their Commanders ; and upon enquiry into the ilock of frefh water remaining on beard the fquadron, it was found to be fo very llender, that we were under a neceflity of quitting our ftation to procure a frelh fupply : And confulting what place was the propereft for this purpofe, it was agreed, that the harbour of Segiiataneo or Cbeque^an being the neareft to u% was, on that account, the moft eligible ; and it was therefore immediately refolved to make the beft of our way thither : And that, even while we were recruiting our water, we might not totally abandon our views upon the galeon, which perhaps, upon certain intelligence of our being employed at Chequetan, might ven- ture to flip out to fea, our Cutter, under the command of Mr. Hughes^ the Lieutenant of the Tryal Prize, was ordered to cruife off the port of Acapulco for twenty-four days ; that if the galeon fhould fet fail in that interval, we might be ipeedi- ly informed of it. In purfuance of thefe refolu- tions we endeavoured to ply to the weftward, to gain our intended port, but were often interrupted in our progrefs by calms and adverfe currents : In thefe intervals we employed ourfelves in taking out the molf valuable part of the cargoes of the Carmelo and Carmin prizes, which two Ihips we in- tended to deftroy as foon as we had tolerably cleared them. By the firft of April we were fo far advanced towards Seguataneo, that we thought it expedient to fend out two boats that they might range (352 ) tange along the coaft, and difcover the watering- place ; they were gone fome days, and our water being now very fhort, it was a particular felicity to us that we met with daily fupplies of turtle, for had we been entirely confined to fait provifions, we muft have fuffered extremely in fo warm a climate. Indeed our prefent circumftances were fufEciently alarming, and gave the molt confiderate amongft 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 difcovered a place proper to water at, and by the leakage of our calk and other accidents, we had not ten days water on board the whole fquadron : So that from the known difficulty of procuring water on this coaft, and the little reliance we had on the Buccaneer writers ( the only guides we had to truft toj we were apprehenfive of being foon expofed to a calamity, the moll terrible of any in the long diflieartning catalogue of the diftrefTes of a fea- faring life. But thefe gloomy fuggeftions were foon happily ended -, for our boats returned on the 5th of Aprili having difcovered a place proper for our purpofe, about feven miles to the weilward of the rucks of Seguataneo^ which, by the defcription they gave of it, appeared to be the port, called by Bajiipier the harbour of Chequetan. The fuccefs cf our boats was highly agreeable to us, and they were ordered out again the next day, to found the har- bour and its entrance, which they had reprefented as very narrow. At their return they reported the place to be free from any danger ; fo that on the' 7th we flood in, and that evening came to an anchor in eleven fathom. The Gloucefter came ta 4 an ( 353 ) an anchor at the fame time with us ; but the Car- melo and the Carmin having fallen to Jevvard, the I'ryal Prize was ordered to join them, and to bring them in, which in two or three days fhe ef- feded. Thus, after a four months continuance at fea, from the leaving of ^ibo^ and having but fix days water on board, we arrived in the harbour of Cbe^uetariy the defcription of which, and of the adjacent coafl:, fhall be the bufinefs of the enfu- ing chapter. CHAP. XII. Defcription of the harbour of Chequetan^ and of the adjacent coaft and country. THE harbour of Chequetan, which we here propofe to defcribe, lies in the latirude of 17° : 36' North, and is about thirty leagues to the weftward o^ Acapulco. It is eafy to be dif- covered by any fhip that will keep well in with the land, efpecially by fuch as range dovvn coaft from AcafulcOy and will attend to the following particulars. There is a beach of fand, which extends eigh- teen leagues from the harbour of Acapulco to the weftward, againft which the fea breaks with fuch violence, that it is impofTible to land in any pare of it: But yet the ground is fo clean, that fhips, in the fair feafon, may anchor in great fafety, at the diftance of a mile or two from the fhore. The land adjacent to this beach is generally low, full A a of ( j^4 ) of villages, and planted with a great Number &f trees J and on the tops of fome fmalj eminencies there are feveral look out towers ; fo that the face of the country affords a very agreeable profpedl : For the cultivated part, which is the part here defcribcd, extends fome leagues back from the (hoTCj and there appears to be bounded by the chain of mountains, which flretch to a confider- able diftance on either fide o^ Acapulco* It is a moft remarkable particularity, that in this whole extent, being, as hath been mentioned, eighteen leagues, and containing, in appearance, the moft populous and beft planted dillri6t of the whole coaft, there fliould be neither canoes, boats, nor any other embarkations either for fifhing, coafting, or for pleafure. The beach here defcribed is the fureft guide for finding the harbour of Chequetan-j Mor five miles to the weftward of the extremity of this beach there appears a hummock, which at firfl makes like an iftand, and is in ihape not very un- like the hill of Petaplan^ hereafter mentioned, though much fmaller. Three miles to the weft- ward of this hummock is a white rock lying near the fhore, which cannot eafily be palled by unob- ferved : It is about two cables length from the land, and lies in a large bay about nine leagues over. The weftward point of this bay is the hill of Pet apian ^ which is reprefented in the twenty- eighth plate, with the view of the Iflands of i^f- cara and §uiho. This hill too, like the foremen- tioned hummock, may be at firil miftaken for an Ifland, though it be, in reality, a peninfula, which is joined to the Continent by a low and narrow Ifthmus, covered over. with Hirubs and fmall trees. The ( 355 ) The bay of Segiiataneo extends from this hill d great way to the weft ward ; and it appears, by a plan ot the bay of Petaplan^ which is part of that of Segtiatanco^ and is to be feen in the twenty- ninth plate, that at a fmall diftarce froin the hill, and oppofite to the entrance of the bay, there is ^il alTemblage of rocks, which are white from the excrements of boobies and tropical birds. Four of thefe rocks are high and large, and, together with feveral other fmaller ones, are, by the help of a little imagination, pretended to refemble the form of a crofs, and are called the TVbite Friars. Thefe rocks, as appears by the plan, bear W. by N. from Petaplan \ and about feven miles to the weftward of them lies the harbour of Chcqueta)!^ which is dill more minutely diftinguifhed by a large and fingle rock, that rifes out of the water a mile and an half diftant frorrt its entrance, ahd bears S. t W. from the middle of it. The ap- pearance of the entrance of this harbour is very accurately reprefented in the thirtieth plate, where (e) is the Eaft point of the harbour, and (d) the Well, the forementioned rock being marked (f )* In the fame view (a) is a large fandy bay, but where there is no landing ; (b) are four remarkable white rocks i and from the ifland (c) there runs a large bay to the weftward. Thefe are the infallible marks by which the har- bour of Chequetan may be known to thofe who keep well in with the land ; and I muft add^, that the coaft is no ways to be dfeaded from the mid- dle of Ocfober to the beginning of Ma^^ nor is there then any danger from the winds : Thouc^h in the remaining part of the year there are frequent and violent tornadoes, heavy rains, and hard gales A a 2 in ( 356 ) • in all diredlions of the compafs. But as to thofe who keep at any confiderable diftance from the coaft, there is no other method to be taken by them for finding tliis harbour, than that of making it by its latitude : For there are fo many ranges of moun- tains rifing one upon the back of another widiin land, that no drawings of the appearance of the coafi: can be at all depended on, when off at fea ; for every little change of diftance or variation of pofition brings new mountains in view, and produ^ ces an infinity of dilTerent profpefls, which would render all attempts of delineating the afpe(5l of the coafb impofllble. This may fuffice as to the methods of difcover- ing the harbour of Cheqietan, A plan of the har- bour itfelf is reprcfented in the thirty-firft plate ; where it appears, that its entrance is but about half a mile broad ; the two points which form it, and which are faced with rocks that are almoft perpendicular, bear from each other S. E. and N. W. The harbour is invironed on all fides, ex- cept to the we R ward, with high mountains over- fpread with trees. The pafiage into it is very fafe on either fide of the rock that lies- off the mouth, of it, though we, both in coming in and going out, left it to the eaftward. The ground without the harbour is gravel mixed with ftones, but with- in it is a foft mud : And it muft be remembred, that in coming to an anchor a good allowance (hould be made for a large fwell, which frequently caufes a great fend of the fea ; as likewife, for the ebbing and flowing of the tide, which we ob- fervcd to be about five feet, and that it fet nearly E. and VY, The ( 357 ) The watering- place is fituated in that part of •the harbour, which is taken notice of in the plan for freih water. This, during the whole time of our (lay, had the appearance of a large (landing lake, without any vifiule outlet into the Tea, from which it is feparated by a part of the ftrand. The 'Origin of this lake is a fpring, that bubbles out of the ground near half a mile within the country. We found the water a little braciclfh, but more confiderably fo towards the fea-fide •, for the nearer we advanced towards the fpring- head, the fofcei; and frefher it proved : This laid us under a necef- fity of filling all our caflcs from the furtheft part of the lake, and occafioned us fome trouble ; and v/ould have proved dill more difficult, had it not been for our particular management, which for the conveniency of it def^r^^^s to be recommended to all who (hafl hereafter water at this pliace. Our inethod confifted in making ufe of canoes which drew but little water •, for, loading them with a number of fmalf cafks, they eafily got up the lake to tlie fpring-head, and the fmall cafks being there filled, were in the fame manner tranfported ^back again to the beach, where fpnip of our hands alw^j^s attended to flart tHem into otfier cafks^ of a larger flZe, . ;, . . Though this lake, during our cpntinu'ari'ce tliere, appeared to have no outlet into the, fea, yet there is reafon to fuppofe that in the wet feafon It over- flows the ftrand, and commuriicates with the ocean ; for Damvier, who was formerly here, fpeaks of it as a large river. Indeed there muft be a very great body of water amafltd before the lake can rife high enough to overflow the Strand ; for the neighbouring country is fo low, that great A a 3 part ( 3S8 ) part of it muft be covered with water, before it can run out over the beach. As the cc^untry in the neighbourhood, particu- larly the tra6l which we have already defcribed, appeared to be well peopled, and cultivated, we hoped thence to have procured frefh provifion and crher refrefhments which we flood in need of. With this view, the morning after we came to an anchor, the Commodore ordered a party of forty men, well armed, to march into the coun- try, and to endeavour to difcover fome town or village, where they were to attempt to fet on foot a correfpondence with the inhabitants ; for we doubted not, if we could have any intercourfe with them, but that by prefents of fome of the coarfe merchandife, witli which our prizes abounded, (which, though of little confequence to us, would to them be extremely valuable) we ihould allure them to furnifli us with whatever fruits or frefh provifions were in their power. Our people were diredled on this cccafion to proceed with the greatefl circumfpedion, and to make as liitle oftentation of hoflility as poflible ; for we were fenfible, that we could meet with no wealth here worth our notice, and that what neceflaries we really wanted, we fhould in all probability be better fuppli-d with by an open amicable traffic, than by violence and force of arms. But this endeavour of opening an intercourfe with the inhabitants proved inefFeaual ; for towards evening, the par- ty which had been ordered to march into the country, returned greatly fatigued with their un- ufual exercife, and fome of them fo far fpent as to have fainted by the way, and to be obliged to be brought back upon the fhoulders of their com^ 2 panions. ( 359 ) pinions. They had marched in all, as they con- ceived, about ten miles, in a beaten road, where they often faw the frelh dung of horfes or mules. When they had got about five miJes from the har- bour, the road divided between the mountains into two branches, one running to the Eaft, and the other to the Weft : Afcer fome deliberation about the courfe they (hould take, they agreed to pur- lue the eaftern road, which, when they had fol- lowed for fome time, led them at once into a large plain or Savannah ; on one fide of which they difcovered a centinel on horfeback with a piftol in his hand : It was fuppofed that when rhey fir ft faw him he was afleep, but his horfe ftarded at the glittering of their arms, and turn- ing round fuddeiily rode OiT with his Mafter, who was very near being unhorfed in the furprize, but he recovered his feat, and efcaped only with the Jofs of his hat and his piftol, which he dropped on the ground. Our people ran after him, in hopes of difcovering fome village or habitation which 'he would retreat to -, but, as he had the ad- vantage of being on horfeback, he foon loft fight of them. However, they were unwilling to come back without making fome difcovery, and there- fore ftill followed the track they were in ; but the heat of the day encreafing, and finding no water to quench their thirft, they were at firft: obliged to halt, and then refolved to return j for as they faw no figns of plantations or cultivated land, they had no reafon to believe that there was any village or fettlement near them : But to leave no means untried of procuring fome intercourfe with the people, the ofHcers ftuck up feveral poles in the road, to which were affixed declara- Aa 4 tions ( 36o ) tions, written in Spanijh^ encouraging the inhabi- tants to come down to the harbour, and to traffick \\ith us, giWng the (Irongeft aflurances of a kind reception, and faithful payment for any provifions they fhould bring us. This was doubtlefs a very prudent meafure, but yet it produced no effe(5t » for we never faw any of them during the whole time of our continuance at this port of Chequetarj. But had our men, upon the divifion of the path, taken the weftern road inftead of the eaftern, it would foon have led them to a village or town, which in fome Spanijh manufcripts is mentioned as being in the neighbourhood of this port, and which we afterwards learnt was not above two miles from that turning. And on this occafion I cannot help mentioning another adventure, which happened to fome of our people in the bay of PetaplaUy as it may help to give the Reader a juft idea of the temper of the inhabitants of this part of the world. Some time after our arrival at Chequetan^ Lieutenant Brett was fent by the Commodore, with two of our boats under his command, to examine the coad to the eaftward, particularly to make obfervations on the oay and watering-place of Petaplan^ a plan of which has been already t-eferred to in this chapter. As Mr. Brett with one of the boats was preparing to go on fhore towards the hill of Petaplan^ he, ac- cidentally looking acrofs the bay, perceived, on the oppofite ftrand, three fmall fquadrons of horfe parading upon the beach, andfeeming to advance towards the place where he propofed to land. On fight of this he immediately put off the boat, though he had but fixteen men with him, and flood over the bay towards them : And he foon came ( 36x ) came near enough to perceive" that they were mounted on very Tightly horfes, and were armed with carbines -and lances. On feeing him mak^ towards them, 'hey formed upon the beach, and feem^'d refolved to difpute his landing, firing feve- ral diftant (hot at him as he drew near -, till at laft the boat bei:;g arrived within a reafonable diftance of the mod advanced fquadron, Mr. Brett ordered his people to fire, upon which this refolute cavalry inftantly ran in great confufion into the wOod, through a fmall opening, which appears in the plan. In this precipitate flight one of their horfes fell down and threw his rider ; but, whether he was wounded or not, we could not learn, for both man and horfe foon got up again, and fol- lowed the reft into the wood. In the mean time the other two fquadrons, who were drawn up at a great diftance behind, out of the reach of our (hot, were calm fpedl.itors of the rout of their comrades ; for they had halted on our firft ap- proach, and never advanced afterwards. It was doublefs fortunate for our people that the enemy afled with fo little prudence, and exerted fo little fpirit •, for had they concealed themfelves till our men had landed, it is fcarcely poflible but the whole boat's crew muft have fallen into their hands •, fince the Spaniards were not much fhort of two hundred, and the whole number with Mr. Brett, as hath been already mentioned, only amounted to fixreen. Ho -v ever, the difcovery of fo confideiable a force, colleded in this bay of Petaplatj, obliged us conftantly to keep a boat or two before it : For we were apprehenfive that the Cutter, which we had left to cruife o^ Acapulco^ might, on her return, be furprized by the enemy, if (362 ) if fhe did not receive timely information of her danger. But now to proceed with the account of the harbour of Chequeian. After our unfuccefsful attempt to engage the people of the country, to furnifh us with the ne- cefTarles we wanted, we defilled from any more endeavours of the fame nature, and were obliged to be contented with what we could procure for our- felves in the neighbourhood of the port. We caught fifh here in tolerable quantities, efpecially when the fmoothnefs of the Water permitted us to hale the Seyne. Amongfl the reft, we got here ca- vallies, breams, mullets, foles, fiddle-filh, fea-eggs, and lobfters : And we here, and in no other place, met with that exraordinary fifli called the 'Tcrpedoy or numbing fifh, which is in (hape very like the fiddle fifh, and is not to be known from it but by a brown circular fjpot of about the bignefs of a crown piece near the center of its back ; perhaps its figure will be better underftood, when 1 fay it is a flat fifh, much refembling the thorn-back. This fifh, the ^orpedo^ is indeed of a moft fingular Nature, pro- du(n:ive of the flrangefl effeifls on the human body : For whoever handles it, or happens even to fee his foot upon it, is prefendy feized with a numbnefs all over him ; but which is more diftinguilhable, in that limb which was in immediate contacft with it. The fame efFed: too will be in feme degree produced by touching the fifh with any thing held in the hand ; for I myfelf had a confiderable degree of numbnefs conveyed to my right arm, through a walking cane which I refted on the body of the fifh for fome time -, and I make no doubt I fhould have been much more fenfibly affefted, had not the g(h been near expiring when I made the experiment ; For (363) For it is obfervable that "this influence a(5ls with mod vigour when the Fifli is firft taken out of the water, and entirely ceafes when *tis dead, fo that it may be then handled or even eaten without any in- convenience. 1 (hall only add that the numbnefs of my arm on this occafion did not go off on a fud- dcn^ as the account of fome Naturalifts gave mc realbn to expedt, but diminifhed gradually, fo that I had fome fenfation of it remaining till the next day. .ijSivp .■ To the account given of the fifli we met with here, I muft add, that though turtle now grew fcarce, and we met with none in this harbour of Chequetan^ yet our boats, which as I have men- tioned, were Rationed off Petaplan^ often fupplied us therewith ; and though this was a Food that we had now been fo long as it were confined to, (for it was the only frefh provifions which we had tailed for near fix months) yet we were far from being cloyed with it, or from finding that the relilh wc had of it at all diminifhed. The animals we met with on Ihore were princi- pally guanos, with which the country abounds, and which are by fome reckon'd delicious food. We faw no beads of prey here, except we Ihould e- fleem that amphibious animal, the alligator, as fuch, feveral of which our people difcovered, but none of them very large. However, we were fatisfied that there were great numbers of tygers in the woods, though none of them came in fight ; for we every morning found the beach near the water- ing place imprinted very thick with their footfteps : But we never apprehended any mifchief from them -, for they are by no means fo fierce as the Jf.aiic or African^ tyger, and are rarely, if ever knownt (364) known, to attack mankind. Birds were here k fuificient plenty ; for we had abundance of pheafants of different kinds, fome of them of an uncommon fize, but they were very dry and taftclefs food. And befides thefe we had a variety of fmaller birds, particularly parrots, which we often killed for food. The fruits and vegetable refrcfhments at this place wer€ neither plentiful, nor of the beft kinds" There were, it is true, a few bufhes fcattered about the woods, which fupplied us with limes, but wc icarcely could procure enough for our prefent ufe ; and thefe, with a fmall plumb of an agreeable acid, called in Jamaica the Hog-plu?nh^ together with ano- ther fruit called a Papah^ were the only fruits to be found in the woods. Nor is there any oiher ufe- ful vegetable here worth mentioning, except brook- lime : This indeed grew in great quantities near the frefh- water banks *, and, as it was efteemed an antifcorbutic, we fed upon it frequently, though its extrem^e bitternefs made it very unpalatable. Thefe are the articles mod worthy of notiv--? in this harbour of Chequetan. I fhall only meniion ^ particular of the coaft lying to the weftward of it, that to the eaftward having been already defcribed. As Mr. Anfon was always attentive to whatever might be of confequence to thofe who might fre- quent thefe feas hereafter ; and, as we had obferv- ed, that there was no double land to the weftward of Chequetan^ which ftretxrhed out to a confiderable diftance, with a kind of opening, which appeared not unlike the inlet to fome harbour, the Commo- dore, foon after we came to an anchor, fent a boat i6 dilcoVer it more accurately ; and it was found, on a nearer examination, that the two hills, which formed ( 365 ) formed the double land, were joined together by » valley, and that there was no harbour nor fhelcer between them. By all that hath been faid it will appear, that the conveniencies of this port of Cbequetan, particularly in the articles of refrefhment, are not altogether fuch as might be defired : But yet, upon the whole, k is a place of confiderable confequence, and the knowledge of it may be of great import to future cruifers. For it is the only fecure harbour in a vafi: extent of coaft, except Acapulco^ which is in the hands of the enemy. It lies at a proper didance from Acapulco for the convenience of fuch fhips as may have any defigns on the Manila galeon ; and it is a place, where wood and water may be taken m with great fecurlty, in defpight of the efforts of the inhabitants of the adjacent diftricl : For there is but one narrow path which leads through the woods into the country, and this is eafily to be fecured by. a very fmall party, againft all the flrength the 6^/^- iiiards in that neighbourhood can muftcr. After this account of Cheq^iietan^ and the coaft contiguous to it, we (hall return to the recital of our own proceed- ings* CHAP; ( 3^6 ) CHAP. XUI. Our proceedings at Chequefak and on the? adjacent coaft, till our fetting fail for Afia, TH E next morning, after our coming to an anchor in the harbour of Cheq^uetariy we fent about ninety of our men well armed on Ihore, forty of whom were ordered to march into the country, as hath been mentioned, and the remaining fifty were employed to cover the watering place, and to pre, vent any interruption from the natives. Here we compleated the unloading of the Car- melo and Cannijt, which we had begun at fea ; at lead, we took out of them the indico, cacao, and cochineal, with fome iron for ballad, which were all the goods we intended to preferve, though they did not amount to a tenth of their cargoes. Here too it was agreed, after a mature confultation, to deftroy the Tr>Ws Prize, as well. as the Carmelo and Cannin, whofe fate had been before refolved on. Indeed the fhip was in good repair and fit for the fea j but as the whole numbers on board our fqua- dron did not amount to the complement of a fourth rate man of war, we found it was impofTible to di- vide them into three (hips, without rendring them incapable of navigating in fafety in the tempeftuous weather, we had reafon to expert on the coafl of Chi- m^ where we fuppofed we fhould arrive about the time of the change of the monfoons. Thefe con- fiderations determined the Commodore to deftroy the Tryal Prize, and to reinforce the Gloucefter with the greateft part of her crew. And in confequence of (367) of this relblve, all the (lores on board the '^ryal Prize were removed into the other fhips, and the Prize herfelf, with the Carmelo and Car mm ^ were prepared for fcuttling with all the expedition we were mailers of*, but the greateft difficudies we were under in laying in a (lore of water (which have been already touched on) together with the necefla- ry repairs of our rigging and other unavoidable oc- cupations, took us up fo much time, and found us fuch unexpedled employment, that it was near the end of April before we were in a condition to leave the place. During our flay here, there happened an incident, which, as it proved the means of convincing our friends in England of our fafety, which for fome time they had defpaired of, and were then in doubt about, I Ihall beg leave particularly to recite. 1 have obferved, in the preceding chapter, that from this harbour of Chequetan there was but one path- way which led through the woods into the country. This we found much beaten, and were thence convinced, that it was well known to the inhabitants. As it pafied by the fpring-head, and was the only avenue by which the Spaniards could approach us, we, at fome diflance beyond the fpring-head, felled feve- ral large trees, and laid them one upon the other acrofs the path •, and at this barricadoe we conftantly kept a guard : And we befides ordered our men em- ployed in watering to have their arms ready, and, in cafe of any alarm, to march inftandy to this poft. And though our principal intention was to prevent our being difturbed by any fudden attack of the ene- my's horfc, yet it anfwcred another purpofe, which was not in itfelf lefs important ; this was to hinder our own people from ftragglin^g- fingly into the country. ( 368 ) country, where we had realbn to believe they would be furprized by the Spaniards^ who would doubt- \d% be extremely folicitous to pick up fome of them, in hopes of getting intelligence of our future defigns. To avoid this inconvenience, the ftrideft orders were given to the centinels, to let no perfon whatever pafs beyond their poll : But notwithfland- jno" this precaution, we miffed one Lewis Leger^ who was the Commodore's Cook ; and as he was a Frenchman^ and fufpeded to be a Papift, it was by fome imagined that he had deferted, with a view of betraying all that he knew to the enemy •, but this appeared, by the event, to be an ill-grounded lurmife •, for it was afterwards known, that he had been taken by fome Indians^ who carried him pri- foner to Acapidco^ from whence he was transferred to Mexico y and then to Vera Cmz^ where he was (hipped on board a veffel bound to Old Spain : And the veffel being obliged by fome accident to put into Lijbon^ Leger efcaped on fhore, and was by the Brilijh Conlul fent from thence to England \ where he brought the firft authentick account of the fafety of the Commodore, and of what he had done in the South- Seas, The relation he gave of his own feizure was, that he had rambled into the woods at fome diftance from the barricadoe, where he had firft attempted to pafs, but had been flopped and threatned to be punifhed •, that his principal view ;was to get a quantity of limes for his Mailer's ftore ; and that in this occupation he was furprized una- wares by four Indiansy who flripped him naked, and carried hini in that condition to AcapulcOy expofed to the fcorching heat of the fun, which at that time of the year fhone with its greateft: violence : And afterwards at Mexico his treatment in prifon was (369) was fufHciently fevere, and the whole courfe of his captivity was a continued inftance of the hatred, which the Spaniards bear to all thofe who endeavour to difturb them in the peaceable pofTefTion of the coafts of the Soiitb-Seas. Indeed Leger's fortune was, upon the whole, extremely fingular -, for. after the hazards he had run in the Commodore's fqua- dron, and the feverities he had fufFered in his long confinement amongft the enemy, a more fatal dif- after attended him on his return to England : Foi: though, when he arrived in London^ fome of Mr. Anfon'% friends interefted themfelves in relieving him from the poverty to which his captivity had re- duced him ; yet he did not long enjoy the benefit of their humanity, for he was killed in an inngnificant night brawl, the caufe of which could fcarcely be difcovered. And here I mud obferve, that though the enemy never appeared in fight during our (lay in this har- bour, yet we perceived that there were large paf ties of them incamped in the woods about us •, tor we could fee their fmokes, and could thence determine that they were polled in a circular line furrounding us at a diftance ; and jufl: before our coming away theyfeemed, by the increafe of their fires, to have re- ceived a confiderable reinforcement. But to return : Towards the lattter end o't April, the unloading of our three Prizes, our wooding and watering ; and, in Ihort, all our propofed employments at the harbour of Chequetan, were compleated : So that, on the 2 7:h of yf/'^f/, the Tryars Prize, the Car- melo and the Carmin, all which we here intended to defl:roy, were towed on fi^.ore and fcuttled, and a quantity of combuftible materials were diitributed in their upper works ; and the next morning the B b C:72tnrion { 370 ) Centurion and the Gloucefter weighed anchor •, but as there was but little wind, and that not in their favour, they were obliged to warp out of the har- bour. When they had reached the offing, one of the boats was difpatched back again to fet fire to our prize, which was accordingly executed. And a canoe was left fixed to a grapnel in the middle of the harbour, with a bottle in it well corked, inclof- ing a letter to Mr. Hughes^ who commanded the Cutter, which was ordered to cruife before the port 0^ Acapulco, when we came off that ftation. And on this occafion I mud mention more particularly than I have yet done, the views of the Commo- dore in leaving the Cutter before that port. When we were neceffitated to make the Cheque- tan to take in our water, Mr. An/on confidered that our being in that harbour would foon be known at Acapulco \ and therefore he hoped, that on the in- telligence of our being employed in port, the ga- leon might put to fea, efpecially as Cheqiictan is fo very remote from the courfe generally fleered by the galeon : He therefore ordered the Cutter ^o cruife twenty-four days off the port of Acapulco^ and her Commander was direded, on perceiving the galeon under fail, to make the befl of his way to the Commodore at Chequetan, As the Centurion was doubtlefs a much better failor than the galeon, Mr. Anfon^ in this cafe, refolved to have got to fea as foon as pofTible, and to have purfued the galeon acrofs the Pacific Ocean : And fuppofing he fliould not have met with her in his pafTage, (which confidering that he would have kept nearly the fame parallel, was not very improbable) yet he was certain of arriving off Cape Efpiritu Santo, on the IQand of Sa?nal^ before her ; and that being the ( 37^ ) the firfl: Jand flie makes on her return to the Phi' lippinesy we could not haye failed to have fallen in with her, by cruifing a few days in that Station. But the Viceroy of Alexlco ruined this project, by keeping the galeon in the port oi Acapulco all that year. The letter left in the canoe for Mr. Hughes^ the Commander of the Cutter, (the time of whofe re- turn was now confiderably elapfed) directed him to go back immediately to his former ftation before Acapidco^ where he would find Mr. Anfcn^ who re- folved to cruife for him there for a certain number of days ; after which it was added, that the Com- modore would return to the fouthward to join the reft of the fquadron. This laft article was inferted to deceive the ^paniards^ if diey got pofleiTion of the canoe, (as we afterwards learnt they did) but could not impofe on Mr. Hughes^ who well knew that the Commodore had no fquadron to join, nor any Intention of fteering back to Feru, Being now in the oHing of Chequeian^ bound crofs the vaft Pacific Ocean in our way to Cbvia, we were impatient to run off the coaft as foon as pofli- ble •, for as the ft or my feafon was approaching a- pace •, and, as we had no further views of the Ane- rican feas, we had hoped that nothing would have prevented us from ftanding to the weftward, the moment we got out of the harbour of Cheqiietan : And it was no fmall mortification to us, that our neceffary employment there had detained us fo much longer than we expe as they ftill re- member, with the utmoft horror, the facking of their cities, the rifling of their convents, the capti- vity of their wives and daughters, and the defola- tion of their country by thefe refolutc favages, in the laft war between the two nations. For it mud be remembered, that this tribe of Indians have been frequently fuccefsful againfl the Spaniards^ and pof- fcls at this time a large trad of country, which was formerly full of Spanl/h towns and villages, whofe inhabitants were ail either deftroyed, or carried in- to captivity by the Arraucos and the neighbouring Indians^ who, in a war againft the Spaniards^ never fail to join their forces. But even, independent of an Indian revolt, there were but two places on all the coaft of the South-- Sjdy which could be fuppofed capable of refilling our fquadron ; thefe were the cities of Pana?na and Cdllao : As to the firft of thefe, its fortifications were fo decayed, and it was fo much in want of powder, that the Governor himfelf, in an inter- cepted letter, acknowledged it was incapable of be- ing defended •, fo that I take it for granted, it would have given us but little trouble, efpecially if we had cJpened a communication acrofs the Ifth- mus with our fleet on the other fide : And for the city and port of Callao, its condition was not much Cc 2 better (388 ) better than that of Pamma -, for its walls are built npon the plain ground, without either out- work or ditch before them, and confift only of very flender feeble mafonry, without any earth behind them ; fo that a battery of five or fix pieces of cannon, raifed any where within four or five hundred paces of the place, would have had a full view of the whole rampart, and would have opened it in a fhort time ; and the breach hereby formed, as the walls are fo extremely thin, could not have been difficult of afcent *, for the ruins would have been but little higher than the furface of the ground *, and it would have yielded this particular advantage to the affailants, that the bullets, which grazed upon it, would have driven before them fuch fhivers of brick and ftone, as would have prevented the gar- rifon from forming behind it, fuppofing that the troops employed in the defence of the place, fhould have fo far furpafied the ufual limits of Creolian bravery, as to refolve to ftand a general aflault : Indeed, fuch a refolution cannot beimputed to them ; for the garrifon and people were in general dif- fluisfied with the Viceroy's behaviour, and were never expedied to adt a vigorous part. The Vice- roy himfelf greatly apprehended that the Commo- dore would make him a vifit at Lima, the capitol of the kingdom of Peru ; to prevent which, if pofTible, he had ordered twelve gallies to be built at Guaiaqtdl and other places, which were intended to oppofe the landing of our boats, and to hinder us from pufhing our men on (hore. But this was an impradicable proje6b, and proceeded on the fuppofition that our fhips, when we ihould land our men, would keep at fuch a diftance, that thefe gallies, by drawing little water, would have been out (.389 ) out of the reach of their guns ; whereas the Com- modore, before he had made fuch an attempt, would doubclefs have been pofTefled of feveral prize fhips, which he would not have hefitated to have run on fhore for the protedion of his boats ; and befides there' were many places on that coaft, and one in particular in the neighbourhood of Callao, where there was good anchoring, though a great depth of water, within a cable's length of the fhore i fo that the cannon of the men of war would have fwept all the coaft to above a mile's diftance from the water's edge, and would have effeelually prevented any force from aflembling, to oppofe the landing and forming of our men : And the place had this additional advantage, that it was but two leagues diftant from the city of Li7?ia •, fo that we might have been at that city within four hours after we fhould have been firft difcovered from the fhore. The place I have here in view is about-two leagues South of Callao, and juft to the northward of the head-land called, in Frezier's draught of that coaft, Morro Solar, Here there is feventy or eighty fa- thom of water, within two cables length of the fhore ; and the Spaniards themfelves were fo ap- prehenfive of our attempting to land there, that they had projedbed to build a fort clofc to the wa- ter *, but there being no money in the royal chefts, they could not go on with that work, and there- fore they contented themfelves with keeping a guard of an hundred horfe there, that they might be fure to receive early notice of our appearance on their coaft. Indeed fome of them (as we are told) conceiving our management at fea to be as pufilla- nimous as their own, pretended that the Commo- C c 3 dorc ( 39^ ) dore would never daie to bring in his fhips there for fear that in To great a depth of water their anchors could not hold them. And here let it not be imagined, that I am pro- ceeding upon groundlefs and extravagant prcfump- tions, when I conclude, that fifteen hundred or a thouflmd of our people, well conduced, Ihould have been an over-match for any numbers the 5"/'^- mards could mufler in South- Amerua. For, not to mention the experience we had of them at Paita and Petaplan^ it mufl; be remembered, that our Commodore was extremely folicitous to have all his men trained to the dexterous ufe of their fire- arms ; whereas the Spaniards^ in this part of the world, were in great want of arms, and were very awkward in the management of the few they had : And though, on their repeated reprefentations, the Court of Spain had ordered feveral thoufand firelocks to be put on board Pizarrd's fquadron, yet thofe, it is evident, could not have been in America time enough to have been employed againfl us ; fo that by our arms, and our readinefs in the ufe of them (not to infill on the timidity and fofnefs of our enemy) we fhould in fome degree have had the fame advantages, which the Spaniards themfelves had, in the firfl difcovery of this country, againft its naked and unarmed inhabitants. And now let it be confidered what were the events which we had to fear, or what were the circum- Ilances which could have prevented us from giving law to all the coaft of South America^ and thereby cutting off from Spain the refources which Hie drew from thofe immenfe provinces. By fea there was no force capable of oppofing us *, for how foon foever we had failed, Pizarro^% fquadron could not have ( 391 ) have failed fooner than it did, and therefore could not have avoided the flite it met widi : As wc fhould have been mafters of the ports of Chili^ we could there have fuppHed ourfclves with the provifions we v/anted in the greateft plenty ; and from Baldi- via to the equinodial we ran no rifque of lofing our men by ficknefs, (that being of all climates the mod temperate and healthy) nor of having our fhips difabled by bad weather ; and had we wanted hands to afTift: in the navigating our fquadron, whilft a confiderable part of our men were employ'd on fhore, we could not have failed of getting whatever numbers we pleafed in the ports we fhould have taken, and the prizes which would have fallen into our hands •, and I mud obferve that the Indi- ans, who are the principal fiilors in that part of the world, are extremely docile, and dexterous, and though they are not fit to ftruggle with the incle- mencies of a cold climate, yet in temperate feas they are moft ufeful and laborious feamen. Thus then it appears, what important revoluti- ons might have been brought about by our fqua- dron, had it departed from England as early as it ought to have done : And fron^ hence it is eafy to conclude, what immenfe advantages might have thence accrued to the public. For, as on our fuc- cefs it would have been impofTible for the kingdom of Spai/t to have received any treafure from the provinces bordering on the South-Seas^ or even to have had any communication with them, it is cer- tain that the whole attention of that Monarchy mull: have been immediately employed in regaining the pofTelTion of thefe ineftimable territories, either by force or compad. By the firfl of thefe methods it w^s fearcely pofTible they could fucceed j for it C c 4 muft ( 392 ) muft have been at lead a twelve- month frgni our arrival, before any (hips from Spain could get into the South- Seas, and thofe perhaps leparated, dif- abled, and fickly ; and by that time they would have had no port in their pofleiTion, either to ren- dezvous at, or to refit ; whilll we might have been fupplied acrofs the Ifthmus with whatever necefla- ries, (lores, or even men we wanted, and might thereby have maintained our fquadron in as good g. plight, as when it fir ft fet fail from St. Helens, In fliort, it required but little prudence in the conduct of this bufinefs to have rendered all the efforts of Spain^ feconded by the power of France^ ineffe- 6tual, and to have maintained our conquefts in defi- ance of them both : So that they muft either have refolved to have left Great-lBritain mafters of the wealth of South- America^ (the principal fupport of all their deftru6live projedls) or they muft have fub- mitted to her terms, and have been contented to receive thofe provinces back again, as an equiva-* lent for thefe reftriflions to their future ambition, which her prudence fhould have didated to them. Having thus difcuffed the prodigious weight which the operations of our fquadron might have added to the national influence of this kingdom, I fhall here end this fecond book, referring to the next, the pafTage of the Ihattered remains of our force acrofs the Pacific Ocean, and all their future tranfaclions till the Commodore's arrival in England. End of B O O K 11. A VOY- ( 393 ) VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, &'c. BOOK III. CHAP. I. The run from the coaft of Mexico to the La-r drones or Mari(in Iflands. WHEN, on the 6th o'i May 1742, we left the coaft of America^ we flood to the S. W. with a view of meeting with the N. E. trade- wind, which the accounts of former writers made us expeft at feventy or eighty leagues diftance from the land : We had befides another reafon for ftanding to the fouthward, which was the getting into the latitude of 13 or 14'=' North ; that being the parallel where the Pacific Ocean is moft ufually crofTed, and confequently where the navigation is efteemed the fafeft : This laft pur- pofe we had foon anfwered, being in a day or two fufficiently advanced to the South, At the fame time ( 594) time we were alfo farther from the Ihore, than we had prefumed was neceflary for the falling in with the trade-wind : But in this particular we were moft grievoufly difappointed ; for the wind flill conti- nued to the weftward, or at beft variable. As the getting into the N. E. trade, was to us a matter of the laft confequence, we flood more to the fouth- ward, and made many experirrients to meet with it ; but all our efforts were for a long time unfuc- cefsful : So that it was feven weeks, from our leaving the coaft, before we got into the true trade- wind. This was an interval, in which we believed we fhould well nigh have reached the eaftermofl parts of Afta : But we were fo baffled with the contrary and variable winds, which for all that time perplexed us, that we were not as yet advanced above a fourth part of the way. The delay alone would have been a fufficient mortification •, but there were other circumftances attending it, which rendered this fituation not lefs terrible, and our apprehenfions perhaps flill greater than in any of our pafl diflreffes. For our two fhips were by this time extremely crazy ; and many days had not pafTed, before we difcovered a fpring in the fore- mafl of the Centurion., which rounded about twenty- fix inches of its circumference, and which was judged to be at lead four inches deep : And no fooner had our Carpenters fecured this with fifhing it, but the Gloucefter made a fignal of diflrefs ; and we learnt that fhe had a dangerous fpring in her main-mafl, twelve feet below the truffel-trees 5 fo that fhe could not carry any fail upon it. Our Carpenters, on a flridl examination of this mafl, found it fo very rotten and decayed, that they judged it nec^fTary to cut it down as low as it ap- peared ( 3W ) pearcd to have been injured s and by this it was re- duced to nothing but a fturap, which ferved only as a ftep to the top-mad. Thefe accidents aug- mented our delay, and occafioned us great anxiety about our future fecurity : For on our leaving the coafl: of MexicOy the fcurvy had begun to make its appearance again amongft our people ; though from our departure from Juan Ferriandes we had till then enjoyed a molt uninterrupted flate of health. We too well knew the effc6ls of this difeafe, from our former fatal experience, to fuppofe that any thing but a fpeedy paiTage could fecure the greater part of our crew from perilhing by it : And as, after being feven weeks at fea, there did not appear any reafons that could perfuade us, we were nearer the trade-wind, than when we firft kt out ; there was no ground for us to fuppofe, but our paiTage would prove at leaft three times as long as we at firft ex-^ pedted ; and confequently we had the melancholy profpect, either of dying by the fcurvy, or perifh- ing with the fliip for want of hands to navigate her. Indeed, fome amongft us were at firfl willing to believe, that in this warm climate, fo different from what we felt in pafTing round Cape Horn^ the vio- lence of this difeafe, and its fatality, might be in fome degree mitigated ; as it had not been unufual to fuppofe that its particular virulence in that paf- fage was in a great meafure owing to the feverity of the weather : But the havock of the diflemper, in our prefent circumftances, foon convinced us of the falfity of this fpeculation -, as it likewife ex- ploded fome other opinions, which ufually pais current about the caufe and nature of this difeafe. For it has been generally prefumed, that plenty of frefh provifions, and of water are effedual pre- ventives ( 396 ) ventives of this malady •, but it happened that in the prefent inftance we had a confiderable flock of frefh provifions on board, as hogs and fowls, which were taken at Paila ; and we befides almoft every day caught great abundance of bonito's, dol- phins, and albicores ; and the unfettled feafon, which deprived us of the benefit of the trade-wind, proved excremely rainy ; fo that we were enabled to fill up our water cafk, almoft as fad as they were empty •, and each ivm had five pints of water allowed him every day, during the pafTage. But notwithflanding this plenty of water, and that the frefh provifions were dilliributed amongfl" the fick, and the whole crew often fed upon fifh, yet neither were the fick ht reby relieved, nor the progrefs and advancement of the difeafe retarded : Nor was it in thefe inflances only that we found ourfelve.-. difap- pointed ; for though it has been ufually efleemed a neceflary piece of management to keep all fhips, where the crews are large, as clean and airy be- tween decks as pofTible ; and it hath been believed by many, that this particular, if well attended to, would prevent the appearance of the fcurvy, or at leafl, mitigate its effedls ; yet wc obferved, during the latter part of our run, that though we kept all our ports open, and took uncommon pains in cleanfing and fweetning the fhips, yet neither the progrefs, nor the virulence of the difeafe were thereby fenfibly abated. However, I would not be underflood to aflert, that frelh provifions, plenty of water, and a conflant frefh fupply of fweet air between decks, are matters of no moment : 1 am, on the contrary, well fatisfied, that they are all of them articles of great importance, an4 ( 397 ) and are doubtlefs extremely conducive to the health and vigour of a crew, and may in many cafes pre- vent the fatal malady we are now fpeaking of trom taking place. All 1 have aimed at, in what I have advanced, is only to Ihew that in fome inftances, both the cure, and prevention of chis difeafe, is impoflible to be effeifted by any ma- nagement, or by the application of any reme- dies which can be made ufe of at fea. Indeed I am myfelf fully perfuaded, that when it has once got to a certain head, there are no other means ia nature for relieving the difeafed, but carrying them on fhore, or at lealt bringing them into the neigh- bourhood of land. Perhaps a diftindl and adequate knowledge of the fource of this difeafe may never be difcovered •, but in general, there is no difficul- ty in conceiving, that as a continued fupply of frefh air is neceflary to all animal life ; and as this air is fo particular a fluid, that without lofihg its elafticity, or any of its obvious properties, it may be rendered unfit for this purpofe, by the mixing with it fome very fubtle and otherwife impercepti- ble effluvia ; it may be conceived, I fay, that the fleams arifing from the ocean may have a tendency to render the air they are fpread through lefs pro. perly adapted to the fupport of the life of terreflrial animals, unlcfs thefe fleams are corrcded by effluvia of another kind, and which perhaps the land alone can fupply. To what hath been already faid in relation to this difeafe, I fhall add, that our furgeon (who during our palTage round Cape Horn^ had afcribed the mortality we fullered to the feverity of the climate) exerted himfelf in the prefent run to the utmoft, and at laft declared, that all his meafurcs were to- tally ( 398 ) tally ineffe(5lual, and did not in the lead avail his patients : On which it was refolved by the Com- modore to try the effedls of two medicines, which, juft before his departure from England^ were the fubjed of much difcourfe, I mean the pill and drop of Mr. Ward, For however violent the effe(5ls of thefe medicines are faid to have fometimes proved, yet in the prefent inftance, where deftruclion feemed inevitable without fome remedy, the experiment at leaft was thought advifeable : And therefore, one or both of them, at different times, were given to perfons in every ftage of the diftemper. Out of the numbers that took them, one, foon after fwal- lowing the pill, was feized with a violent bleeding at the nofe : He was before given over by the fur- geon, and lay almoft at the point of death \ but he immediately found himfclf much better, and con- tinued to recover, though flowly, till we arrived on fhore, which was near a fortnight after. A few others too were relieved for fomc days, but the difeafe returned again with as much violence as ever ; though neither did thefe, nor the reft, who received no benefit, appear to be reduced to a worfe condition than they would have been if they had taken nothing. The mod: remarkable property of thefe medicines, and what was obvious in almoft every one that took them, was, that they operated in proportion to the vigour of the patient > io that thofe that were within two or three days of dying were fcarcely affeded ; and as the patient was dif- ferently advanced in the difeafe, the operation was either a gentle perfpiration, an eafy vomit, or a moderate purge : But if they were taken by one in full ftrength, they then produced all the before- mentioned effcds with confiderable violence, which foitie- ( 399 ) fometimes continued for fix or eight hours toge- ther, with little intermiflion. But to return to the profecution of our voyage. I have already obferved, that, a few days after our running off the coafl of Mexico^ the Gloucefter had her main mad cut down to a (lump, and we were obliged to fifli our forc-maft •, and that thefe misfortunes were greatly aggravated, by our meet- ing with contrary and variable winds for near feven weeks. I fhall now add, that when we reached the trade-wind, and it fettled between the North and the Eaft, yet it feldom blew with fo much flrength, but the Centurion might have carried all her fmall fails abroad with the greateft fafety ; fo that now, had we been a fingle fhip, we might have run down our longitude apace, and have reached the Ladrones foon enough to have recover- ed great numbers of our men, who afterwards perilhed. But the Gloucefter^ by the lofs of her main-maft, failed fo very heavily, that we had feldom any more than our top-fails kt^ and yet were frequently obliged to lie too for her : And, 1 conceive, that in the whole we loft little lefs than a month by our attendance upon her, in con- fequence of the various mifchances fhe encounter- ed. In all this run it was remarkable, that we were rarely many days together, without feeing great numbers of birds ; which is a proof that there are many iflands, or at leaft rocks, fcattered all along, at no very confiderable diftance from our track. Some indeed there are marked in the Spani/h chart, hereafter inferted ; but the frequency of the birds feem to evince, that there are many more than have been hieherto difcovered : For the greateft part of the birds, we obferved, were fuch as ( 400 ) as are known to rood on fhore ; and the manner of their appearance fufficieatly made out, they they came from Jbme diftant haunt every morning, and returned thither again in the evening ; for we never faw them early or late ; and the hour of their arrival and departure gradually varied, which we fuppofed was occafioned by our running nearer their haunts, or getting farther from them. The trade-wind continued to favour us without any fluduation, from the end of June till towards the end of July, But on the 26th of July\ being then, as we efleemed, about three hundred leagues diftant from the Ladrones^ we met with a wefterly wind, which did not come about again to the eaftward in four days time. This was a moft di- fpiriting incident, as it at once damped all our hopes of fpeedy relief, efpecially too as it was at- tended with a vexatious accident to the Gloucefter : For in one part of thefe four days the wind flat- ted to a calm, and the fhips rolled very deep ; by which means the Gloucefter^'s forecap fplit, and her topmaft came by the board, and broke her fore- yard di redly in the flings. As fhe was here- by rendered incapable of making any fail for feme time, we were obliged, as foon as a gale fprung up, to take her in tow •, and near twenty of the heakhieft and ableft of our feamen were taken from the bufinefs of our own fliip, and were employed for eight or ten days together on board the Glou- cefter in repairing her damages : But thefe things, mortifying, as we thought them, were but the beginning of our difafters ; for fcarce had our people flniflied their buflnefs in the Gloucefter, be- fore we met with a moft violent ftorm in the weftern board, which obliged us to lie to. In the ( 401 ) the beginning of this florm our fliip fprung a leak, and let in fo much water, that all our people, officers included, were employed continually in working the pumps : And the next day we had the vexation to fee the Gloucefter^ with her top- maft once more by the board ; and whilft we were viewing her with great concern for this new di- ftrefs, we faw her main-top maft, which had hi- therto ferved as a jury main- maft, (hare the fame fate. This compleated our misfortunes, and ren- dered them without refource ; for we knew the Glotuejier's crew were fo few and feeble, that with- out our afliftance they could not be relieved : And our fick were now fo far encreafcd, and thofe that remained in health fo continually fatigued with the additional duty of our pumps, that it was im- pofTible for us to lend them any aid. Indeed we were not as yet fully apprized of the deplorable fituation of the Gloucefter's crew -, for when the florm abated, (which during its continuance pre- vented all communication with them) the Gloucefter bore up under our ftern •, and Captain Michel in- formed the Commodore, that befides the lofs of his mafts, which was all that had appeared to us, the fhip had then no lefs than feven feet of water in her hold, although his officers and men had been kept conftantly at the pump for thd laft twenty- four hours. This laft circumftance was indeed a moft ter- rible accumulation to the other extraordinary di- ftrefTes of the Gloucefter^ and required, if pofTible, the moft fpeedy and vigorous alTiftance ; which Captain Mitcbel begged the Commodore to fend him : But the debility of our people, and our own immediate prefervation, rendered it impof- D ci fit)le ( ^02 ) fible for the Commodore to comply with his rc- queft All that could be done was to fend our boat on board for a more particular condition of the fhip -, and it was foon fufpevEled that the taking her people on board us, and then dellroying her, was the only meafure that could be profecuted in the prefent emergency, both for the fecurity of their lives and of our own. Our boat foon returned with a reprefentation of the ftate of the Gloucefter, and of her feveral de- fe<5ls, figned by Captain Mttchel and all his offi- cers ; by which it appeared, that fhe had fprung a leak by the ftern-poft being loofe, and working with every roll of the iliip, and by two beams a xnidlhips being broken in the orlope ; no part of which the Carpenters reported was poflible to be repaired at fea : That both officers and men had worked twenty-four hours »t the pump without intermifTion, and were at length fb fatigued, that they could continue their labour no longer -, but had been forced to defift, with feven feet of water in the hold, which covered their calk, fo that they could neither come at frefh water, nor pro- yifion : That they had no maft (landing, except the fore-maft, the mizen-maft, and the mizen top- maft, nor had they any fpare mafts to get up in tJie room of thofe they had loft : That the fhip was befides extremely decayed in every part, for her knees and clamps were all worked quite loofe, and her upper works in general were fo loofe, that the quarter-deck was ready to drop down : And that her crew was greatly reduced, for there remained alive on board her no more than feven ty- feven men, eighteen boys, and two prifoners, of- ficers included •■, and that pf this whole number, only ( 403 ) only fixteen m^h, and eleven boys were capable of keeping the deck, and fevcral of thefe'very infirm. The Commodore, on theperufal of this r -laji- choly reprefentation, prefently ordered them a fupply of water and provifions, of which they feemed to be in immediate want, and at the fame time fent his own Carpenter on board them, to examine into the truth of every particular ; and it being found, on the ftric^eft enquiry, that the preceding account was in ho inftance exaggerated, it plainly appeared, that there was no pofTibility of preferving the Glouceftsr any longer, as her leaks were irrepiarable, arid the united hands on "board both fh'ips, capable of working, would not be able to free her, even if our own fhip fhould not employ any part of them. What then could be refolved on, when it was the utmoft we our- felves could do to manage our own pumps ? In- deed there was no room for deliberation •, the only (lep to be taken was, the faving the lives of the few that remained on board the Glouceftery and getting out of her as much as was poflible before fhe was deftroyed. And therefore the Commodore immediately fent an order to Captain Mitchell as the weather wals now calm and favourable, to fend his people on board the Centurion as expeditioufly as he could •, and to take out fuch ftores as he could get at, whilft the fhip could be kept above water. And as our leak required Ms attention, whilft the prefent eafy weather continued, we fent our boats, with as many men as we could fpare, to Captain Miche^s alTiftance. The removing the Gloucefter's people on board us, and the getting out fuch frores as could moft eafily D d 2 be ( 404 ) be come at, gave us full employment for two days. Mr. An/on was extremely defirous to have gotten two of her cables and an anchor, but the fhip rolled fo much, and the Men were fo excef- fively fatigued, that they were incapable of efFedt- ing it ; nay, it was even with the greateft difficulty that the prize-money, which the Gloucefler had taken in the South- Seas, was fecured, and lent on board the Centurion : However, the prize-goods on board her, which amounted to feveral thou- fand pounds m value, and were principally the Centurion's property, were entirely loll ; nor could any more provifion be got out than five cafk of flower, three of which were fpoiled by the fait- water. Their fick men amounting to near feven- ty, were removed into boats with as much care jis the circiimftances of that time would permit ; but three or four of them expired as they were holding them into the Centurion. It was the 15th ofyf/(^/(/?, in the evening, before the Gloticefter was cleared of every thing that was propofed to be removed ; and though the hold was now almoft full of w^ater, yet, as the Carpen- ters were of opinion that fhe might fti 11 fwim for fome time, if the calm fhould continue, and the water become fmooth, fhe was fet on fire ; for we knew not how near we might be to the Ifland of Guaniy which was in the pofTeflion of our ene- mies, and the wreck of fuch a fhip would have been to them no contemptible acquifition. When (he was kt on fire, Captain Mitchel and his officers left her, and came on board the Centurion : And we immediately flood from the wreck, not with- out fume apprehenfions (as we had now only a light breeze) that if fhe blew up foon, the con- cufTion ( 405 ) cufTion of the air might damage our rigging ; but fhe fortunately burnt, though very fiercely, the whole night, her guns firing fuccelTively, as the fiames reached them. And it was fix in the morn- ing, when we were about four leagues diflant, be- fore fhe blew up ; the report fhe made upon this occafion was but a fmaJl one, but there was an exceeding black pillar of fmoke, which fhot up into the air to a very confiderable height. Thus perifhed his Majefly's fhip the Gloucefter^ And now it might have been expelled, that being freed from the embarrafments which her frequent difafters had involved us in, we might proceed on our way much brifker than we had hitherto done, efpecially as we had received fome Imall addition to our flrength, by the taking on board the Gloucejler''^ crew -, but our anxieties were not yet to be relieved ; for, nocwichftanding all that we had hitherto fuffered, there remained much greater diftrefTes, which we were fiiJl to druggie with. For the late florm, which had proved fo fatal to the Gloucefter, had driven us to the north- ward of our intended courfe ; and the current fet- ting the fame way, after thQ weather abated, had forced us flill a degree or two farther, fo that we were now in 17^ t of North latitude, inflead of being in 13^ t, which was the parallel we pro- pofed to keep, in order to reach the Ifland of Guam : And as it had been a perfed: calm for fome days fince the cefHuion of the (form, ^nd we were ignorant how near we were to the meri- dian of the Ladrones^ and fuppoled ourfelves not to be far from it, we apprehended that we might be driven to the leeward of them by tht current, without difcovering them: In this cafe, the only D d 3 land ( 4o6 ) land we could make would be fome of the eaftern parts of 4fia, where, if >ye could arrive, we fhoul4 find the weftern monfoon in its full force, fo that it would be impoflible for the ftouteft beft-mannec^ fhip to get in. And this coaft being removed be-r tween four and five hundred leagues farther, we, in our Linguifhing circumflances, couIq expe^ft nq other than to be deftroyed by the fcurvy, long be- fore the nioll favourable gale could carry us tq fuch a diftance : For our deaths were now ex- tremely alarming, no day pafUng in which we di^ not bury eight or ten, and fometimes twelve of our men *, and thofe who had hitherto continue4 healthy, began to fall down apace. Indeed we made the befl ufe we could of the prefent calm, by employing our Carpenters in fearching aftef the leak, which was now confiderable, notwith-? Handing the little wind we had : The Carpenters at length difcovered it to be in the Gunner's fore flore-room, where the water ruflied in under the breaft'hook, on each fide of the flem ; but though they found where it was, they agreed that it was impoffible to flop it, till we fhould get into por;, and till they could come at it on the outfide : However, they did the bed they could within board, and were fortunate enough to reduce it which was a confiderable relief to us. We had hitherto confidered the calm which fuc- ceeded the ftorm, and which continued for fome days, as a very great misfortune -, fince the cur- rents v/ere driving us to the porthward of ouf parallel, and we thereby rifqued the miffing of the Ladro:ies, which we now conceived ourfelves to be yery near. But when a gale fprung up, our con- cJjtion was ftill worfe j for it blew froni the S. W, ( 407 ) and confequently was direftly oppofed to the courfe we wanted to fteer : And though it foon veered to the N. E, yet this ferved only to tantalize us, for it returned back again in a very fhort time to its old quarter. However, on the 2 2d oi Aiigtijh we had the fatisfaclion to find that the current was fhifted ; and had fet us to the Southward : And the 23d, at day-break, we were cheered with the difcovery of two iflands in the weftern board : This gave us all great joy, and rai fed our drooping fpirits ; for before this an univerfal dejedion had feized us, and we almofl defpaired of ever feeing land again : The neareft of thefe Iflands we after- wards found to be Anatacan \ we judged it to be full fifteen leagues from us, and it feemed to be high land, though of an indifferent length : The other was the Ifland of Serigan ; and had rather the appearance of a high rock, than a place we could hope to anchor at. The View of thefe Iflands is inferted at the top of the thirty-third platen We were extremely impatient to get in with the neareft Ifland, where we expected to meet with anchoring-ground, and an opportunity of refrefh- ing our fick : But the wind proved fo variable all day, and there was fo little of it, that we advanced towards it but flowly j however, by the next morning we were got fo far to the weflward, that we were in view of a third Ifland, which was that of Paxaros, though marked in the chart only as a rock. This -was fmall and very low land, and we had paflfed within lefs than a mile of it, in the night, without feeing it : And now at noon, be- ing within four miles of the Ifland of Anatacan^ the boat was fent away to examine the anchoring- ground and the produce of the place *, and we 311* D d 4 were us J lat I (408) ^vcrc not a little felicitous for her return, as we then conceived our fate to depend upon the re- port we fhould receive : For the other two Iflands were obvioufly enough incapable of furnifhing us with any affiftance, and we knew not then that there were any others which we could reach. the evening the boat came back, and the crew in- formed us that there was no place for a fhip to anchor, the bottom being every where foul ground, and all, except one fmall fpot, not Jefe than fifty fathom in depth ; that on that fpot there was thirty fathom, though not above half a mile from the fhore *, and that the bank was deep too, and could not be depended on : They farther told us, that they had landed on the Ifland, but with fome dif- ficulty, on account of the greamefs of the fwell ; that tlicy found the ground was every where cover- ed with a kind of cane, or rufli ; but that they met with no water, and did not believe the place to be inhabited -, though the foil was good, and abounded wich groves of coco- nut-trees. This account of the impoflibility of anchoring at this Ifland, occafioned a general melancholy on board ; for we confidered it as little lefs than the prelude to our deftrudlion i and our defpondency was encreafed by a difappointment we met with the fucceeding night ; for, as we were plying under top-fails, with an intention of getting nearer* to the Ifland, and of fending our boat on fhore to load with coco-nuts, for the refrefliment ofourfick, the wind proved fqually, and blew fo ftrong off Ihore, that we were driven fo far to the Southward, that we dared not to fend off our boat. And now the only pofTible circumftance that could fecure the few which remained alive from perifting, wa$ ( 409 ) the accidental falling in with fome other of the Ladrone Iflands, better prepared for our accommo- dation ; and as our knowledge of thefe Iflands was extremely imperfedl, we were to truft entirely to chance for our guidance ; only as they are ail of them ufually laid down near the fame meridian, and we had conceived thofe we had already feen to be part of them, we concluded to Hand to the fouth- ward, as the moll probable means of falling in with the next. Thus, with the moft gloomy perfua- fion of our approaching deftru(5lion, we flood from the Ifland of Anatacan^ having all of us the ftrong- eft apprehenfions (and thofe not ill founded) either of dying of the fcurvy, or of periH^iing with the fhip, which for want of hands to work her pumps, might in a fliort time be expeded to founder. CHAP. II. Our arrival at Titiian^ and an account of the Ifland, and of our proceedings there, till the Onturwi drove out to fea. IT was the 26th of Aiiguft 1742, in the mocar., ing, when we loft fight oi AnaUcan, The ne:^C. morning we difcovered three other Iflands to the eaftward, which were from ten to fourteen leagues from us. Thefe were, as we afterwards learnt, the Iflands of Saypan^ TimaUy and Aguiga?j, We immediately fteered towards ^inian^ which was the middlemoft of the three, but had fo much of calms and light airs, that though we were hch '/.! forwards by the currents, yet next day, at day-br^:. ■:, we ( 410 ) j we were at leafl five leagues diftant from it. How^ \ ever- we kept on our courfe, and about ten in the morning we perceived a proa under fail to the fouthward, between Timan and Jguigan, As we imagined from hence that thefe Iflands were inha-* bited, and knew that the Spaniards had always a force at Guam^ we took the neceflary precautions for our own fecurity, and for preventing the enemy from taking advantage of our prefcnt wretched circumflances, of which they would be fufficiently informed by the manner of our working the (hip ; we therefore muftered all our hands, who were capable of Handing to their arms, and loaded our upper and quarter-deck guns with grape-lhot 5 and that we might the more readily procure fome intel- ligence of the ftate of thefe Iflands, we Ihowed Spanijh colours, and hoifted a red flag at the fore top mail- head, to give our fhip the appearance of the Manila galeon, hoping thereby to decoy fome of the inhabitants on board us. Thus preparing ourfelves, and ftanding towards the land; we were near enough, at three in the afternoon, to fend the Cutter on fhore, to find out a proper birth for the (hip ; and we foon perceived that a proa came off the (hore to meet the Cutter, fully perfuaded, as we afterwards found, that we were the Manila Ihip, As we faw the Cutter returning back with the proa in tow, we immediately fent the Pinnace to receive the proa and the prifoners, 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. The Spaiiiard was immediately examined as to the produce and circumflances of this Ifland of Tintan^ and his account of it furpaffed even our moft fan- guine guine hopes ; for he informed us that it was unin* habited, which, in our prefent defencelcfs condi- tjoB, was an advantage not to be defpifed, efpecj- ally as i^ wanted but few of the conveniencies that could be expeded in the moft cultivated country ; for he afTured us, tha^ there was great plenty of very good water, and that there were an incredible num- ber of cattle, hogs, and poultry running wild on the Ifland, all of them excellent in their kind ; that the woods produced fweet and four oranges, limes, lemons and coco- nuts in great plenty, befides a fruit peculiar to thefe Idands (called by Dampier^ Bread-fruit ) j that from the quandty and goodnefs of the provifions produced here, the Spaniards at Guam made ufe of it as a (lore for fupplying the gar- rifon i that he himfelf was a Serjeant of that garri- fon, and was fent here with twenty-two Indiam to jerk beef, which he was to load for Guam on board a fmall bark of about fifteen tun, which lay at an- chor near the fhore. This account was received by us with inexpreffi- ble joy : Part of it w? were ourfelves able to verify op the fpot, as we were by this time near enough to difcover feveral numerous herds of cattle feeding in different places of the Ifland 5 and we did not any ways doubt the reft of his relation, as the apy pearance of the fhore prejudiced us greatly in it^ favour, and made us hope, that not only our necef- fities might be there fully relieved, and our difeaf- ed recovered, but that, amidfl thofe pleafing fcenes which were then in view, we might procure our- felves fome amufement and relaxation, after the num.erous fatigues we had undergone , For the prof- pect of the country did by no means refemble tha& of an uninhabited ^nd unctjkivaced place> but had much ( 412 ) much more the air of a magnificent plantation, where large lawns and llately woods had been laid out to^ gether with great Ikill, and where the whole had' been lb artfully combined, and fo judicioufly adapt- ed to the flopes of the hills, and the inequalities of the ground, as to produce a moft ftriking effedb, and to do honour to the invention of the contriver. Thus, (an event not unlike what we had already feen) we were forced upon the moft defirable and falutary meafures by accidents, which at firft fight we confidered as the greateft of misfortunes ; for had we not been driven by the contrary winds and currents to the northward of our courfe, (a circum- flance, which at that time gave us the moft terrP ble apprehenfions) we fhould, in all probability, never have arrived at this delightful Ifland, and confequently, we ftiould have miffed of that place, where alone all our wants could be moft amply re-, lieved, our fick recovered, and our enfeebled crew once more refrelhed, and enabled to put again to fea. The Spanijh Serjeant, from whom we received the account of the Ifland, having informed us that there were fome Indians on ftiore under his com- mand employed in jerking beef, and that there was a bark at anchor to take it on bc^rd, we were defirous, if pofGble, to prevent the Indians from efcapLng, who doubtlefs would have given the Governor of Guam intelligence of our arrival -, and we therefore immediately difpatched the Pinnace to fecure the bark, which the Serjeant told us was the only imbarkation on the place *, and then, about- eight in the evening, we let go our anchor in twen-- ty-two fathom y and though it was almoft calm^: and whatever vigour and fpirit was to be found on' board (413 ) board was dcaibtlefs exetted to the utmofl on this pleafing occafion, when, after having kept the Tea for fome months, we were going to take pofleflion of this little paradife, yet we were- full five hours in furlings our fails : It is true, we were fomewhat weakened by the crews of the Cutter and Pinnace which were fent on fhore j but ir is not lefs true, that, including thofe abfent with the boats and fome Negroe and Indian prifoners, all the hands we could mufter capable of ftanding at a gun a^ mounted to no more than feventy-one, moft of which number too were incapable of duty ; but on the greatefl emergencies this was all the force we could collecl, in our prefent enfeebled condition, from the united crews of the Centurion^ the Glou- cefter^ and the Tryal, which, when we departed from England^ confided all together of near a thou- fand hands. When we had furled our fails, the remaining part of the night was allowed to our people for their repofe, to recover them from the fatigue they had undergone j and in the morning a party was fent on fhore well armed, of which I myfelf was one, to make ourfelves mailers of the landing place, as we were not certain what oppofition might be made by the Indians on die Ifland : We landed without difficulty, for the Indians having perceived, by our feizure of the bark the night before, that we were enemies, they immediately fled into the woody parts of the Ifland. We found on (hore many huts which they had inhabited, and which faved us both the time and trouble of erciling tents ; one of thefe huts which the Indians made ufe of for a ftore-houfe was very large, being twenty yards long, and fifteen broad ; this we inn: ..-..'.ia rely clear- ed ( 414 ) ed of fome bales of jerked beef, which we fouiia in it, and converted it into an hofpital for our fick, who affoon as the place was ready to receive therh' were brought on fhore, being in all a hundred and twenty-eight: Numbers of thefe wer6 fo very help-j lefs, that we were obliged to carry them from tKel boats to the hofpital upon our fhoulders, in which' humane employment (as before at Juan Fernandes) the Commodore himfelf, and every one of his officers, were engaged without di(lin6tion ; and, notwithftanding the great debility and the dying afpedls of the greateft part of our fick, it is almofl: incredible how foon they began to feel the falutary influence of the land ; for, though we buried twen- ty-one men on this and the preceeding day, yet we did not lofe above ten men more during our whole two months (lay here ; and in general, our difeafed received fo much benefit from the fruits of the Ifland, particularly the fruits of the acid kind, that, in a week's time, there were but few who were not fo far recovered, as to be able to move about with- out help. And now being in fome fort eftablilhed at this place, we were enabled more particularly to examine its qualities and produdtions ; and that the reader may the better judge of our manner of life here, and future Navigators be better apprized of the conveniencics we met v/ith, I fliall, before I pro- ceed any farther in the hiflory of our own adven- tures, throw together the mod interefting particu- lars that came to our knowledge, in relation to the fituation, foil, produce, and conveniencies of this Ifland of I'lnian. This Ifland lies in the latitude 50^^ \ 8' North, and longitude from Aca^uUo 114^ : 50' Wefl:. Its length (415) length is about twelve miles, and its breadth about half as much ; it extending from the S. S. W. to N. N. E. The foil is every where dry and healthy, and fomewhat fandy, which being lefs difpofed than other foils to a rank and over luxuriant vegetation, occalions the meadows and the bottoms of the woods to be much neater and fmoother than is cuf- tomary in hot climates. The land rifes by eafy flopes, from the very beach where we watered to the middle of the Ifland ; though the general courfe of its afcent is often interrupted and traverfed by gende defcents and vailies ; and the inequalities that are formed by the different combinations of thefe gradual fwellings of the ground, are mod beautifully diverfiBed with large lawns, which are covered with a very fine trefoil, intermixed with a variety of flowers, and are fkirted by woods of tall and well-fpread trees, mod of them celebrated ei- ther for their afped: or their fruit. The turf of the iawns is quite clean and even, and the bottoms of the woods in many places clear of all bufhes and underwoods ; and the woods themfelves ufually terminate on the lawns with a regular outline, not broken, nor confufed with flraggling trees, but ap- pearing as uniform, as if laid out by art. Hence arofe a great variety of the moft elegant and enter- taining profpedls formed by the mixture of thefe woods and lawns, and their various inter fedions with each other, as they fpread themfelves different- ly through the vailies, and over die flopes and de- clivities with which the place abounds. The fortu- nate animals too, which for the greateft part of the year are the fole lords of this happy foil, partake in fome meafure of the romantic caft of the Ifland, and are no fmall addition to its wcaJ.crful fcenary : For the (4i6) the cattle, of which it is not uncommon to fee herds of fome thoufands feeding together in a large mea- dow, are certainly the mod remarkable in the world ', for they are all of them milk-white, except their ears, which are generally black. And though there are no inhabitants here, yet the clamour and frequent parading of domeftic poultry, which range the woods in great numbers, perpetually excite the ideas of the neighbourhood of farms and villages, and greatly contribute to the chearfulnefs and beau- ty of the place. The cattle on the Ifland we com- puted were at leaft ten thoufand ; and we had no difficulty in getting near them, as they were not fhy of us. Our firft method of killing them was (hooting them ; but at laft, when, by accidents to be hereafter recited, we were obliged to hufband our ammunition, our men ran them down with eafe. Their fleJh was extremely well rafted, and was believed by us to be much more eafily digefted, than any we had ever met with. The fowls too were exceeding good, and were likewife run dowa with little trouble ; for they could fcarce fly further than an hundred yards at a flight, and even that fatio-ued them fo much, that they could not readily rife again •, fo that, aided by the opennefs of the woods, we could at all times furnifh ourfelves with whatever number we wanted. Befides the cattle and the poultry, we found here abundance of wild hogs : Thefe were mo ft excellent food ; but as they were a very fierce animal, we were obliged either to flioot 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 Ifland amafiing provifions for the garrifon of Guam. As thefe dogs had been purpofely trained to (4t7). to the killing of the wild hogs, they followed us very readily, and hunted for us ; but tho' they were a large bold breed, the hogs fought with fo much fury, that they frequently deflroyed them, fo that we by degrees loft the greateft part of them. But this place was not only extremely grateful to us from the plenty and excellency of its frefli provifions, but was as much perhaps to be admired for its fruits and vegetable produdions, which were moft fortunately adapted to the cure of the fea fcur- vy, which had fo terribly reduced us. For in the woods there were inconceivable quantities of coco- nuts, with the cabbages growing on the fame tree : There were befide, guavoes, limes, fweet and four oranges, and a kind of fruit, peculiar to thefe Idands, called by the Indians^ Ritnci^ but by us the Bread-Fruity for it was conftantly eaten by us dur- ing our ftay upon the Ifland inftead of bread, and fo univerfally preferred to it, that no fliip's bread was expended during that whole interval. It grew upon a tree which is fomewhat lofty, and which, towards the top, divides into large and fpreadino branches. The leaves of this tree are of a remark- able deep green, are notched about the edges, and are generally from a foot to eighteen inches ia length. The fruit itfeif grows indifferently on all parts of the branches •, it is in iliape rather eliptical than round, is covered with a rough rind, and is ufually feven or eight inches Long ; each of them grows fingly and not in clufters. This fruit is fitteft to be ufed, when it is full grown, but is ftill green j in which ftate, its tafte has fome diftant refemblance to that of an artichoke bottom, and its texture is not very different, for it is foft and fpungy. As it ripens it grows fofter and of a yellovv colour, and Ee xiiQXi tfieh' cShWalas'^a lufcious tafte, and ah agreeable fmell^ not unlike a ripe peach -, but then it is ef- teemed unwholefome, and is faid to produce fluxes. In the view of the watering place, (Plate XXXIV) there is drawn one of the trees bearing this fruit, it being that marked with the letter (c). Befides the fruits already enumerated^ there were many other vegetables extremely conducive to the aare of the malady we had long laboured under, fuch as water- melons, dandelion, creeping purflain, mint, fcurvy- grafs, and forreU'all which, together with the frefh meats of the place, we devoured with great eagernefs, prompted thereto by the ftrong inclina- tion, which nature never fails • of exciting in fcor- butic diforders for the powerful fpecifics. It will eafily be conceived from wliat hath been already faid, that our cheer upon this Ifland was in fome degree luxurious, but I have not yet recited all the varieties of provifion which we here indulg- ed in. Indeed we thought it prudent totally to abftain from filh^ the few we caught at our firft ar- ■ rival having furfeited thofe who eat of them ; but confidering how much we had been inured to that fpecies of food, we did not regard this circum- ftance as a difadvantage, efpecially as the defedt was {o amply fuppiied by the beef, pork and fowls already mentioned, and by great plenty of wild '^ fowl ; for I muft obferve, that near the center of "the Idand there were two confiderable pieces of frefh water, which abounded with duck, teal, arid curlew : Not to mention the whiftling plover, which we found there in prodigious plenty. And now perhaps it may be wondered at, that an Ifland, fo exquifitely furnifhed with the conveniens cies of hfe, and fo well adapted, not only to the fubfifl:ence. ( 4t9 ) fubfiilence, but likewife to the enjoyment of man- kind, fhoukl be entirely deftitute of inhabitants, elpecially as it is in the neighbourhood of other Iflands, which in fome meafure depend upon this for their fupport. To obviate this' difficuky, I mull obferve, that it is not fifty years fince the Ifland was depopulated. The Indians we had in cur cuftody aflured us, that formerly the tkree Iflands of Tinian^ Rota and Guam, were all full of inhabitants ; and that Tinifn alone contained thirty thoufand fouls : But a ficknefs raging amongft thefe Iflands, which deflroyed multitudes of the people, the Spaniards, to recruit their numbers at Guam, which were greatly diminiflied by this mor- tality, ordered all the inhabitants of 21j'?7/"^« thither ; where, languifliing for their former habitations, and their cuilomary method of life, the greateft part of them in a few years died of grief. Indeed, independent of that attachment which all mankind have ever fliown to the places of their birth and bringing up, it fliould feem, from what has been already faid, that there were few countries more worthy to be regretted than this ofTinian, Thefe poor Indians might realbnably have ex- pelled, at the great diflance from Spain, where they were placed, to have efcaped the violence and cruelty of that haughty nation, {o fatal to a large proportion of the whole human race : But it feems their remote fituation could not prote6l them from fharing in the common aeflru6lion of the weflern world, all the advantage they received from their diftance being only to perifli an age or two later. It may perhaps be doubted, if the number of the inhabitants of Tinian, who were baniflied to Guam^ and who died there pining for their native home, E e 2 was ( 420 ) was fo great, as what we have related above ; but^ not to mention the concurrent aflertion of our pri- foners, and the commodioufnefs of the Ifland, and its great fertility, there are flill remains to be met with on the place, which evince it to have been once extremely populous : For there are, in all parts of the Ifland, a great number of ruins of a very particular kind ; they ufually confift of two rows of fquare pyramidal pillars, each pillar being about fix feet from the next, and the diftance be- tween the rows being about twelve feet ; the pil- lars themfelves are about five feet fquare at the bafe, and about thirteen feet high -, and on the top of each of them there is a femi-globe, with the flat part upwards ; the whole of the pillars and femi- globe is folid, being compofed of fand and ftone cemented together, and plaiftered over. This odd fabric will be better underflood, by infpe6ting the view of the watering place already referred to^ where an aflfemblage of thefe pillars is drawn, and is denoted by the letter {a). If the account our prifoners gave us of thefe ftrudlures was true, the Ifland muft indeed have been extremely populous ; for they afTured us,, that they were the foundations of particular buildings fet apart for thofe Indians only, who had engaged in fome religious vow 5 and monaflic inftitutions are often to be met with in many Pagan nations. However,^ if thefe ruins were originally the bafis of the common dwelling- houfes of the natives, their numbers muft have beea confiderable ; for in many parts of the ifland they are extremely thick planted, and fufEciently evince the great plenty of former inhabitants. But to re- turn to the prefent ftate of the Ifland. Having ( 421 ) Having mentioned the conveniencies of ttts place, the excellency and quantity of its fruits and provifions, the neatnefs of its lawns, the ftatelinefs, frefhnefs, and fragrance of its woods, the happy inequality of its furface, and the variety and ele- gance of the views it afforded, I mufl now obferve that all thefe advantages were greatly enhanced by the healthinefs of its cHmate^ by the almoft con- ftant breezes which prevail there, and by the fre- quent fhowers wliich fail,, and which, though of a very fhort and alraoft momentary duration, are ex- tremely grateful and refrefhing, and are perhaps one caufe of the falubrity of the air, and of the ex- traordinary influence it was obferved to have upon us, in increafmg and invigorating our appetites and digeflion. This was fo remarkable, that thofe amongft our officers, who were at all other times fpare and temperate eaters, who, befides a flight breakfafl:, made but one moderate repafl: a day, were here, in appearance, transformed into glut- tons ; for infliead of one reafonable flelh-meal, they were now fcarcely fatisfied with three, and each of them fo prodigious in quantity, as would at ano- ther time have produced a fever or a furfeit : And yet our digefl:ion fo well correfponded with the. keenefs of our appetites, tliat we were neither diA ordered nor even loaded by this repletion ; for after having, according to the cufl:om of the Ifland, made a large beef breakfafl:, it was not long before we began to confider the approach of dinner as a very deflrable, though fomewhat tardy incident. And now having been thus large in my enco- miums on this Ifland, in which however, I con- ceive, I have not done it jufl:ice, it is neceflary I Ec 2 fliould Jhoyld fpcak of thofe circumftances in which it Is defecStive, whether in point of beauty or utility. And firft, with refped: to its water, I mufl own, that before I had feen this fpot, I did not cpnceive that the abfence of running water, of which it is entirely deftitute, could have been fo well replaced by any other means, as it is in this Ifland J for though there are no dreams, yet the water of the wells and fprings, which are to be met with every where near the furface, is extremely good i and in the midfl of the Ifland there are two or three confiderable pieces of excellent water, whofe edges are as neat and even, as if they had been bafons purpofely made for the decoration of the place. It mufl however be confeflTed, that with regard to the beauty of the profpeds, the want of rills and flreams js a very great defecl, not to be compenfated either by large pieces of (landing wa- ter, or by the neighbourhood of the fea, though that, by reafon of the fmallnefs of the ifland, generally makes a part of every extenflve view. As to the refidence upon the Ifland, thp princi- pal inconvenience attending it is the vafl numbers of mufcatos, and various other fpecies of flies, to- gether with an infedl called a tick, which, though principally attached to the cattle, would yet fre- quently fafl;en upon our limbs and bodies, and if not perceived and removed in time, would bury its head under the ikin, and raife a painful inflam- mation. We found here too centipeds and fcor- pions, which we fuppofed were venemous, but none of us ever received any injury from them. But the moft important and formidable excep- tion to this place remains flill to be told. This is thQ ineonyenience of the road, and the little fecu- rity (423.) rity there is at fome feafons for a jQiip at anchor- The only proper anchoring place for fhips of Bur-^v then is at the S. W. end of the Ifland. As a direc-" tion for readily finding it, there is in the thirty-fifth plate a very accurate view of the S. W. fide of the Illand, were (a) is the peak of Saypan^ feen over the northern part of Twiajiy and bearing N. N. E- 7 E. And [I) is the anchoring place, diflant eight miles from the obferver. And as an additional af- fiftance, there is alfo added in the thirty-fixth plate a near .view of the anchoring place itfelf, which reprefents it fo exadlly, that none hereafter can pof- fibly miftake it. In this place the Centurion an- chored in twenty and twenty-two fathom water, oppofite to a fandy bay, and about a mile and aa half diftant from the fhore. The bottom of this road is full of Iharp-pointed coral rocks, which, during four months of the year, that is, from the middle o'ijune to the middle of 05loher^ renders it a i^ery unfafe place to lie at. This is the feafon of the weftern monfoons, when near the full and change of the moon, but more particularly at the change, the wind is ufually variable all round the compafs, and feldom fails to blow with fuch fury, that the ftoutefl cables are not to be confided m ; what adds to the danger at thefe times, is the ex- celTive rapidity of the tide of flood which fets to the S. E. between this ifland and that of Aguigudny a fmall Ifland near the fouthem extremity (^Tinian^ which is reprefented in the general chart, hereafter inferred, only by a dot. This tide runs at firfl with a vafl head and overfall of water, and occa- fions fuch a hollow and overgrown fea, as is fcarc'e- ly to be conceived ; fo that (as will be hereafter more particularly mentioned) we were under the E e 4 dread- ( 4U) dreadful apprchcnfion of being pooped by it, though v^e were ia a fixty gun fhip. In the remaining eight months of the year, that is, from the middle of 05fober to the muddle oijune^ there is a conilant feafon of fettled weather, when, if the cables are but well armed, there is fcarcely any danger of their being fo much as rubbed : So that during all that interval, it is as fecure a road as could be wiflied for. I fliall only add, that the anchoring bank is very fbelving, and llretches along the S. W. end of the ifland, and that it is entirely free from fhoals, except a reef of rocks which is vifible, and lies about half a mile from the fhore, and affords a narrow paffage into a fmall fandy bay, which is the only place where boats can poflibly land. After this account of the ifland, and its produce, it is ne-. cefTary to return to our own hiftory. Our firft undertaking, after our arrival, was the removal of our fick on fhore, as hath been men- tioned. Whilfl we were thus employed, four of the Indians on fhore, being part of the Spanijh fer- jeant's detachment, came and furrendered them- felves to us, fo that with thole we took in the proa, we had now eight of them in our cuflody. One of the four, who fubmitted, undertook to fhow us the mofl convenient place for killing cattle, and two of our men were ordered to attend him on that fer- vice^ but one of them unwarily trufling the Indian with his firelock and piilol, the hdian efcaped with them into the woods : His countrymen, who re- malned behind, were apprehenfive of fuffering for this perfidy of their comrade, and therefore begged Jcave to l^nd one of their own party into the coun- try, who they engaged fliould both bring back the arms, and perfuade the whole detachment from Guam Guam to fubmlt to ns. The'C6fnirk)<3or6grafited- their requeft -, and one of them was difpatched on* this errand, who returned rteXt "day^ and brougfec- back the firelock and piftol^ l^ut affured us, he" had met with them in a path way in the wood, and protefted that he had not been able to meet with any one of his countrymen : This report had fo lit- tle the air of truth, that we rufpe(^ed there was Ibme treachery carrying on, and therefore to pre- vent any future communication among them, we immediately ordered all the Indians who were in our power on board the Ihip, and did not permit them - to return any more on fhore. When our fick were well fetded on the liland, we employed all the hands that could be fpared from attending them, in arming the cables with a good rounding, feveral fathom from the anchor, to fe- cure diem from being rubbed by the coral rocks, which here abounded : And this being compleated, our next attention was our leak, and in order to raife it out of water, we, on the firft of September^ began to get the guns aft to bring the (hip by the flern; and now the Carpenters, being able to com^, ,. at it on the outfide, ripped off the old fheathing that was left, and caulked all the feams on both fides the cut-water, and leaded them over, and then , new iheathed the bows to the furface of the water :. By this means we conceived the defedl was fuffici- ently fecured; but upon our beginning to bring . the guns into their places, we had the mortification ., to perceive, that the water rulhed into the fhip ia.^ the old place, with as much violence as ever v,[ Hereupon we were neceflitated to begin again; . and that our fecond attempt might be more effec- tual, we cleared the fore ftore-room, and fent a I hundred (426 ) hvindred and thirty barrels of powder on board the fmall Spanijh bark we had feized here, by which means we raifed the iliip about three feet out of the water forwards, and the Carpenters ripped off the flieathing lower down, and new caulked all the feams, and aftej-wards laid on new fheathing ; and then, fuppofing the leak to be eftedlually flopped, we began to move the guns forwards \ but the upper deck guns were fcarcely in their places, \vhen, to our amazement, it burft out again •, and now, as we durft not cut away the lining within board, leaft a but-end or a plank might llart, and we might go down immediately, We had no other refource left than chincing and caulking within board : and indeed by this means the leak was ftopped for fome time; but when our guns were all in their places, and our flores were taken on board^ the water again forced its way through a hole in the Item, where one of the bolts were driven in ; and on this we defilled from all farther efforts, being now well afTured, that the defect was in the ftem itfelf, and that it was not to be remedied till we ihould have an opportunity of heaving down. Towards the m\M\t o^ Septe7nher^ leveral of our. fick were tolerably recovered by their refidence on ihore; and, on the 12 th of September^ all thofe who were fo far relieved, fmce their arrival, as to be capable of doing duty, were fent on board the Jhip : And then the Commodore, who was himfelf ill of the fcurvy, had a tent ere6ted for him on iliore, where he went with the view of flaying 4 few days for the recovery of his health, being con- vinced by the general experience of his people, that no other method but living on the land was to be trufted to for the removal of this dreadful ma- lady» ( 427 ) Isidy, The place, where his tent was pitched on this occafion, was near the well, whence we got all our water, and was indeed a niofl elegant fpot. A view of it hath been already referred to under the title of the watering place, where (b) is the Com- modore's tent, and {d) the well where we wa- tered. As the crew on board were now reinforced by the recovered hands returned from the Ifland, we began to fend our cafk on fhore to be fitted up, which till now could not be done, for the Coopers were not well enough to work. We likewife weighed our anchors, that we might exarnine our cables, which we, fufpefted had by this time re- ceived confiderable damage. And as the new moon was now approaching, when we apprehended vio- lent gales, the Commodore, for our greater fecu- rity, ordered that part of the cables next to the an- chors to be armed with the chains of the fire- grapnels y and they were befides cackled twenty fathom from the anchors, and feven fathom from the fervice, with a good rounding of a 4 i inch hawfer ; and to all thefc precautions we added that of lowering the main and fore-yard clofe down, that in cafe of blowing weather the wind might have lefs power upon the fhip, to make her ride a ftrain. Thus effedlually prepared, as we conceived, we expedled the new moon, which was the i8th o^ Sep- tember^ and riding fafe that and the three fucceeding days, (though the weather proved very fqually and uncertain) we flattered ourfelves (for 1 was then on board) that the prudence of our meafures had fecured us from all accidents; but, on the 2 2d, the wind blew from the eaflward with fuch fury, that (428) that w'c foon defpidlred of riding out the llorm ; and therefore we fhould have been extremely glad that the Commodore and the reft of our people on fhore, which were the greateft part of our hands, had been on board with us, fmce our only hopes of lafety feemed to depend on our putting immedi- ately to fea ; but all communication with the fhorc was now effe(5lually cut off, for there was no pof- fibility that a boat could live, fo that we were ne- cefTitated to ride it out, till our cables parted. In- deed it was not long before this happened, for the fmall bower parted at live in the afternoon, and the fhip fwung off to the beft bower ; and as the night came on, the violence of the wind flill in- creafed ; but notwithftanding its inexpreflible fury, the tide ran with fo much rapidity, as to prevail over it •, for the tide having fet to the northward in the beginning of the ftorm, turned fuddenly to the fbuthward about fix in the evening, and forced the fliip before it in defpight of the ftorm, which blew upon the beam : And now the fea broke moft furprizingly all round us, and a large tumbling fwell threatened to poop us i the long boat, which was at this time moored a-ftern, was on a fudden canted fo high, that it broke the tranfom of the Commodore's gallery, whofe cabin was on the quarter-deck, and would doubtlefs have rifen as high as the tafferel, had it not been for this ftroke which ftove the boat all to pieces ; hut the poor boat-keeper, though extremely bruifed, was faved almoft by miracle. About eight, the tide flacken- cd, but the wind did not abate ; fo that at eleven, the beft bower cable, by which alone we rode, parted. Our ftieet anchor, which was the only CRt we had left, was inft^ntly cut from the bow ; but ( 429 ) but before it could reach the bottom^ we were dri- ven from twenty-two into thirty-five faphom ; and after we had veered away one whole cable, and two, thirds of another, we could not find ground with flxty fathom of line : This was a plain indicatiorL, that the anchor lay near the edge of the bank, and could not hold us. In this preffing danger, Mr. Saumarez^ our firil Lieutenant, who now commanded on board, ordered feveral guns to be fired, and lights to be fhown, as a fignal ta the Commodore of our diflrefs j and in a fhort time after, it being then about one o'clock, and the night exceffively dark, a flrong guft, attended with rain and lightning, drove us off xhe. bank, and forced us out to fea, leaving behind us, on the Ifland, Mr. Anfon^ with many more of our officers, and great part of our crew, amounting m the wliole to an hundred and thirteen perfons. Thus were we all, both at fea and on fliore, reduced to the utmoft defpair by this cataftrophe, thofe on ihort conceiving they had no means left them ever to leave the Ifland, and we on board utterly unpre- pared to ftruggle with the fury of the feas and winds, we were now expofed .to, aad expe^ing each moment to be our iail. CHAIt ( 430 ) CHAP. III. Tranfadlions at T'inian after the departure of the Centurion. TH E florm, which drove the Centurion to fea$ blew with too much turbulence to permit either the Commodore or any of the people on Ihore to hear the guns, which fhe fired as fignals of diftrefs •, and the frequent glare of the light- ning had prevented the explofions from being obferved : So that, when at day-break, it was per- ceived from the fhore that the Ihip was miffing, there was the utmoft confternation amongfl them : For much the greateft part of them immediately concluded that fhe was lofl, and intreated the Com- modore that the boat might be fent round the Ifland to look for the wreck ; and thofe who be- lieved her fafe, had fcarcely any expeftation that fhe would ever be able to make the Ifland again : For the wind continued to blow flrong at Eafl, and they knew how poorly fhe was manned and pro- vided for ftruggling with fo tempeftuous a gale. And if the Centurion was lofl, or fhould be incapa- ble of returning, there appeared in either cafe no poffibility of their ever getting olf the Ifland : For they were at leafl fix hundred leagues from Macao, which was their nearefl port ; and they were maf- ters of no other vefTel than the fmall Spanijh bark, of about fifteen tun, which they feized at their firfl arrival, and which would not even hold a fourth part of their number : And the chance of their being taken off the Ifland by the cafual arri- val ( 43' ) Val of any other fliip was altogether defperate ; a^ perhaps no European fhip had ever anchored here before, and it were madnefs to expedt that Hke incidents fhould fend another here in an hundred ages to come : So that their defponding thoughts could only fugged to them the melancholy pro- fped of fpending the remainder of their days on this Ifland, and bidding adieu for ever to their country, their friends, their families^ and ail their domeftic endearments. Nor was this the worfl they had to fear : For they had reafon to expe6l, that the Governor of Guam, when he fhouki be informed of their fitua- tion, might fend a force fufiicient to overpower them, and to remove them to that Ifland; and then, the moil favourable treatment they could hope for would be to be detained prifoners for life ; fince, from the known policy and cruelty of the Spamards in their diilant fettlements, it was rather to be expelled, that the Governor, if he once had them in his power, would make their want of commifTions (all of them being on board the Centurion) a pretext for treating them as pirates, and for depriving them of their lives with in- famy. In the midft: of thefe gloomy refleclions, Mr. ^4nfon had doubtlefs his fhare of difquietude ; but he always kept up his ufual compofure and itea^iii- nefs : And having foon proje6led a fcheme for ejl- tricating himfelf and his men from their prefent anxious fituation, he. firft communicated it to fome of the moft intelligent perfons about him ; and having fatisfied himfelf that it was pradticable, he then endeavoured to animate his people to a fpeedv' and vigorous prolccution of it. With this view> he ( ^32 ) he rcprcfcnted to them, how httle foufidation there was for their apprehenfions of the Centurion's being lofl ; That he ihould have hoped, they had been all of them better acquainted with fea-affairs, than to give way to the impreffion of fo chimerical a fright; and that he doubted not, but if tliey woyli feriouQy confider what fuch a fhip was capable of enduring, they would confefs that there was not the leaft probability of her having periflied : That he was not without hopes that flie might return in a a few days; but if Ihe did not, the worft that could be fuppofed, was, that fhe was driven fo far to the leeward of the Ifland that flie could not regain it, and that Ihe would confequently be obliged to bear away for Macao on the coaft of Chijia : That as it was neceffary to be prepared aganll all events, he had, in this cafe, confidered of a method of carrying them off the Ifland, and joining their old fhip the Centurion again at Macao : That this me- thod was to hale the Spanijh bark on ihore, to faw her afunder, and to lengthen her twelve ^t^^ which would enlarge her to near forty tun burthen, and would enable her to carry them all to China : That he had confulted the Carpenters, and they had agreed that this propofal was very feazible, and that nothing was wanting to execute it, but the united refolution and induflry of the whole body ; He added, that for his own part, he would fhare the fatigue and labour with them, and would ex- pert no more from any man than what he, the Commodore himfelf, was ready to fubmit to ; and concluded with reprefenting to them the impor- tance of faving time ; and that, in order to be the better prepared for all events, it was neceflary to fet to work immediately, and to take it for grant- ed. ( 433 ) ed, that the Centurion would not be able Co put back (which was indeed the Commodore's fccret opinion ; ) fince, if fhc did return, they fhould only throw away a few days application •, but, if fhe did not, their fituation, and the feaibn of the year, required their utmoft difpatch. Thefe remonftranccs, though not without ef- feft, did not immediately operate ib powerfully as Mr. Afjfon could have wiflied : He indeed raifed their Ipirits by fhovving them the poffibiiity of their getting away, of which they had before de- fpaired ; but then, from their confidence of this refource, they grew lefs apprehcniive of their fituation, gave a greater fcope to their hopes, and flattered themfelves that the Centurion would re- turn and prevent the execution of the Commo- dore's fcheme, which they could eafily forefec would be a work of confiderable labour ; By this means, it was fome days before they were all of them heartily engaged in the projed ; but at laff, being in general convinced of the impofllbility of the ihip's return, they fct themfelves zealouQy tq^' the different talks allotted them, and were as 'in-^ duftrious and as eager as their Commander, coiilfl defire, pun6lually alTemblIng at day-break at ^the'^ rendezvous, whence they were diftributed to thri^ • different employments, which they followed' v/ltft' unufual vigour 'till night came on. ■"; And here I mull interrupt the courfe of this- tranfa6lion for a moment, to relate an incident-* which for fome time gave Mr. AnfoH tx\tT^ -con- cern than all the preceding difafters. A -^"f ^ia- : after the fhip was driven off, fome of th on fhore cried out, .-- ^ joy, every one fuppofing that it was the ihip rc-^ . Ff .turaifig. ( 434 ) turning j but prefendy, a fecond fail was defcried, which quite deftroyed their conjedlure, and made it difficult to guefs what they were. The Com- modore eagerly turned his glafs towards them, and favv they were two boats ; on which it imme- diately occurred to him, that the Centurion was gone to the botton, and that thefe were her two boats coming back with the remains of her people : And this fudden and unexpe<5led fuggeftion wrought on him fo powerfully, that, to conceal his emotion, he was obliged (without fpeaking to any one) in- llantly to retire to his tent, where he paft fome bitter moments, in the firm belief that the (hip was loft, and that now all his views of farther dif- trefTing the enemy, and of ftill fignalizing his ex- pedition by fome important exploit, were at an end. But he was foon relieved from thefe diflurbing thoughts, by difcovering that the two boats in the offing were Indian proas -, and perceiving that they Hood towards the fhore, he dire61:ed every appear- ance that could give them any fufpicion to be re- moved, and concealed his people, in the adjacent thickets, prepared to fecure the htdians when they lliould land : But, after the proas had flood in within a quarter of a mile of the land, they fud- denly ftopt fhort, and remaining there motionlels ior near two hours, they then made fail again, and Hood to the fouthward. But to return to the pro- jeded enlargement of the bark. If we examine how they were prepared for go- ing through with this undertaking, on which their lafety depended, we fhall find, that, independent of other matters which were of as much impor- tance, the lengthning of the bark alone was at- 2 tended (435 ) tended with great difficulty. Indeed, in a pro- per place, where all the neceflfary materials and tools were to be had, the embarrafment would have been much lels •, but fome of thefe tools were to be made, and many of the materials were wanting ; and it required no fmall degree of in- vention to fupply all thefe deficiencies. And when the hull of the baik Ihould be compleated, this was but one article •, and there were many others of equal weight, which were to be well confider- €d : Thefe were the rigging it, the vielualling it, and laftly, the navigating it, for the fpace of fix or feven hundred leagues, through unknown feas, where no one of the company had ever pafifed be- fore. In fome of thefe particulars fuch obflacles occurred, that, without the intervention of very extraordinary and unexpe6led accidents, the pof- fibility of the whole enterprize would have fallen to the ground, and their utmoft induftry and ef- forts muil have been fruitlefs. Of all thefe circum- flances I fhall make a fliort recital. It fortunately happened that the Carpenters, both of the Gloucefter and of the Tryal^ w^ith their chells of tools, were on fhore when the fhip drove out to fea ; the Smith too was on fhore, and had with him his forge and fome tools, but unhappily his bellows had not been brought from on board ; fo that he was incapable of working, and without his affiftance they could not hope to proceed with their defign. Their firft attention therefore was to make him a pair of bellows, but in this they were for fome time puzzled, by their want of leather ; however, as they had hides in fufncienr plenty, and they had found a hogfhead of lime, "which the Indians or Spaniards had prepared for F f 2 their ( 436 ) tlieir own nfe, they tanned fome hides with this lime ; and though we may fuppofe the workman- ihip to be but indifferent, yet the leather they thus made ferved tolerably well, and the bellows (to which a gun-barrel ferved for a pipe) had no other inconvenience, than that of being fomewhat ftrong fcented from the imperfedion of the Tan- ner's work. Whilfl the Smith was preparing the neceffary iron- work, others were employed in cutting down trees, and fawing them into plank; and this be- ing the moft laborious tafk, the Commodore wrought at it himfelf for the encouragement of his people. As there were neither blocks nor cordage fufficient for tackles to hale the bark on fhore, it was propofed to get her up on rollers ; and for thefe, the body of the coco- nut tree was extremely ufeful ; for its fmoothnefs and circuit Uirn prevented much labour, and fitted it for the purpofe with very little workmanfhip : A num- ber of thefe trees were therefore felled, and the ends of them properly opened for the reception of hand-fpikcs ; and in the mean time a dry dock was dug for the bark, and ways laid from thence quite into the fea, to facilitate the bringing her up. And befides thoie who were thus occupied in preparing meafures for the future enlargement of the bark, a party was conftantly ordered for the killing and preparing of provlfions for the reft : And though in thefe various employments, fome of which demanded confiderable dexterity, it might have been expedled there w^ould have been great confufion and delay 5 yet, good order being once eftabliflied, and all hands engaged, their preparations advanced apace. Indeed, the common ( 437 ) common men, I prefume, were not the lefs trad- able for their want of fpirituous liquors: For, there being neither wine nor brandy on iliore, the juice of the coco- nut was their conftant drink, and this, though extremely pleafant, was not at all intoxicating, but kept them very cool and orderly. And now the officers began to confider of all the articles necefTary for fitting out the bark ; when it was found, that the tentS-jon fliore, and the fpare cordage accidentally left there by the Centurion^ together with the fails and rigging al- ready belonging to the bark, would ferve to rig her indifferently well, when fhe was lengthened : And as they had tallow in plenty, they propofed to pay her bottom with a mixture of tallow and Jime, which it was known was well adapted to that purpofe : So that with refpe(ft to her equip- ment, fhe would not have been very defeclive. There was, however, one exception, which would have proved extremely inconvenient, and that was her fize : For as they could not make her quire forty tun burthen, fhe would have been incapable of containing half the crew below the deck, and fhe would have been fo top-heavy, that if they were all at the fame time ordered upon deck, there would be no fmall hazard of her over-fetting j but this was a difficulty not to be removed, as they could not augment her beyond the fize al- ready propofed. After the manner of tigging and fitting up the bark was confidered and regulated, the next effential point to be thought on was, how to procure a fufficient flock of provifions for their voyage •, and here they were greatly at a lois what courfe to take ; for they azd neirhcr F f 0, craia ( 438 ) gfim nor bread of any kind on fliore, their bread- fruit, which would not keep at lea, having all all along fupplied its place : And though they had live cattle enough, yiet they had no fait to cure beef for a fea-ftore, nor would meat take fait in that climate. Indeed, they had preferved a fmall quantity of jerked beef, which they found upon the place at their landing; but this was greatly difproportioned to the run of near fix hundred leagues, which they were to engage in, and to the number of hands they fliould have on board. It was at laft, however, refolved to take on board, as many coco nuts as they poiTibly could ; to make the mod of their jerked beef, by a very fparing diftribution of it ; and to endeavour to fupply- their want of bread by rice ^ to furnifh themfelves with which, it was propofed, when the bark was fitted up, to make an expedition to the Ifland of Rofa, where they were told, that the Spaniards had large plantations of rice under the care of the In- dian inhabitants. But as this laft meafure was to be executed by force, it became necefTary to ex- amine what ammunition had been left on fhore, and to preferve it carefully ; and on this enquiry, they had the mortification to find, that the utmoft that could be colle6led, by the flrideft fearch, did not amount to more than ninety charges of powder for "their firelocks, which was confiderably fhort of one a-piece for each of the Company, and was indeed a very flender flock of ammunition, for fuch as were to eat no grain or bread for a month, but what tl]ey were to procure by force of arms. But the mofl: alarming circumflance, and what, without the providential interpofition of very im- probable events, had rendered all their fchemes abortive, ( 439 ) abortive, remains yet to be related. Tlie general idea of the fabric and equipment of the veffel was fettled in a few days ; and when this was done, it was not difficult to make fome eftimation of the time neceflary to compleat her. After, this, it was natural to expecl that the officers would con- fider on the courfe they were to (leer, and the land they were to make. Thefe refle(flions led them to the difheartning. difcovery, that there was neither compafs nor quadrant on the ifland.\ In- deed the Commodore had brought a pocket- com- pafs on fhore for his own ufe ; but Lieutenant Brett had borrowed it to determine the pofition of the neighbouring Iflands, and he had been driven, to fea in the Centurion^ without returning it : And as to a quadrant, that could not be expedled to be found on fhore, for as it was of no ufe at land, there could be no reafon for bringing it from oa board the fhip. It was eight days, from the de- parture of the Centunon^ before they were in any degree relieved from this terrible perplexity : At lad, in rumaging a cheft belonging to the Spanifi bark, they found a fmall compafs, which, though little better than the toys ufaally mijde for the amufement of fchool-bpys, was to th'eni aa invaluable treafure. And a few days after, by a fmiilar piece of good fortune, they found a qua- drant on the fea-fhore, which had been thrown over board amcngft other lumber belonging to the dead. The quadrant was eagerly fei zed, but on examination, it unluckily wanted vanes, and therefore in its prefent llate was altogether ufclefs ; hov/ever, fortune ttill continuing in a favourable mood, it was not long b^^fore a perfon out of cu- rioHry pulling out tae drawiT of an old table, F f ./|. whicii ( 440 ) which had been driven on fhore, found therein fome vanes, which fitted the and the grand 3 La-- (467 ) Ladrone W. by S. about two leagues diftant. The rock (R) is a moll excellent direction for Ihips coming from the eaftward : Its latitude is 21°: 52' North, and it bears from Pedro Blanco S. 64** W. diftant twenty -one leagues. You are to leave it on the {larboard- lide, and you may come within half a mile of it in eighteen fathom water : And then you mufl fleer N. by W. 7 W. for the chan- nel, becv^^een the Iflands of Cabouce and Bamboo^ wliich are to tlic northward of the grand Ladrone. After hav^ing continued at anchor all night, we on the Qth, at four in the morning, fent our Cutter to found the channel, where we propofed to pafs •, but before the return of the Cutter, a Cbinefe Pilot put on board us, and told us, in broicen Portuguefe^ he would carry us xo Macao for thirty ^dollars. Thefe were immediately paid him, and we then weighed and made fail 5 and foon after, feveral other Pilots come on board us, who, to recommend themfelves, produced certifi- cates from the Captains of feveral fhips they had pilotted in, but we continued the fhip under the management of the Chine fe who came firil on board. By this time we learnt, that we were not far diflant from Macno^ and that there were in the river of Cant en ^ at the mouth of wliich Macao lies, eleven European fhips, of which four were Englijb. Our Pilot carried us between the Iflands of Bamboo and Cabouce^ but the winds hanging in the northern board, and the tides often fetting flrongly againfl us, we were obliged to come frequently to an anchor, fo that we did not get through between the two Iflands till the 12th o^ November^ at two in the morning. In pafling through, our depth of water was from twelve to fourteen fathom ; H h 2 and (468 ) and as we ftill fleered on N. W. i W. between a number of other Iflands, our foundings under- went little or no variation till towards the even- ing, when they encreafed to feventeen fathom ; m which depth (the wind dying away) we anchored not far from the Ifland of Lantoon^ which is the largeft of all this range of Iflands. At feven in the morning we weighed again, and fleering W. S. W. and S. W. by W. we at ten o'clock hap- pily anchored in Macao road, in five fathom water, the city of Macao bearing W. by N. three leagues diflant ; the peak of Lantoon E. by N. and the grand Ladrone S. by E. each of them about five leagues diflant. Thus, after a fatiguing cruife of above two years continuance, we once more ar- rived in an amicable port, in a civilized country ^ where the conveniencies of life were in great plent- ty ; where the naval flores, which we now ex- tremely wanted, could be in fome degree pro- cured ; where we expe6led die inexpreffible fatif- fa6lion of receiving letters from our relations and friends ; and where our countrymen, who were lately arrived from England^ would be capable of anfwering the numerous enquiries we were pre- pared to make, both about public and private occurrences, and to relate to us many particulars, which, whether of importance or not, would be liflned to by us with the utmofl attention, after the long fufpenfion of our correfpondence with our country, to which the nature of our undertaking had hitherto fubjeded us. CHAP. (469 ) CHAP. VII. Proceedings at Macao, TH E city of Macao^ in the road of which we came to an anchor on the 1 2th of November -^ is a Portuguefe fettlement, fituated in an Ifland at the mouth of the river of Canton. It was formerly a very rich and populous city, and capable of de- fending itfeif againft the power of the* adjacent Chinefe Governors : But at prefent it is much fallen from its antient fplendor ; for though it is inha- bited by Portuguefe^ and hath a Governor nomi*- nated by the King of Portugal^ yet it fubfifls merely by the fufferance of the Chinefe^ who can ftarve the place, and difpoffefs the Portuguefe when- ever they pleafe. This obliges the Governor of Macao to behave with great circumfpedion, and carefully to avoid every circumftance that may give offence to the Chinefe. The river of Canton, at the mouth of which this city lies, is the only Chinefe port, frequented by European fhips ; and this river is indeed a more commodious harbour, on many accounts, than Macao : But the peculiar cuftoms of the Chinefe., only adapted to the enter- tainment of trading fhips, and the apprehenfions of the Commodore, left he fhould embroil the Eaft-India Company with the Regency of Canton^ if he fhould infift on being treated upon a dif- ferent footing from the Merchantmen, made him refolve to go firft to Macao.^ before he ventured into the port of Canton. Indeed, had not this reafon prevailed with him, he himfelf had ncthina Hh3 ( 47® ) to fear : For it is certain that he might have en- tered the port of Canton^ and might have con- tinued there as long as he pleafed, and afterwards have left it again, although the whole power of the Chinefe Empire had been brought together to oppofe him. The Commodore, not to depart from his ufuaj prudence, no fooner came to an anchor in Macao road, than he difpr.tched an oflicer with his com- pliments to the Portuguefe Governor of Macao^ re- quefling his Excellency, by the fame officer, to advife him in what manner it would be proper to a6l, to avoid offending the Chinefe^ which, as there were then four of our fhips in their power at Can- ton^ was a matter worthy of attention. The dif- ficulty, which the Commodore principally appre- hended, related to the duty ufually paid by all fhips in the river of Canton^ according to their tunnage. For as men of war are exempted in every foreign harbour from all manner of port charges, the Commodore thought it would be de- rogatory to the honour of his country, to fubmit to this duty in China: And therefore he defired the advice of the Governor of Macao ^ who, being an European^ could not be ignorant of the privi- leges claimed by a Britijh man of war, and con- fequently might be expe6led to give us the befl: lights for avoiding this perplexity. Our boat re- turned in the evening with two officers fent 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 woulifi certainly be demanded ^ and therefore, if the Com- modore approved of it, he would fend him a Pilot, who Ihould coiidud us into another fafe harbour^ (471 ) harbour, called the ^ypa^ which was every way commodious for careening the fhip (an operatioii- we were refolved to begin upon as foon as pof- fible) and where the above-mentioned duty would, in all probability, be never afked for. This propofal the Commodore agreed to, and in the morning we weighed anchor, and, under the diredlion of the Pcrtuguefe Pilot, fleei'ed for the intended harbour. As we entered two IQands, which form the eaftern paflage to itj we found our foundings decreafed to thi*ee fathom and a half: But the Pilot affuring us that tliis was the leaft depth we fhould meet with, we continued our courfe, till at length the fhip iluck fall in the mud, with only eighteen foot water abaft j and, the tide of ebb making, the water fewed to fix- tecn feet, but the fhip remained perfedlly upright ; we then founded all round us, and finding the water deepned to the northward, we carried out our fmall bower with two hawfers an end, and at the return of the tide of flood, hove the fhip a- jfloat ', and a fmall breeze fpringing up at the fame inftant, we fet the fore-top-fail, and (lipping tlie hawfer, ran into the harbour, where we moored in about five fathom water. This harbour of the ^ypa is formed by a number of Iflands, and is about fix miles diftant from Macao. Here we faluted the caflle of Macao with eleven guns, which were returned by an equal number. The next day the Commodore paid a vifit in perfon to the Governor, and was faluted at his landing by eleven guns ; v/hich were returned by the Centurion. Mr. Anfo?i's bufinefs in this vifit, was to folicit the Governor to grant us a fupply of proviiions, and to furnifh us with fuch flores Hh4 as ( 472 ) as were neccflary to refit the lliip. The Governor feemed really inclined to do us all the fervice he could ; and afTured the Conamodore, in a friendly manner, that he would privately give us all the afTiftance in his power •, but he, at the fame time, frankly owned, that he dared not openly furnifh us with any thing we demanded, unlefs we firft procured an order for it from the Viceroy of Can- ton ', for that he neither received provifions for his garrifon, nor any other neceflaries, but by per- miflion from the Chine fe Government -, and as they took care only to furnifh him fr.om day to day, he was indeed no other than their valial, whom they could at all times compel to fubmit to their own terms, only by laying an embargo on his pro- vifions. On this declaration of the Governor, Mr. Anfon refolved himfelf to go to Canton^ to procure a li- cence from the Viceroy ; and he accordingly hired a Chinefe boat for himfelf, and his attendants -, but jufl as he was ready to embark, the Hoppo^ or Chinefe Cuflom-houfe ofRcer at Macao^ refufed to grant a permit to the boat, and ordered the water- men not to proceed, at their peril. The Commo- dore at firfl endeavoured to prevail with the Hoppo to withdraw his injundlion, and to grant a permit; and the Governor of Macao employed his intereft with the Hoppo to the fame purpofe. Mr. Anfon^ finding the ofBcer inflexible, told him, the next day, that if he longer refufed to grant the permit, he would man and arm his own boats, to carry him thither \ afking the Hoppo^ at the fame time, who he imagined would dare to oppofe him. This threat immediately brought about what his in- treaties had laboured for in vain : The permit was granted. ( 473 ) granted, and Mr.- An/on -went to Canton, . On .his arrival there, he conlulted with the Supercargoes and officers of t\it Englift) ll^ipSy.how to procure an order from the Viceroy for the neceflaries he- wanted : But in this he had reafon to fuppofe, that the advice they gave him, though doubtJefs well intended, was yet not the mofl prudent : For as it is the cuftom with thefe Gentlemen, never to. ap- ply to the fupreme Magiflrate Jiimfelf, whatever difficulties they labour under,- but to tranfad all matters relating to the Government, by the medU ation of the principal Chinefe merchants, Mr. Anfon was advifed to follow the fame method upon this occafion, t\\c Englijh promihng (in which they were doubtlefs iincere) to exert all their interell to engage the Merchants in his favour. And when the Chinefe Merchants w^re applied to, they readily undertook the management of it, and promifed to anfwer for its fuccefs ; but after near a month's delay, and reiterated excufes, during "which inter- val they pretended to be often upon the point of compleating the bufinefs, they at lafb (being pref- fed, and meafures being taken for delivering a letter to the Viceroy) threw off the maflv^ and de- clared they neither had applied"^ to\ the yicerby;'^ nor could they •, for he was too great a man, ' tliey faid, for them to approach on any pcTcafion] And, not contented with having themfelves tlnis groily deceived the Commodore, they now ufedall their perfuafion with the Eyiglijh at Canton'^ to pre- vent them from intermeddling with any thing that regarded him, reprefenting to them, that it would " in all probabihty embroil them with the Govern- ment, and occafion them a great deal of unnecef- fary trouble-, which groundlefs infmuations had indeed ( 474 ) indeed but too much weight with thofe they were applied to. It muft be difficult to afTign a reafon for this per- fidious condu6l of the Chinefe Merchants : Intereft indeed is known to exert a boundlefs iniluence over the inhabitants of that Empire ; but hov/ their in- tereft could be affeded in the prefent cafe, is not €afy to difcover •, unlefs they apprehended that the prefence of a fhip of force might damp their Ma- Tiila trade, and therefore aded In this manner with a view of forcing the Commodore to Bata^oia : But it might be as natural in this light to fjppofe, that they would have been eager to have got him difpatched. I therefore rather impute their be- haviour to the unparalleled pufillanimity of the Nation, and to the awe they are under of the Government : For as fuch a fhip as the Centuriony fitted for war only, had never been (cqx\ in thofe parts before, fhe wa* the horror of thefe daftanls, and the Merchants were in fome degree terrified even with the idea of her, and could not think of applying to the Viceroy (who is doubtlefs fond of all opportunities of fleecing them) v/ichout rc- prefcnting to themfelves the pretences which a hungry and tyrannical Magiftrate might pofTibly find, for cenfuring their intermeddling in fo un- ufual a tranfa^lion, in which he might pretend the interefl of the State was immediately concerned. However, be this as it may, the Commodore was fatisfied that nothing was to be done by the inter- pofition of the Merchants, as it was on his prefTing them to deliver a letter to die Viceroy, that they had declared they durft not intermeddle, and had confefTed, that, notwithftanding all their pretences of ferving him, they had not yet taken one ftep towiirds (475) towards it. Mr. Anfon therefore told them, that he would proceed to Batavia^ and refit his Ihip there ; but informed them, at the fame time, that this was impofTible to be done, unlefs he was fup- plied with a llock of provifions fufficient for his paflage. The Merchants, on this, undertook to procure him provifions, but alTured him, that it was what they durft not engage in openly, but pro- pofed to manage it in a clandefline manner, by putting a quantity of bread, flour and other pro- vifion on board the Englijh fhips, which were now ready to fail •, and thefe v/ere to flop at the mouth of the ^ypi^^ where the Centurion's boats were to re- ceive it. This article, which the Merchants repre- fented as a matter of great favour, being ftltltd^ the Commodore, on the i6th of December^ re- turned from Canton to the fliip, feemingly refolved to proceed to Batavia to refit, as foon as he fhouW get his fupplies of provifion on board. But Mr. JnfjH (who never intended going to Batavia) found, on his return to the Centurion y that her main-mafl was fprung in two places, and that the leak was confiderably increafed ; fo that, upon the whole, he was fully fatisiied, that though he fliould lay in a fufHcient flock of provifions, yet it v^rould be impolTible for him to put to fea with- out refitting : For, if he left the port with his Ihip in her prefent condition, fhe would be in the ut- mofl danger of foundring ; and therefore notwith- ftanding the difficulties he had met with, lie re- folved at all events to have her hove down, before he left Macao, He was fully convinced, by what he had obfcrved at Canton^ that his great caution not to injure the Eaft-India Company's affairs, and fhe regard he had (bown to the advice of their of- ficers. ( 476 ) i^ccrs, had occafioned all his cmbarrafments. For he now faw clearly, that if he had at firfl carried his fhip into the river of Canton^ and had immedi- ately applied himfelf to the Mandarines^ who are tht chief officers of State, inflead of employing the Merchants to apply for him ; he would, in all pro- bability, have had all his requefts granted, and would have been foon difpatched. He had already loft a month, by the wrong meafures he had been put upon, but he refolved to lofc as little more time as poflible •, and therefore, the 1 7th of Bs- cemhe-i\ being the next day after his return from CantaUy he wrote a letter to the Viceroy of that place, acquainting him, that he was Commander in chief of a fquadron of his Britannick Majefty's fhips of war, which had been cruifmg for tv^o years paft in the South-Sea againfl the Spaniards^ who were at war with the King his Mailer ; that, in his way back to England^ he had put into the port of Macao^ having a confiderable leak in his fhip, and being in great want of provifions, fo that it was impoiTible for him to proceed on his voyage, till his fliip was repaired, and lie was fupplied with the neccfiaries he wanted ; that he had been at Canton^ in hopes of being admitted to a perfonal audience of his Excellency ; but being a ftranger to the cuf- toms of the country, he had not been able to in- fomi himfelf what fteps were necefiary to be taken to procure fuch an audience, and therefore was ob- liged to apply to him in this manner, to defire his Excellency to give orders, for his being permitted to employ Carpenters and proper workmen to refit his ihip, and to furnilh himfelf with provifions and flores, thereby to enable him to purfue his voyage to Great 'Britain with this monfoon, hoping, at the ( 477 ) the iimie time, that thefe orders would . be iffucd with as Httle delay as poflible, left it might occa- fion his lofs of the feafon, and he might be pre- vented from departing till the next winter. This letter was tranilated into tlie Cbinefe lan- guage, and the Commodore delivered it himfelf to the Hoppo or chief officer of the Emperor's cuftoms at Macao^ defiring him to forward it to the Viceroy oi Canton^ with as much expedition as he could. The officer at firft feemed unwilling to take charge of it, and raifed many difficulties about it, fo that Mr. uinfon fufpecled him of being in league witli the Merchants of Canton^ Vv^ho had ahvays fhown a great apprehenfion of the Commodore's having any immediate intercourfe with the Viceroy or Manda- rines ; and therefore the Commodore, with fome refentment, took back his letter from the HoppOy and told him, he would immediately fend an officer with it to Canton in his own boat, and would give him pofitive orders not to return witliout an an- fwer from the Viceroy. The Hoppo perceiving the Commodore to be in earneft, and feanng to be called to an account for his refafal, begged to be intrufted with the letter, and promifed to deliver it, and to procure an anfwer as foon as poffible. And now it was foon feen how juftly Mr. Anfonhzd at laft judged of the proper manner of dealing with the Cbinefe \ for this letter was written but the 1 7th of Dece-rnber^ as hath been already obferved ; and, on the 19th in the morning, 3. Mandarine of the lirft rank, who v/as Governor of the city of Janfcn^ together with two Mandarines of an inferior clafs, and a great retinue of officers and fervants, having with them eighteen half galHes, decorated with a great number of ftreamers, and furniflied with mu- fic. ( 478 ) fic, and full of men, came to grapnel a-head of the Centurion \ whence the Mandarine fent a melTuage to the Commodore, telUng him, tliat he (the Man^ darine) was ordered, by the Viceroy of Canton^ to examine the condition of the fliip, and defiring the fhip's boat might be fent to fetch him on board. The Centurion's boat was immediately difpatched, and preparations were made for receiving him ; for a hundred of the moft fightly of the crew were uniformly dreft in the regimentals of the marines, and were drawn up under arms on the main-deck, againft his arrival. When he entered the fliip he was faluted by the drums, and what other military mufic there was on board ; and pafijng by the new- formed guard, he was met by the Commodore on die quarter-deck, who conduced him to the great cabbin. Here the Mandarine explained his com- million, declaring, that his bufmefs was to exa- mine all the particulars mentioned in the Commo- dore's letter to the Viceroy, and to confront them with the reprefentation that had been given of them ; that he was particularly inftrucled to infped; the leak, and had for that purpofe brought with him two Chinefe Carpenters ♦, and tliat for the greater regularity and difpatch of his bufmefs, he had every head of enquiry feparately wrote down on a flieet of paper, with a void fpace oppofite to- it, where he was to infert fuch information and re- marks thereon, as he could procure by his own ob- fcrvation. This Mandarine appeared to be a perfon of very confiderable parts, and dadowed with more frank- nefs and honefty, than is to be found in the gene- rality of the Chinefe, After the proper inquiries had been made, particularly about the leak, which the ( 479 ) die Cbtnefe Carpenters reported to be as dangerous as ic had been reprefented, and confequently that it was impofTible tor the Centurion to proceed to lea without being refitted, the Mandarine exprefied himfelt fatisfied with the account given in the Com- modore's letter. And this Magiitrate, as he was more intelhgent than any other perfon of his na- tion that came to our knowledge, lb iikewife was he more curious and inquifitive^ viewing each part of the ihip with particular attention, and appear^ ing greatly furprized at the largenefs of die IcfWer deck guns, and at the weight and fize of the fhot. The Commodore, obferving his aftoniihment, thought this a proper opportunity to convince the Chinefe of the prudence of granting him a fpeedy and ample fupply of all he wanted. With this view he told the Alayidari/ie^ and thofe who were with him, that, befides the demands he made for a ge- neral fupply, he had a particular complaint againft the proceedings of the Cuflom-houfe of Macao ; that at his hrft arrival the Chinefe boats had brought on board plenty of greens, and variety of frefh pro- vifions for daily ufe, for which they had always been paid to their full fatisfadion, but that the Cu- flom-houfe officers at Macao had foon forbid them, by which means he was deprived of thofe refrefh- ments which were of the utmoil confeq uence to the health of his men, after their long and fickly voy- age •, that as they, the Mandarines^ had informed themfelves of his wants, and were eye-witnefles of the force and ftrength of his fhip, they might be fatisfied it was not for want of power to itipply himfelf, that he defired the permiflion of the Go- vernment to purchafe what provifions he flood in iieed of J that they muflbe convinced that the Cen- turion (48o) turion alone was capable of dellroying the whole na- vigation of the port of Canton^ or of any other port in China, without running the leaft rifque from all the force the Chlnefe could coiled ; that it was true, this was not the manner of proceeding between nations in friendfhip with each other j but it was likewife true, that it was not cuflomary for any nation to permit the Hiips of their ffiends to ftarve and fmk in their ports, when thofe friends had money to fupply their wants, and only defired liberty to lay it out •, that they muft confefs, he and his people had hitherto behaved with great modefty and referve ; but that, as his wants were each day increafmg, hunger would at laft prove too ftrong for any reftraint, and necefTity was ac- knowledged in all countries to be fuperior to every other law j and therefore it could not be expected that his crew would long continue to itarve in the midft of that plenty to which their eyes were every day witnefTes : To this tlie Commodore added, (though perhaps with a lefs ferious air) that if by the delay of fupplying him with frefli provifions his men fhould be reduced to the necefTity of turn- ing cannibals, and preying upon their own fpecies, it was eafy to be forefeen that, independent of their friendlhip to their comrades, they would, in point of luxury, prefer the plump well fed Chinefe to their own emaciated fhipmates. The firft Man- darine acquiefced in the juftnefs of this reafoning, and told the Commodore, that he fhould that night proceed for Canton ; that on his arrival, a Council o{ Mandarircs would be fummoned, of wliich he himfelf was a Member; and that by being employed in the prefent Ccmmiirion, he was of courfe the Commodore's Ad-'ocatc •, thst. as he v:as fully con- vinced (4Si ) vihccd of the urgency of Mr. .irjon" s n^c^^iiy ^ ha did not doubt bur, on his reprefentacion, the Coun- cil would be of the fame opiniorr; and that all thaC was demanded would be amply and fpcedily grant- ed : And with regard to the Commodore's com- plaint of the Cuftom-houfe of Macao^ he under- took to reflify that immediately by his own autho- rity •, for dcfiring a lill to be given htm of the quantity of provifion neceffary for the expence of the fliip for a day, he wrote a permit under ir, and delivered it to one of his attendants, direding him to fee that quantity fent on board early every morn- ing ; and this order, from that time forwards, was pundually complied with. When this weighty affair was thus in fome de- gree regulated, the Commodore invited him and his two attendant Mandarines to dinner, telling them at the lame time, that if his provifions, either in kind or quantity, was not what they might ex- ped, they muft thank themfelves for having con- fined him to fo hard an allowance* One of his difhes was beef, which the Chinefi all dillike, tho* Mr. Anfon was not apprized of ic ; this feems to be derived from the Indian fuperflicion, which for fome ages pad has made a great progrefs in China. However, his guells did noc entirely faO: ; for the three Mandarines compleatly finifhed the white pare of four large fowls. But they were extremely embarraiTcd with tlieir knives and forks, and were quite incapable of making ufe of them : So that, after fome fruitlefs attempts to help themfelves, v^hich were fufficiently awkward, one of the attend- ants was obliged to cut their meat in fmall pieces for them. But whatever difficulty they loighthave in complying with the European manner of eating, I i they ( 482 ) they feemed not to be novices In drinking. Tlie Commodore excufed himfelf in this part of the en- tertainment, under the pretence of iJInefs ♦, but there being another Gentleman prefent, of a florid and jovial complexion, the ch\d Mandarine clapped him on the fhouJder, and told him by the inter- preter, that certainly he could not plead ficknefs, and therefore infifted on his bearing him company ; and that Gentleman perceiving, that, after they had difpatched four or ^vq bottles of Frontiniac^ the Mandarine ftiil continued unruffled, he ordered a bottle of citron- water to be brought up, which the Chine fe feemed much to relifii ; and this being near finiflied, they arofe from table, in appearance cool and uninfluenced by what they had drank, and the Commodore having, according to cuftom, made the Mandarine a prefent, they all departed in the fame veflTels that brought them. • After their departure, the Commodore with great impatience expedted the refolution of the Council, and the neceffary licences for his refit- ment. For it muil be obfervcd, as hath already appeared from the preceding narration, that he could neither purchafe flores nor neceflTaries with his money, nor did any kind of workmen dare to engage themfelves to work for him, without the permiffion of the Government firfl: obtained. And in the execution of thefe particular injundions, the Magifl:rates never fail of exercifmg great feverity» they, notwithftanding the fufl:ian elogiums beflow- ed upon them by the Catholic Mifllonaries and their European copiers, being compofed of the fame fragile materials with the reit of mankind, and of- ten making ufe of the authority of the law, not to iupprefs crimes, but to enrich themfelves by the- I pillage C4S3) pillage of thcfcr who commit them ; for capital pii- nifliments are rare in China^ the cfteminate genius of the nation, and their ftrong attachment to lucre, difpofing them rather to make ufe of fines ; and hence arifi'S no inconfiderable profit to thofo who compofe their tribunals : Conlequently prohibiti- ons of all kinds, particularly fuch, as the alluring profpedl of great profit may often tempt the fubjeft to infringe, cannot but be favourite inflitutions ia luch a Government. But to return : Some time before this, Captain Saimders took his pafTage to England on board a Szvedijh fhip, and was charged with difpatches from the Commo- dore ; and foon after, in the month of December^ Captain Mitchell Colonel Cracherode^ and Mr. Taf- feiy one of the Agent-Viduallers, with his nephew Mr. Charles Harriet^ embarked on board fome of our Company's fhips ; and I, having obtained the Commodore's leave to return home, embarked with them. I mud obferve too, (having omitted it before) that whiiil we lay here at MacaQy we w^ere informed by fome of the officers of our hdia- men, tliat the Severn and Pearly the two Ihips of our fquadron, which had feparated from us off Cape Noir^ v/ere fafely arrived at PJo Janeiro on the coafi: of Brazil I have formerly taken notice^ that, at tli^ time of their feparation, we apprehend- ed them to be loft. And there were many reafon§ which greatly favoured this fufpicion : For we knew that the Severn in particular was extremely fickly 5 and this was the more obvious to the rell of the fhips,^ as, in the preceding part of the voy- age, her Commander Captain Legg had been re- markable for his exemplary punduahcy in keeping his flation, till, for the laft fen days before his fe- l \ Z paratipn, ( 484 ) paratlon, his crew was fo diminifhed and enfeebled, that with his urmofl efforts it was not poiTible for him to maintain his proper poiition with his v/onted exaflnefs. The extraordinary ficknefs on board him was by many imputed to the Ihip, which was new, and on that account was believed to be the more unhealthy ; but whatever was the caufe of it, the Severn was by much the mofi: fickly of the fqua- dron : For before her departure from 67. Catharine*s Ihe buried more men than any of them, infomuch that the Commodore was obhged to recruit her with a number of frefh hands ; and, the mortahty ftill confining on board her, fhe was fupphed with men a fecond time at fca, after our fetting fail from St, Julians % and notwithftanding thefe different rein- forcements, Ihe was at Jaft reduced to the diftreffed condition I have already mentioned : So that the Commodore himfelf was firmly pcrfuaded flie was loft ; and therefore it was with great joy we re- ceived the news of her and the Pearl's fafety, af- ter the ftrong perfuafion, which had fo long pre- vailed amongft us, of their having both perifhed. But to proceed with the tranfadions between Mr. ^nfoH and the Chinefe, Notwithftanding the favourable difpofition of the Mandarine Governor o^Janfon, at his leaving Mr. Anfon^ feveral days v/ere elapfed before he had any ■advice from him ; and Mr. Anfm was privately in- formed there were great debates in Council upon "his affair ; partly perhaps owing to its being fo un- ufual a cafe, and m part to the influence, as I fup- pofe, of the intrigues of the French at Canton : For they Iiad a countryman and faft friend refiding en the fpor, who fpoke the language very well,, and was not unacquainted v/ith the venalty of the Govern^ (485) Government, nor with the per fens of leveral of the Magiftrates, and confcquently could not be at a iofs for means of traverfmg the afliilance defired by Mr. Anfon. And this oppofuion of the French was not merely the effect of national prejudice or con- trariety of political interefts, but was in good mea- fure owing to their vanity, a motive of much more weight with the generality of mankind, than any attachment to the public fervice of their commu- nity : For, the French pretending their Tndiamen to be Men of War ; their officers were apprehenfive, that any diftindtion granted to Mr. Anfon^ on ac- count of his bearing the King's CommifTion, would render them Icfs confiderable in the eyes of the Chinefi, and would eftablifh a prepoflefTion at Ca/t- ton in favour of Hiips of war, by which they, as trading veflels, would fuffer in their importance : And I wifh the affedation of endeavouring to pafs for men of war, and the fear of finking in the efti- mation of the Chinefe^ if the Centurion was treated in a different manner from themfelves, had been confined to the officers of the French (hips only. However, notwithftanding all thefe obftacles, ic fhould feem, that the reprefentatlon of the Com- modore to the Mandarines of the facility with wiiich he could right himfelf, if juftice were denied him, had at laft its effed: : For, on the 6th oijanuary^ in the morning, the Governor o^Janfon^ the Com- modore's Advocate, fent down the Viceroy of Canton'' s warrant for the refitment of the Centurion^ and for fupplying her people with all they wanted ; and, the next day, a number o'iChinefe Smiths and Carpenters went on board, to agree for all the work by the great. They demanded at firfl, to the amount of a thoufand pounds fcerling for the ne- I i 3 cefTary ^eiTafy J-epair? of tlie fhip^ the boat.% and the ttiails t ]Fhis the Commodore Teemed to think an UnreafonabJe fum, and endeavoured to perfuade them to work by the day ; but that propofal they would not iiearken to •, fo it was at lad agreed, that the Carpenters fliould have to the amount of about fl^t hundred pounds for their work j and that the Smiths fliould be paid for their iron- work by •Weighty allowing them at the rate of three pounds a hundred nearly for the fmall v/ork, and forty -fix fhillings for the large. This being regulated, the Commodore exerted himfelf to get this mod important bufinefs corn- pleated \ I mean, the heaving down the Ccnitirion^ and examining the ftate of her bottom : For this purpofe the firft Lieutenant was difpatched to C^«- /^/z to hire two country veffels, called in their lan- guage Junks, one of them being intended to Iieave down by, and the other to ferve as a magazine for the powder and ammunition. At the fame time the ground was fmoothed on one of the neighbour- ing Iflands, and a large tent was pitched for lodg* ing the lumber and provifions, and near a hundred Cbifiefe Ctiulkers were foon fet to work on tht decks and fides of the ftip. But all thefe preparations, and the getting ready the careening gear, took up a great deal of time •, for the Chinefe Caulkers, though they worked very well, were far from be- ing expeditious j and it was the 26i\\ o^ January before the junks arrived ; and the necefTary mate- rials, which were to be purchafed at Canton^ came down Very flowly y partly from the diftance of tht place, and partly from the delays and backwardnefs of the Chinefe Merchants. And in this interval Mr. dnfon had the additional perplexity to difco- ' ver,' (4S7) •ver, that his fore-maft was broken aflinder above the upper deck partners, and was only kept toge- ther by the fiflies which had been .formerly clapt upon ir. However, the Cmturior^s people made the mod of their time, and exerted themfelves the bed they could j and as, by clearing the fliip, the Carpen- ters were enabled to come at the leak, they took care to fecure that effedlually, whilfl the other pre- parations were going forwards. The leak was found to be below the fifteen foot mark, and was principally occafioned by one of the bolts being wore away and loofe in the joining of the flem where it was fcarfed. At lad, all things being prepared, they, on the 2 2d of February^ in the morning, hove out the firft courfe of the Centurions ftar- board fide, and had the fatisfaction to find, that her bottom ap- peared found and good ; and, the next day, (hav- ing by that time compleated the new fheathing of the firft courfe) they righted her again, to fet up anew the careening rigging which flretched much. Thus they continued heaving down, and often righting the fhip from a fufpicion of their careening tackle, till the 3d o^ March \ when, having corn- pleated the paying and fheathing the bottom, which proved to be every where very found ; they, for the laft time, righted the fhip to their great joy ; for not only the fatigue of careening had been con- fiderablc, but they had been apprehenfive of being attacked by the Spaniards^ whifft the fhip was thus incapacitated for defence. Nor were their fears al- together ground lefs ; for they learnt afterwards, by a Fortugiiefe vefTel, that the Spaniards at Manila had been informed, that the Centurion was in the Typa^ I i 4 and and intended to careen there ; and that thereupon the Governor had fammoned his Council, and had propofed to them to endeavour to burn her, whilft fhe was careening, which was an enterprize, which, if properly conducted, might hive put them in great danger : They were farther told, that this fcheme was not only propofed, but rcfolved on ; and that a Captain of a veffel had adlually under- taken to perform the bufinefs for forty thoufand dollars, which he was not to receive unlefs he fuc- ceeded ; but the Governor pretending that there was no treafure in the royal cheft, and infilling that the Merchants fliould advance the money, and they refufing to comply with the demand, the afrair was dropped : Perhaps the Merchants fufpeded, that* the whole was only a pretext to get forty thoufand dollars from them ; and indeed this was affirmed by fome wlio bore the Governor no good will, but with what truth it is difficult to afcertain. -As foon as the Centtiriojt was righted, they took m her powder, and gunners ftores, and proceeded in getting in their guns as faft as poffible, and then ufed their utmoft expedition in repairing the fore- mafl, and in compleating the other articles of her refitment. And being thus employed, they were alarmed, on the loth o( M^^rcb^ by a Cbi/^e/e Flfh^ erman, who brought them intelligence that he had been on board a large Spanijh fhip off the grand La- drone^ and that there were two more in company with her : He added feveral particulars to his rela- tion ; as that he had brought one of their officers to Macao \ and that, on this, boats went off early in the morning from Macao to them : And the better to eftablifh the belief of his veracity, he faid he de- fu'cd RO mpnevj if his information fhould not prove true. ( 489) true. This was prefentiy belie vefhot ; that thefe iidlions hud been principally invented to palliate the cowardice of thofe who had formerly engaged them ; but he hoped there were none of thofe pre- fent weak enough to give credit to fo abfurd a flory : For his own part, he did allure them upon his word, that, whenever he met with them, he would fight them fo near, that they fhould find, his bul- iets, inflead of being flopped by one of their fides, ihould go through them both. This fpeech of the Commodore's was received by his people w^ith great joy : For no fooner had he ended, than they expreffed their approbation, according to naval cufiom, by three flrenuous cheers, and all declared their determination to fuc- ceed or periHi, whenever the opportunity prefented itfelf. And now their hopes, which fmce their departure from the coafl of Mexico^ had entirely fubfided, were again revived \ and they all perfuad- . cd ( 493 ) ed themfclves, that, notwich (landing the various calualties and diiappointnaents they had hitherto met with, they fhould yet be repaid the price of their fatigues, and fhould at laft return home en- riched with the fpoils of the enemy : For firmly relying on the affurances of the Commodore, that they fhould certainly meet with the vefTels, they were all of them too fanguine to doubt a moment of maftcring them ; fo that they confidered them- felves as having them already in their polTefTion, And this confidence was fo univerfilly fpread thro' the whole fhip's company, that, the Commodore having taken fome Chine fe fheep to fca with him for his own provifion, and one day enquiring of his Butcher, why, for fome time pad, he had feen no mutton at his table, afking him if all the fheep were killed, the Butcher very ferioufly replied, that there were indeed two flieep Mi^ but that if his Honour would give him leave, lie propofed to keep thofe for the entertainment of the General of the galeons. When the Centurion left the port of Macao ^ fhe flood for fome days to the wedward ; and, on the firft o{ May^ they faw part of the IQand o^ Formofa j and, ftanding thence to the fouthward, they, on the 4th of Ma)\ v/ere in the latitude of the Bafiee IJlands^ as laid down by Dampier •, but they fulpe6t- cd his account of inaccuracy, as they fouad that he had been confiderably miftaken in the latitude of the South end of Fcrmofa : For this reafon they kept a good look out, and about feven in the even- ing difcovered from the maft-head five fmall Iflands^ which were judged to be the Bajhees^ and they had afterwards a fight of Botel Tobago Xima. By this means they had an opportunity of correcting the ( 494 ) the pofition of the BaJJoee JJlands^ which had been hitherto laid down twenty- five leagues too far to the weftward : P^or by their obfervations, they efteem- cd the middle of thefe Idands to be in 21**: 4' North, and to bear from Botel Tobago Xima S. S. E, twenty leagues diftant, that IHand itfelf being in 21** : 5/ North. After getting a fight of the Bafiee IJlands^ they ftood between the S. and S. W. for Cape EJpritu Santo •, and, the 20ch of May at noon, they firO: difcovered that Cape, which about four o'clock they brought to bear S. S. W. about tX^^^w leagues diftant. It appeared to be of a moderate height, with feveral round hummocks on it ; and is exadly reprefented in the fortieth plate. As it v/as known that there were centinels placed upon this Cape to make fignals to the Acapiilco fhip, when fhe firfl falls in with the land, the Commodore immediate- ly tacked, and ordered the top gallant fails to be taken in, to prevent being difcovered > and, this being the ftation in which it v/as refolved to cruife for the galleons, they kept the Cape between the South and the Weft, and endeavoured to confine themfelves between the latitude of 12*^: ^o\ and 13° : 5', the Cape itfelf lying, by their obfervations, in 12* : 40' North, and 4"^ of Eaft longitude from Botel Tobago Xima, It was the laft of Ma)\ by the foreign ftyle, when they arrived off this Cape ; and, the month of June^ by the fame ftyle, being that in which the Manila fhips are ufually expedted, the Centurion^z people were now waiting each hour with the utmoft impatience for the happy crifis which was to bal lance the account of all their paft calamaties. As from this time there was but fmall employment for the crew, ( 495 ) crew, the Commodore ordered them almoit every day to be exercikd in the management of the great guns, and in the ufe of their fm.ill arn^.s. This had been his practice, more or lefs, at all conveni- ent feafons during the whole courfe of his voyage; and the advantages which he received from ic, in his engagement with the galeon, were an ample re- cooipence for all his care and attention. Indeed, ic ihouid feem that there are few particulars of a Com- mander's duty of more importance than this, how much foevcr it may have been fometimes overlook- ed or mifunderllood : For it will, I fuppofe, be confefTed, that in two fhips of war, equal in the number of their men and guns, the difproportion of flrengch, arifing from a greater or lefs dexterity in the ufe of their great guns and fmall arms, is what can fcarcely be ballanced by any other circum- ftances whatever. For, as thefe are the weapons with which they are to engage, what greater inequa^ lity can there be betwixt two contending parties, than that one fide fliould perfeclly underftand the ufe of their weapons, and fhculd have the ikill to employ them in the mod efFcdual manner for the annoyance of their enemy, while the other fide fhould, by their awkward management of them, render them rather terrible to themfelves, than mif- chievous to their antagonifts ? This feems fo plain and natural a conclufion, that a perfon unacquainted with thefe affairs would fuppofe the firfl care of a Commander to be the training his people to the ufe of their arms. But human affairs are not always conducted by the plain didates of common fenfe. Tiiere are many other principles which influence our tranfadi- ons : And there is one in particular, which, though of (496) of a very erroneous complexion, is fcarccly ever ejc* eluded from our moil fcrious deliberations ; I mean cuftom,or the pracflice of thofe who have preceded us. This is ufually a power too mighty for reafon to grap^ pie with ; and is the moft terrible to thofe who oppofe it, as it has much of fuperflition in its nature, and purfues all thofe who queftion its authority with un- relenting vehemence. However, in thefe latter ages of the world, fome lucky encroachments have been made upon its prerogative; and it may reafon* ably be hoped, that the Gentlemen of the Navy^ whofe particular profelTion hath of late been confi* derably improved by a number of new inventions^ will of all others be the readiefl to give up thofe pra<5lices, which have nothing to plead but prefcrip- tion, and will notfuppofc that every branch of their bufmefs hath already received all the perledlion of which it is capable. Indeed it muft b^ owned, that if a dexterity in the ufe of fmall arms, for in- fiance, hath been fometimes lefs attended to on board our fliips of war, than might have been wifh- cd for, it hath been rather owing to unflcilful me- thods of teaching it, than to negligence : For the common iailors, how ftrongly foever attached to their own prejudices, are very quick fighted in find- ing out the defeds of otiiers, and have ever fliewn a great contempt for the iormalities pradifed in the training of land troops to the ufe of their arms 5 but when thofe who have undertaken to inftrudl the Teamen have contented themfelves with inculcating only what was ufcful, and that in the fimpleft man- ner, they have conftantly found their people fuf- ficiently docile, and the fuccefs hath even exceeded their expeftation. Thus on board iVIr. Jnfon's fhip, where they were only taught the fhorteft me- thod { 497 ) thod of loading with cartridges, and were conftant- ]y trained to fire at a mark, which was ufually hung at the yard-arm, and where fome Jittle reward was given to the mofl expert, the whole crew^ by this management, were rendered extremeJy fkilfuJ, quick in loading, all of them good markfmen, and fome of them mod extraordinary ones ; fo that I doubt not bur, in the ufe of fmall arms, t&ey were more than a match for double their number, who had not been habituated to the flime kind of exercifc. But to return. It was the Jaft of Alay, K S, as hath been al- ready faid, when the Centurion arrived off Cape Efpiritu Sa72to ; and confequentjy the next day be- gan the month in which the.galeons were to beex- peded. The Commodore therefore made all ne- ceifary preparations for receiving them, having hoifted out his long boat, and lallied her abngfide, that the Ihip might be ready for engaging, if they k\\ in with the galeons in the night. All this time too he was very felicitous to keep at fuch a diftance from the Cape, as not to be difcovered : But it hath been fince learnt, that notwithilanding his care, he was feen from the land ; and advice of him was lent to Manila^ where it was at firft difbe- iieved, but on reiterated intelligence (for it leems he was feen more than once) the Merchants were alarmed, and the Governor vvas applied to, who undertook (the Commerce fupplying the neceffary fums) to fit out a" force confiding of two fnips of thirty-two guns, one of twenty guns, and two (loops of ten guns each, to attack the Centurion on her fta- tion : And fome of thefe vefTels did adually weigh with this viev/ j but the principal fhip not being ready, and the monfoon being againlt them, the K k Com- Qominercc and theOowernour dilkgreed, and the en- terprize^as laid afide. This frequent .difcovery of thtCenturion from the fliore was fomewhat extraordi- fiary ; for the pitch of th« Cape is not high, and fhe ufually kept from ten to fifteen leagues diftant; though once indeed, by an indraught of the tide, as was fuppofed, they found themfelves in the morning within feven leagues of the land. •^;As the month oijune advanced, the expectancy and impatience of the Commodore's people each day encreafed. And I think no better idea can be given of their great eagernefs on this occafion, than by copying a few paragraphs from the journal of an officer, who was then on board-, as itwiU, Iprc- fume, be a more natural pi6lufe of the full attach- ment of their thoughts to the bufinefs of their cruife, than can be given by any other means. The para- graphs I have feleded, as they occur in order of time, areas follow: '- ^^^ May 31, Exercifing our men at their quarters, *^' in great expeftation of tiieeting with the galeons 'e« ygry foonj this being the eleventh oijune their ^Hftile." ' - '^^•^'5^«tf 3, Keeping rn our IbationSi and looking ^ out for the galeons.^^^^f'f"^-^ ^"^ "i<** June ^^ Begin now to bc' in great expe6la* ^'^'-tiont, this bfeing the middle of 7««^ their flile." ^' ** JuHe II, Begin to grow impatient at not feeing " thfc galeons^*^"^^ "''^;"-^\f^^ -"^^^ ^^ June iiy The wind Having blown frefli eaf- ** }:^^H ^^^ ^^^ forty-eight hours pafl:, gives us great ^* 'cxpedtatiofts of feeing; the galeons foon." ' '^ 5^^^ 15, Cruizing On and off, and looking out "^•ftridlly/^" '-"'""' ^"'^ '■" '5- ^ '-' ^ •--- ■ -'^-^' -- --■ - -** June ((499^) « ' June 1 g, -This icing thcriaft day of June N^S^. ** the galcons, if they arrive -at '^^il mtrit appear •' loon." ■ -.-..- v , : From thefe famples it-« fufBciently wdent, how compleatly the treafure of the gaHeons had engrolled their imagination, and how anxiouQy they paiTed the latter part of their cruife^- when the certainty of the arrival of thefe veffels was dwindled down to probabiUty only, and -that probability became each hour more and more doubttuU However, on the 20ch of Jun^ 0. 6"^ being juft a month from their arrival on their -flat ion,- they were relieved from this ftate. of uncertainty;,, when, at fqn-rife, they dif- cov-ered a fail from r the" maft-.head^, in.xhe S. E, quarter. On this,. a general joy fpread through the whole fliip V -for. they had no doubt but this' was one of the galeons, and they expefled foon to fee the other. The, . Commodore inftantly flood to- wards her, and at half an hour after feven they were near enough to fee her from the Centurion^ ^ deck i at which time the galeon fired a gun, and took in her top gallant fails, which was fuppofed to be a fignal to her confort to haflen her up ; and therefore the Centurion fired a gun to leeward, to amufe her. The Commodore was furprized to find, that in all this time the. gaJe^if>-1iid pgt change her courfe, but continued to bear 'down uppn him ; for he hardly believed, what afterwards appeared to be the cafe, that fhe knew his flirpjtd bVlihe C^«/«- r/^;/, and refolved to fight, him. About noon the Commodore was little more than a league diflant fjom the galeon^ and could fetch her wake, fo that fne could not now efcape ; and, nofccond Ihip appearing, it was concluded that fhe had been fcparared from her cqnfor:, Spon after, K k 7. the ( 5®o ) the gaJeon haled up her fore-fall, and brought too under top- fails, with her head to the north- ward, hoifling Spanijb colours, and having the llandard of Spain flying at the top-gallant mafl:- head. Mr. ylnfon in the mean time had pre- pared all things for an engagement on board the Centurion, and had taken all pofTible care^ both for the mofl efledlual exertion of his fmall ilrength, and for the avoiding the confufion and tumult, too frequent in adlions of this kind. He picked "out about thirty of his choiceft hands and bed niarkfmen, whom he diftributed into his tops, and who fully anfwered his expedVation, by the •iignal fervices they performed. As he had not 'hands enough remaining to quarter a fufficicnt •number to each great gun, in the cuftomary man- lier, he therefore, on his lower tire, fixed only two men to each gun, who were to be folely em- ployed in loading it, while the reft of his people were divided into different gangs of ten or twelve men each, which were conftantly moving about 'the decks, to run out and fire fuch guns as were loaded. By this management he was enabled to make ufe of all his guns -, and, infcead of firing ^'broad-fides with intervals between them, he kept *up a conftant fire without intermifiion, whence he doubted not to procure very fignal advantages;. Tor it is common with the Spaniards to fall down 'upon the decks when they fee a broadfide pre- paring, and to continue in that pofture till it is ■given; after which they rife again, and, prefuming the danger to be for fome time over, work their guns, and fire with great brilknefs, till another broad-fide is ready : But the firing gun by gun, in (50T) in tlie manner dlre^led by the Commodore, ren- -dered this praclice of theirs impofTible. ■'■'' The Cejjturion being thus prepared, and nearing the galeon a-pace, there happened, a little afcer noon, feveral fqualls of wind and rain, which often obfcured the galeon from their fight ; but Vv'hen- ever it cleared up, they obferved her rcfolutely ly- ing to ; and, towards one oVlock, the Centurion hoifted her broad pendant and colours, fhe being then within gun-fhot of the enemy. And the Commodore obferving the Spaniards to have neg- ledled clearing their ihip till that time, as he then faw them throwing over-board cattle and lumber, he gave orders to fire upon them with the chace- guns, to embarafs them in their work, and pre- vent them from complcating it, though hfs gene- ral direflions had been not to engage tifl they were within piftol-fhor. The galeon returned the fire with two of her flern. chafe, and, the Cen- turion getting her fprit- fail-yard fore and aft, th'at if necclTary fhe might be ready for boarding, the Spaniards in a bravado rigged their fprit-fail-yard fore and aft like wife. Soon after, the Centiiriin came a- bread of the enemy within piftol-llior, keeping to the leeward with a view of preventing them from patting before the wind, and gaining the port of Jalapa)\ from which they were about feven leagues diilant, And now the engagement began in earnefl, and for the firfl half hour, Mr. Anfon over- reached the galeon, and lay on her bov/ i where, by the great widenefs of his pores he could traverfe almoft all his guns upon the enemy, whilfl the galeon could only bring a part of hers to bear. Immediately, on the coiTimence- ment of the a-fllon, the mats , with which the ga- K k 3 Icon Ii5cm had Huffed her netting, took fire, and burnt Viaiently, blazing up h^lt as high as the mizen- top. This accident (fuppofed to be caufed by the Centurioffs wads), -thrcvsr the enemy into great con- fufion, and at-the lanie time alarmed the Commo- dore^ for :. he feared left the galeon fliould be burnt, and left he himfclf too might fuffer by her driving on board him: But the Spaniards at laft freed ithemfelves from the fire, by cutting away the netting, and tumbling the whole mafs v/hich was in flames, into the fea. But ftill the Centurim kept her firft advantageous pofition, firing her cannon with great Regularity and brifknefs, whilft at the ft me time the galeon's decks lay open to her top men, who, having at their firft volley driven the Spaniards from their tops, made pro- digious havock with their fmall arms, killing or ivounding every officer but one that ever appeared on the quarter-deck, and wounding in particular the General of the galeon himfelf. And though the ,Centurion^ after the firft half hour, loft her original l^^fituation, and was clofe along- fide the galeon,. khd rphe enemy continued to fire brifkly for near an Iiour longer, yet at laft the Commodore's grape- fliot fwept their decks fo .effe.(5lually, and the num- ber of their flain and wounded was fo confiderable> that they began to fall into great diforder, efpeci- ally as the General, who was the life of the acflion, was iip , longer capi^ble of exerting himfelf. Their embarrafm'ent was vifule from on board the Commodore. For the ftiips were fo iiear^ that fome of the Spanijh officers were feen running about with great alfiduity, to prevent the defertion of their men from their quarters : But all their c/ideavours were in vain j for after having, as a (5^) ]afl effort, fired five or fix:gans wiih jnorefjucjg-f mcnt than ufual, they gave op; thexontcft;.{mci the galeon's colours being .TingctL: off the enfi^ ftaff in the beginning of the engagement^ Ih^ ^ruck the ftandard at her main-top- gallant nnaft-headi the perfon who was employed to do it> having been in imminent perir of being killed, had cot the Commodore, who perceived what he w^s about, given exprels orders tOv ki% people to dcfift from firing. ' :* 2:';'ic('^''jt -br- "i}." Thus was the Qtfj tur ion foffcGcd of this rich prize, amounting, in value to- Tiear a million and -a half of dollars. She was called the Noftra Signora de Cabadonga^ and was commanded by the General Don Jeranimo de Montero^ a Pcrtuguefe by birth, and the moll approved ^officer fur fkili and courage of any employed in. that (ervice. The galeon was much larger than xh^CaUurion^ had five hundred and fifty men and . thirty -fix guns mounted for adlion, befides twenty-eight pidferoes in her.gim- wale, quarters and tops, each of wiiich carried a four pound ball. ^ $he w^s, very well furnifBed with fmall arms, and 'was . part icularly provided againfl: boarding, both by, (ler clofe quarters, and by a ftrong net-work m"tw6Mnch rOpeV'^M^ was laced over her wai ft, and was defended by half pikes. She had' fixtyrfeven killed in the adlion, and eighty- four wounded, whilfl the Cen- turion had only two killed, ahcj' a Lieutenant and fixteen wounded,,:all of whom, but one, recovered : Of fo little confequence are the moft ^cftruroom, was fet on fire ; and the great fmother and fmoke of the oakum occafioned the apprehenfion of a more ex- tended and mifchievous fire. At the fame inftanC too, the galcon k\\ on board the Centurion on the {larboard quarter, but fhe was cleared without do- ing or receiving any confiderable damage. The Commodore made liis firft Lieutenant, Mr, SanmareZy Captain of this prize, appointing her a poft fhip in his Majefly's fervice. Captain Sau^ marez^ before night, fent on board the Centurion all the Spanijh prifone'rs, but fuch as were thought the mofi; proper to be retained to afTitl: in navi- gating the galeon. And now the Commodore jearnt, from fom.e of thefe prifoners, that the other fliip, which he had kept in the port of Acapilco the preceding year, inftead of returning in company with the prelent prize as wascxpe^^led, had fee fail from Acaptlco alone much 'fooner than ufqal. i 50S) ufual, and had, in all probability, got into tlie port of Manila long before the Centuriot arrived off Efpiritu Santo \ fo that Mr. Anfon^ notvvith- ftanding his prefent fuccefs, had great reafon to regret his lofs of time at Macao^ which prevented him from taking two rich prizes inftead of one. The Commodore, when the a6tion was ended, refolved to make the beft of his way with his prize for the river of Canton^ being in the mean time fully employed in fecuring his prifoners, and in removing the treafure from on board the ga- Icon into the Centurion, The laft of thefe opera- tions was too important to be poftponed •, for as the navigation to Canton was through Teas but little known, and where, from the feafon of the year, much bad weather might be expecled, it was of great confequence that the treafure fhould be fenc on board the Centurion^ which fhip, by the prefence of the Commander in Chief, th^ greater number of her hands, and her other advantages, was doubtlefs much fafer againfl: all the cafualties of winds and feas than the galeon •, and the fecuring the prifoners was a matter of ftill more confe- quence, as not only the pofTelTion of the treafure, but the lives of the captors depended thereon. This was indeed an article which gave the Com- modore much trouble and difquietude ; for they were above double the number of his own people ; and fome of them, when they were brought on board the Centurion, and had obferved fiow flen- derly fhe was manned, and the large proportion which the flriplings bore to the reft, could not help exprefTmg themfclves with great, indignation to be thus beacen by a handful of boys. The method, which was taken to hinder them from Z rifirg. ( 5°6 ) rifing, was by placing. aU:-^-bu5' the, officers: and :the .wounded in jlie,.Ju^ki,:;)V!J1tjM-«, to give them as much air as:- poffibJe,'ivtwo h^tch-ways were left open; but then (tOjacVQid all danger, whilft the Centurions people , ihouid. be, employed upon the deck) there w^s.fijfquare parcition of thick planks, made in the fhape of. a funnel, which enclofcd. each hatch- way ...qu, the lower deck, and reached to that direaiypiQvec.it on the upper deck ,5 , thefe.. funnels fcrved to communicate the air to the hold better than could have been done \yithout them 5 and, ,af: the fame time, added greatly to the fecurity of the ihipi for they be- ing feven or eight feet high, it . would have been cxtreamly difficult for the Spaniards to have cl .in- hered up; and ftill to augment that difT.culty, four fwivel-guns loaded with mufquet-bullets were planted at the mouth of each funnel, and a cen- tinel with lighted match conflantly attended, pre- pared to fire into the hold amongft them, in cafe of any.difturbance. Their officers, Which amount- ed to feventeen" or eighte^n^ were all lodged in the firft Lieutenant's cabin, under a cbnftant guard of fix men ; and the General, as he was wounded, lay in the Commodore's cabbin with a cendnel always with him j and^they were all informed, that any violence or ^drfturbance would be punifhed with inftant death. And that the Q;;/«r/(?«'s peo- pie might be at all tjnies prepared, if, notwith- fianding thefe reguTatt9n's, any tumult (liould arife, the fmall-arms were conflantly kept loaded in a proper place, whilfl kl! the rnen weiit armed with cutlaflcs and piftolsi'^rid no officer ever pulled off his clbaths, arid'Whe'ii he flept had always his arms lying rc^dy by him* " ( 507 ) Thefe me^fures were obviouQy neccfTary, con- fidering the hazards to which the Commodore and his people would have been expofed, had they been leis careful. Indeed, the fufFcrings of the poor prifoners, though impoITible to be alleviated, were much to be commiferated ; for the weather was extremely hot, the ftcnch of the hold loath- fomc, beyond all conception, and their allowance of water but juft fufficient to keep them alive, it not being prafticablc to fpare them more than at the rate of a pint a day for each, the crew chem- felves having only an allowance of a pint and an half All this confidered, it was wonderful that not a man of them died during their long con- finement, except three of the wounded, who died the fame night they were taken-, though it muft be confeffed, that the greateft part of them were ftrangely metamorphofcd by the heat of the hold ; for when they were firft taken, they were fightly, robufl: fellows ; but when, after above a months imprifonment, they were difcharged in the river of Canton^ they were reduced to mere flceletons ; and their air and looks correfponded mucK mpre to the conception formed, of ghof^s and fpedres, than to the figure and appearance of real men. • Thus employed in fecuring the treafure and the prifoners, the Commodore, as hath be_en faid^ Hood for the river of Canton \ and, on tfie 30th oijune^ at fix in the evening, got fight of Cape Tielangano^ which then bore weft ten leagues diftant ; and, the next day, he made the BaJJjee JJlandSy and iat wind being fo far to the north- ward, that it was difficult to weather them, it was refolved to ftand thorough between Grafton and Monmouth JJlands^ where the paflage feemed to be (508 ) be clear; but In getting through, the Tea had a very dangerous arpe6t, for it ripled and foamed, as if it had been full of breakers, which was ftill more terrible, as it was then night. But the fhips got through very fafe, (the prize always keeping a-head) and it was found that the appearance which h'id alarmed theni had been occafioned only by by a ftrong tide. I muft here obferve, that tho* the Bajloee IJlands are ufually reckoned to be no more than five, yet there are many 'itiore lying about them to the weflward, which, as the chan- nels amongft them are not at all known, makes it advlfeable for fhips, rather to pafs to the north- ward or fouthward, than through them : and in- deed the Commodore propofed to have gone to the northward between them and Formofa^ had it been polTible for him to have weathered them. From hence the Centurion fleering the proper courfe for the rivei- of Can! on y (he, on the i8th of July, difcovered the Ifland of Supata^ the weftermofl of the Lemr. Iflands, being the double-peaked rock, particularly delineated in the view of the Iflands of Lemdy formerly referred to. This Ifland of Supata they made to be an hundred and thirty -nine leagues diftant from Grafton^s Ifland, and to bear from it North 82° 37 Weft : And, on the nth, having taken on board two Chinefe Pilots, one for the Centurion^ and the other for the prize, they came to an anchor off the city of M^r^i?. By this time the particulars of the cargoe of the galeon were well afcertained, and it was found that fhe had on board 1,313,843 pieces of eight, and 35,682 oz, of virgin filver, befides fome cochi- neal, and a few ottier commodities, which, how-» ever, were but of^fmall account, \n comparifon of ( S09 ) the fpecie. And this being the Commodore's faft prize, it hence appears, that all the treasure taken by the Centurio'n was not much ihort of 400,000 /. independent of the ihips and merchandize, which fhe either burnt or deftroyed, and which, by the mofl reafonable cftimation, could not amount to (o little as 600,000 /. more ; fo that the whole lofs of the enemy, by our fquadron, did doubtlefs exceed a million fterling. 1 which, if there be added the great expence of the Court of Spain^ in fitting out Pizarro^ and in paying the additional charges in America^ incurred on our account, to- gether with the lofs of their men of war, the total of all thefe articles will be a moft exorbitant fum, and is the flrongeft convi6lion of the utility of this expedition, which, with all its numerous diiadvantages, did yet prove fo extremely preju- dicial to the enerhy. I iliall only add, that there were taken on board the galeon feveral draughts and journals, frdm fome of which many of the particulars recited in the loth Chapter of the fe- cond book are coIle(rced., Among the rcil th^e was found a chart of all the Ocean, bet^veen the Philippines and the coafl of MexicOy which was what was made ufe of by the galeon in her own navigation. A copy of this draught, correfl'cd in fome places by our own obfervation, is here an- nexed, togethei" with the route of the galeon traced thereon from her own Journals, and like- wife the route of the Centurion^ from Acapulco through the fame Ocean. This is the chart for- merly referred to, in the account of xkiz Manila trade: And, to render it llifl tnore compleat, th'e obferved variation of the needle is annexed' to fcverai parts both of tho. Spamjh and Engl/Jh track i which which addition is of the greatcft confequence, as no obfervations of this kind in the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean have yet to my knowledge been publifhed, and as the quantity of the varia- tion fo nearly correfponds to what Dr. Halley pre- dided from his Theory, above ?ihy years ago. And with this digreflion I fhall end this chapter, leaving the Centurion with her prize at anchor off Macaoj preparing to enter the river of Canton, CHAP. IX. Tranfaffions in the river of Canton, THE Commodore, having taken Pilots on board, proceeded with his prize for the river of Canton \ and, on the 14th of July^ came to an anchor fhort of the Bocca Tigris^ which is a narrow paflage forming the mouth of that river : This entrance he propofed to ftand through the next day, and to run up as far as 'Tiger IJlandj which is a very fafe road, iecured from all winds. But whilft the Centurion and her prize were thus at anchor, a boat with an officer came off from the Mandarine^ commanding the forts at Bocca Tigris to examine what the fhips were, and whence they came. Mr. Anfon informed the officer, that his fhip was a ihip of war, belonging to the King of Great-Britain •, and that the other in company with him was a prize he had taken ^ that he was going into Canton river to flielter himfelf againft the hurricanes which were then coming on j and that as foon as the monfoon fhifted, he fhould proceed for England^' The officer then defired an- account of what men, guns, and ammunition were- on board, a lift of all which. h)3-f;iiy w^s to be fenT to the Government : of C a?j ten', ^Bat when' thefc articles were repeated to him, particularly when he was told that there were in the Cfiz/m^/r: four ~hon- dred firelocks,- and ';bet ween''' three and- four hun- dred barrels of powder^'^'hcrn^rugged up-his Ihoul- ders, and feemed- to ii)e terrified with the bare recital, faying, that no fhips ever came into Canton river armed in that manner ; adding, that he durft not fet down the whole of this force, left it fhould too much alarm the Regency. After he had finifhed his 'enquiries, and was preparing to depart, he defired to leave the two Cuftom-houfe officers behind Him ; on which the Commodore told him, that though as a man of war he was prohibited frortr trading, and had nothing to do with cuftoms; or duties of any kind, yet, for the fatisfai5lion.of the Chinefe^ he would permit of two of their peopleta be lefc^on board, who might themfelvcs be witne&s- how pundually he fhould comply with Iiis inftrudiions. The officer fcemcd amazed when Mr ri^nfdn mentioned being (?)^empr- cd from all duties, and told him, that the Em'-' peror's duty mud be paid by all fhips that canl^' into his ports: Arid it is fuppofed, that on this- occafion, private^iireSidns were?' given by^ h?m to the Chi ?i efi FMoi,' f\W -to cirry' th'Q XTommodore through tht Bvcca Tigris ', Which makes it necef- fary, more particularfy to defcri be that entrance. " The Bocca Tigris w^a riarrow pafTage, fittle rhore^ than mufquet-ihotover, forrried by two points of land, on each of which there is a fort, that on the flarboard fi;ie 'being a battery on the water's edge» ■ :^.^:ii;^ nociaorc-: 'W-'ih- ( 5X2 ) with eighteen cmbrafures, but where there were no more than twelve iron canon mounted, feem- ing to be four or fix pounders ; the fort on the larboard-fide is a large caftle, refembling thofe old buildings which here in England we often find jdiftinguifhed by that name-, it is fituated on a high rock, and -did not appear to be farnifhed with more than eight or ten cannon, none of which were fuppol fwer ihouid be fent to the Commodore the next day. LI In X SH ) In tke mean time Mr. Jnfon gave leave to feveral of the officers of the galeon to go to Canton^ they engaging their parole to return in two days. When thefe prifoners got to CafUcn^ the Regency fent for them, and examined them, enquiring particularly by what means they had falleA into Mr. Anforis power. And on this occafion the prifoners were honeft enough to declare, that as the Kings of Great-Britain and of Spain were at war, they had propofed to themfelyes the taking of the Centurion^ and had bore down upon her with that view, but that the event had been contrary to their hopes : Howcv^er, they acknowledged that they had been treated by the Commodore, much better than they believed they fhould have treated him, had he fallen into their hands. This confefllon from an enemy had great weight with the Chinefe^ who, ttll then^ though they had revered the Commodore's power^ had yet fufpeded his morals, and had confidered him rather as a lawlcfs freebooter, than as one com- milTioned by the State for the revenge of public injuries. But they now changed their opinion, and regarded him as a more important perfon ; to which perhaps the vaft treafure of his prize might not a little contribute i the acquifition of wealth being a matter greatly adapted to the eflimation and reve- rence of the Cbinefe Nation. In this examination of the SpaniJJj prifoners, though the Cbinefe had no reafon in the main to doubt of the account which was given them, yet there were two circumflances which appeared to them, fo fingular, as to deferve a more ample explanation ;. one of them was the great dilproportion of men between the Centurion and the galeon j the other was the humanity, with which the people of^thc galeon galeon were treated after they were taken. The Mandarines therefore afked the Spaniards^ how they came to be overpowered by fo inferior a force ; and how it happened, fince the t\vo nations were at war, that they were not put to death when they came into the hands of the Englifi. To the firft of thefe enquiries the Spaniards replied, that tho* they had more hands than the Centurion^ yet fhe being intended fokly for war had a great fuperiority in the fize of her guns, and in many other articles, over the galeon, which was a veflel fitted out prin* cipally for traffic : And as to the fecond queftion, they told the Chincfe^ that amongft the nations of Europe^ it was not cuftomary to put to death' thofe who fubmitted j though they readily owned, that the Commodore, from the natural bias of his tem- per, had treated both them and their countrymen, who had formerly been in his power, with very un- ufual courtefy^ much beyond what they could have cxpeded, or than was required by the cuiloms efta- bliflied between nations at war with each other. Thefe replies fully fatisfied the Chinefe^ and at the fame time wrought very powerfully in the Cornmp- dore's favour. On the 20th of Ju!)\ in the morning, three Mandarines^ with a great number of boats, and a vaft retinue, came on board the Centurion^ and de- livered to the Commodore the Viceroy o^ Cantor's order for a daily fupply of provifions, and for Pilots to carry the lliips up the river as far as the fecond bar •, and at the faine time they delivered him a mefiage from the Viceroy^ in anfwer to the letter fent to Canton. The fubftance oi the mefiage was, that the Viceroy defired to be excufed from receiv- ing the Commodore's vifit^ during the then Qxct(- L 1 2 five ( 5i6) five hot weather •, becaufe the afTcmbling the Man-* darines and foldiers, neceflary to that ceremony, would prove extremely inconvenient and fatiguing ; but that in September^ when the weather would be more temperate, he fhould be glad to fee both the Commodore himfelf, and the EngUJJj Captain of the other fhip, that was with him. As Mr. Anfon knew tliat an exprefs had been difpatched to the Court at Pekin^ with an account of the Centurion and her prize being arrived in the river of Canton^ he had no doubt, but the principal motive for putting off this vifit was, that the Regency at Canton might gain time to receive the Emperor's inftrudions, about their behaviour on this unufual affair. When the Mandarines had delivered their mef- fagc, they began to talk to the Commodore about the duties to be paid by his fhips j but he immedi- ately told them, that he would never fubmit to any demand of that kind ^ that as he neither brought any merchandize thither, nor intended to carry any away, he could not be reafonably deemed to be within the meaning of the Emperor's orders, which were doubtlefs calculated for trading vefTels only, adding, that no duties were ever demanded of men of war, by nations accuftomed to their reception, and that his Mailer's orders exprefly. forbad him from paying any acknowledgment for his Ihips an- choring in any port whatever. The Mandarines being.thus cut fhort on the fub- jed of the duty, they faid they had another matter to mention, which was the only remaining one they had in charge •, this was a requefl to the Commo- dore, that he would releafe the phfoners he had ta- ken on board the galeon ; for that the Viceroy of Canton . apprehended the Emperor, his Majler, might ( 1^7 ) might be difpleafed, if he fliou Id be informed, tha^ perfons, who were his allies, and carried on a great commerce with his fubjedts, Were under confine- ment in his dominions. Mr. Anfon was himfelf extremely defirous to gee rid of the Spaniards^ hav- ing, on his firft arrival, ient about an hundered of them to Macao^ and thofe who remained, which were near four hundred more, were on many ac- counts, a great incumbrance to him. However, to inhance the favour, he at firft raifed fome diffi- culties ; put permitting himfelf to be prevailed on, -he at laft told the Mandarines^ that to fhow his rea- dinefs to oblige the Viceroy, he would releafe the prifoners, whenever they, the Chincfe^ would fend boats to fetch them off. This matter being thus adjufted, the Mandarines departed ; and, on the 28th of JuJy^ two Chinefe junks were fent from Canton^ to take on board the prifoners, and to car- ry them to Macao. And the Commodore, agree- able to his promife, difmilTed them all, and ordered his Purfer to fend with them eight days provifion for their fubfiftance, during their failing down the river ; this being difpatched, the Centurion and her prize came to her moorings, above the fecond bar, where they propofed to continue till the monfoon fhifted. Though the (hips, in confequenee of the Vice- roy's permit, found no difHculty in purchafing pro- vifions for their daily confumption, yet it was im- pofTible for the Commodore to proceed to England^ without laying in a large quantity both of provifions and ftores for his ufe, during the voyac^e : The procuring this fupply was attended with much em- barafment ; for there were people at Canton who had undertaken to furnifh him with bifcuit, and L I 3 v/liut^vcr ( 5»8 ) whatever elfe he wanted -, and his LinguiH:, towards the middle of September^ had afTured him, from day to day, that all was ready, and would be fent on board him immediately. But a fortnight being elapfed, and nothing being brought, the Commo^ dore fent to Canton to enquire more particularly in- to the reafons of this difappointment : And he had foon the vexation to be informed, that the whole was an illufion ; that no order had been procured from the Viceroy, to furnifh him with his fea-ftorest as had been pretended -, that there was no bifcuic baked, nor any one of the articles in readinefs, which had been promifed him •, nor did it appear, that the Contraftors had taken the leaft flep to com- ply with their agreement. This was mofl difagree- ablc news, and made it fufpedled, that the furnifli- ing the Centurien for her return to Great-Britain might prove a more troublefbme matter than had been hitherto imagined ; efpecially too, as the month of September was nearly elapfed, without Mr, Anfon's having received any meffage from the Viceroy of Canton. And here perhaps it might be expected that fome fatisfadlory account fnould be given of the motives of the Chinefe for this faithlefs procedure. But as I have already, in a former chapter, made fome kind of conjectures about a fmiilar event, I fhall not repeat them again in this place, but fhall ob- ferve, that after .all, it may perhaps be impofTible for an European^ ignorant of the cuiloms and man- ners of that nation, to be {uWy apprized of the real incitements to this behaviour, Indeed, thus much may undoubtedly be aflerted, that in artifice, falfnood, and an attachment to all kinds of lucre, many of the Chinefe are diuicult to be paralleled by % any ( 5'9) aiiy other people i but then the combination of thefc talents and the manner in which they are apphed in particular emergencies, are often beyond the j-each of a Foreigner's penetration : So that tho' it may be fafely concluded, that the Chine fe had fome intereft in thus amufing the Commodore, yet it may not be eafy to afngn the individual views by wliich they were influenced. And that I may not be thought too {evtrc in afcribing to this Nation a fraudulent and felhfh turn of temper, fo contradic- tory to the character given of them in the legendary accounts of the Roman MiiTionaries, I fhall here mention an extraordinary tranfadion or two, which I hope will be fome kind of confirmation of what I have advanced. When the Commodore lay firft at Macao^ one of his officers, who had been extremely ill, defired leave of him to go on fnore every day on a neigh- bouring liland, imagining that a walk upon the land would contribute greatly to the reftoring of his health : The Commodore would have diffuaded him, fufpecling . the tricks of the Cbincfe^ but the officer continuing importunate, in the end the boat was ordered to carry him. The firil day he was put on fhore he took his exercife, and returned without receiving any moleilation, or even feeing any of the inhabitants; but the fecondday, he was aflairir- ed, foon after his -arrivals by a great number of Chinefe who had been hoeing rice in the neighbour- hood, and who beat him fo violently with the han- dles of their hoes, that they foon laid him on the ground incapable of refiftance; after which they robbed him, taking from him his fword, the hilc ol which was filver, his money, his watch, goltl- hcadeii cane, uiuff-box, • ficeve-burtcwis, and \uv, L 1 4 v.i:h ( 52o') with fcvcral other trin-kets : In the mean time the boat's crew, who were at Ibme Httle diftance, and had no arms of any kind with them, were incapa- ble of giving him any affiftance •, till at laft one of them flew on the fellow who had the fword in his polfefilon, and wrefting it out of his hands drew it, and with it was preparing to fall on the Chinefe^ fome of whom he could not have failed of killing ; but the officer, perceiving what he was about, im- mediately ordered him to defifl, thinking it more prudent to fubmit to the prefent violence, than to embroil his Commodore in an inextricable fquabblc with the Chinefe Government, by the death of their fubjedls ; which calmnefs in this Gentleman was the more meritorious, as he was known to be a perfori of an uncommon fpirit, and of a fome what hafly temper : By this means the Chinefe recovered the pofTefTion of the fword, which they foon perceived was prohibited to be made ufe of againft them, and carried off their whole booty unmolefted. No foon- er were they gone, than a Chinefe on horfeback, ve- ry well dreffed, and who had the air and appearance ot a Gentleman, came down to the fhore, and, as far as could be underflood by his figns, feemed to cenfure the conduct of his countrymen, and to com- miferate the officer, being wonderfully officious to afM in getting him on board the boat: But not^ withftanding this behaviour, it was flirewdly fufped- ed that he was an accomplice in the theft, and time fully evince the juftice of thofe fufpicions. When the boat returned on board, and reported what had paffed to the Commodore, he immediate- ly complained of it to the Mandarine^ who attend- ed to fee hts ihip fupplied ; but the Mandariyie cooj- ly replied, that the bottt ought not to have gone on fhorc. ( 5" ) fhore, promifing, however, that if the tliicves could be found out, they Ihould be punifhed; though it appeared plain enough, by his manner c^ anlwering, that he would never give himfelf any trouble in iearching them out. However, a confiderable time afterwards, when fome Cbinefe boats were felling provifions to the Centurion^ the perfon who had wrefted the fword from the Chinefi came with great eagcrnefs to the Commodore, to allure liim that one of the principal thieves was then in a provifion-bcat along-fide the fhip ; and the of- iicer, who had been robbed, viewing the fellow on this report, and well remembring his face, orders were immediately given to feize him •, and he was accordingly fecured on board the fhip, where ftrange difcoveries were now mude. This thief, on his being firft apprchencleci, ex- preflcd fo much fright in his countenance, that it was feared he would have died upon the fpot -, the Mandarine too, who attended the fliip, had vifibly no fmall fhare of concern on the occafion. Indeed he had reafon enough to be alarmed, fmce it was foon evinced, that he had been privy to the whole robbery -, for the Commodore declaring that he would not deliver up tlie thief, but would himfelf order him to be fliot, the Mandarine immediately put off the magifterial air, with which he had at lirfl pretended to demand .him, and begged his re- leafe in the mofl abjecl manner : And the Commo- dore appearing inflexible, there came on board, in lefs than two hours time, five or fix of the neigh- bouring Mandarines^ who all joined in the fame in- treaty, and with a view of facilitating their fuit, offered a large fum of money for the fellow's liber- ty. Whihl they were thus foUicitingj it was dif- covered ( 522 ) covered that the Mandarine^ who was the mofl ac- tive among them, arici who feemed to be mod in- terefted in the event, was the very Gentleman, who came to the officer, jufl after the robbery, and who pretended to be fo much difpleafed with the villany of his countrymen. And, on further inquiry it was found, that he was the Mandarine of the 1(1 and \ and that he had, by the authority of his office, or- dered the Peafants to commit that infamous adlion. And it feemed, as far as could be colleded from the broken hints which were cafually thrown our, that he and his brethren, wlio were all privy to the tranfadion, were terrified with the fear of being called before the tribunal at Canton^ where the firft article of their punifhment would be the dripping them of all they were worth ; though their judges (however fond of inflicSting a chaftifement fo lu- crative to themfelves) were perhaps of as tainted a complexion as the delinquents. Mr. Anjon was npt difpleafed to have caught the Chmefe in this dilem- ma; and he entertained himself for fome time with their perplexity, rejedling their money with fcorn, appearing inexorable to their . prayers, and giving out that the thief ihould certainly be fliot; ^;,but as he tliea forexaw that he fhould be forced to jQtake fhekcr in their ports a fecond time, when the ^^infiuence he might hereby acquire over the Magi- . ftrdtes would be of great fervice to him, he at length permitted himfelf to be perfuaded, and as a favour releafed his prifoner, but not till the Man- darine had collcdted and returned all that had been ftolen from the officer, even to the minuteft trifle. But notwithilanding this indrance of the -good intelligence- between the'magiftrajtes and criminals, the ftrong addition of the CMnefe to lucre often prompt* ( 523 ) prompts them to break through this awful coofe- deracy, and puts them on defrauding the autho- rity that proteds them of its proper quota of the pillage. For not long after the above-mentioned tranfliction, (the former Mandarine^ attendant on the fhip •, being, in the m.ean time, relieved by another) the Commodore loft a top-moft from his ftern, which, after the moft diUgent inquiry, could not be traced : As it was not his own, but had been borrowed at Macao to heave down by, and was not to be replaced in that part of the world, he was^ex- tremcly defirous* to recover it, and publifhed a con- fiderable reward to any who w^ould bring it hi in again. There were fufpicions from the firll of its being ftolen, which made him conclude a reward was the likelieft method of getting it back : Ac- cordingly, foon after, the Mandarine tolJ him, that fome of his, the Mandarine's^ people, had found the top-maft, defiring the Commodore to fend his boats to fetch it, wliich being done, the Mandarine'* s people received the promiled reward ; but the Commodore told the Mandarine^ that ha would make him a prefent befides for the care he had taken in directing it to be fearched for ; and accorrdingly, Mr. Anfon gave a fum of money to his Linguift, to be delivered to the Ma'ndarine% but the Linguift knowing that the people had been paid, and ignorant that a further prefent had been promifed, kept the money himfelf: However, the Majidarine fully confiding in Mr. Anfon's word and fufpefting the Linguift, he took occafion, one morning, to admire the fize o{^t Centurion's mafts, and thence, on a pretended fudden recollection, he made a digrefTion to the top-maft which had been Ipft, apd alkeJ Mr. Anjon if he had not got it a2;ain. - Mr. .{nfon prefcntly perceived the bent of this con- vcrfation, and enquired of him, if he had not re- ceived the money from the Linguift, and finding he had not, he offered to pay it him upon the fpot. But this the TV^W^nw^ refufed, having now fome- what more in view than the fum which had been detained : For the next day the Linguifl was feized, and was doubtlefs mulded of all he had gotten in the Commodore's fervice, which was luppofed to be little lefs than two thoufand dollars •, he was befides fo feverely baftinadoed with the bamboo, that it v/as with difficulty he efcaped with his Hfe -, and when he was upbraided by the Commodore (to whom he afterwards came begging) with his folly, in rifquing all he had fuffered for fifty dollars, (the prefent intended for the Mandarine) he had no other excufe to make than the ftrong bias of his Nation to difhonefly, replying, in his broken jargon, Chi- fjcfe man very great rogue truly ^ but have fajlnon^ no can help. It were endlefs to recount all the artifices, extor- tions, and frauds which were pradifed on the Com- modore and his people, by this interefted race. The method of buying all things in China being by weight, the tricks made ufe of by the Chine fe to in- creafe the weight of the provifion they fold to the Centurion^ were almofl incredible. One time a large quantity of fowls and ducks being bought for the Ihip's ufe, the greateft part of them prefently died. This alarmed the people on board with the appre- hcnfions that they had been killed by poifon ; but on examination it appeared, that it was only owing to their being crammed with flones and gravel t® in- creafe their weight, the quantity thus forced into mofc oi the ducks being found to amount to ten Qunces ounces in each. The hogs too, which were bought ready killed of the Chinefe Butchers^ had water in- jeded into them for the fame purpofe ; fo that a carcafs, hung up all night for the water to drain from it, hath loft above a ftone of its weight ; and when to avoid this cheat, the hogs were bought alive, it was found that the Chinefe gave them lalt to increafe their thirft, and having by this means excited them to drink great quantities of water, they then took meafures to prevent them from dif- charging it again by urine, and fold the tortured animal in this inflated ftate. When the Commo- dore firft put to fea from Macao^ they pradifed an artifice of another kind •, for as the Chinefe never objeft to the eating of any food that dies of itfclf, they took care, by fome fecret pra6lices, that great part of his live fea-ftore fhould die in a fhort time after it was put on board, hoping to make a fecond profit of the dead carcafics which they expecled would be thrown overboard -, and two thirds of the hogs dying before the Centurion was out of fight of land, many of the Chinefe boats followed her, only to pick up the carrion. Thefe inftances may ferve as a fpecimen of the manners of this celebrated Nation, which is often recommended to the reft of the world as a pattern of all kinds of laudable qua- lities. But to return : The Commodore, towards the end of September^ having found out (as has been laid) that thofc, who had contradted to fupply him with fea-provifi~ ons and ftores, had deceived him, and that the Viceroy had not fcnt to him according to his pro- mife, he faw it would be impoftible for him to fur- mount the embarafment he was under, without going himfelf to Canton^ and vifiting the Viceroy ; aixi f 526 ) and therefore, on the 27th o^ September ^ he font ^ melTage to the Mandarijie^ who attended the Cen^ turion^ to inform him that he, the Commodore^ intended, on the iiril of O^oher^ to proceed in his boat to Canton ; adding, that the day after he got thet'j, he fnould notify his arrival to the Viceroy, ano .'aouid defire him to fix a time for his audi^ cnc e -.^ i o which the Mandarine returned no other anlwcr, livA tliat he would acquaint the Viceroy- wiih tiie Commodore's intentions. In the mean time all things were prepared for this expedition : And the boat's ci ew in particular, which Mr. An- fin propofei to take with him, were cloathed in an uniform drels, refembling that of the Watermen on the 'Thames •, they were in number eighteen and a Coxfv/ain j they had fcarlet iackets and blue filk waiilcoats, the whole trimmed with filver buttons, and with filver badges on their jackets and caps. As it was apprehended, and even afferted, that the payment of the cuflomary duties for the Centurion and her prize, would be demanded by the Regency of Canton^ and would be infilled on previous to the granting a permiflion for victualling the fhip for her future voyage ; the Commodore, who was refolved never to eftablilh fo diflionourable a prece- dent, took all poflible precaution to prevent the Chinefe from facilitating the fuccefs of their unrea- sonable pretenfions, by having him in their power at Canton : And therefore, for the fecurity of his Ihip, and the great treafure on board her, he ap- pointed his firfl Lieutenant, Mr. Brett^ to be Cap- tain of the Ce7iturion under him, giving him proper inflrudlions for his condud ; direding him, parti- cularly, if he, the Commodore, fhould be detain- ed at Canton on account of the duties in difpute, to take ( ^^1 ) Xake out the men from the CenturloyCs prize, and to deftroy her \ and then to proceed down the river through the Bocca Tigris^ with the Centurion alone, and to remain without that entrance, till he re- ceived further orders from Mr. Anfon. Thefe neceflary fteps being taken, which were not unknown to the. Chinefey it fhould feem as if their deliberations were in fome fort, embaralTed ■» thereby. It is reafonable to imagine* that they were in general very defu^ous of getting the duties to be paid them •, not perhaps folely in confidera- tion of the amount for thofe dues, but to keep up their reputation for addrefs and fubtlety, and to avoid the imputation of receding from claims, on which they had already fo frequently infilled. However, as they now forefaw that they had no other method of fucceeding than by violence, and that even againft this the Commodore was pre- pared, they were at laft difpofed, I conceive, to let the affair drop, rather than entangle themfelves in an hoftile meafure, which they found would only expofe them to the rifque of having the whole na- vigation of their port deftroyed, without any cer- tain profpecSb of gaining their favourite point thereby. However, though there is reafon to imagine that thefe wete their thoughts at that time, yet they could not depart at once from the evafive condu6k to wliich they had hitherto adhered. For when the Commodore, on the morning of the firil of Oofo- ler^ was preparing to fet out for Canton^ his Lin- guift came to him from the Mandarine^ v/ho at- tended his fhip, to tell him that a letter had been received from the Viceroy of Canton^ defiring the Commodore to put off his going thither for two or tliree X 528 ) three days : But in the afternoon of the famt dajr^ another Linguift came on board, who, with much feeming fright, told Mr. Jnfopt^ that the Viceroy had expefted him up that day, that the Council was afTembledj and the troops had been underarms to receive him ♦, and that the Viceroy was highly offended at the difappointment, and had fent the Commodore's Linguift to prifon chained, fuppo-- fmg that the whole had been owing to the Lin- guiil's negligence. This plaufible tale gave the Commodore great concern, and made him appre* hend that there was fome treachery defigned him, which he could not yet fathom ; and though it af- terwards appeared that the whole was a fidlion, not one article of it having the leaft foundation, yet (for reafons beft known to themfelves) this falfhood v/as fo well fupported by the artifices of the Cbinefe Merchants at Canton -, that, three days afterwards, the Commodore received a letter figned by all the fupercargoes of the Englijh fhips ^then at that place, expreffing their great uneafmefs at what had hap- pened, and intimating their fears that fome infult would be offered to his boat, if he came thither be- fore the Viceroy was fully fatislied about the mif- take. To this letter Mr. Anfon replied, that he did not believe there had been any miftake j but was perfuaded it was a forgery of the Chinefe to prevent his vifiting the Viceroy j that therefore he would certainly come up to Canton on the 13th of O^oher^ confident that the Chinefe would not dare to offer him an infult, as well knowing it would be properly returned. On the 13th of O^^^^r, the Commodore conti- nuing firm to his refolution, all the fupercargoes of the Englijh^ Danijh^ and Swedijh fhips came on board ( 5^9 ) board the Centurion^ to accompany him to Canton^ for which place he fet out in his barge the fame day, attended by his own boats, and by thofe of the trading fhips, which on this occafion came to form his retinue ; and as he pafled by Wampo, where the European vefleJs Jay, he was faluted by all of them but the Frauh^ and in the evening he arrived fafely at Canton. His reception at that city, and the mod material tranfadions from hence- forward, till his arrival in Great-Britain^ Ihall be the fubjedt of the enfuing chapter. C H x\ P. X. Proceedings at the city of Canton, and the re- turn of the Centurion to England. WHEN the Commodore arrived at Canton; he was vifited by the principal Chinefe Mer- chants, who affedled to appear very much pleafed that he had met with no obftrudion in getting thi- ther, and who thence pretended to conclude, that the Viceroy was fatisfied about the former miflake, the reality of which they dill infifted of; they ad- ded, that as foon as the Viceroy fhould be inform^ ed that Mr. Anfon was at Canton^ (which they pro- mifed ihould be done the next morning) they were perfuaded a day would be immediately appointed for the vifit, which was the principal bufmefs that had brought the Commodore thither. The next day the Merchants returned to Mr. Anfon, and told him, that the Viceroy v/as then fo fully employed in preparing his diTpatches for Pe- M m ^^>» ( 530 ) kln^ that tliere was no getting admittance to hint for fome days •, but that they had engaged one of the officers of his Court to give them information, as foon as he fhould be at leifure, when they pro- pofed to notify Mr. Anfon^s arrival, and to endea- vour to fix the day of audience. The Commodore was by this time too well acquainted with their ar- tifices, not to perceive that this was a falfhood ; and had he confulted only his own judgment, he would have applied directly to the Viceroy by other hands : But the Chinefe Merchant had fo far pre- poflefTed the fupercargoes of our fhips with chime- rical fears, that they (the fupercargoes) were ex- tremely apprehenfive of being embroiled with the Government, and of fuffering in their intereft, if thofe meafure were taken, which appeared to Mr^ Anfon at that time to be the moft prudential : And therefore, leafb the maHce and double-dealing of the Chinefe might have given rife to fome finifter incident, which would be. afterwards laid at his door, he refolved to continue palTive, as long as it fhould appear that he lofl no time, by thus fuf- pending his own opinion. With this view, he promifed not to take any immediate ftep himfelf for getting admittance to the Viceroy, provided the Chi'iiefe with whom he contraded for provifions,. would let him fee that his bread was baked, his meat falted, and his fbores prepared with the ut- moft difpatch : But if by the time when all was in: readinefs to be Ihipped ofi\, (which it was fuppofed would be in about forty days) the Merchants Ihould not have procured the Viceroy's permiifion, then the Commodore propofed to apply for it himfelf. Thefe were the tei :r.s Mr. Aiijon thoug'it proper to offer, to quiec the uneafinefs of the fupercargoes ; and (530 and notwithftanding the apparent equity of the conditions, many difficulties and objections were urged •, nor would the Chinefe agree to them, till the Commodore had confented to pay for every ar- ticle he befpoke before it was put in hand. How- ever, at laft the contradt being paft, it was fome fatisfaclion to the Commodore to be certain that his preparations were now going on, and being himfelf on the fpot, he took care to haflen them as much as poffible. During this interval, in which the ftores and provifions were getting ready, the Merchants con- tinually entertained Mr. Anfon with accounts of their various endeavours to get a licence from the Viceroy, and their frequent difappointments ; which to him was now a matter of amufement, as he was fully fatisfied there was not one word of truth in any thing they faid. But ^^•hen all was compleated, and wanted only to be fhipped, which was about the 2^xh o^ November^ at which time too the N. E. monfoon was fet in, he then refolved to apply himfelf to the Viceroy to demand an audience, as he was perfuaded tliat, without this ceremony, the procuring a permifTion to fend his ftores on board would meet with great difficulty. On the 24th of November^ therefore, Mr. Anfon fent one of his officers to tne Maridarme^ who commanded the gu^rd of the principal gate of the city of C^;;- ton^ with a letter diredled to the Viceroy. When this letter was delivered to the Mandarine^ he re- ceived the officer who brought it very civilly, and took down the contents of it in Chinefe^ and pro- mifed that the Viceroy fhould be immediately ac- quainted with it j but told the officer, it was not M m 2 necef- ( 532 ) necefifary for him to wait for an anfwer, becaufe a mefllige would be fent to the Commodore himfelf. On this occafion Mr. Anfon had been under great difficulties about a proper interpreter to fend with his officer, as he was well aware that none of the Chinefe^uk\2i\\y employed as Linguifts, could be re- lied on : But he at Jail prevailed with Mr. Flinty an Englijh Gentleman belonging to the fadlory, who ipoke Chinefe pcrfedlly well, to accompany his of- ficer. This perfon, who upon this occafion and many others was of fingular fervice to the Commo- dore, had been left at Canton when a youth, by the Jate Captain Righy, The leaving him there to learn the Chinefe language was a flep taken by that Cap- tain, merely from his own perfuafion of the great advantages which the Eaft-htdia Company might one day receive from an Englijh interpreter •, and tho' the utility of this meafure has greatly exceeded all that was expedled from it, yet I have not heard that it has been to this day imitated : But we im- prudently choofe (except in this fingle inftance) to carry on the vafl: tranfadtions of the port of Can- ton^ either by the ridiculous jargon of broken Eng- lijh^ which fome few of the Chinefe have learnt, or by the fufpedled interpretation of the Linguifts of other Nations. Two days after the fending the above-mentioned letter, a fire broke out in the fuburbs of Canton. On the firft alarm, Mr. Anfon went thither with his officers, and his boat's crew, to affift the Chinefe, When he came there, he found that it had begun in a failor's Ihed, and that by the flightnefs of the buildings, and the av^kwardnefs of the Chifjefe, it was getting head apace : But he perceived, that by pull- ing down fome of the adjacent fl:eds it mighteafily be extin- C 533 ) cxtlnguiihed ; and particularly obferving that it was running along a wooden cornifh, which would foon communicate it to a great diltance, he ordered his people to begin with tearing away that cornifli •, this was prefently attempted, and would have been foon executed j but, in the mean time, he was told, that, as there was no Mandarine there todiredtwhat was to be done, the Chinefe would make him, the Commodore, anfwerable for whatever fliould be pulled down by his orders. On this his people de- fifted \ and he fcnt them to the Englijb faclory, to alTift in fecuring the Company's treafure and effedts, as it was cafy to forefee that no diftance was a pro- te<5lion againft the rage of fuch a fire, where fo little was done to put a flop to it ; for all this time the Chinefe contented themfelves with viewing it, and now and then holding one of their idols near it, which they feemed to expe6l fhould check its pro- grefs : However, at laft, a Mandarine came out of the city, attended by four or five hundred firemen : Theft: made fome feeble efiforts to pull down the neighbouring houfes ; but by this time the fire had greatly extended itfelf, and was got amongfl the Merchants warehouks i and the Chinefe firemen, wanting both fkill and fpirit, were incapable of checking its violence \ fo that its fury encreafed up- on them, and it was feared the whole city would be deftroyed. In this general confufion the Viceroy himfclf came thither, and the Commodore was fent to, and was entreated to afford his afliftance, being told that he might take any meafures he fhould think mod prudent in the prefent emergency. And now he went thither a fecond time, carrying with him about forty of his people \ who, upon this occafion, exited themfelves in fuch a manner, a.^ M m 3 la ( 534 ) in that country was altogether without example : For they were rather animated than deterred by the flames and fiiUing buildings, amongft which they wrought ; fo that it was not uncommon to fee the molt forward of them tumble to the ground on the roofs, and amidft the ruins of houfe^, which their own efforts brought down with them. By their boldnefs and adivity the fire was foon ex- tinguifned, to the amazement of the Cbinefe \ and the building being all on one floor, and the mate- rials flight, the feamen, notwithftanding their da- ring behaviour, happily efcaped with no other in- juries, than feme confiderable bruifes. The fire, though at laft thus luckily extinguifii- ed, did great mifchicf during the time it con- tinued ; for it conlumed an hundred fhops and eleven flreets full of warehoufes, lb that the damage amounted to an immenfe fum •, and one of the Cbinefe Merchants, well known to the EngUJhy whofe name was Succoy^ was fuppofed, for his own fhare, to have lofl: near two hundred thoufand pound fterling. It raged indeed with unufual violence, for in many of the warehoufes, there were, large quantities of camphire, which greatly added to its fury, and produced a column of exceeding white flame, which fliot up into the air to fuch a prodigious height, that the flanhe it- felf was plainly feen on board the Centurion^ tho' fhe was thirty miles difl:ant. - Whilfl: the Commodore and his people were labouring at the fire, and the terror of its be- coming general fl:ill pofiTeflfed the whole city, feve- ral of the mod confiderable Cbinefe Merchants came to Mr. Jnfony to defire that he would let each of them have one of his foldiers (for fuch I they ( 535 ) they ftyled his boat's crew, from the uniformity of their drefs) to guard their warchoufes and dwelling - houfes, which, from the known dif- honefty of the populace, they feared would be pillaged in the tumult. Mr. Aufon granted them this requeft ; and all the men that he thus furnifh- ed to the Chineje behaved greatly to the fatisfadlion of their employers, who afterwards highly ap- plauded their great diligence and fidelity. By this means, the relblution of the Englijh at the fire, and their truftinefs and pundluality t\{z* where, was the general fubje(5l of converfation amongft the Chinefe.: And, the next morning, many of the principal inhabitants waited. on the Commodore to thank him for his afiiftance ; frank- ly owning to him, that they could never have ex- tinguifhed the fire of themfelves, and that he had faved their city from being totally confumed. And foon after a meffage canie to the Commodore from the Viceroy, appointing the 30th of Ntrjember for his audience ; which fudden refolution of the Vice- roy, in a matter that had been fo long agitated in vain, was alfo owing to the fignal fervices per- formed by Mr. Anfon and his people at the fire, of which the Viceroy himfelfhad been infomemea- fure an eye-witnefs. . '^ The fixing this bufincfs of the audience, was, on all accounts, a circumftan'ce which Mr. Anfon was much pleafed with ; as he was fatisfied that the Chinefe Government' would not have deter- mined this point, without having agreed among themfelves to give up their pretenfions to the du- ties they claimed, and to ' grant him all he could reafonably afk ; for as they well knew the Com- modore's fentiments, it would have been a piece Mm 4 of ( 536 ) of imprudence, not confident with the refined cunning of the Chifiefe^ to have admitted him to an audience, only to have contefted with him. And therefore, being himfeJf perfedly eafy about the refult of his vifit, he made all necefTary pre- parations againft the day ; and engaged Mr. Flinty whom I have mentioned before, to adt as inter- preter in the conference : Who, in this affair, as in all others, acquitted himfeif much to the Com- modore's fatisfadion ; repeating with great bold- ncfs, and doubtlefs with exadlnefs, all that was given in charge, a part which no Chine fe Linguift would ever have performed with any tolerable fidelity. At ten o'clock in the morning, on the day ap- pointed, a Mandarine came to the Commodore, to Jet him know that the Viceroy was ready to re- ceive him y on which the Commodore and his re- tinue immediately fet out : And as foon as he en» tered the outer gate of the city, he found a guard of two hundred foldiers drawn up ready to attend him ; thefe conduced him to the great parade be- fore the Emperor's palace, where the Viceroy then refided. In this parade, a body of troops, to the number of ten thoufand, were drawn up under arms, and made a very fine appearance, being all of them new cloathed for this ceremony : And Mr. Anfon and his retinue having palled through the middle of them, he was then conducted to the great hall of audience, where. he found the Vice- roy feated under a rich canopy in the Emperor's chair of State, with all his Council of Mandarines attending : Here there was a vacant feat prepared for the Commodore, in which he was placed on his arrival : He was ranked the third in order from 2 the ( 537 ) the Viceroy, there being above him only the Head of the Law, and of the Treafury, who in the Chinefe Government take place of all military officers. When the Commodore was featcd, he addrefled himfelf 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 infincerity of thofe he had employed, and that he had therefore no other means Mt^ than to fend, as he had done, his own officer with a letter to the gate. On the mention of this the Viceroy flopped the interpreter, and bid him affiire Mr. Anfon, that the firft knowledge they had of his being at Canton^ v/as from that letter. Mr. Anfon then proceeded, and told him, that the fubjeds of the King of Great-Britain trading to China had complained to him, the Commodore, of the vexatious impofi- tions both of the Merchants and inferior Cuftom- houfe officers, to which they were frequently ne- ceffitated to fubmit, by reafon of the difficulty of getting accefs to the Mandarines^ who alone could grant them redrefs : That it was his, Mr. Anfon^s^ duty, as an officer of the King of Great -Britain^ to lay before the Viceroy thefe grievances of the Britijh fubjeds, which he hoped the Viceroy would take into confideration, and would give orders, that for the future there fhould be no juft reafon for complaint. Here Mr. Anfon paufed, and wait- ed fome time in expedation of an anfwer \ but nothing being faid, he afked his interpreter if he was certain the Viceroy underftood what he had urged ; the interpreter told him, he was certain it was underftood, but he believed no reply would be made to ic. Mr. Anfon then reprefented to the A'iceroy ( 538 ) Viceroy the cafe of the Ihip Hajllngfield, which having been dilmafted on the coall of China^ had arrived in the river of Canton but a few days be- fore. The people on board this velTel had been great fufTcrers by the fire •, the Captain in particu- lar had all his goods burnt, and had Joft befidcs, in the confufion, a chefl: of treafure of four thou- fand five hundred 7'ahd^ which was fuppofed to be flolen by the Chinefe boat-men. Mr. Anfon there- lore defired that the Captain might have the afiift- iince of the Government, as it was apprehended the money could never be recovered without the interpofition of the Mandarines. And to this re- queil the Viceroy made anfwer, that in fettling the Emperor's cuflioms for that fhip, fome abatement Ihould be made in confideration of her lofTes. And now the Commodore having difpatched the bufinefs with which the officers of the Raft -India Company had entrufted him, he entered on his own affairs \ acquainting the Viceroy, that the proper feafon was now fet in for returning to Europe., and that he waited only for a licence to (hip off his provifions and (lores, which were all ready ; and that as foon as this fnould be granted him, and he Ihould have gotten his neceffaries on board, he intended to leave the river of Canton, and to make the bed of his way for England. The Viceroy replied to this, that the licence fliould be imme- diately iffued, and that every thing fhould be or- dered on board the following day. And finding that Mr. Anfon had nothing farther to infift on, the Viceroy continued the converfation for fome time, acknov;! edging in very civil terms how much the Chinefe were obliged to him for his fig- nal fcrvices at the fire, and owning that he had faved ( 539 ) faved the ci:y iVom being deRroyed : And then obferving that the Centurion had been a good while on their coaft, he doled his difcourfe, by wifhing the Commodore a good voyage to Europe. After which, the Commodore, thanking him for his civility and afliftance, took his leave. As ibon as the Commodore v/as out of the hall of audience, he was much prefTcd to go into a neighbouring apartment, where there was an en- tertainment provided •, but finding, on enquiry, that the Viceroy himfelf was not to be prefent, he declined the invitation, and departed, attended in the fame manner as at his arrival •, only at his leaving the city he was faluted 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 lad finifhed this troublefome affair, which, for the preceding four m,onths, had given him great difquietude. Indeed he was highly pleafed with procuring a licence for the fhipping of his (lores and provifions •, for thereby he was enabled to return to Great-Britain with the firfl: of the monfoon, and to prevent all intelligence of his being expeded : But this, though a very impor- tant point, was not the circumftance which gave him the greateft fatisfaclion ; for he was more particularly attentive to the authentic precedent eilablifhed on this occafion, by which his Majefty's fhips of war are for the future exempted from all demands of duty in any of the ports o^ China. In purfuance of the promifes of the Viceroy, the provifions were begun to be fent on board the day after the audience \ and, four days after, the Commodore embarked at Canton for the Centurion ; and, on the 7th of December^ the Centurion and her prize ( 540 ) prize unmoored, and flood down the river, pafTing through the Bocca Tygris on the loth. And on this occafion I mufl: obferve, that the Chinefe had taken care to man the two forts, on each fide of that pafTage, with as many men as they could well contain, the greateft part of them armed with pikes and match-lock mufquets. Thefe garrifons affedted to fhew themfelves as much as polTible to the fhips, and were doubtlefs intended to induce Mr. Anfon to think more reverently than he had hitherto done of the Chinefe military power : For this purpofe they were equipped with much pa- rade, having a great number of colours expofed to view ♦, and on the caftle in particular there were laid confiderable heaps of large flones ; and a foldier of unufual fize, drefTed in very fightly armour, ftalkt about on the parapet with a battle- ax in his hand, endeavouring to put on as impor- tant and martial an air as pofTible, though fome of the obfervers on board the Centurion fhrewdly furpe(5led, from the appearance of his armour, that in (lead of fteel, it was compofed only of a par- ticular kind of glittering paper. The Ce7Jturion and her prize being now without the river of Canton^ and confequently upon the point of leaving the Chinefe jurifdidion, I beg leave, before I quit all mention of the Chinefe affairs, to fubjoin a few remarks on the difpolition and genius of that extraordinary people. And though it may be fuppofed, that obfcrvations made at Canton only, a place fituated in the corner of the Empire, are very imperfed materials on which to found any general conclufions, yet as thofe who have had opportunities of examining the inner parts of the country, have been evidently influenced by \ very (540 very ridiculous prepoffeflions, and as the tranf- a6lions of Mr. Anfon with the Regency of Canto7i were of an uncommon nature, in which many circumdances occurred, different perhaps from any which have happened before, I hope the fol- lowing refiedlions, many of them drawn from thefe incidents, will not be altogether unacceptable to the reader. That the Chinefe are a very ingenious and in- duftrious people, is fufficiently evinced, from the great number of curious manufa(5lures which are eftabliflied amongfl: them, and which are eagerly fought for by the mod diftant nations ; but though fkill in the handicraft arts feems to be the mod im- portant qualification of this people, yet their ta- lents therein are but of a fecond-rate kind ; for they are much out- done by the Japanefe in thofe manufactures, which are common to both coun- tries ; and they are in numerous inftances inca- pable of rivalling the mechanic dexterity of the Europeans. Indeed, their principal excellency feems to be imitation ; and they accordingly labour under that poverty of genius, which conftantly attends all fervile imitators. This is mod confpicuous in works which require great truth and accuracy •, as in clocks, watches, fire-arms, i^c. for in all thefe, though they can copy the different parts, and can form fome refemblancc of the whole, yet they never could arrive at fuch a judnefs in their fabric, as was necefiary to produce the defired effe*5l. And if we pafs from their manufadurers to artids of a fuperiour clafs, as painrers, datuaries, i^c. in thefe matters they feem to be Uill more dcfe(5live, their painters, though very numerous and in great edeem, rarely fucceeding in the- drawing or colour- C 542 ) ing of human Rgnres, or in the grouping of largd compoficions -, and though in flowers and bird^ their performances are much more admired, yet even in thefe, forne part of the merit is rather to be imputed to the native brightnefs and excellency of the colours, than to the fkill of the painter ; fince it is very unufual to fee the light and fhade juftly and naturally handled, or to find that eafe and grace in the drawing, which are to be met with in the works of European artifls. In fhort, there is a ftiffnefs and minutenefs in moft of the Chinefe produ6tions, which are extremely difpleafing : And it may perhaps be afierted with great truth, that thefe defers in their arts are entirely ov/ing to the peculiar turn of the people, amogfl whom nothing great or fpirited is to be met with. If w^e next examine the Chinefe literature, (taking our accounts from the writers, who have endea- voured to reprefent it in the moft favourable light) we fhall find, that on this head their obftinacy and abfurdity are moft wonderful : For though, for many ages, they have been furrounded by nations, to whom the ufe of letters was familiar, yet they, the Chinefe alone, have hitherto negleded to avail themfelves of that almoft divine invention, and have continued to adhere to the rude and inarti- ficial method of reprefenting words by arbitrary marks •, a method, which necefiarily renders the number of their chara6lers too great for human memory to manage, makes writing to be an art that requires prodigious application, and in which no man can be otherwife than partially fkilled ; whilft all reading, and underftanding of what is written, is attended v/ith infinite obfcurity and confufion j for the connexion between thefe marks, and ( 543 ) nnd the words they repreient, cannot be retained in books, but muft be delivered down from age to age by oral tradition : And how uncertain this mufl prove in fuch a compHcated fubject, is fufH- ciently obvious to thofe who have attended to the variation which all verbal relations undergo, when they are tranfmitted through three or four hands only. Hence it is eafy to conclude, that the hif- tory and inventions of pad ages, recorded by thefe perplexed fymbols, mufl: frequently prove unintel- ligible ; and confequently the learning and boafted antiquity of the Nation mufl, in num.erous inflian- ces, be extremely problematical. But we are told by fome of the Mifnonaries, that though the fkill of the Chinefe in fcience is in- deed much inferior to that of the Europeans^ yet the morality and jufliice taught and pradifed by them are mofl: exemplary. And from the defcrip- tion given by fome of thefe good fathers, one lliould be induced to believe, that the whole Em- pire was a well-governed affedionate family, where the only contefts were, who Ihould exert the mofl: humanity and beneficence : But cur preceding re- lation . of the behaviour of the Magifl:rates, Mer- chants, and Tradefmen at Cantoriy fufficiently refutes thefe jefuitical fidlions. And as to their theories of morality, if we may judge from the fpecimens ex- hibited in the works of the MilTionaries, we fhall find them folely employed in recommending ridi- culous attachments to certain immaterial points, infliead oi difcufllng the proper criterion of human adlions, and regulatini^ the general condud of man- kind to one another, on reafenafele and equitable principles. Indeed, the' only pretenfign o^xht Chi- nefe to a more refined morality than their neigh- bours ( 544 ) hours is founded, not on their integrity or benefi- cence, but folely on the affedled evennefs of their demeanor, and their conftant attention to fupprefs all fymptoms of palTion and violence. But it mud be confidered, that hypocrify and fraud are often not lefs mifchievous to the general in terefls of man- kind, than impetuofity and vehemence of temper : Since thefe, though ufually liable to the imputa- tion of imprudence, do not exclude fincerity, be- nevolence, refolution, nor many other laudable qualities. And perhaps, if this matter was exa- mined to the bottom, it would appear, that the calm and patient turn of the Chinefe^ on which they fo much value themfelves, and which diftinguilhes the Nation from all others, is in reality the fource of the mod exceptionable part of their charadter ; for it has been often obferved by thofe who have attended to the nature of mankind, that it is diffi- cult to curb the more robuft and violent pafTions, without augmenting, at the fame time, the force of the felfifh ones : So that the timidity, diffimu- lation, and difhonefty o^ iht'Chinefe^ may, in fomc fort, be owing to the compofure, and external de- cency, fo univerfally prevailing in that Empire. Thus much for the general difpofition of the peo- ple : But I cannot difmifs this fubjedl, without add- ing a few words about the C^;«/'f//f Centurion //'w// r//. 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