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 UCSB IIBRAR1 
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL OF 
 THE FLEET.
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL 
 OF THE FLEET. 
 
 THE STORY OF COMMODORE ANSON 
 RE-TOLD TO BOYS. 
 
 BY DR. MACAU LAY, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " TRUE TALES OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE," " STIRRING 
 STORIES OF PEACE AND WAR," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 THOMAS WHITTAKER, 
 
 2 AND 3, BIBLE HOUSE. 
 
 1891.
 
 TO BOYS 
 
 WHO LOVE TO READ OF THE SEA AND OF NAVAL ADVENTURE 
 
 AND TO READERS OF ALL AGES 
 
 WHO ADMIRE PATRIOTIC SPIRIT AND NOBLE CHARACTER, 
 
 THIS BOOK, ABOUT GEORGE LORD ANSON, 
 
 IS INSCRIBED BY 
 
 THE EDITOR.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 A NSON'S 'Voyage Round the World' was once 
 ** a book second in popularity only to ' Robin- 
 son Crusoe.' When the gallant Commodore, in 
 the year 1744, brought home to England his ship 
 the ' Centurion,' laden with silver captured from the 
 Spanish Manilla galleon, in a fight which will be 
 ever memorable in naval history, he was the hero 
 of the day, and of many a day after. His name 
 was in every mouth, and his portrait in every 
 window. And it was like one of the ' triumphs ' 
 in ancient Rome when the treasure was brought 
 from Portsmouth, and when thirty waggons laden 
 with Spanish dollars and bars of Mexican silver 
 were drawn through London streets to the Tower, 
 the ship's company heading the procession, with flags 
 flying and bands playing, escorted by troops, and 
 vast crowds lining the way. With impatience the 
 public waited for the publication of the narrative of 
 the voyage, and many were the editions called for,
 
 viii PREFA CE. 
 
 although readers in those days were few compared 
 with now. 
 
 Before Anson returned to England, war with 
 France had broken out. Again he distinguished 
 himself, and increased his popularity. In a great 
 battle he took six ships of war, and in other ways 
 did good service to his king and country. Nor was 
 it only at sea that he did this good service. He 
 was not merely or mostly a righting man, like old 
 Admiral Benbow. He was as wise in council as he 
 was brave in war, and it was with his help above all 
 others that the great Lord Chatham made his country 
 take its right place among the European Powers. 
 It was by Anson's advice that Howe got the com- 
 mand of the British Fleet, while yet only a captain, 
 just as Chatham gave to Wolfe, then a very young 
 officer, the command of the expedition which con- 
 quered Canada. Many of the great admirals of after 
 years Saumarez, Brett, Keppel, Hyde Parker, and 
 others famous in naval annals were trained by 
 Anson, or had served under him in the ' Centurion ' 
 in the voyage round the world. No wonder that 
 such a man should receive a peerage, and rise to 
 the highest professional rank of ' Admiral of the 
 Fleet.' 
 
 It is a strange thing that the name of Anson has 
 fallen into comparative oblivion, and that the story 
 of his life is now little known. A remarkable proof 
 of this occurred during the reign of William IV.,
 
 PREFA CE. ix 
 
 ' our Sailor King.' On the anniversary of Duncan's 
 great victory, the battle of Camperdown, the King 
 and the Lords of the Admiralty went down to 
 Greenwich and heard service in the chapel of the 
 Hospital, and in the evening they dined in state at 
 St. James's Palace. After dinner the King made a 
 speech, as he was fond of doing, and on this occasion 
 he made a very long one, referring to many of the 
 great men and glorious events in the history of the 
 British Navy. When they were taking coffee after- 
 wards, the King said to Sir John Barrow, the Secre- 
 tary of the Admiralty, ' I fear I forgot to mention 
 the name of Anson, and his action off Finisterre : I 
 am not sure that I know the details correctly. Pray 
 send me an account of it to-morrow.' There are 
 many nowadays in the same ignorance, not only as 
 to the victory off Finisterre, but of the whole events 
 of Anson's life. This may be chiefly because the 
 greater glories of the naval victories of the war which 
 culminated with the Nile and Trafalgar have caused 
 older times to be forgotten. But there were great 
 admirals before Nelson ; and the name of Anson is 
 one of the most illustrious of them, and worthy of 
 being remembered with honour. 
 
 What was the estimate of him in former days 
 may be seen from the way in which Cowper speaks 
 of him, in his touching and beautiful poem, ' The 
 Castaway,' which he says was suggested by an 
 incident in the narrative of the voyage of Anson,
 
 x PREFA CE. 
 
 1 than whom England could boast no braver chief, 
 nor ever ship left Albion's coast with warmer 
 wishes sent.' A seaman was lost one stormy night, 
 and could not be rescued, though seen long strug- 
 gling with the billows. The sad loss of this " man 
 overboard ' touched a responsive chord in the mind 
 of the poet, at that time under despairing melancholy 
 as to his own doom : 
 
 ' For misery still delights to trace 
 Its semblance in another's case ; ' 
 
 ' We perished,' says Cowper, ' each alone, 
 But I beneath a rougher sea, 
 And whelmed in deeper gulfs than he.' 
 
 For the reference to Anson the poem is now recalled 
 about this poor castaway : 
 
 ' No poet wept him ; but the page 
 
 Of narrative sincere, 
 That tells his name, his worth, his age, 
 
 Is wet with ANSON'S tear ; 
 And tears by bards or heroes shed 
 Alike immortalise the dead.' 
 
 The biography of Anson by Sir John Barrow, 
 founded chiefly on official records preserved at the 
 Admiralty, deals largely with his administrative 
 labours, after he had risen to his high position as 
 a Peer and Admiral of the Fleet. But there is far 
 greater interest in the adventures and exploits of his 
 early career. It is of these that the present volume 
 principally treats, as more attractive to young 
 readers ; and this whether in England or the
 
 PREFA CE. xi 
 
 Colonies, and also in America, for the story of Anson 
 belongs to a period as to which all English-speaking 
 people should feel common interest. 
 
 The intention at first was to reprint the story 
 of the ' Voyage Round the World,' one of the 
 most famous events in Anson's career ; but there is 
 much that is interesting in other periods of his 
 life, from his early years till he gained his peerage 
 and became Admiral of the Fleet. By his long and 
 admirable administration at the Admiralty, Lord 
 Anson did much to establish the strength and glory 
 of the British Navy. 
 
 With the narrative of the ' Voyage Round the 
 World ' is given the record of the perils, adven- 
 tures, and fate of the other ships of the squadron. 
 Anson's own ship, the ' Centurion,' was the only one 
 left of the fleet that sailed from England, and with 
 it alone he captured the Spanish galleon, one of 
 the ' famous fights ' in naval history.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. ENTERING THE NAVY : THEN AND NOW . . I 
 
 II. GEORGE ANSON'S EARLY SERVICES IN THE ROYAL 
 
 NAVY ........ 14 
 
 III. EQUIPMENT OF COMMODORE ANSON'S SQUADRON . 23 
 
 IV. THE PASSAGE FROM ST. HELEN'S TO THE ISLAND 
 
 OF MADEIRA ....... 38 
 
 V. THE STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO'S FLEET . 44 
 VI. FROM MADEIRA TO ST. CATHERINE'S, OFF THE 
 COAST OF BRAZIL, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THAT 
 
 ISLAND -57 
 
 VII. COMMODORE ANSON'S PLANS FOR THE VOYAGE TO 
 
 THE SOUTH SEAS 63 
 
 VIII. FROM ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MAIRE, 
 
 AND TO CAPE NOIR ...... 69 
 
 IX. TO JUAN FERNANDEZ ...... 79 
 
 X. AT JUAN FERNANDEZ . . . . . .82 
 
 XI. ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK . . . -93 
 
 XII. ABOUT ROBINSON CRUSOE, AND THE SUBSEQUENT 
 
 HISTORY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ . . .104 
 
 XIII. ARRIVAL OF THE ' GLOUCESTER ' AT JUAN FER- 
 NANDEZ . . . . . . . .112 
 
 XIV. ARRIVAL OF THE 'ANNA 7 PINK, AND THE STORY 
 
 OF HER ADVENTURES SINCE PARTING COMPANY 121
 
 xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 XV. THE WRECK OF THE ' WAGER ' . . .129 
 
 XVI. PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE FROM JUAN FER- 
 NANDEZ STATE OF THE CREWS FROM THE 
 
 RAVAGES OF SCURVY 134 
 
 XVII. FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS AGAINST 
 
 THE SPANIARDS 141 
 
 xvin. THE ' CENTURION'S ' CRUISE AFTER LEAVING 
 
 JUAN FERNANDEZ MORE PRIZES . . -151 
 
 XIX. CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PAITA, AND WHAT 
 
 HAPPENED THERE 163 
 
 XX. RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. . 174 
 
 XXI. ftow ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES ABOUT THE 
 TREASURE TAKEN AT PAITA FURTHER CRUIS- 
 ING IN THE SOUTH SEAS . . . . 1 86 
 XXII. TO QUIBO, AND THENCE TO THE COASTS OF 
 
 MEXICO 195 
 
 XXIII. COMMERCE BETWEEN MANILLA AND ACAPULCO 207 
 
 XXIV. CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO FOR THE MANILLA 
 
 SHIP 217 
 
 XXV. VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC DESTRUCTION 
 
 OF THE 'GLOUCESTER' .... 230 
 xxvi. THE 'CENTURION' BLOWN OUT TO SEA . . 240 
 
 XXVII. WHAT PASSED ON BOARD THE ' CENTURION ' 
 
 WHEN DRIVEN OUT TO SEA .... 247 
 XXVIII. FAREWELL TO TINIAN, WITH SOME ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE LADRONES ISLANDS .... 250 
 XXIX. FROM TINIAN TO MACAO . . . -255 
 
 XXX. PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO 262 
 
 XXXI. THE TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON . 280 
 
 XXXII. PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON . 295 
 
 XXXIII. PROCEEDINGS AT CANTON AND DEPARTURE 
 
 FOR ENGLAND 306
 
 CONTENTS. xv 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 XXXIV. ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION IN ENGLAND . . 318 
 
 XXXV. ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY . . . -327 
 
 xxxvi. ANSON'S ENGAGEMENT OFF FINISTERRE . 344 
 
 XXXVII. ANSON FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY 
 
 THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR .... 353 
 XXXVIII. LAST SERVICES OF ANSON HONOURS AND 
 
 TITLES 362 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE 
 
 A. ENTERING THE NAVY IN OLD TIMES . . -371 
 
 B. CAPTAIN COOK'S REPORT ON THE HEALTH OF HIS 
 
 CREW . . 373 
 
 C. CAPTAIN WOODES ROGERS* ENCOUNTER WITH MA- 
 
 NILLA SHIPS IN 1709 . . . . . -377 
 
 D. DOLLARS, AND ' PIECES OF EIGHT ' 382 
 
 E. LETTER FROM ONE OF ANSON'S LIEUTENANTS . 382 
 
 F. ANSON'S TROUBLE WITH THE CHINESE MERCHANTS 385 
 
 G. ANSON'S PORTRAITS AND DRESS .... 387 
 H. THE FIGURE-HEAD OF THE ' CENTURION ' . . 389
 
 COMMODORE ANSON, IN 1 774. 
 [Fainted ty A . A". Pond on his return front the South Seas.}
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ENTERING THE NAVY: THEN AND NOW. 
 
 T N the old times there were very strange and 
 *- unusual ways both of getting into the service of 
 the Royal Navy and of rising in rank when a first 
 commission had been obtained. History abounds in 
 instances of such promotion, and there was nothing 
 improbable in the story which Mr. Kingston, a great 
 writer of tales of the sea, called ' From Powder 
 Monkey to Admiral.' 
 
 The famous Admiral Benbow, to take a well- 
 known example, was of very humble origin. When 
 he was a boy, living with his mother in a cottage in 
 a Shropshire village, he was left in charge of the 
 house one day when his mother went out marketing. 
 He had long cherished a desire to go to sea, and 
 the present chance proved irresistible. He went 
 out, locking the cottage door after him, and hung 
 the key on a hook in a tree in the garden. He 
 found his way to the coast, and was taken as a 
 cabin-boy on board a merchant ship. He went 
 many voyages, saving a little money, and, let us 
 
 I
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 hope, sending some to the old woman in Shropshire. 
 When he reached the age of thirty he had risen to 
 the command of a ship trading to the Mediterranean. 
 Attacked by a ' Sallee rover/ he gallantly repulsed 
 these Moorish pirates, and took his ship safe into 
 Cadiz. He brought with him, it is said, thirteen of 
 the heads of the pirate crew, preserved in brine, and 
 delivered them to the magistrates of the town, in 
 presence of the Custom House officers. The tidings 
 of this strange affair spread far and wide, and 
 reached the ears of the King of Spain, Charles II., 
 at Madrid. He sent for the bold English seaman 
 to come to him, received him with great honour, and 
 wrote a letter on his behalf to our king, James II. 
 King James gave him command of a ship, and this 
 was how he got his introduction to the British 
 Navy. He served with distinction on many seas 
 in the reigns of William III. and of Queen Anne. 
 Before the Duke of Maryborough had begun his 
 victorious career, Benbow had broken the power of 
 France on the sea. 
 
 Rank and routine were powerful in those days, as 
 they are now ; but when times of national peril come 
 the best men are wanted, and Benbow was promoted, 
 out of turn, by royal command, to the rank of Vice 
 Admiral, and was sent to look after the fleet of 
 Admiral Ducasse in the West Indies. There he 
 closed his life, and in the little church of St. Andrew's, 
 Kingston, Jamaica, his body lies, and a memorial
 
 ENTERING THE NA VY: THEN AND NOW. 3 
 
 stone records his renown as a ' true pattern of 
 English courage, who lost his life in defence of 
 Queen and country.' 
 
 But what about the cottage in Shropshire, and 
 the key hung on the hook ? Many years passed 
 before he returned to the old place. The tree had 
 grown faster than he had, and though the key was 
 out of his reach, there it still was, hanging on the 
 hook. He was 'Rear Admiral of the White' by 
 this time, and to his friends he told the tale. 
 Whether it is literally true or not, it is a legend 
 that is cherished by the good town of Shrewsbury, 
 which is proud to claim him as a son. The story 
 at least attests the fact of the humble birth and 
 origin of Admiral Benbow. 
 
 Another sailor boy, in the early part of last 
 century, rose to bs an Admiral in the British Navy. 
 As Captain Hopson he commanded a ship when 
 Anson first set foot on the deck of a man-of-war. 
 This Hopson was of as lowly birth as Benbow. 
 Born at Bonchurch, in the Isle of Wight, he was 
 early left an orphan, and was apprenticed by the 
 parish to a tailor. Sitting one day alone on the 
 shop-board, needle in hand, he was struck by 
 the sight of the squadron coming round Dunnose 
 Point. Quitting his work, he ran to the shore, 
 jumped into a boat, and rowed for the Admiral's 
 ship. He always loved the sea, and could handle 
 his oars well. The officer on deck allowed him
 
 . FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to come on board, heard his plea, and, sending 
 back the boat in tow, let the lad join the crew as 
 volunteer. The sailors liked the boy's spirit, and 
 spoke kindly to him. 
 
 The very next morning the English fleet fell in 
 with a French squadron, and a warm action ensued. 
 Young Hopson obeyed every order with ready 
 alacrity ; but after some two or three hours' right- 
 ing he became impatient, and asked how the affair 
 was to be ended with the ship with which they 
 were engaged. The sailors explained that they 
 must fire away, and the fight go on, till the enemy 
 struck their flag, pointing to the mast-head. ' Oh,' 
 said the lad, ' if that's all, I'll see what I can do.' 
 
 The two ships, with the flags of the commanders 
 on each side, were now engaged at close quarters, 
 yardarm and yardarm ; most of the rigging clouded 
 with the smoke of the guns. This favoured the 
 purpose of the brave youth, who mounted the shrouds 
 through the smoke unobserved, gained the French 
 Admiral's mainyard, then climbed with agility to 
 the main-topgallant mast-head, and soon had the 
 French flag safely wrapped round his arm, to bring 
 it down with him. 
 
 It was soon seen that the enemy's colours had 
 disappeared, and the British sailors, thinking they 
 had been hauled down, raised loud cheers of victory. 
 The Frenchmen were thrown into confusion by this, 
 and the fire slackened, as many men ran from their
 
 ENTERING THE NAVY: THEN AND NOW. 5 
 
 guns in the panic. The French Admiral knew he 
 had not surrendered, and, supposing that the colours 
 had been shot away, or by some accident had dis- 
 appeared, was disposed to continue the action. But 
 at this juncture the ship was boarded by the English 
 and taken. Hopson had by this time descended 
 the shrouds with the flag, which he triumphantly 
 displayed. 
 
 The sailors greeted him with astonishment, and 
 cheers of approval. The Admiral, on hearing of the 
 exploit, sent for Hopson, and said, ' My lad, I believe 
 you to be a brave youth. From this day I order 
 you to walk the quarter-deck, and if your future 
 conduct is equally meritorious, you shall have my 
 protection and patronage.' Hopson made every 
 effort to maintain the good opinion of his patron ; 
 and by his behaviour, and his attention to duty, he 
 gained the good will and respect of the officers of the 
 ship. This was his first step on the ladder of pro- 
 motion, and in time he went rapidly through the 
 grades of the service till he attained the rank of 
 Admiral. 
 
 Thus we see that it was not impossible for boys to 
 rise in those times from a very humble position. 
 
 We have begun our book with this reference to 
 Benbow and Hopson, for the sake of showing that 
 in old times it was possible to rise from the very 
 humblest grade of life to high rank and honour in 
 the navy. Anson did not begin at so lowly a state
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as ' cabin boy ' or ' powder monkey,' but he had to 
 
 enter the navy, like many others nearly down to our 
 
 own day, merely as a volunteer. This was how the 
 
 famous Arctic voyager, Captain Parry, afterwards an 
 
 Admiral, and Governor of Greenwich Hospital, first 
 
 joined the navy. His father, Dr. Caleb Parry, was 
 
 a well-known physician at Bath, at the Grammar 
 
 School of which place William Edward Parry received 
 
 his early education. Miss Cornwallis, an intimate 
 
 friend of the family, took a great liking to the boy, 
 
 and thought that a youth of so much brightness 
 
 and spirit was well fitted for a sailor's life. Asking 
 
 Edward if he would like to go to sea, ' Very much,' 
 
 he answered, ' if my father and mother consent.' 
 
 A near relative of this lady, Admiral Cornwallis, was 
 
 at this time in command of the Channel Fleet off 
 
 Brest. The ' Ville de Paris,' one of the French 
 
 prizes now belonging to the British Navy, was at 
 
 Plymouth, about to sail to join the Channel Fleet as 
 
 flag-ship. Miss Cornwallis wrote to the Admiral 
 
 asking if he would allow young Parry to join his 
 
 ship. ' Send him to Plymouth at once,' was the 
 
 Admiral's reply, saying that he had got him appointed 
 
 to his own ship as a ' volunteer of the first class.' 
 
 The very next morning he left Bath in charge of 
 
 an old and trusty man-servant, who took him to 
 
 Plymouth, and did not leave him till he saw him 
 
 fairly settled on board the ' Ville de Paris.' To 
 
 Edward Parry everything on board ship was strange
 
 ENTERING THE NA VY: THEN AND NOW. 7 
 
 and new. He had never before seen the sea, nor 
 any vessel except the small craft that came up the 
 Avon to Bath. When the faithful Thomas returned, 
 he described how his young master seemed struck 
 with amazement at the sea and the huge line-of-battle 
 ships ; but he soon began eagerly to examine every- 
 thing, and to inquire about everything from all who 
 had time to listen to his questions. While thus 
 employed he saw one of the sailors coming down 
 from aloft, and instantly, before the astonished 
 Thomas could utter a word of protest, the boy was 
 far up the rigging, and never stopped till from the 
 mast-head he waved his cap in triumph. The alarm 
 of old Thomas attracted the notice of the sailors, 
 and a group of those who witnessed the feat gathered 
 round the boy as he reached the deck, and greeted 
 him heartily as ' a fine fellow, and a true sailor every 
 inch of him.' 
 
 That was how young Edward Parry made his 
 first appearance on board ship. His conduct pleased 
 the Captain, Ricketts, and the Chaplain, and all the 
 officers, and the Admiral took kindly notice of him. 
 Next year he got his appointment as midshipman, 
 and when he left to join the ' Tribune ' frigate the 
 Admiral gave a handsome testimony to his character 
 and good conduct. 
 
 Unfortunately there is no record of the way in 
 which George Anson got his first introduction to life 
 on board ship. We know he began as a ' volunteer,'
 
 8 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and have no doubt he got appointed through some 
 friend, as Parry did. He did not spring from the 
 humblest grade of life, like Benbow and Hopson, for 
 he belonged to a good old family in Staffordshire. 
 He was born at Shugborough, near Cohvich, in the 
 house which had been bought by his great-grand- 
 father, Thomas Anson, in the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 But before we come to narrate his actual story 
 after getting on board ship, it may be interesting 
 and useful to tell boys who read this book how in 
 our own day an entrance to the British navy can be 
 obtained. It is no longer to be done by patronage, 
 or by lucky adventure, as in the cases we have 
 mentioned. Every boy who desires to join the 
 navy has to go through a regular course of study, 
 and to pass a strict examination. It would take too 
 long for me to give all the rules and regulations, but 
 an account will be found in the ' Boy's Own Paper ' 
 for July 1890 how boys become 'naval cadets,' a 
 grade corresponding to the ' volunteers of the first 
 class ' in Sir Edward Parry's time. It is written 
 by Captain Bedford, C.B., one of the Lords of the 
 Admiralty, and formerly in command of the training- 
 ship for young naval cadets, the ' Britannia,' at 
 Dartmouth, where the sons of H.R.H. the Prince 
 of Wales received their education for the sea, and 
 passed their examination, like other youths who enter 
 the navy.
 
 ENTERING THE NA VY : THEN AND NOW. g 
 
 Captain Bedford supposes the case of a boy ' fired 
 with the idea of becoming a naval cadet,' and tells 
 how he is to carry this idea into effect. ' The first 
 step/ says Captain Bedford, ' is to obtain a nomina- 
 tion. About sixty cadets are now being entered 
 every six months, and three times that number of 
 nominations are given. Admirals when they hoist 
 their flags are allowed to nominate one, and also 
 captains when they first hoist their pennant in 
 command ; but these absorb very few, and nearly 
 all the nominations are given directly from the 
 Admiralty. 
 
 ' Four cadetships are given annually to sons of 
 gentlemen in the colonies, and a few Service cadet- 
 ships, not exceeding five in a year. These cadets 
 are required to pass the test-examination only ; all 
 others have to compete. 
 
 'Before being examined by the Civil Service 
 Commissioners the candidates are required to pass 
 a medical examination, which is very strict. The 
 limits of age are : for the June examinations, not 
 less than thirteen nor more than fourteen and a half 
 years of age on the I5th of July following ; and for 
 the November examination, the same limits on the 
 I 5th of January following. 
 
 ' The examinations are held in London and at 
 Portsmouth, and commence the second Wednesday in 
 June and the last Wednesday in November. The 
 examination is in two parts a test, and a further
 
 io FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 examination. There are six subjects in the test- 
 examination viz. : Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, 
 English, French, Scripture. Candidates are further 
 examined in mathematics (more advanced than in 
 test-examination), Latin, Geography, English History, 
 Drawing. 
 
 ' In arithmetic, the candidate must obtain half 
 marks, and in each of the other subjects of the 
 test-examination 40 per cent, of the marks allotted 
 thereto. 
 
 ' The final order of merit is decided by the sum 
 of the marks obtained in the test as well as in the 
 further examination. 
 
 ' A candidate who passes the test-examination, but 
 does not succeed in the competition, will be entitled 
 to compete at the next examination provided he 
 is within the limits of age at that time ; and a can- 
 didate who is debarred by illness from attending the 
 examination may have another nomination provided 
 he is within the limits of age. 
 
 ' The papers set at the examinations are published 
 soon afterwards, and may be purchased from or 
 through any bookseller, so that it is easy to get a 
 good idea of the kind of papers that are set. 
 
 'As a matter of fact, the curriculum at any good 
 school is sufficient preparation for boys of average 
 ability, but it is necessary to bear in mind that a 
 certain percentage of marks must be obtained in the 
 subjects of the test-examination.'
 
 ENTERING THE NA VY: THEN AND NOW. 11 
 
 For many years prior to 1857, when the 'Britannia' 
 system of training naval cadets began, boys entering 
 the navy as officers, having obtained a nomination, 
 had to appear before a doctor, and if the candidate 
 looked healthy his ordeal was very short. He was 
 made to run across the room, jump over a chair or 
 something of that kind, had to take a long breath, 
 got a slap on the back or a dig in the ribs, and was 
 dismissed with a kindly ' You'll do.' Then, a sum 
 in the first four rules and a scrap of dictation having 
 been more or less successfully accomplished, the 
 small boy, aged perhaps twelve and a half or thirteen 
 years, donned the blue uniform with brass buttons, 
 and was sent off to take his chance in a sea-going 
 man-of-war as a ' volunteer of the first-class.' 
 
 It will easily be understood that this was a very 
 rough experience, but it was supposed to be harden- 
 ing ; and in days when scientific knowledge was at 
 a discount in the navy, and when an ounce of practice 
 was considered worth more than a ton of theory 
 in the education of naval officers, it answered the 
 purpose. 
 
 At the same time it must be mentioned that the 
 authorities were not altogether blind to the advan- 
 tages of some more systematic course of education ; 
 for as early as 1729 a naval academy was established 
 in Portsmouth Dockyard for forty students ; their 
 ages at admission were between thirteen and sixteen. 
 In 1806 the name of the school was changed to
 
 12 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Royal Naval College. In 1816 the age was fixed 
 at from twelve and a half to fourteen years. The 
 course lasted two years, and then the students went 
 to sea. But only a small part of the officers required 
 to supply the wants of the service could be passed 
 through this college, and in 1837 it was abolished, 
 and the system alluded to above was made general. 
 At the same time instructors were provided in 'all 
 large ships to teach the midshipmen when at sea. 
 
 The present ' Britannia ' system originated, as we 
 have said, in 1857. Cadets, as they were then 
 called, after passing an easy entry examination, 
 were sent to the ' Illustrious,' a stationary jury-rigged 
 training-ship for young seamen at Portsmouth, and 
 went through a course of instruction, which at first 
 extended over a period of nine months. This was 
 increased to fifteen months after a few years ; and 
 finally, in 1869, it settled down to the present 
 arrangement of two years. 
 
 It was soon found necessary to devote a ship 
 entirely to the cadets, and in 1859 the ' Britannia,' a 
 three-decker, which had carried the Admiral's flags 
 in the Black Sea during the first part of the Russian 
 War, was appropriated for the purpose. She was at 
 first stationed at Portsmouth, but this being found 
 an unsuitable locality, she was moved in 1860 to 
 Portland ; but this was also soon condemned, as 
 communication with shore was often interrupted by 
 the weather. So in 1863 the change was made to
 
 ENTERING THE NA VY : THEN AND NOW. 13 
 
 Dartmouth. Here, at all events, no sea or wind 
 would interrupt the passage to and from the shore ; 
 moreover, the deep water allowed the ship to be 
 moored very close to the bank. There was lovely 
 country round, which the boys could roam about 
 without fear of their getting into much trouble. A 
 fine playing-field was available within easy reach, 
 and boating could be indulged in to their hearts' 
 content. 
 
 The first ' Britannia ' was an old ship, and began 
 to show signs of decay, so in 1869 a fine three- 
 decker, one of the last of the steam-liners of the old 
 class, was substituted. She was much altered, to 
 fit her for her use as a training school, and the ac- 
 commodation was supplemented by the ' Hindostan,' 
 an old two-decker, moored ahead of the ' Britannia,' 
 and connected to her by a bridge. Here naval 
 cadets, to the number of sixty or seventy, are trained, 
 till they are prepared for being sent to ships in 
 commission. From naval cadet the next step is to 
 be a midshipman, or ' middy,' as the young officer 
 is familiarly called.* 
 
 * There is no way into the navy now as a ' combatant officer ' 
 except through the ' Britannia.' Full particulars as to admission 
 to all branches of the service are given in the ' Quarterly Navy 
 List' (Eyre & Spottiswoode, price 3^.). Also in the 'Queen's 
 Regulations and Admiralty Instructions for the Government of 
 H.M. Naval Service ' (Clowes, or Longmans, ^s. 6d.). Both 
 books are official, and edited at the Admiralty.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 GEORGE ANSON'S EARLY SERVICES IN THE 
 ROYAL NAVY. 
 
 EORGE ANSON was born, as has been stated, 
 at Shugborough, in the parish of Colwich, on 
 the 23rd of April, 1697. Nothing is recorded of 
 his education, or of the events of his early years. 
 One would like to know how he got his first love of 
 the sea, and why he made choice of the naval pro- 
 fession, while yet living at home in a rural parish. 
 It may have been from reading some book with 
 stories of Drake and Frobisher, and other heroes 
 and explorers of Queen Elizabeth's reign ; or of 
 the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the fame and the 
 traditions of which stirred the hearts of English 
 boys in succeeding generations. Or there may have 
 been in the village some old sailor, who in younger 
 days had fought under Blake against Van Tromp 
 and the Dutchmen, who, after the Spaniards, aspired 
 to the sovereignty of the seas. Whatever may have 
 been the bias given to Anson's mind in his boyhood, 
 and whatever the motive, of patriotism, or ambition,
 
 GEORGE ANSON'S EARLY SERVICES. 15 
 
 or sheer love of adventure, he managed to get to the 
 coasts, and to enter the British Navy. The earliest 
 mention of his name in official records has been 
 found, when he is entered in the books of the 
 'Ruby,' in January 1712, as a 'volunteer.' From 
 the ' Ruby ' he changed to the ' Monmouth,' and 
 from this to the ' Hampshire,' where he received 
 his acting order as lieutenant. As Captain Peter 
 Chamberlain commanded all these ships the 'Ruby' 
 from 1706 to 1712 it is probable that Anson 
 entered the service under this officer, who seems to 
 have liked the young volunteer, and was liked by 
 him, as he was with the same commander in three 
 successive ships. 
 
 No record was formerly kept in the Admiralty of 
 the services of young gentlemen entering the navy, 
 whether with commissions or as volunteers, until 
 they had served the required time, and passed the 
 necessary examinations for a lieutenant's commis- 
 sion. Anson, who had joined the ' Ruby ' in 1712, 
 when in his fifteenth year, now, in his nineteenth or 
 twentieth year, was serving in the ' Hampshire,' a 
 frigate in the Baltic fleet, under the command of 
 Admiral Sir John Norris. It was when with Captain 
 Chamberlain in the ' Hampshire,' and serving in the 
 Baltic, that Anson became a lieutenant in the navy. 
 
 The Baltic fleet, under Sir John Norris, consisted 
 of eighteen sail of the line, besides frigates and 
 smaller vessels. What caused so powerful a British
 
 16 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 squadron to go to the Baltic in those times must now 
 be explained. Sweden was then the greatest northern 
 power, and the eminence attained in the previous 
 century under the heroic Gustavus Adolphus had 
 been maintained and increased under the ambitious, 
 restless, and eccentric Charles XII. Charles was 
 not satisfied with being the foremost military chief 
 of Northern Europe, but he sought to make Sweden 
 a great naval power, in order to cope with the rising 
 power of Russia under the Czar Peter, who had 
 himself, in Holland and England, worked as a ship- 
 builder with a view to creating a great Russian 
 navy. 
 
 Jealous of this new power, Charles XLI. had de- 
 clared war with Russia, and was resolved to possess 
 the sovereignty of the Baltic Sea. The Swedes had 
 no less than twenty-four sail of the line, two of them 
 three-deckers of one hundred and ten guns each. 
 He managed to keep up this fleet, utterly beyond 
 the natural resources and population of his kingdom, 
 even after his signal defeat at Pultowa in 1 709, his 
 exile in Turkey, and his strange adventures till his 
 return to his kingdom. 
 
 Under the pretext that ships trading to St. 
 Petersburgh carried to that port warlike stores and 
 ammunition, Charles XII. searched and captured 
 English and Dutch merchant vessels. It was on ac- 
 count of this insolent attack on neutral commerce that 
 Sir John Norris, in command of an English squadron,
 
 GEORGE ANSON'S EARLY SERVICES. 17 
 
 was sent to the Baltic. In July 1716 he was joined 
 by a Russian fleet of nineteen sail, commanded by 
 Admiral Count Apraxin, under whom was serving 
 the Czar Peter, with his flag flying, as Vice-Admiral 
 of the Blue. The combined fleets entered the port 
 of Revel, and there Sir John Norris asked permission 
 to wait on the Czar, who received him in the flag-ship 
 of the Russian Admiral. The Czar returned the 
 visit, when he was received by the British Admiral 
 with salutes and marks of every respect. The Czar 
 was very curious in his inquiries, as well as courteous 
 in his civilities ; and, as Sir John Norris said, ' there 
 is not a part of our ships he is not desirous of 
 examining.' 
 
 The two fleets were joined at Revel by a Danish 
 squadron, and putting to sea they formed order of 
 battle, the Russians placed in the centre out of 
 compliment to the Czar, the English in the van, and 
 the Danes in the rear, while a few Dutch ships of war, 
 and some of the English, were sent to cruise for the 
 protection of the trade up the Baltic. The Swedes, 
 on hearing what was taking place, made the best of 
 their way to Carlscrona, and there remained quiet 
 under the shelter of the fort, the king having received 
 warning from Sir John Norris that if any English ship 
 was again molested stern reprisals would promptly 
 be ordered. 
 
 It was when thus serving in the Baltic, on a 
 vacancy occurring by a lieutenant of the ' Hampshire ' 
 
 2
 
 i8 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 becoming invalided, Sir John Norris gave Anson an 
 acting order, as Admirals can do when at sea ; and 
 this was confirmed at home, which is also necessary. 
 
 In the following year, 1717, Anson was appointed 
 lieutenant of the ' Montagu,' and in this ship he had 
 the good fortune to share in a famous action, when 
 Admiral Sir George Byng (afterwards Viscount Tor- 
 rington) attacked a powerful Spanish fleet, consisting 
 of twenty-seven ships of war, besides a number of 
 bombs and fire-ships, under Don Antonio Castanet, 
 with four rear-admirals under him. Byng fell in 
 with and chased the Spanish fleet all day and 
 through the night. The Spaniards detached six of 
 their ships, and Byng ordered Captain Walton, of 
 the ' Canterbury,' with five sail, to pursue them. The 
 rest of the Spanish fleet was overtaken off Cape 
 Passaro, when Byng commenced a vigorous attack, 
 capturing five sail of the line and two frigates, with 
 many prisoners, including the Admiral and one of 
 the Rear Admirals. The Spanish Admiral's ship, the 
 ' Royal Philip,' 74 guns and 650 men, soon after 
 the arrival of the prizes in Port Mahon, blew up, and 
 every soul on board perished. Thirteen of the ships 
 escaped, but of these three were soon after taken, 
 sunk, or wrecked. 
 
 The fate of the six ships which drew off from 
 the main fleet during the night, and were chased 
 by Captain Walton, is connected with a story of the 
 British commander which was long remembered in
 
 GEOR GE A NSON' S EARLY SER VICES. 1 9 
 
 the service. The despatch to the Admiral, report- 
 ing his proceedings, was not a wordy affair, as such 
 communications often are, but ran as follows : 
 
 ' SIR, We have taken and destroyed all the 
 Spanish ships and vessels which were upon the 
 coast, the number as per margin. I am, etc., 
 
 'G. WALTON.' 
 
 Anson remained in the ' Montagu ' until he was 
 appointed to the command of the ' Weazle ' sloop, 
 in June 1722. In this ship he was actively em- 
 ployed during the remainder of the year in the 
 North Sea, watching and capturing smugglers from 
 the ports of Holland laden with spirits and other 
 contraband goods. From the ' Weazle ' he was pro- 
 moted, on the ist of February, 1723, to be captain 
 of the ' Scarborough,' and was ordered to fit her for 
 immediate service at sea. In March of the following 
 year the ' Scarborough ' was despatched to South 
 Carolina, with instructions to protect the trade 
 generally against pirates, who were committing 
 depredations on the coast of that settlement ; to pre- 
 vent illicit commerce, and to grant convoys to and 
 from the Bahamas. He was also instructed to 
 keep a vigilant look-out on Spanish cruisers, who 
 had been directed to injure as far as they could the 
 British settlements which were nearest to their 
 possessions in Florida. This strained relation with 
 Spain continued, especially after the cession of
 
 20 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Gibraltar and of Minorca to Great Britain. It was 
 ascertained that a secret engagement had been 
 entered into between the King of Spain and the 
 Emperor of Germany to recover these places by 
 force of arms, in case they were not amicably sur- 
 rendered, according to a promise said to have been 
 made by George I. to the Spanish Ambassador in 
 London. An expedition was actually prepared for 
 attacking Gibraltar, but the plan was thwarted by 
 the timely arrival of a British squadron, under Sir 
 Charles Wager and Admiral Hopson. Orders were 
 sent out to Anson to destroy all Spanish ships ap- 
 proaching the coast of Carolina, so that the feeling 
 of antagonism between the two nations was strong 
 on both sides the Atlantic. 
 
 A vacancy occurring in the ' Guarland ' frigate 
 by the death of the captain, Anson removed himself 
 into her, and sent home the ' Scarborough,' which 
 was in much need of repair. Peace was for a time 
 patched up, but it was not till July 1730 that 
 Anson received orders to return to England. Dur- 
 ing his stay in South Carolina he was very popular 
 among the settlers. They gave his name to districts, 
 towns, and mines, which they retained even after 
 the days of American Independence, as old maps 
 show. One interesting letter from a lady in the 
 colony, Mrs. Hutchison, to a sister in London, and 
 afterwards printed, proves the favourable impression 
 made by Mr. Anson among the better classes of
 
 GEOR GE A NSON' S EARLY SER VICES. 2 1 
 
 society. She describes him as ' a very agreeable 
 man, polite and well-bred. He has good sense and 
 good nature ; and is free from that ceremoniousness 
 which often renders people, who may perhaps rank 
 themselves among the most accomplished, extremely 
 disagreeable. He is generous without profusion, 
 elegant without ostentation ; and, above all, of a 
 most tender, humane disposition. His benevolence 
 is extensive, even to his own detriment.' A good 
 deal more this lady says in praise of Anson, adding 
 that, though fond of society, and with a taste for 
 music, ' he is really so old-fashioned as to make 
 some profession of religion.' 
 
 Such was the character given to Anson when in 
 South Carolina, about the age of thirty-two. When 
 the ' Guarland,' or ' Garland,' was ordered to be paid 
 off, he received a commission, in February 1731, to 
 command the ' Squirrel ' on the home station, and in 
 the same ship (after a short time in the ' Diamond ' 
 4<>gun ship) he was sent back to the American coast, 
 reports having come that the settlers in various 
 places had fear of being attacked by the Spaniards. 
 In 1735 he returned to Spithead, and paid off the 
 ' Squirrel ; ' which being done, for the first time 
 during the nineteen years since he received his 
 earliest commission, he was allowed to remain be- 
 tween two and three years on shore. 
 
 The peace still nominally existing with Spain 
 was felt to be little better than an armed truce.
 
 22 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 News came continually of attacks made on British 
 merchant ships, under pretext of searching for con- 
 traband goods ; and these reports were so frequent, 
 and the testimony as to the cruelties perpetrated on 
 Englishmen when they fell into the hands of Spaniards 
 in distant parts of the world raised such indigna- 
 tion in the public mind, that the Government, after a 
 committee of enquiry, had to declare war in due 
 form against Spain. 
 
 The declaration of war was received by all ranks 
 with great joy and enthusiasm. Shortly before this, 
 and probably in view of the speedy commencement 
 of hostilities, Captain Anson, whose qualities were 
 favourably known at the Admiralty, was appointed 
 to the command of the ' Centurion,' a well-built and 
 well-appointed ship of sixty guns, with which he first 
 was sent to the coast of Africa, to protect the stations 
 there from French attacks. From thence he had 
 instructions to proceed to Barbadoes, where he might 
 expect to receive further orders. These orders were 
 to recall him home immediately. He was wanted to 
 carry out a plan for attacking the distant colonies 
 of Spain, against which country the declaration of 
 war had just been made.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EQUIPMENT OF COMMODORE ANSOWS 
 SQUADRON. 
 
 TN the latter part of the summer of 1739 it was 
 -* seen that a war with Spain was inevitable. It 
 was thought by some members of the Government 
 that, on the breaking out of that war, the best plan 
 for England to adopt was to attack the Spaniards 
 in their distant settlements beyond the seas. It was 
 supposed that thereby the chief resources of the 
 enemy would be cut off, the revenue of Spain being 
 largely obtained from its colonies ; so that by de- 
 priving the crown of that treasure the Spaniards 
 would be reduced to the necessity of sincerely desir- 
 ing peace. 
 
 The matter being brought before the Council of 
 State, it was resolved that the command of such 
 an expedition should be entrusted to George Ansori, 
 the captain of the ' Centurion,' in whom great con- 
 fidence was put for skill, daring, and prudence. He 
 being at that time absent on a cruise, a vessel was 
 despatched to his station in North America, as early
 
 24 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as the beginning of September, to order him to 
 return with his ship to Portsmouth. He got there 
 on the 8th of November, and soon after he received 
 al etter from Sir Charles Wager, directing him to 
 repair to London, to attend the Board of Admiralty. 
 On going to the Admiralty he was told by Sir 
 Charles Wager that two squadrons would be im- 
 mediately fitted out, for two secret expeditions, 
 which however would have some connexion with 
 each other ; that he was intended to command one 
 of the expeditions and Mr. Cornwall the other. 
 Mr. Anson was further told that his squadron was 
 to take on board three independent companies of a 
 hundred men each, and ' Eland's regiment of foot,' 
 and that Colonel Bland would himself embark with 
 his regiment, and have the command of the ' land- 
 forces.' As soon as this squadron could be fitted 
 for the sea they were to set sail, with express orders 
 to touch at no place till they came to Java Head in 
 the East Indies ; that they were to stop there only 
 to take in water, and thence to proceed directly to 
 the city of Manilla, situated on Luconia, one of the 
 Philippine Islands ; that the other squadron, under 
 Mr. Cornwall, of equal strength, was intended to pass 
 round Cape Horn into the South Seas ; and after 
 cruising upon the enemy in those parts, and attempt- 
 ing their settlements, the squadron on its return was 
 to rendezvous at Manilla, there to join Anson, where 
 they were to refresh their men, refit their ships,
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON'S SQUADRON. 25 
 
 and perhaps receive orders for other considerable 
 enterprises. 
 
 This scheme seemed to be extremely well projected, 
 and could not but greatly advance the public service 
 and the reputation and fortune of those concerned 
 in its execution. For if Mr. Anson proceeded to 
 Manilla at the time and in the manner proposed by 
 Sir Charles Wager, he would in all probability have 
 arrived there before any advice could be received of 
 the outbreak of war, and consequently before they 
 were prepared for the reception of an enemy, or 
 had any apprehension of their danger. The city 
 of Manilla, and indeed all the distant Spanish 
 settlements, might well be supposed to be in a 
 defenceless condition just at the outbreak of the 
 war ; their fortifications neglected, and in many 
 places decayed ; their cannon dismounted, their 
 magazines, whether of military stores or provisions, 
 all empty ; in fact, everything unprepared for hostile 
 attack. This was well known to be the state of 
 affairs, from intercepted letters from their viceroys 
 and governors, which proved the defenceless state of 
 Panama and the other places belonging to Spain on 
 the coast of the South Sea, for near a twelvemonth 
 after our declaration of war. And it cannot be 
 supposed that the city of Manilla, removed still 
 further by almost half the circumference of the globe, 
 should have received from the Spanish government 
 a greater share of attention and concern for its
 
 26 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 security than Panama, and the other important 
 ports in Peru and Chili, on which their possession 
 of that immense empire depends. Indeed, it was 
 well known that Manilla was at that time incapable 
 of making any considerable defence, and would in 
 all probability have surrendered upon the appearance 
 of an English fleet before it. The importance of 
 this city may be in some measure estimated from 
 the number and wealth of its inhabitants, and the 
 rich and extensive commerce which it carries on to 
 the principal ports in the East Indies and China, 
 and its exclusive trade to Acapulco in Mexico, the 
 returns for which, being made in silver, are, upon 
 the lowest valuation, not less than three millions of 
 dollars per annum. 
 
 Sir Charles Wager was so intent on carrying out 
 this scheme, that within a very few days after his 
 conference with Mr. Anson orders were given to the 
 Commodore to take under his command, besides his 
 own ship the ' Centurion/ the ' Argyle,' ' Severn,' 
 ' Pearl,' ' Wager,' and ' Tryal ' sloop ; and shortly 
 afterwards orders were issued relating to the victual- 
 ling of this squadron. 
 
 Everything promised well, and Mr. Anson busied 
 himself in making his own preparations for departing. 
 In the beginning of January 1740, on going to the 
 Admiralty, to his amazement he was informed by 
 Sir Charles Wager that, for reasons with which Sir 
 Charles was not acquainted, the expedition to Manilla
 
 EQUIPMEN7 OF ANSON'S SQUADRON. 27 
 
 was laid aside. It may well be conceived that the 
 Commodore was not only surprised but chagrined 
 on hearing of his losing a command so honourable, 
 and abandoning an enterprise so desirable in every 
 way, especially as he had now, at a very great 
 expense, made the necessary provision for his own 
 accommodation in this voyage, which he had reason 
 to expect would prove a very long one. However, 
 Sir Charles, to render his disappointment in some 
 degree more tolerable, informed the Commodore that 
 the other expedition, that to the South Seas, was 
 still to be undertaken, and that he and his squadron, 
 their first destination being countermanded, should 
 be employed in that service. Accordingly, on the 
 loth of January, Anson received his commission, 
 appointing him Commander-in-Chief of the afore- 
 mentioned squadron, only that the ' Gloucester ' was 
 included instead of the ' Argyle.' The change of 
 destination made no abatement in the vigour of 
 preparation, so far as the Commodore was con- 
 cerned, and he believed that the victualling and 
 other affairs were so far advanced, that he might 
 hope for speedily commencing his voyage. 
 
 It was not, however, till the 28th of June that 
 the Duke of Newcastle, Principal Secretary of State, 
 delivered to him his Majesty's instructions dated 
 January 3ist, with additional instructions from the 
 Lords Justices, dated June 29th, 1 740. On receipt 
 of these he repaired immediately to Spithead, with
 
 28 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 a resolution to sail with the first fair wind, flattering 
 himself that all his difficulties were now at an end. 
 
 Alas ! he little knew the vexatious delays and 
 disappointments yet before him. He knew that 
 about three hundred seamen were wanted for com- 
 pleting the manning of his squadron, but he expected 
 no difficulty on this point, as Sir Charles Wager 
 had told him that the Board of Admiralty "had 
 despatched an order to Sir John Norris, in command 
 of the fleet at Portsmouth, to spare the numbers 
 that were required. 
 
 On seeing Sir John Norris, however, the Admiral 
 told him he could spare none of his men, for his 
 own fleet was deficient in its musters. Soon after- 
 wards Admiral Norris left, and was succeeded in 
 the command at Spithead by Admiral Balchen. To 
 him Commodore Anson made his requisition, and 
 not till the end of July was anything done, and that 
 in a degree miserably short of his expectation or 
 requirements. Instead of three hundred able seamen, 
 the Admiral ordered on board Mr. Anson's squadron 
 one hundred and seventy men only, of whom thirty- 
 two were from the hospital and sick quarter, thirty- 
 seven from Salisbury (most probably pressed men or 
 gaol-birds), with three officers from Colonel Lowther's 
 regiment, and ninety-eight marines ; and these were 
 all that the Commodore could get towards making up 
 his deficiency of three hundred able seamen. 
 
 But the disappointment and mortification did not
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON' S SQUADRON. 29 
 
 end here. It was promised that Colonel Eland's 
 regiment, and also three independent companies 
 of a hundred men each, should embark as land 
 forces on board the fleet. This was now changed, 
 and all the land forces that were to be allowed were 
 five hundred invalids to be collected from the out- 
 pensioners of Chelsea College. As these out-pen- 
 sioners consisted of soldiers, who from age, wounds, 
 or other ailments and infirmities, were incapable of 
 service in marching regiments, Anson was much 
 chagrined at having such a decrepit detachment 
 allotted to him ; being fully persuaded that the 
 greatest part of these invalids would perish long 
 before they arrived at the scene of action, since 
 the delays already encountered necessarily confined 
 his passage round Cape Horn to the most rigorous 
 season of the year. On appealing to Sir Charles 
 Wager, that friendly adviser joined in representing 
 to the authorities that ' invalids ' were not proper 
 for their service, and urged strongly that a change 
 might yet be made in the instructions. But Sir 
 Charles got the insolent reply, that ' persons who 
 were supposed to be better judges of soldiers than 
 he or Mr. Anson thought that the Chelsea out- 
 pensioners were the properest men to be employed 
 on this occasion.' 
 
 Upon this determination they were ordered on 
 board on the 5th of August, but on that day, instead 
 of five hundred, there came on board no more than
 
 30 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 two hundred and fifty-nine ; for all those who had 
 limbs and strength to walk out of Portsmouth deserted, 
 leaving only such as were literally invalids, most of 
 them sixty and some of them upwards of seventy years 
 old. A more moving spectacle than the embarking 
 of these unhappy veterans it would be difficult to 
 conceive. They were themselves extremely averse 
 to the service they were engaged in, and fully aware 
 of the dangers and disasters they would be exposed to, 
 the apprehensions of which were visibly marked in 
 their countenances, mingled with no small degree of 
 indignation at their being thus hurried and forced 
 into a fatiguing employment, to which neither the 
 strength of their bodies nor the vigour of their minds 
 were any way proportioned ; and where the prospect 
 was, without seeing the face of an enemy, or pro- 
 moting the success of the enterprise, of probably 
 perishing by lingering or painful diseases ; and this, 
 too, after they had spent the strength and activity 
 of their life in their country's service. 
 
 It was altogether a cruel and ill-managed business 
 this employment of old Chelsea pensioners, and 
 above all that out of the whole who amounted to 
 nearly two thousand men in those times, only the 
 most feeble and useless should be called out for so 
 laborious and perilous an undertaking. Invalids and 
 pensioners were not the right class to go to for the 
 purpose, yet out of the two thousand of these there 
 might have been found five hundred men with some.
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON' S SQUADRON. 31 
 
 remains of vigour left ; and Mr. Anson might well 
 expect the best available to be chosen ; whereas the 
 whole detachment sent to him seemed to be made 
 up of the most decrepit and miserable objects out 
 of the whole number of pensioners ; and when out 
 of these the desertions cleared away the little of 
 health and strength to be found among them, those 
 left to embark were fitter for an infirmary than for 
 any military duty. 
 
 Another piece of vile mismanagement in the equip- 
 ment of the squadron must be mentioned. It was 
 proposed to Mr. Anson that he should take with him 
 two persons, under the name of Agent- Victuallers. 
 These two, recommended to Mr. Anson, had formerly 
 been in the Spanish West Indies, and the South Sea 
 Company's service, and it was supposed that by their 
 experience and their knowledge on that coast, they 
 might procure provisions and stores from the in- 
 habitants when they could not be had by force of 
 arms. They were to be allowed to carry merchan- 
 dise to the value of ^15,000, as they represented 
 that it would be easier to procure provisions with 
 goods than with the value of the same goods 
 in money. Mr. Anson had a shrewd suspicion 
 that the whole scheme was for the enriching of the 
 agents and their backers, and he objected both 
 to their appointment and to their being allowed to 
 carry a cargo on board the squadron. He conceived 
 that in those friendly ports where the squadron
 
 32 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 might touch he needed not their assistance to con- 
 tract for any provisions the place afforded ; and on 
 the enemy's coast he did not imagine that they 
 could ever procure for him the necessaries he should 
 want, unless (which he was resolved not to comply 
 with) the military operations of his squadron were to 
 be regulated by the ridiculous views of their trading 
 projects. All he thought the Government ought to 
 have done on this occasion was to put on board 
 2,000 or 3,000 worth of such goods as the 
 Indians or the Spanish planters on the less cul- 
 tivated part of the coast might be tempted with, 
 since it was in such places only it would be worth 
 while to truck with the enemy for provisions ; and in 
 these places it was evident that a very small cargo 
 would suffice. 
 
 The agents were cunning enough to meet the 
 Commodore's objections by representing to the au- 
 thorities that their object was not merely the sup- 
 plying of the squadron, but that they would have 
 opportunities of trade in new places, which might be 
 continued and increased to the benefit of the nation. 
 So they gained their object so far that the Govern- 
 ment agreed to advance them 10,000 upon imprest, 
 and the remaining 5,000 they raised on bottomry 
 bonds ; and the goods purchased with this sum were 
 all that were taken to sea by the squadron, how 
 much, however, the amount of these might after- 
 wards be magnified by common report.
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON'S SQUADRON. 33 
 
 The cargo was at first shipped on board the 
 ' Wager' store-ship, and one of the victualling ships, 
 no part being admitted on board the men-of-war. 
 But the Commodore, before sailing, considered that 
 in case the squadron should be separated, it might 
 be pretended that some of the ships were dis- 
 appointed of provisions for want of a cargo to truck 
 with, and therefore he distributed some of the least 
 bulky commodities on board the men-of-war, leaving 
 the remainder principally on board the ' Wager,' 
 where it was lost when that ship was wrecked. 
 More of the goods perished by various accidents 
 throughout the voyage, and no part was ever 
 disposed of upon the coast, so that the few that 
 came back to England, at the close of the expedition, 
 did not produce, when sold, above a fourth part of 
 the original price ; so true was the Commodore's 
 judgment on the event of this project, which some 
 had represented as sure to be productive of much 
 benefit and great gains. But to return to the 
 transactions at Portsmouth. 
 
 To supply the place of the two hundred and 
 forty invalids who deserted, as before mentioned, 
 there were ordered on board two hundred and ten 
 marines detached from different companies. These 
 were raw and undisciplined men, and had scarcely 
 anything more of the soldier than their uniform, 
 none having been so far trained as ever to have 
 fired a musket. The last detachment of these 
 
 3
 
 34 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 marines came on board on the 8th of August, and 
 on the loth the squadron sailed from Spithead to 
 St. Helen's, there to wait for a wind to carry them 
 down the Channel. 
 
 But the time of delay was not yet spent and 
 ended. They had got to that season of the year 
 when westerly winds arc very constant and very 
 violent ; and it was also thought proper that they 
 should put to sea in company with the fleet com- 
 manded by Admiral Balchen, and the expedition then 
 sailing under Lord Cathcart. As they made up in all 
 twenty one men-of-war and a hundred and twenty- 
 four sail of merchantmen and transports, they had 
 little hope of getting out of the Channel, without the 
 continuance of a fair wind, for some considerable 
 time. There was the less reason to expect this as 
 each day passed, for the time of the equinox, with its 
 gales, drew near ; so that the golden dreams of 
 possessing the treasures of Peru grew each day more 
 faint, and the difficulties and dangers of the passage 
 round Cape Horn in the winter season filled the 
 imagination in their room. 
 
 It was forty days from the arrival at St. Helen's 
 to the final departure from thence ; and even then 
 they had to tide down the Channel with a contrary 
 wind. But this interval of forty days was not free 
 from the unpleasant toil of often setting sail, and 
 being as often obliged to return, nor exempt from 
 dangers as great as have been sometimes undergone
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON'S SQUADRON. 35 
 
 going round the globe. For the wind coming fair 
 for the first time on the 2 3rd of August, they got 
 under sail, and Admiral Balchen showed himself 
 truly solicitous to have proceeded to sea, but the wind 
 soon returning to its old quarter obliged them to 
 put back to St. Helen's, not without considerable 
 hazard, and some damage received by two of the 
 transports, which, in tacking, ran foul of each other. 
 Besides this, several attempts were made to sail, 
 without better success. On the 6th of September, 
 on returning to St. Helen's after one of these fruitless 
 efforts, the wind blew so fresh that the whole fleet 
 struck their yards and topmasts to prevent driving. 
 Yet, notwithstanding this precaution, the ' Centurion ' 
 drove the next evening, and brought both cables 
 ahead, and was in no small danger of driving foul 
 of the ' Prince Frederick,' a /o-gun ship, moored 
 at a small distance astern ; though happily the 
 ' Centurion ' escaped by the ' Prince Frederick ' driv- 
 ing at the same time, and so preserving her distance. 
 The Commodore did not think himself secure till at 
 last they let go the sheet anchor, which fortunately 
 brought them up. 
 
 However, on the pth of September, Anson was 
 in some degree relieved from his vexatious inaction 
 and delay by an order received from the Lords 
 Justices at London to put to sea at the first 
 opportunity with his own squadron only if Lord 
 Cathcart should not be ready. Freed from the
 
 36 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 company of so large a fleet, the Commodore resolved 
 to weigh, and to tide it down the Channel as soon as 
 the weather became sufficiently moderated ; and this 
 easily could have been done two months sooner, if 
 the order of the Admiralty for supplying them with 
 seamen had been attended to, and had they not met 
 with the other delays that have been mentioned. 
 
 At the very last moment the hope of a speedy 
 departure was once more damped by the receipt 
 of a subsequent order, dated I2th of September, by 
 which Anson was ordered to take under his convoy 
 the ' St. Albans,' with the Turkey fleet, and to join 
 the ' Dragon ' and the ' Winchester,' with the Straits 
 and the American trade at Torbay and Plymouth, 
 and to proceed to sea as far as their way and his lay 
 together. This incumbrance of a convoy gave the 
 Commodore some uneasiness, as he feared it might 
 be the means of lengthening the passage to the 
 Madeira Islands. However, having now the com- 
 mand to himself, he resolved to adhere to his former 
 determination to tide it down the Channel with the 
 first moderate weather ; and that the junction with 
 the convoy might occasion as little loss of time as 
 possible, he sent directions to Torbay that the fleets 
 he was to take charge of might be in readiness to 
 join him instantly on his approach. And at last, on 
 the 1 8th of September, he weighed from St. Helen's ; 
 and though the wind was at first contrary, he had the 
 good fortune to get clear of the Channel in four days.
 
 EQUIPMENT OF ANSON' S SQUADRON. 37 
 
 If there has been much to say about the difficulties 
 encountered by Commodore Anson in the equipment 
 of his squadron and the setting out on his expedi- 
 tion, we shall be ready to give to him the greater 
 honour for the successful issue of a voyage begun 
 under such untoward conditions. Instead of the 
 ships being fully manned with able seamen, a de- 
 ficiency of three hundred had to be made up by a 
 hundred and seventy men, mostly composed of in- 
 valids discharged from hospitals and marines who 
 had never been at sea before. And as to the land 
 forces, instead of the promised three companies of 
 a hundred soldiers each, and Eland's regiment of 
 foot, there were sent on board less than five hundred 
 invalids and marines, many of them useless from 
 age and from infirmity, and others from ignorance 
 of their duty. Worse than the deficient strength of 
 the expedition for so great a service, was the vex- 
 atious delay in starting, whereby the Commodore 
 was compelled to make his passage round Cape 
 Horn in the most tempestuous season of the year, 
 and so court disaster to some of his ships. By this 
 delay, too, the Spaniards had time to learn all about 
 the intended expedition, and not only to send out 
 orders to prepare places for attack, but they actually 
 fitted out a powerful fleet, which started before 
 Anson sailed, and was ready to watch and oppose 
 his movements.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE PASSAGE FROM ST. HELEN'S TO THE 
 ISLAND OF MADEIRA. 
 
 the 1 8th September, 1740, Commodore 
 Anson's squadron weighed from St. Helen's. 
 The squadron consisted of five men-of-war and two 
 victualling ships. The men-of-war were the ' Cen- 
 turion,' of 60 guns, 400 men, George Anson Com- 
 mander; the 'Gloucester,' of 50 guns, 300 men, 
 Richard Norris Commander; the 'Severn,' of 50 
 guns, 300 men, the Hon. Edward Legge Com- 
 mander ; the ' Pearl,' of 40 guns, 250 men, Matthew 
 Mitchel Commander ; the ' Wager ' (armed store- 
 ship), 28 guns, 1 60 men, Dandy Kidd Commander; 
 the ' Tryal ' sloop, 8 guns, 100 men, the Hon. John 
 Murray Commander ; the two victuallers were pinks 
 (a kind of ship so called, from the French pinque], 
 the largest 400, and the other 200 tons burden. 
 These victualling pinks were to attend the squadron 
 till the provisions taken on board were consumed so 
 far as to make room for the additional stores carried 
 by them, when they were to be discharged. 
 
 Besides the complement of men borne by the
 
 FROM ST. HELEN'S TO MADEIRA. 39 
 
 ships, as enumerated above, there were embarked on 
 board the squadron about four hundred and seventy 
 invalids and marines, under the denomination of 
 Land Forces, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Cracherode. 
 
 With this squadron, together with the 'St. Albans' 
 and the ' Lark,' and the trade under their convoy, 
 the Commodore, on weighing from St. Helen's, tided 
 it down the Channel for the first forty-eight hours ; 
 and on the 2Oth, in the morning, discovered, off the 
 Ram Head, the ' Dragon,' ' Winchester,' ' South Sea 
 Castle/ and ' Rye,' with a number of merchantmen 
 under their convoy. These all joined the Commo- 
 dore's squadron, his orders being to see them as far 
 into the sea as their course agreed. On coming in 
 sight of this last-mentioned fleet, Mr. Anson first 
 hoisted his broad pendant, and was saluted by all 
 the men-of-war in company. 
 
 There were now together eleven men-of-war, and 
 about a hundred and fifty sail of merchantmen, 
 consisting of the Turkey, Straits, and the American 
 trade. Mr. Anson the same day made a signal for 
 all the captains of the men-of-war to come on board 
 the ' Centurion,' when he delivered to them their 
 sailing and fighting instructions. At noon of the 
 2 ist September, with a fair wind, they stood towards 
 the south-west, and on that day had run forty 
 leagues from the Ram Head, and were well clear of 
 the land. The Commodore gave orders to Captain
 
 40 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Mitchel of the ' Pearl ' to sail two leagues ahead 
 of the fleet every morning, and to repair to his 
 station every evening. So they proceeded till the 
 25th, when the ' Winchester ' and the American con- 
 voy made the concerted signal for 'leave to separate, 
 which, being answered by the Commodore, they left, 
 to cross the Atlantic. The ' St. Albans ' and the 
 ' Dragon,' with the Turkey fleet, did the same on 
 the 2 pth, after which, the squadron consisting only 
 of their own ships, attended by the victuallers, kept 
 on the course for the island of Madeira. The winds, 
 however, were so contrary, that it was not till 
 Monday, October the 25th, that they came to 
 anchor in the Bay of Funchal in Madeira. From 
 St. Helen's they had been forty days in the passage, 
 though it was often done in those times in ten or 
 twelve days. The hope of making up at sea for the 
 loss of time at Spithead and St. Helen's was thus 
 shattered, and there was naturally a good deal of 
 depression and ill-humour, of which those only can 
 have an adequate idea who have had experience of 
 a like situation. The previous delays would have 
 been forgotten had there been a quick and pro- 
 sperous passage, but the long, lingering voyage, with 
 foul weather and contrary winds, intensified the 
 peevishness and despondency. However, it was a 
 pleasant change and refreshing rest on reaching 
 Madeira. 
 
 Here they remained about a week, watering the
 
 FROM ST. HELEN'S TO MADEIRA. 41 
 
 ships, and providing the squadron with wine and 
 other refreshments ; for the excellence of the wines 
 of the island was already known throughout the 
 world. The water was taken to the ships in 
 Portuguese boats, the violence of the surf always 
 breaking upon the shingle of the Bay of Funchal 
 preventing ordinary boats from risking a landing. 
 On the 3rd of November, Captain Norris of the 
 ' Gloucester ' signified by letter to the Commodore 
 his desire to quit the command, and to return home, 
 on account of broken health. The resignation was 
 accepted, and Captain Mitchel was appointed to com- 
 mand the ' Gloucester ' in his stead, and at the same 
 time Captain Kidd was removed from the ' Wager ' 
 to the ' Pearl,' and Captain Murray from the ' Tryal ' 
 to the 'Wager,' giving the command of the ' Tryal' to 
 Lieutenant Cheap (who was subsequently captain 
 of the ' Wager '). These promotions being settled, 
 the Commodore, on the next day, gave to the 
 captains their orders, and appointed St. Jago, one 
 of the Cape de Verde Islands, the first place of 
 rendezvous in case of separation. If they did not 
 meet the ' Centurion ' there, they were to make the 
 best of their way to the island of St. Catherine, on 
 the coast of Brazil. In the afternoon they weighed 
 anchor and left the island of Madeira. 
 
 Before he left, the Commodore visited the Governor, 
 and from him received the information that for 
 several days in the latter end of October a fleet of
 
 42 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 seven or eight ships of the line appeared to the 
 west, with a light-sailing patachc, which was sent 
 every day close in to make the land. The Governor 
 assured the Commodore that none upon the island 
 had given any intelligence, or even communicated 
 with them, but that he believed they were French 
 or Spanish ships, most probably Spanish. Anson 
 sent a sloop eight leagues to the westward, to 
 reconnoitre, and discover, if possible, what they 
 were ; but the officers returned without being able 
 to get a sight of them, so that they remained 
 still in uncertainty. It was concluded, however, 
 that this was a Spanish squadron sent out to 
 intercept Commodore Anson, which might have 
 been done had they cruised on the east instead of 
 the west of the island. They also supposed that 
 the Spaniards had sailed on hearing of the de- 
 parture of Anson from Spithead in company with 
 Admiral Balchen's and Lord Cathcart's expedition; 
 and that fearing they would be overmatched by so 
 large an English fleet, they waited till the other ships 
 and their convoys had left, and Anson's squadron 
 was approaching Madeira. At a later period they 
 were certain that this was the Spanish fleet under 
 Don Joseph Pizarro, fitted out and sent on purpose 
 to thwart the views and enterprises of Anson's 
 expedition. They failed to do so, and themselves 
 underwent terrible catastrophes, so that of the whole 
 squadron only one ship, the ' Asia,' returned to
 
 FROM ST. HELEN'S TO MADEIRA. 43 
 
 Europe. The adventures and the disasters of this 
 Spanish squadron were of so striking a character 
 that the story is worth here briefly telling. They 
 never actually came into^ collision with Anson's 
 squadron, though sometimes very near doing so. 
 The story is in itself interesting, and so far bearing 
 upon Anson's affairs, that the losses sustained by 
 Pizarro's expedition greatly weakened the power of 
 the Spaniards, and prevented them putting forth all 
 their strength in the war with England.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO'S FLEET. 
 
 / TT % HE squadron fitted out by the Spanish Court to 
 -- watch that of Anson was under the command 
 of Don Joseph Pizarro. It was composed of the 
 following men-of-war : 
 
 The ' Asia,' 66 guns, 700 men ; the ' Guipuscoa,' 
 74 guns, 700 men ; the ' Hermione,' 54 guns, 
 500 men; the ' Esperanza,' 50 guns, 450 men; 
 the ' Estevas,' 40 guns, 350 men ; and a patache 
 of 20 guns. 
 
 The ' Asia ' was the Admiral's ship. Besides their 
 complement of sailors and marines, the ship had on 
 board a veteran Spanish regiment of foot, intended 
 to reinforce the garrisons on the coast of the South 
 Seas. 
 
 On leaving Madeira, this fleet steered for the 
 River La Plata, where they arrived on January 5th 
 (O.S.), 1741. Anchoring in the Bay of Maldonado at 
 the mouth of that river, the Admiral sent to Buenos 
 Ayres for a supply of provisions, his fleet being 
 victualled for only four months. Through the
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO' S FLEET. 45 
 
 treachery of the Portuguese Governor of St. Cathe- 
 rine's, Pizarro received intelligence of Anson having 
 arrived at that island on the 2ist December 
 preceding, and of his preparing to set again to sea 
 with the utmost expedition. Pizarro, either from 
 instructions, or for personal reasons, sought to avoid 
 the English squadron till they could meet in the 
 South Seas. He was anxious to get round Cape 
 Horn before the English. Notwithstanding his haste 
 to effect this, not waiting for what he had been sent 
 to Buenos Ayres for, Anson put to sea from St. 
 Catherine's four days before him ; but so close did 
 the fleets get before getting round the Cape, that 
 one of Anson's ships, the ' Pearl,' being separated 
 from the others, got within gun-shot of the ' Asia,' 
 which was mistaken for the ' Centurion,' and had a 
 narrow escape of being taken. In fact, the Spanish 
 Admiral had got knowledge of the form and make 
 of the English Commodore's broad pendant, and in 
 that way decoyed the ' Pearl ' to come nearer ; and it 
 was only by the firing from the ' Asia ' that the 
 captain of the Pearl was undeceived. 
 
 Pizarro, with his squadron, having toward the end 
 of February run the distance of Cape Horn, then stood 
 to the westward in order to double it ; but in the 
 night of the last day of the month three of the 
 ships were separated from the Admiral, and a day 
 or two after a furious storm came on at north-west, 
 which drove the whole squadron to the eastward, and
 
 46 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the Admiral was compelled to bear away for the 
 River La Plata, where he arrived in the ' Asia ' about 
 the middle of May. Shortly after the ' Esperanza ' 
 and the ' Estevas ' joined him. The ' Hermione ' 
 was never again seen, and is supposed to have 
 foundered at sea. The ' Guipuscoa ' was run ashore 
 and sunk on the coast of Brazil. 
 
 In addition to the calamities from wreck, sick- 
 ness, and other causes common to both the English 
 and Spanish squadrons, the Spaniards suffered the 
 utmost extremities of famine. Starting at first with 
 every provision for four months, and hastening from 
 St. Catherine's without waiting for supplies from 
 Buenos Ayres, as already mentioned, when the voyage 
 was afterwards prolonged beyond expectation, the 
 crews were reduced to the utmost distress by scarcity 
 of food. Rats when caught were sold for four 
 dollars apiece ; and a sailor who died on board had 
 his death concealed for some days by his brother, 
 who, during that time, lay in the same hammock 
 with the corpse, only to receive the dead's allow- 
 ance of food. Through all this distress, the three 
 ships which escaped the storm lost the greatest part 
 of their men. The ' Asia,' the Admiral's ship, 
 arrived at Monte Video, in the River Plate, with only 
 half her crew ; the ' Estevas ' lost as many .; and the 
 ' Esperanza ' was still more unfortunate, for out of 
 four hundred and fifty hands which she brought out 
 of Spain only fifty-eight remained alive, and the
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO' S FLEET. 47 
 
 whole regiment of foot perished except sixty men. 
 Many of the details of the disasters of the squadron 
 became known afterwards to Commodore Anson 
 through a letter from the Captain of the ' Gui- 
 puscoa ' to a person of distinction at Lima, a copy 
 of which fell into his hands somewhere during the 
 cruise in the South Seas. 
 
 From Buenos Ayres the Spanish Admiral sent 
 letters by an Indian across the Cordilleras to St. 
 Jago in Chili, to forward report of his condition 
 to the Governor of Peru, and solicit the remittance 
 of 200,000 dollars to victual and refit the remain- 
 ing three ships of the squadron. The governor sent 
 half of the sum asked, and said he had difficulty in 
 raising that amount. Advice boats were also sent 
 to Rio Janeiro, which brought back a considerable 
 quantity of pitch, tar, and cordage, but the Admiral 
 was unable to get masts from Paraguay, the car- 
 penter entrusted with money to get masts cut not 
 executing the commission entrusted to him, but 
 marrying in the country and refusing to return. By 
 removing the masts of the ' Esperanza ' into the 
 'Asia,' and making the best shift possible with spare 
 masts and yards, the ' Asia ' and the ' Estevas ' were 
 to some extent refitted. 
 
 In the October following Pizarro was preparing 
 to put to sea with these two ships, and make a second 
 attempt to round Cape Horn, when the ' Estevas ' 
 ran aground in coming down the River Plate, and had
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to be abandoned and broken up, the Admira pro- 
 ceeding to sea with the ' Asia ' only ; but again 
 meeting with stormy weather, he was forced to 
 return to the River Plate in great distress. 
 
 The ' Asia ' having suffered much damage, the 
 ' Esperanza,' which had been left behind at Monte 
 Video, was ordered to be refitted, the command being 
 given to Mindinuetta, captain of the ' Guipuscoa ' 
 when she was lost. In November 1742 Mindinu- 
 etta sailed, and managed to get round safe to 
 the coast of Chili, where Pizarro, passing overland 
 from Buenos Ayres, met him. On claiming to 
 resume the supreme command Pizarro was resisted 
 by Mindinuetta, who said as he had brought the 
 ' Esperanza ' round, and as he had arrived in the 
 South Seas under no superior, he was entitled to 
 retain the command. However, the President of 
 Chili interposed, and Pizarro was declared to be 
 still the commander. The ' Esperanza ' was so 
 much damaged that she was incapable of any useful 
 service, and the two captains had to remain in 
 Chili in enforced inaction. 
 
 Tiring of this they went back by land to Buenos 
 Ayres, in the year 1743, and at Monte Video they 
 found the ' Asia,' which they had left there nearly 
 three years before. Resolving to return with her to 
 Europe, they refitted her in the best manner they 
 could ; but there was difficulty in procuring a suffi- 
 cient number of hands to navigate her, the whole of
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO'S FLEET. 49 
 
 the remaining sailors of the squadron to be met 
 with in the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres not 
 amounting to one hundred. They sought to supply 
 the deficiency by taking on board some English 
 prisoners, some Portuguese smugglers, and a band 
 of ten Indians, with their Chief Orellana, who had 
 been surprised and captured by a party of Spanish 
 soldiers three months before. 
 
 With this motley crew all of them, except the 
 European Spaniards, extremely averse to the voyage 
 Don Joseph Pizarro set sail from Monte Video, in 
 the River Plate, about the beginning of November 
 1745. The Spaniards, being no strangers to the dis- 
 satisfaction of their forced men, treated them, and 
 the English prisoners, and the Indians alike with great 
 insolence and barbarity ; but more especially the 
 Indians ; for it was common for the pettiest officers 
 in the ship to beat them most cruelly on the slightest 
 pretences, and sometimes apparently only to exert 
 their superiority. Orellana and his followers, though 
 outwardly sufficiently patient and submissive, medi- 
 tated a terrible revenge for all these inhumanities. 
 As he conversed very well in Spanish (those Indians 
 having in time of peace much intercourse with 
 Buenos Ayres) he affected to talk with such of the 
 English as understood that language, and seemed 
 very desirous of being informed how many English- 
 men there were on board, and which they were. As 
 he knew that the English were as much enemies to 
 
 4
 
 50 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the Spaniards as he himself was, he had doubtless 
 an intention of disclosing his purposes to them, and 
 making them partners in the scheme he had pro- 
 jected for revenging his wrongs, and recovering his 
 liberty. But having cautiously sounded some of the 
 English, and not finding them so ready to listen to 
 his scheme, nor so revengeful as he expected, he 
 proceeded no further with them, but resolved to 
 trust alone to the action of his ten faithful followers. 
 These willingly agreed to observe his directions, and 
 to execute whatever commands he gave them ; and 
 having been put in possession of Orellana's plans, 
 they made preparations for carrying them out. 
 They first furnished themselves with sharp-pointed 
 Dutch knives, which they had no difficulty in pro- 
 curing, as being the common knives used in the ship. 
 Thus they employed their leisure in secretly cutting 
 out thongs from raw hides, of which there were great 
 numbers on board, and in fixing to each end of these 
 thongs the double-headed shot of the small quarter- 
 deck guns. This, when swung round their heads, 
 according to the practice of their country, was a 
 most mischievous weapon, in the use of which the 
 Indians about Buenos Ayres are trained from their 
 infancy, and consequently are extremely expert. 
 
 These preparations being in good forwardness, 
 the execution of the scheme was perhaps precipitated 
 by a particular outrage committed on Orellana him- 
 self. One of the officers, who was a very tyrannical,
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZ ARROWS FLEET. 51 
 
 brutal fellow, ordered Orellana aloft, which, being 
 what he was incapable of performing, the officer, 
 under pretence of his disobedience, struck him with 
 such violence that he left him bleeding on the deck, 
 and stupefied for some time with his bruises and 
 wounds. This treatment undoubtedly heightened 
 his desire for revenge, and made him eager and 
 impatient till the means of executing it were in his 
 power, which was only a day or two after. 
 
 It was about nine in the evening, when many of 
 the principal officers were on the quarter-deck, 
 enjoying the fresh night air ; the waist of the ship 
 was filled with live cattle, and the forecastle was 
 manned with its customary watch. Orellana and 
 his companions, under cover of the darkness, having 
 prepared their weapons, and thrown off whatever of 
 their clothing might encumber them, came in a body 
 on the quarter-deck, and drew toward the door of 
 the great cabin. The boatswain first saw them, and 
 ordered them to be gone. On this Orellana spoke 
 to his followers in their own language, when four of 
 them drew off, two towards each gangway, and the 
 chief, with the other six, seemed to be slowly quit- 
 ting the quarter-deck. When the detached Indians 
 had taken their position at the gangways, Orellana 
 placed his hands hollow to his mouth, and uttered 
 the loud hoarse war-cry used by these savages. 
 This hideous yell was the signal for beginning the 
 massacre ; for on this they all drew their knives or
 
 52 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 brandished their thongs with double-headed shot. 
 The six, with their chief, immediately fell on the 
 Spaniards, quickly laying nearly forty at their feet, 
 of whom twenty were killed on the spot, and the 
 rest stunned or disabled. Many of the officers at 
 the outbreak of the tumult pushed into the great 
 cabin, where they put out the lights, and barricaded 
 the door ; while of the others who had avoided the 
 first fury of the Indians, some endeavoured to escape 
 along the gangways into the forecastle, but most of 
 these were stabbed by the Indians as they attempted 
 to pass, or were forced off the gangways into the 
 waist of the ship among the cattle ; others threw 
 themselves over the barricades into the waists, seek- 
 ing to conceal themselves among the cattle there. 
 The greater number escaped at the moment up the 
 main shrouds, and sheltered themselves either in the 
 tops or rigging. And though the Indians attacked 
 only the quarter-deck, the watch in the forecastle, 
 finding their communication cut off, and being 
 terrified by the wounds of the few who, not being 
 killed on the spot, had strength left to reach the 
 forecastle, and not knowing who their enemies were, 
 being seized with a panic, gave all over for lost, and 
 in confusion ran up into the rigging of the foremast 
 and bowsprit. 
 
 Thus these eleven Indians, by their craft and 
 daring, actually possessed themselves almost in a 
 few moments of the quarter-deck of a ship mounting
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRV S FLEET. 53 
 
 sixty-six guns, and manned with nearly five hundred 
 hands, and continued for a considerable time in 
 possession of the post they had so suddenly gained. 
 For the officers in the great cabin (among whom 
 were Pizarro and Mindinuetta), the crew between 
 decks, and those who had escaped into the tops and 
 rigging, were only anxious about their own safety, 
 and were for a long time incapable of forming any 
 project for suppressing the insurrection, the nature 
 and extent of which they yet were unaware of. 
 The yells of the Indians, the groans of the 
 wounded, and the confused cries and clamour of the 
 crew, all heightened by the obscurity of the night, 
 had at first greatly magnified their danger, and 
 filled them with the imaginary terrors which dark- 
 ness, disorder, and ignorance of the real strength of 
 an enemy never fail to produce. For, as the 
 Spaniards were aware of the disaffection of the 
 pressed hands, and were also conscious of their 
 barbarity to their prisoners, they imagined that the 
 conspiracy was general, and considered their own 
 destruction so certain that some were ready to leap 
 into the sea to avoid a worse death, but were 
 prevented by their companions. 
 
 However, when the Indians had entirely cleared 
 the quarter-deck, the tumult in a great measure 
 subsided ; for those who had escaped the first 
 attacks were now kept silent by their fears, and the 
 Indians were incapable of following them aloft.
 
 54 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Orellana, when he saw himself master of the quarter- 
 deck, broke open the arms-chest, which, in view of 
 the possibility of mutiny, had been ordered there a 
 few days before, as to a place of greater security. 
 Here, he took for granted, he would find cutlasses 
 sufficient for himself and his companions, in the use 
 of which weapon they were all extremely skilful, 
 and with these they proposed to force the great 
 cabin. But on opening the chest they saw nothing 
 but fire-arms, which to them were of no use. There 
 were indeed cutlasses in the chest, but they were 
 hidden by the fire-arms laid over them ; and this was 
 fortunate for the Spaniards, as it was disappointing 
 to the Indians. 
 
 By this time the Admiral and his officers in the 
 great cabin were capable of conversing aloud, 
 through the cabin windows and portholes, with 
 those in the gun-room and between decks. From 
 them they learned that the English prisoners, whom 
 they had chiefly suspected of being at the bottom of 
 all this insurrection, were all safe below, and had not 
 intermeddled in the mutiny, and by further enquiry 
 they ascertained that none were concerned in it but 
 Orellana and his people. 
 
 Upon this, Pizarro and the officers resolved to 
 attack them on the quarter-deck at once, before any 
 of the other malcontents on board should so far 
 recover from their first surprise as to reflect on 
 the facility and certainty of seizing the ship by a
 
 STORY OF DON JOSEPH PIZARRO' S FLEET. 55 
 
 junction with the Indians in the present emergency. 
 With this view Pizarro distributed whatever arms 
 were in the cabin to those who were with him ; but 
 there were no other fire-arms to be found but pistols, 
 and for these they had neither powder nor ball. 
 However, having now got communication with the 
 gun-room, they lowered a bucket out of the cabin 
 window, into which the gunner, out of one of the 
 gun-room ports, put a quantity of pistol cartridges. 
 Having thus procured ammunition and loaded their 
 pistols, they set the cabin-door partly open, and 
 fired several shots among the Indians on the quarter- 
 deck, at first without effect ; but at last Captain 
 Mindinuetta had the good fortune to shoot Orellana 
 dead on the spot, on which his faithful companions, 
 abandoning all hope of further resistance, leaped 
 into the sea, and all of them perished. Thus was 
 this insurrection quelled, and the possession of the 
 quarter-deck regained, after it had been full two 
 hours in the power of this daring chief and his 
 brave band of Indians. 
 
 Having escaped this crowning peril, Pizarro, with- 
 out other adventure or mishap, steered for Europe, 
 and arrived on the coast of Gallicia in the beginning 
 of the year 1 746, having been absent between four 
 and five years. The result of the whole expedition, 
 by his mission to thwart that of Anson, may be thus 
 briefly stated : four fine ships of war were utterly 
 lost, and another disabled so as to be unfit for
 
 56 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 further service, as well as the patache of twenty 
 guns. Above three thousand hands, the flower of 
 the Spanish navy, perished ; and the ' Asia,' alone 
 of the whole squadron, with less than one hundred 
 hands, returned to Europe. The weakening of the 
 naval power of Spain to this considerable amount, 
 and the great loss of treasure as well as of life, 
 may be reckoned as part of the service done to 
 England by the equipment of Anson's expedition. 
 Having thus given a summary of the history of 
 Don Joseph Pizarro's adventures and disasters, let us 
 now return to the narration of Anson's voyage.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FROM MADEIRA TO ST. CATHERINE'S, OFF THE 
 COAST OF BRAZIL, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF 
 THAT ISLAND. 
 
 "OEFORE leaving Madeira, on the 3rd of Novem- 
 -^ her, Commodore Anson had given orders to 
 the captains to rendezvous at St. Jago, one of the 
 Cape de Verde Islands. But on the next day, 
 when at sea, the Commodore, considering that the 
 season was now far advanced, and that there might 
 be unnecessary delay at St. Jago, thought proper to 
 alter the place of first rendezvous, which was now 
 ordered to the island of St. Catherine, off the coast 
 of Brazil. 
 
 In crossing the Atlantic it was observed that the 
 accounts given of the direction and the strength of 
 the trade winds were not in accordance altogether 
 with what they experienced. Considerable variations 
 were found, both in respect to the steadiness of the 
 winds and the quarters from whence they blew. 
 But as these matters, both concerning winds and 
 currents in various parts of the ocean, are now more 
 fully ascertained by modern navigators, especially
 
 58 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 since the publication of the works of Captain Maury, 
 and the more elaborate charts of recent times, it is 
 of little use to transcribe details of what Anson 
 observed. 
 
 On Friday, 28th of November, they crossed the 
 equinoctial, with a fine fresh gale at S.E., being then 
 in the longitude of 27 59' west from London. 'On 
 the loth of December, being by their reckonings 
 in the latitude of 20 S. and 36 30' longitude west 
 from London, the ' Tryal ' fired a gun as signal to 
 denote soundings. They found sixty fathom water, 
 the bottom coarse ground with broken shells. This 
 was the sounding made by the ' Centurion.' The 
 ' Tryal,' being ahead, had at one time thirty-seven 
 fathom, afterwards increasing to ninety, and then 
 she found no bottom, which happened also to the 
 ' Centurion ' at a second trial with a hundred and 
 fifty fathom line. This was the shoal laid down on 
 the charts by the name of the Abrollos, upon the 
 edge of which they seemed to be ; perhaps further 
 in this shoal might be dangerous. 
 
 When their reckoning made them about eighty 
 leagues from Cape Frio, they altered their course, 
 standing more to the southward. They found a 
 considerable current setting to the southward after 
 passing the latitude of 16 south. And the same 
 current was observed all along the coast of Brazil, 
 even south of the River Plate, amounting sometimes 
 to above thirty miles in twenty-four hours, which
 
 FROM MADEIRA TO ST. CATHERINE'S. 59 
 
 caused Commodore Anson to express a strong wish 
 for the more full and accurate observation and record 
 of ocean currents, such as is now happily the case in 
 modern charts. 
 
 A more pressing anxiety with the Commodore 
 was the condition of his crew. In the long passage 
 to Madeira only two men died from sickness ; but 
 in the voyage from Madeira to St. Catherine's many 
 died, and great numbers were confined to their 
 hammocks unfit for duty, and this in all of the ships- 
 The complaints were of the febrile nature, usually 
 called in those times ' calentures,' the attacks being 
 often fatal, and always leaving a dangerous state of 
 weakness, along with griping and fluxes. As these 
 complaints increased daily at sea, it was with great 
 joy that the coast of Brazil was descried early in the 
 morning of the i6th of December. The coast when 
 first sighted was about seventeen leagues distant. 
 Standing in toward land, they steered between the 
 north point of St. Catherine's, and the adjoining 
 island of Alvarado, and when the soundings decreased 
 to twelve fathom they came to anchor, on the 
 evening of the iSth. The approach of the squadron 
 had evidently caused alarm, for guns were fired from 
 the two forts of Santa Cruz and St. Juan, one on 
 the island and the other on the mainland, the forts 
 apparently being to prevent an enemy passing be- 
 tween St. Catherine's and the mainland. 
 
 To prevent confusion, the Commodore immediately
 
 60 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 sent a boat with an officer on shore to pay respects 
 to the Governor, and desire a pilot to carry them 
 into the road. The Governor sent a very civil 
 answer, and ordered a pilot, who brought them to 
 anchor in five and a half fathom water, in a large 
 and commodious bay on the continent side, called 
 by the French ' Bon Port.' Next morning the 
 squadron weighed, in order to run above the two 
 forts, saluting that of Santa Cruz with eleven guns 
 in passing, the salute being answered with an equal 
 number from the fort. 
 
 On the 2 1st December the whole squadron moored 
 at St. Catherine's, in a position which seemed safe 
 and convenient for getting the sick men on shore, 
 about whom the Commodore was now extremely 
 concerned. Orders were given for two tents to be 
 erected by each ship, one for the reception of the 
 diseased, and the other for the surgeon and his 
 assistants. About eighty were landed from the 
 ' Centurion,' and nearly the same proportion from 
 the other ships, according to the number of their 
 hands. Work was at once commenced of thorough 
 cleansing, scraping the decks, fumigating with burn- 
 ing wood and tar, and doing everything to correct 
 the offensiveness of the condition of the ships. 
 The next employment was wooding and watering 
 the squadron, caulking the ships' sides and planks, 
 overhauling the rigging, and securing the masts, 
 as far as possible, for the tempestuous weather
 
 FROM MADEIRA TO S7. CATHERINE'S. 61 
 
 expected in the passage round Cape Horn at so late 
 a season of the year. 
 
 The island of St. Catherine's, or rather the group 
 of islands of which it is the largest, can boast of 
 great fertility of soil and abundance of vegetation, 
 but the climate is close and humid, and fevers and 
 other tropical diseases are frequent. The chief island 
 is about nine leagues long, but only two in breadth. 
 In early times of the Portuguese settlement of 
 Brazil, these islands were made a retreat for all 
 sorts of vagabonds and outlaws, and these used 
 to have a captain or leader of their own choice, 
 to whom some subjection was made ; but when 
 the place came to be more populated, and ships of 
 other nations touched on their way to the South 
 Seas, the Portuguese sent a regular governor, with 
 various officials, and a garrison of soldiers. The 
 writer of Anson's narrative gives lengthened descrip- 
 tions of the islands, and also of the great Portuguese 
 colony of Brazil, with its gold and diamond mines, 
 which then brought wealth to the mother-country. 
 But the subsequent history of Brazil has so com- 
 pletely altered the position of affairs that little 
 information of a useful or interesting kind is to 
 be gathered from these old accounts of the land 
 and its people. 
 
 The recovery of the sick, the repair of the ships, 
 and other necessary business, especially the refitting 
 and securing of the masts, for which it was difficult
 
 62 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to obtain proper materials, took up longer time than 
 the Commodore anticipated, and a month, instead 
 of a fortnight, was passed in these occupations. 
 They were all glad to leave St. Catherine's, and the 
 neighbourhood of Brazil. The Portuguese are a 
 people ever found to be crafty and treacherous, and 
 as to the climate, its healthiness had been overrated 
 by former voyagers. The ' Centurion ' buried twenty- 
 eight men in the time they were there, and the number 
 of sick did not diminish, but increased from eighty 
 to nearly a hundred. When the tents on shore 
 were struck, and everything was ready for departure, 
 the Commodore made signal for all the captains 
 to come to him, and their orders were delivered, 
 containing the successive places of rendezvous from 
 thence to the coast of China. Then, on the next 
 day, January iSth, the signal was made for weigh- 
 ing and the squadron put to sea, well pleased to 
 leave St. Catherine's, though it might be said to 
 be the last friendly port to touch at, and the voyage 
 was now to be made into hostile and inhospitable 
 regions.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 COMMODORE ANSON'S PLANS FOR THE YOYAGE 
 TO THE SOUTH SEAS. 
 
 T N the orders delivered to the captains of the 
 -- squadron before leaving St. Catherine's, the first 
 place of rendezvous was to be the bay of Port 
 St. Julian. This place was known chiefly from the 
 account of it given by Sir John Narborough, who 
 was sent out by King Charles II. expressly to 
 examine these regions and the Straits of Magellan. 
 He wintered at St. Julian and Port Desire in 1670. 
 At St. Julian the captains of Anson's ships were to 
 wait for ten days, even if the Commodore did not 
 join them, and he made promise that, if his own 
 ship possibly were disabled from getting round 
 Cape Horn the expedition should not be abandoned. 
 They were thence to proceed through the Straits 
 Le Maire, round Cape Horn, into the South Seas, 
 where the first place of rendezvous was to be the 
 island of Nostra Senora del Socoro, in latitude 45 
 south, and longitude from the Lizard 71 12' west. 
 They were to cruise from five to twelve leagues, as
 
 64 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 long as their wood and water would permit, and if 
 a fresh supply should be necessary they were to 
 stand in and seek for suitable anchoring places. If 
 the weather made it dangerous to supply the ships 
 by standing off and on, they were to make the best 
 of their way to' the island of Juan Fernandez, in 
 the latitude of 33 37' south. At that island, after 
 recruiting their wood and water, they were to con- 
 tinue cruising off the anchoring place for fifty-six 
 days, after which, if not joined by the Commodore, 
 they might conclude that some accident had befallen 
 him, and they were forthwith to put themselves 
 under the command of the senior officer, who was 
 thereafter to use his utmost efforts to annoy the 
 enemy both by sea and land. 
 
 With this design, the new commander of the 
 expedition was to remain in these seas as long as 
 his provisions lasted, or as they could be recruited 
 by what they captured from the Spaniards, reserving 
 only a sufficient quantity to carry the fleet to Macao, 
 at the entrance of the river of Canton on the coast 
 of China, where, having supplied himself with a new 
 stock of provisions, the Commander was to make 
 the best of his way to England. The captain of 
 the victualling-ship, the ' Anna ' pink, was to put 
 himself under the orders of the new Commodore, 
 for it had as yet been found impossible to unload 
 her stores for the ships of the fleet. The other 
 victualler, the 'Industry' pink, had been unloaded
 
 COMMODORE ANSON'S PLANS. 65 
 
 and dismissed soon after leaving Madeira, parting 
 company at sea, and making for Barbadoes, there 
 to get another cargo to take home. Most of the 
 officers wrote letters by the ' Industry,' but they 
 never reached their destination, the vessel having 
 been taken by the Spaniards. 
 
 After passing the latitude of the River Plate, the 
 same strong currents southward were noticed as 
 before. Soundings were carefully taken all along 
 the coast of Patagonia. The ships were frequently 
 separated during the passage southward, and it was 
 on one of these occasions that the ' Pearl ' reported 
 having been chased by a hostile fleet, consisting of 
 two ships of seventy guns, two of fifty, and one of 
 forty guns. Captain Kidd, of the ' Pearl,' had died 
 on the 3 ist of January. 
 
 On reaching St. Julian's Bay, all the shisp were 
 together, but the ' Tryal ' was in need of so much 
 refitting, that the Commodore was detained longer 
 than would have been otherwise expedient. But 
 that sloop could never have got round the Cape as 
 she was. The main-mast had been carried away, 
 about twelve feet below the cap, and the remaining 
 part had to serve again, while the ' Wager ' was 
 ordered to supply her with a spar main-top-mast, 
 which the carpenters converted into a new fore- mast 
 It was found afterwards that the lessening the height 
 of the masts was an advantage in these boisterous 
 glimates. 
 
 5
 
 66 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 While staying at St. Julian the Commodore ap- 
 pointed the Hon. Captain Murray to succeed to the 
 ' Pearl,' and Captain Cheap to the ' Wager,' and he 
 promoted Mr. C. Saunders, his first lieutenant, to 
 the command of the ' Tryal ' sloop. But as Captain 
 Saunders was lying dangerously ill of a fever on 
 board the ' Centurion,' and the surgeons thought his 
 removal might be dangerous, the Commodore gave 
 order that Mr. Saumarez, now the first lieutenant 
 of the ' Centurion,' should act as master and com- 
 mander of the ' Tryal ' during the illness of Captain 
 Saunders. 
 
 From the experience of those times Commodore 
 Anson concluded that all ships should if possible 
 make the passage in December or January, and never 
 attempt the doubling of Cape Horn from the eastward 
 after the month of March ; that instead of passing 
 through Straits Le Maire, as had always before been 
 recommended, a course should be taken to the east- 
 ward of Statenland, and the run to the southward be 
 continued as far as 61 or 62 before attempting to 
 stand to the westward, and then be sure of sufficient 
 westing before thinking of steering northward. The 
 nearer the coasts the stronger are the currents, and 
 the more sudden and violent the winds. But all this 
 is so altered by steam navigation that it is needless 
 to dwell upon the advice which might have been 
 serviceable to Anson's successors. 
 
 One point the Commodore strongly urged, that
 
 COMMODORE ANSON'S PLANS. 67 
 
 the practice of calling at St. Catherine's should be 
 abandoned, and the start for rounding the Cape be 
 made from a place more to the south, either Pepys 
 Island, in latitude 47 south, or the Falkland Islands. 
 He mentions that Captain Woods Rogers, with the 
 ' Duke ' and ' Duchess,' of Bristol, was only thirty- 
 five days from losing sight of Falkland Islands to 
 their arrival at Juan Fernandez in the South Seas ; 
 and as the return is much facilitated by the western 
 winds, a voyage might readily be made from Falkland 
 Islands to Juan Fernandez and back again in little 
 more than two months. 
 
 At the time when Anson's squadron was at St. 
 Julian, not much was generally known about Pata- 
 gonia, the country from the River Plate down to the 
 Straits of Magellan. There was little forest ; as Sir 
 John Narborough said, ' he never saw a stick of 
 wood in the country large enough to make the handle 
 of a hatchet.' The pasture seemed to be everywhere 
 good, and supporting immense herds of cattle, spread 
 originally from those brought by the Spaniards to 
 Buenos Ayres. They were not then considered 
 
 private property, but thousands were slaughtered by 
 / 
 
 hunters only for their hides and tallow. There were 
 large numbers also of wild horses, to take which, 
 and such of the cattle as they desired to keep alive, 
 they used the lasso with wonderful expertness. 
 Very few Indians frequent this eastern coast ; in fact, 
 none were seen during Anson's stay at St. Julian's.
 
 68 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 The Indians in Anson's time were very numerous 
 near Buenos Ayres, and had learned from association 
 with the Spaniards the management of cutting 
 weapons and tools, though fire-arms were kept by 
 the Spaniards from being much in their hands. 
 They had, however, learned to be excellent horse- 
 men ; and they had spirit and activity, like those 
 Indians of Chili, who long set the whole Spanish 
 power at defiance, and kept their independence. 
 The western part of Patagonia is of less extent, as 
 the Andes reach down near to the coast, and the 
 coasts are rocky and dangerous. One peculiarity 
 about St. Julian's ought to be mentioned, that there 
 is a salt lake there, from which it was long custom- 
 ary for vessels to take stores on touching at the 
 place.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FROM ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MAIRE, 
 AND TO CAPE NOIR. 
 
 r ~T*HE ' Tryal ' being nearly refitted, which was the 
 -*- sole cause of staying at St. Julian, a signal was 
 made for the captains to a council of war on 
 board the ' Centurion.' All were present, and also 
 Colonel Cracherode, commander of the land forces. 
 At this council Anson proposed that the first 
 attempt, after arrival in the South Seas, should be 
 to attack the town and harbour of Baldivia, in Chili. 
 All assented, and then Anson gave further instruc- 
 tions in case of separation that they were to make for 
 the island of Socoro, but to cruise off only ten days, 
 notwithstanding the previous orders given at St. 
 Catherine's ; and then if not joined by the Commo- 
 dore to proceed and cruise off the harbour of Baldi- 
 via, making land between latitude 40 and 40 30'. 
 If in fourteen days they were not joined by all the 
 squadron, they were to make the best of their way 
 to Juan Fernandez, after which they were to regu- 
 late their proceedings by the former orders. Each
 
 ;o FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 captain was also ordered to give strict charge to the 
 respective officers of the watch in each ship never 
 to be at greater distance from the ' Centurion ' than 
 two miles. This anxiety to keep the ships together 
 was due to the expectation of falling in with the 
 Spanish fleet under Pizarro, but for which it would 
 have been natural to order each ship to make the 
 best of its way to the rendezvous without waiting 
 for the others. 
 
 The departure from St. Julian's was on the 27th 
 of February. From this till the 4th of March the 
 weather was moderate, but on that night it blew 
 hard, and all the next clay, so that they had to con- 
 tinue with a reefed mizzen till midnight, On the 
 following morning the land called Tierra del Fuego 
 was first sighted, stretching from the S. by W. to 
 the S.E. \ E. The land seemed of vast height, and 
 covered with snow. Along the shore they steered 
 all day, having soundings from forty to fifty fathom. 
 As they intended to pass through Straits Le Maire 
 next day, they lay to at night. At four in the 
 morning, March 7th, they made sail, and at eight 
 saw the land, and soon after began to open the 
 Straits. They entered them with fair weather and 
 a brisk gale, and were hastened through by the 
 rapidity of the tide in about two hours, though they 
 are between seven and eight leagues in length. The 
 ' Pearl ' and the ' Tryal ' were ordered to keep ahead 
 of the squadron. As these Straits are esteemed to
 
 ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MA IRE. 71 
 
 be the boundary between the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Oceans, and as it was expected that soon an open 
 sea, with fair climate, was beyond, joyous hopes were 
 cherished, which the bright sky and pleasant weather 
 fostered, and the imagination was filled with ro- 
 mantic ideas about the easy possession of Chilian 
 gold and Peruvian silver. Animated by these flatter- 
 ing delusions, they passed these memorable Straits, 
 little knowing of the dire calamities then impend- 
 ing, and ready to break upon them ; ignorant that 
 the time was at hand when the squadron would be 
 separated never to unite again, and that this was the 
 last cheerful day many of them would live to enjoy. 
 Scarcely had the stern most ships of the squadron 
 got clear of the Straits Le Maire, when signs of an 
 impending storm appeared. Soon the wind shifted 
 to the southward, and blew in such violent squalls 
 that they were obliged to hand their top-sails and 
 reef the main-sail of the ' Centurion ' ; while the 
 tide at the same time, hitherto favourable, turned 
 straight against them, and drew them strongly to the 
 eastward. The Commodore was in much anxiety 
 about the 'Wager' and the 'Anna' pink, the two 
 sternmost vessels, fearing they would be dashed to 
 pieces against the shore of Statenland, the opposite 
 side of the Straits to Tierra del Fuego, and this fate 
 they very narrowly escaped. And now the whole 
 squadron, instead of pursuing their intended course 
 to the S.W., were driven to the eastward by the
 
 72 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 wind and currents combined, and next morning 
 found themselves near seven leagues to the east- 
 ward of Straits Le Maire, which then bore from 
 the N.W. 
 
 From the time when this storm burst upon them, 
 before they got clear of the Straits Le Maire, there 
 followed a continual succession of such tempestuous 
 weather that the oldest seamen in the fleet had 
 never seen the like of in any part of the world. 
 The violent blasts of wind raised short and at the 
 same time mountainous waves, so that they were in 
 constant terror that if one of these waves fairly 
 broke over the ship it must almost certainly go to 
 the bottom. The incessant rolling of the ship 
 caused such violent motion that the men were in 
 danger of being dashed against the decks or sides 
 of the ship ; and though they were careful to lessen 
 the shocks by holding on to some fixed body, many 
 of the people on board the ' Centurion ' were forced 
 from their hold, some being terribly bruised, and 
 several had their collar-bones or ribs broken, and 
 one his thigh, through being thrown into the main 
 hold. One of the boatswain's mates broke his 
 collar-bone twice, not to mention many other casual- 
 ties, from which the injured men never wholly 
 recovered. 
 
 The record of these tempestuous times we must 
 give in the very words of Mr. Walter, the chaplain 
 of the ' Centurion,' who says : ' We were oftentimes
 
 ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MAIRE. 73 
 
 obliged to lie to for days together under a reefed 
 mizzen, and were frequently reduced to lie at the 
 mercy of the waves under our bare poles, yet now 
 and then we ventured to make sail with our courses 
 double-reefed ; and the weather proving more toler- 
 able would perhaps encourage us to set our top-sails ; 
 after which the wind, without any previous notice 
 would return upon us with redoubled force, and 
 would in an instant tear our sails from the yards. 
 And that no circumstance might be wanting which 
 could aggrandize our distress, these blasts generally 
 brought with them a great quantity of snow and 
 sleet, which cased our rigging and froze our sails 
 thereby rendering them and our cordage brittle and 
 apt to snap on the slightest strain, adding great 
 difficulty and labour to the working of the ship, 
 benumbing the limbs of our people, and making 
 them incapable of exerting themselves with their 
 usual activity, and even disabling many of them by 
 mortifying their toes and fingers.' 
 
 The chaplain gives an account of various disasters 
 that befel them, and describes the calamitous condi- 
 tion of the whole squadron during the navigation, 
 from the 7th of March to the 23rd, when a storm 
 of wind, hail, and sleet, with a very great sea, did 
 much damage to the sails and rigging of the 
 ' Centurion.' The main-sail itself split in rags, 
 and in spite of every effort to save it the greater 
 part was blown overboard. A lull in the storm
 
 74 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 succeeded, and, the carpenters having made some 
 repairs to the rigging, they got under sail again, 
 after bringing to ; but in less than twenty-four 
 hours they were attacked by another storm more 
 furious than the former ; for it proved a perfect 
 hurricane, and reduced them to the necessity of 
 lying to under bare poles. 
 
 Then there occurred an incident which must be 
 narrated in the very words of the old narrative, for 
 it is the record of an event which deeply touched 
 the heart of the poet Cowper when he read it long 
 afterwards, and suggested to him that affecting and 
 beautiful though sadly-toned poem of the ' Castaway.' 
 Here is the passage : 
 
 ' As our ship [the " Centurion "] kept the wind 
 better than any of therest, we were obliged, in the 
 afternoon, to wear ship, in order to join the squadron 
 to the leeward, which otherwise we should have 
 been in danger of losing in the night ; and as we 
 dared not venture any sail abroad, we were obliged 
 to make use of an expedient which answered our 
 purpose ; this was putting the helm a-weather, and 
 manning the fore-shrouds. But though this method 
 proved successful for the end intended, yet, in the 
 execution of it, one of our ablest seamen was carried 
 overboard. We perceived that, notwithstanding the 
 prodigious agitation of the waves, he swam very 
 strong, and it was with the utmost concern that we 
 found ourselves incapable of assisting him ; indeed,
 
 ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MAIRE. 75 
 
 we were the more grieved at his unhappy fate, as 
 we lost sight of him struggling with the waves, and 
 conceived, from the manner in which he swam, that 
 he might continue sensible for a considerable time 
 longer of the horror attending his irretrievable 
 situation.' 
 
 After the last-mentioned storm, there were some 
 days of less tempestuous wind, but a fog came on, in 
 which they were obliged to fire guns almost every 
 half-hour to keep the squadron together. On the 
 3 1 st of March a gun was fired as a signal from the 
 ' Gloucester ' that the captain wanted to speak with 
 the Commodore. It was to tell of the main-yard 
 being broken in the slings an awkward mishap, 
 in so far that it must be a hindrance to the squadron, 
 and detain it the longer in these inclement lati- 
 tudes. The Commodore immediately ordered several 
 carpenters from the other ships to be put on board 
 the ' Gloucester ' to expedite the repairs and the 
 damage. About the same time the ' Tryal ' reported 
 that the pumps were so bad that they were almost 
 useless, and the Commodore sent one fitted ready 
 from his own ship. It was fortunate that the 
 weather for a few days permitted the carpenters to 
 be put aboard, as it had seldom been possible to 
 venture a boat on the sea. As it was, the absence 
 of the carpenter from the ' Wager ' was inconvenient, 
 as will presently appear. 
 
 The early days of April were tempestuous. On
 
 76 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the 3rd a storm began which was more violent 
 and long-continued than any hitherto encountered. 
 The ' Centurion ' received a furious shock from a sea 
 which broke upon the larboard quarter, and rushed 
 into the ship like a deluge. The rigging also 
 was greatly injured. To ease the stress upon the 
 masts and shrouds, the main and fore yards were 
 lowered, and all sails were furled, and in this 
 position they lay to for three or four days. At three 
 o'clock on the morning of the 8th of April, the gale 
 having been severe during the night, signals of 
 distress were heard to leeward. The Commodore 
 made a signal for the squadron to bring to, and at 
 daybreak the ' Wager ' was seen a considerable way 
 to leeward of any of the other ships ; and they 
 soon perceived that she had lost her mizzen-mast 
 and main-top-yard. Bearing down to her, the 
 Commodore found that the disaster had occurred 
 through the badness of her ironwork, for all the 
 chain-plates to windward had given way upon the 
 ship fetching a deep roll. The weather was now 
 too severe to permit the ' Wager's ' carpenter to 
 return from the ' Gloucester,' where he had been 
 since the 3ist of March. Nor was this the only 
 mishap to the squadron, for the ' Anna ' pink had 
 broken her fore-stay and the gammon of her 
 bowsprit, and they were in fear of having all their 
 masts coming down by the board. 
 
 Bearing away till all had been made fast as far
 
 ST. JULIAN TO THE STRAITS LE MAIRE. 77 
 
 as practicable, the squadron haled upon a wind 
 again, with hope still springing that an end was at 
 hand to the troubles and disasters of the past 
 forty days. For towards the end of March, by their 
 reckoning, they had advanced near 10 westward of 
 the westernmost point of Tierra del Fuego, an allow- 
 ance double what former navigators had thought 
 necessary to be taken in order to compensate the 
 drift of the current ; and so they reckoned they might 
 stand northward as speedily as possible. And on the 
 I 3th of April they were but a degree in latitude to 
 the southward of the western entrance of the Straits 
 of Magellan, so that they expected in a few days to 
 experience the tranquillity of the Pacific Ocean. 
 But these fond hopes were shattered the next day, 
 when a signal was made from the ' Anna ' pink of 
 seeing land right ahead at scarce two miles distant : 
 and but for the wind shifting from S.W. to W.N.W., 
 and the moon shining out, they could all have 
 scarcely avoided running on shore ; but they were 
 enabled to clear themselves of this unlooked-for 
 danger, and to gain by noon an offing of nearly 
 twenty leagues. It was concluded that this land 
 was part of Tierra del Fuego, near the southern 
 outlet of the Straits of Magellan, called Cape Noir 
 in Frezier's chart. So far to the eastward had the 
 currents carried them, and instead of running down, 
 as they reckoned, nearly twenty degrees of longitude, 
 they had not advanced half that distance. Again
 
 78 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 therefore they had to steer to the southward, and 
 again to encounter those western blasts which had 
 so long baffled and terrified them. 
 
 At this time of disappointment the spirits of the 
 people in the ships were much depressed, and many 
 sickened and died, while all were less capable of 
 supporting the hardships yet to be encountered. 
 This feeling was intensified by diminution of the 
 strength of the squadron, for in spite of the exertions 
 to keep as much together as possible the ' Severn ' 
 and the ' Pearl ' were lost sight of, and heard of 
 no more ; possibly, as they thought then, having 
 struck on that shore from which the ' Centurion ' 
 and the others had so narrow escape.
 
 THE " CENTURION " OFF CAPE HORN. [/ 79-
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TO JUAN FERNANDEZ. 
 
 A FTER the mortifying disappointment of falling 
 ** in with the coast of Tierra del Fuego when 
 they had reckoned they were ten degrees to the 
 west of it, they stood away to the S.VV. till April 
 2 2nd, when they were in upwards of 60 of south 
 latitude. On the 24th a great storm succeeded 
 to more moderate weather, and the ' Centurion ' 
 received much damage to her rigging, while the 
 Commodore was further troubled by the separation 
 of the other ships of the squadron, after managing 
 to keep together through all the tempestuous weather 
 of the previous two months. Nor did any two of 
 the ships, as they afterwards found when the sur- 
 vivors met at Juan Fernandez, continue in company 
 or see anything of each other. 
 
 On the ist of May they had reached to latitude 
 52 13', which, lying northward of the Straits of 
 Magellan, ought to be regarded as arriving in the 
 Pacific or at its confines. A new and terrible cause 
 of disaster had already made its appearance. Before 
 the close of April the scurvy, formerly the terror
 
 80 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and scourge of voyagers, had spread to such a degree 
 that in the ' Centurion ' alone few on board were 
 not in some degree afflicted with it, and before the 
 end of April forty-three died of it. In the month 
 of May nearly double that number perished, and the 
 mortality went on increasing till the middle of June, 
 when the deaths were over two hundred men, and 
 at last not more than six fore- mast men in a watch 
 mustered capable of duty. 
 
 The symptoms of this disease are well known : 
 extraordinary weakness and lassitude of the whole 
 system, and dejection of mind ; swellings of the legs, 
 often running to ulcerous sores ; putrid gums, and 
 coloured spots on the skin ; and various symptoms in 
 particular cases rheumatism, jaundice, costiveness, 
 and difficulty of breathing. A remarkable case was 
 that of one of the old Chelsea pensioners, who had 
 been wounded fifty years before at the battle of the 
 Boyne ; his wounds, which had been perfectly healed, 
 broke out afresh. The appetite was not generally 
 lost, and some appeared in good health as they lay 
 in their hammocks, so far as voice and looks went ; 
 but they were incapable of any exertion, and many 
 died almost suddenly after attempts to walk the 
 deck or perform any duty. 
 
 On the 8th of May the ' Centurion ' was off the 
 island of Socoro, which was the first place of ren- 
 dezvous that had been fixed, off which the Com- 
 modore cruised for several days in hope of being
 
 TO JUAN FERNANDEZ. 81 
 
 joined by other ships of the squadron. But none 
 came ; and the coast being inhospitable, and the 
 shore precipitous with rocks, Anson thought it 
 dangerous to tarry longer, in case of wind rising 
 by which they might be wrecked, when so few men 
 were fit for duty. As they proceeded, in passing 
 the island of Chiloe they steered off the land with 
 the main-sail only, the Commodore and the master 
 at the helm, while every one else on board was 
 busied in securing the masts and bending the sails 
 as soon as they could be repaired. This deplorable 
 condition of affairs left no alternative but starting 
 for Juan Fernandez, disregarding the late arrange- 
 ment of rendezvousing off the harbour of Baldivia. 
 As the other ships had failed to appear at Socoro, 
 it was possible that some might be found at Juan 
 Fernandez, though the Commodore had his fears 
 that all but those in the ' Centurion ' had perished. 
 
 On May 3Oth a view was obtained of the main- 
 land of Chili, distant about twelve or thirteen leagues, 
 with the tops of mountains, the Cordilleras, white with 
 snow. It was not till the Qth June that the long- 
 wished-for island of Juan Fernandez was sighted, so 
 much were they delayed by calms and by contrary 
 winds. It was high time for change of any kind, for 
 the men were dying five or six in a day, and the 
 crew was so generally helpless that not above ten 
 men in a watch were fit for duty, and of these some 
 so lame and weak as to be unable to go aloft. 
 
 6
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 
 
 * I ^HE first aspect of the island was not promising, 
 * for it seemed a very mountainous place, ex- 
 tremely ragged and irregular ; yet as it was land, and 
 the land sought for, the sight was agreeable to all 
 on board the ' Centurion.' The wind was northerly 
 when they first made the island, and they kept 
 flying all that day (the Qth of June) and the next 
 night, in order to get in with the land. Wearing 
 the ship in the middle watch, a striking proof was 
 given of the almost incredible debility to which 
 those on board had fallen, for the lieutenant could 
 muster no more than two quartermasters and six 
 fore-mast men capable of working, so that without 
 the assistance of the officers, their servants, and the 
 boys it might have proved impossible to have 
 reached the island, after getting sight of it. Even 
 with this assistance they were two hours in trimming 
 the sails ; to so wretched a condition was a sixty- 
 gun ship reduced which, but three months before, 
 had between four and five hundred men, most of 
 them in health and vigour.
 
 AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 83 
 
 However, on the loth, in the afternoon, they got 
 under the lee of the island, and kept ranging along 
 it, at about two miles distance, in order to look out 
 for the proper anchorage, which was described to be 
 in a bay on the north side. A nearer view of the 
 land, which had appeared at a distance so un- 
 promising, with broken craggy, precipices, showed it 
 to be covered with woods ; and between the hills 
 were valleys clothed with the most beautiful verdure, 
 and watered with numerous streams and cascades. 
 As the allowance of water on board had for a 
 considerable time been very sparing, and only a small 
 quantity now remained, the sight of the falling and 
 flowing streams, especially a large cascade of clear 
 water pouring itself from a rock nearly a hundred 
 feet high, not far from the ship, caused lively emo- 
 tion ; even the sick crawling from their hammocks 
 to the deck to feast their eyes on the reviving 
 prospect. Darkness came on before they were sure 
 of the proper bay for anchorage, and therefore they 
 resolved to keep all night in soundings, and to send 
 a boat in the morning to discover the right place. 
 However, the current shifted in the night, and set 
 them so near land that they let go the best bower 
 anchor, in fifty-six fathom, not half a mile from the 
 shore. 
 
 At four in the morning the cutter was sent with 
 the third lieutenant to find the bay they were in 
 search of, which was somewhat to the westward of
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 their present station. Next morning they endea- 
 voured to weigh, in order to proceed thither, but the 
 capstan could only be so weakly manned that it was 
 not till after four hours the cable was hove right up 
 and down, and then they were incapable of starting 
 the anchor from the ground. At noon, a fresh gale 
 blowing toward the bay, the sails were set, which 
 fortunately tripped the anchor, and they were en- 
 abled to get to their desired berth, again anchoring 
 in fifty-six fathom. 
 
 Soon after a sail was seen, which on nearer 
 approach proved to be the ' Tryal ' sloop. Some 
 hands were sent to help her, and she was brought 
 to anchor between the ' Centurion ' and the shore. 
 The sloop had suffered the same extremities as the 
 Commodore's ship, for Captain Saunders reported 
 that he had lost thirty-four of his men, and all the 
 others were so afflicted with scurvy that only him- 
 self, his lieutenant, and three of his men were able 
 to stand by the sails. Materials were promptly 
 sent on shore to raise tents for the reception of 
 the sick ; which, from the few hands capable 
 of work, could not be completed till the morning of 
 the 1 6th. On that, and the two following days, all 
 the sick were sent on shore, amounting to a hundred 
 and sixty-seven persons, besides twelve or fourteen 
 who died in the boats or on landing, through the 
 exposure to the fresh air in their terribly infirm 
 condition. Many of the sick had to be carried from
 
 AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 85 
 
 the ship, and from the shore to the tents, in their 
 hammocks, no slight labour over the shingly beach. 
 The Commodore himself and the officers gave a 
 helping hand in this humane service. It was not till 
 nearly three weeks after the landing of the sick that 
 there appeared much abatement of the malady. 
 For the first ten or twelve days rarely were fewer 
 than six buried, and the invalids only recovered 
 health and strength very slowly. 
 
 The island of Juan Fernandez has so often been 
 described, and has become so familiar from the 
 reports of many voyagers, that it is not necessary to 
 give the full details which appear in the narrative 
 of Anson's voyage, which was written for the in- 
 formation of those who might in those early times 
 visit the place. It may be interesting, however, for 
 comparison with the more recent accounts, to give 
 the substance of the observations made by the com- 
 mander and officers of the ' Centurion ' during their 
 stay there in 1741. 
 
 This island lies in latitude 33 40' south, and is 
 110 leagues distant from the mainland of Chili. 
 In greatest length its extent is between four and 
 five leagues, and its greatest breadth somewhat less 
 than two leagues. The only safe place of anchorage 
 is on the north side, where there are three bays, the 
 central one, Cumberland Bay, being the best in all 
 respects. It is well sheltered to the southward, 
 and only exposed to winds from the N. by W.
 
 86 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to E. by S., and these winds blow comparatively 
 seldom, and never with great violence. 
 
 The northern part of the island is composed of 
 high craggy hills, many of them inaccessible, though 
 for the most part covered with trees. Many of these 
 were aromatic, and large ' myrtle trees ' are described, 
 but there does not appear to have been any one 
 with accurate botanical knowledge in the squadron. 
 Pimento trees and cabbage trees are spoken of as 
 plentiful, and vast profusion of turnips and ' Sicilian 
 radishes,' which were very serviceable to those who 
 had been weakened by scurvy. The Commodore, 
 having with him garden seeds of all sorts, and stones 
 of various fruits, planted them freely, especially plums, 
 peaches, and apricots, for his thoughtfulness in doing 
 which he more than once in after life received 
 warmest thanks from persons of different nations 
 who reaped the benefit. 
 
 Of the inland parts of the island the most vivid 
 accounts are given in the narrative of the chaplain, 
 or whoever wrote that volume. He says : ' Some 
 particular spots in these valleys, where the shade 
 and fragrance of the contiguous woods, the loftiness 
 of the overhanging rocks, and the transparency and 
 frequent falls of the neighbouring streams, presented 
 scenes of such elegance and dignity as would with 
 difficulty be rivalled in any other part of the globe. 
 It is in this place, perhaps, that the simple produc- 
 tions of nature may be said to excel all the fictitious
 
 AT JUAN FERN A NDEZ. 87 
 
 descriptions of the most animated imagination.' 
 Then he describes in glowing words the place where 
 the Commodore pitched his tent for his own resi- 
 dence, though, he says, he despairs of conveying an 
 adequate idea of its beauty. 
 
 ' The piece of ground which he chose was a small 
 lawn, that lay on a little ascent, at the distance of 
 about half a mile from the sea. In the front of his 
 tent there was a large avenue cut through the woods 
 to the seaside, which, sloping to the water with a 
 gentle descent, opened a prospect of the bay and 
 the ships at anchor. This lawn was screened behind 
 by a tall wood of myrtle sweeping round it, in form of 
 an amphitheatre, the slope on which the wood stood 
 rising with a much sharper ascent than the lawn 
 itself, though not so much but that the hills and 
 precipices inland towered considerably above the 
 tops of the trees, and added to the grandeur of the 
 view. There were, besides, two streams of crystal 
 water, which ran on the right and left of the tent 
 within a hundred yards distance, and were shaded 
 by the trees which skirted the lawn on either side, 
 and completed the symmetry of the whole.' 
 
 The Commodore was certainly fixed in pleasant 
 quarters, and must have thoroughly enjoyed the rest 
 of such a place after the stormy months of the 
 voyage, but that his mind was anxious about the 
 condition of the men, so many of whom were sick 
 and infirm. There was anxiety also about the fate
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 of the other ships of the squadron. The arrival of 
 the ' Tryal ' sloop so soon after the ' Centurion ' 
 raised hope that they might be speedily joined by 
 other ships. But when a fortnight passed without 
 any of them appearing, gloomy anticipations gained 
 strength, and the most sanguine despaired of the 
 safety of the squadron, on reflecting how few men 
 in the ' Tryal ' and the ' Centurion ' could have sur- 
 vived if these ships had continued much longer at 
 sea. Happily, these fears in their full extent were 
 not realised ; but before telling of the events soon 
 to be witnessed let us note a few more of the 
 observations made concerning the condition of the 
 island. 
 
 Of the vegetation some account has already been 
 given. The bay in which the ships were anchored 
 was plentifully stored with fish of the greatest 
 variety, which they caught with hooks and lines. 
 The names given in the narrative do not give accu- 
 rate ideas as to the species as classed by naturalists, 
 for it is only generally said that the following sorts 
 were caught : cavallies, large breams, gropers, silver 
 fish, congers, and a black fish resembling carp, which 
 the sailors named chimney-sweeps. But the finest 
 catch was cod of prodigious size, of which one of 
 the seamen, who had been employed in the New- 
 foundland fishery, said he never saw surpassed in 
 those northern seas. So plentiful were the fish of 
 various kinds that a boat going out with two or
 
 A I JUAN FERNANDEZ. 89 
 
 three lines usually returned laden in three or four 
 hours' time. The only interruption was from the 
 large sharks and the numerous dog-fish, which fol- 
 lowed the boats and hindered the sport. The cray- 
 fish were of unusual size and in great abundance, so 
 much so that the boat-hooks, in putting the boats 
 to or from the shore, often struck into them, weigh- 
 ing eight or nine pounds, and of a most excellent 
 taste. 
 
 Few birds were seen, chiefly hawks, blackbirds, 
 owls, and humming-birds. Nor was the variety 
 great of animal life. Of the burrowing animal 
 called pardalon by old voyagers none were seen, 
 but as they often met with their holes in the earth 
 it was supposed that the multitude of dogs had 
 destroyed them, as they had also destroyed nearly 
 all the cats. Rats kept their ground, and were 
 troublesome by infesting the tents at night 
 
 But the most important animals then inhabiting 
 Juan Fernandez were goats, seals, and sea-lions. 
 The latter were often of enormous size, when full 
 grown as much as from twelve to fifteen feet long 
 and eight to twelve in girth. The fat of one of the 
 largest might afford a butt of oil ; and they were 
 so full of blood that the quantity being once 
 measured was at least two hogsheads. We are 
 told also of the appearance and the habits of these 
 huge animals, the fierce battles of the males, each 
 of which was the possessor of a seraglio of females ;
 
 go FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and one of the largest and fiercest of these, who 
 bore the marks of having attained his pre-eminence 
 after many conflicts with rivals, was named by the 
 sailors the Bashaw. The seal-like flavour of the 
 flesh of these mammals was not much relished, but 
 hearts and tongues were pronounced as good eating 
 as the same portions of fat bullocks. 
 
 The sailors came to like the flesh of the common 
 seal, and called it lamb, though this taste was not 
 decidedly formed till they began to tire of fish diet 
 without change. 
 
 Goat's flesh was the favourite food, but it was 
 then so scarce that they were rarely able to kill 
 more than one goat a day. Former writers described 
 the vast numbers of goats found on the island, but 
 at the time of Anson's visit they had been greatly 
 diminished. For the Spaniards, being informed of 
 the advantages which buccaneers and privateers 
 drew from the provisions which the goats furnished 
 so abundantly, endeavoured to extirpate the breed 
 by putting on shore large numbers of dogs. These 
 increased rapidly, and soon destroyed all the goats 
 in the accessible parts of the island, only a few 
 remaining amongst the crags and precipices where 
 the dogs could not follow them. Anson estimated 
 that not above two hundred survived upon the whole 
 island, and these being divided into separate herds 
 of twenty or thirty each, inhabiting different fast- 
 nesses, it was extremely difficult to kill any, though
 
 AT JUAN FERNANDEZ. 91 
 
 the flesh was so much coveted as resembling venison. 
 One day some of the people of the ' Centurion,' from 
 a boat near land, witnessed a remarkable scene. A 
 herd of goats were seen on the rocky ridge of a hill, 
 up which they had been chased by a number of 
 dogs. There was a very narrow path or space on the 
 ridge, skirted on both sides by precipices. Here 
 the leader of the herd took up his position, fronting 
 the advancing enemy, the rest of the herd behind, 
 where the ridge was less narrow. As the spot was 
 inaccessible by any other path than where this 
 champion had placed himself, the dogs, although 
 they had run up the hill with great alacrity, yet 
 when they came within twenty yards of him durst 
 not advance farther, as he would certainly have 
 driven them over the precipice ; so they gave over 
 the chase and lay quietly down, panting after their 
 race. So numerous had the dogs become compared 
 with the goats that it was concluded they must live 
 principally on young seals. Some of the sailors, 
 who had heard of dog's flesh being a delicacy in 
 some parts of the world, more than once killed and 
 dressed dogs, and agreed that the meat had a fishy 
 taste, which accords with the belief that they fed on 
 seals' flesh. 
 
 The most interesting of all the facts connected 
 with the goats of Juan Fernandez in Anson's time 
 remains to be mentioned. It so happened that the 
 very first goat killed by his people had his ears slit,
 
 92 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 whence the Commodore concluded that this was one 
 of the goats that had been thus marked by Alexander 
 Selkirk, about thirty two years before their arrival 
 at the island. This was indeed an animal of a most 
 venerable aspect, dignified with an exceeding majestic 
 beard, and with every other sign of antiquity. 
 During their stay other goats were met with marked 
 in the same manner, all of them with venerable 
 beards, denoting their great age.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK 
 
 story of Selkirk was familiar to the officers 
 -*- of the ' Centurion,' for the Commodore had an 
 old book, printed in London in the year 1712, con- 
 taining an account of the visit of Captain Woods 
 Rogers to the island more than thirty years before, 
 in the days of Queen Anne. This Captain Woods 
 Rogers was commander of two British vessels, the 
 ' Duke ' and the ' Duchess,' fitted out as privateers 
 by a company of merchants in the city of Bristol, 
 then the most flourishing and enterprising seaport 
 in England, or perhaps in the world. It was in the 
 autumn of 1708 that Captain Rogers sailed from 
 Bristol, with his two small ships, the ' Duke ' being 
 only of 320 tons, with 30 guns and 117 men, and 
 the 'Duchess' 260 tons, with 26 guns and 108 
 men. The captain, ' master mariner ' as he styles 
 himself, calls his ships ' galleys,' so named from their 
 resembling the galleys of the ancients, and of modern 
 times, in their having oars, or sweeps, to use during 
 calm weather. There was war at that time with
 
 94 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 France, and the voyage of these two privateers was 
 in fact a cruise against the enemy wherever his ships 
 might be found. The commander of the ' Duchess ' 
 was Captain Courtenay, a man of kindred spirit with 
 Rogers. The second officer of the ' Duke/ and 
 captain of the marines, was Thomas Dover, a ' doctor 
 of physic,' and Dover's first lieutenant was a kinsman 
 of his own, Mr. Hopkins, an apothecary. Captain 
 Rogers, who in all his preparations and arrangements 
 showed great prudence, took twice as many officers 
 as usual in such expeditions, doing this to strengthen 
 his own authority in case of any mutiny among the 
 crew. The most notable person on board his ship 
 was the famous Captain William Dampier, whom 
 he had the good luck to secure as master, the old 
 sailor and ' buccaneer ' not having made a fortune 
 in all his varied voyages and adventures. He was 
 rated on the ' Duke's ' books as ' Pilot of the South 
 Seas/ ' he having been there/ as Captain Rogers says, 
 ' three times, and twice round the world.' This 
 was probably Dampier's last voyage, for his name 
 disappears from naval history after this time. 
 
 Captain Woods Rogers made his voyage 'round 
 the world ' in about two years and three months. 
 His journal is of the greatest interest, and worthy 
 of being better known than it is. For those who 
 have not access to the old book, a valuable account 
 of the voyage, consisting mostly of the very narra- 
 tive of the original, has been recently published, with
 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK. 95 
 
 notes and splendid illustrations, by Robert C. Leslie 
 (Chapman & Hall). But the most interesting pages 
 in the old book of Captain Rogers relate to the 
 island of Juan Fernandez, and what he records 
 about the finding there of Alexander Selkirk, upon 
 whose story Defoe founded ' The Life and Surprising 
 Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.' Captain Rogers 
 had encountered stormy seas in getting round Cape 
 Horn, many of the men being ill through exposure 
 to the cold and heat, and they were greatly in want 
 of a harbour to rest and restore them. So the 
 captain resolved to make for Juan Fernandez. 
 The latitude not being very certain, and the charts 
 not helping, from their not agreeing with each 
 other, they made for the mainland, to direct the 
 course from thence more easily. 
 
 Early in the morning of January 3ist, 1709, the 
 island was sighted, bearing W.S.W., distant about 
 seven leagues. 
 
 ' Next day,' says Rogers, ' we .hoisted our pinnace 
 out, at 2 P.M., and Captain Dover, with the boat's crew, 
 went in her to go ashore, though we could not be less 
 than four leagues off. As soon as it was dark we saw 
 from the ship a light ashore, and our boat, being then 
 about a league from the island, bore away for the 
 ships where she saw the light, and we put lights out 
 for the boat, though some were of opinion the light 
 we saw from the ship was that of our boat. But 
 as night came on it appeared too large for that. So
 
 g6 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 we fired one quarter-deck gun and several muskets, 
 showing lights in our shrouds, that our boat might 
 find us, while we plied in the lee of the island. 
 
 'About two in the morning our boat came on 
 board, having been in tow of the " Duchess," and we 
 were glad they got well off, because it began to 
 blow. We were all convinced this light was on 
 shore, and we designed to make our ships ready to 
 engage, believing them to be French ships, which 
 we must either fight, or not be able to get water and 
 what we wanted on shore. The next morning we 
 tacked, to lay the land close aboard, and about ten 
 opened the south part of the island ; here the flaws 
 came heavy off shore, and we were forced to reef our 
 topsails. When, we opened the middle bay, where 
 we expected to find our enemy, we saw all clear, 
 and no ships in that nor the next bay, though we 
 guessed there had been ships there but were gone 
 on sight of us. 
 
 ' About noon we sent our yawl ashore with 
 Captain Dover, Mr. Fry, and six men, all armed ; 
 meanwhile we and the " Duchess " kept turning to 
 get in, and such heavy flaws came off the island 
 that we were forced to let fly our topsail sheets, 
 keeping all hands to stand by our sails for fear of 
 the winds carrying them away, though when the 
 flaws (gusts) were gone we had little or no wind. 
 Our boat not returning we sent our pinnace, also 
 armed, to see what was the occasion of the yawl's
 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK. 97 
 
 stay ; for we were afraid that the Spaniards had a 
 garrison there, and might have seized them. We 
 put out a signal, and the " Duchess " showed a 
 French ensign. Immediately our pinnace returned 
 from the shore, and brought abundance of craw-fish, 
 with a man clothed in goat-skins, who looked 
 wilder than the first owners of the skins. He had 
 been on the island four years and four months, being 
 left there by Captain Stradling, of the ship " Cinque 
 Ports." His name was Alexander Selkirk, a Scotch- 
 man, who had been master of the " Cinque Ports," a 
 ship that came here last with Captain Dampier, 
 who told me this was the best man in her ; so I 
 immediately agreed with him to be mate on board 
 our ship. 
 
 ' 'Twas he who made the fire last night when 
 he saw our ships, which he judged to be English. 
 During his stay here he had seen several ships pass, 
 but only two came to anchor, which as he went to 
 view he found to be Spanish, and retired from them, 
 upon which they shot at him. Had they been 
 French he would have submitted, but chose to risk 
 dying alone in the island rather than fall into the 
 hands of the Spaniards in these parts, lest they 
 should murder him, or make a slave of him in the 
 mines ; for he feared they would spare no stranger 
 that might be capable of discovering the South Sea. 
 The Spaniards, he said, had landed before he knew 
 what they were, and came so near him that he had 
 
 7
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 much ado to escape ; for they not only shot at him, 
 but pursued him into the woods, when he climbed 
 a tree, at the foot of which they stopped and killed 
 several goats just by, but went off again without 
 discovering him. He told us he was born at Largs, 
 in the County of Fife, Scotland, and was bred a 
 sailor from his youth. The reason of his being left 
 there was a difference betwixt him and his captain. 
 When left, he had with him his clothes and bedding, 
 with a firelock, some powder, bullets, and tobacco, 
 a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a Bible, some practical 
 pieces, and his mathematical instruments and books. 
 
 ' He diverted himself and provided for himself 
 as well as he could ; but yet the first eight months 
 had much ado to bear up against melancholy, and 
 the terror of being alone in such a desolate place. 
 He built two huts with pimento trees, covered them 
 with long grass, and lined them with the skins of 
 goats, which he killed with his gun as he wanted, so 
 long as his powder lasted, which was but a pound ; 
 and that being near spent, he got fire by rubbing 
 two sticks of pimento wood together on his knees. 
 In the lesser hut, at some distance from the other, 
 he dressed his victuals, and in the larger he slept, 
 and employed himself in reading, singing psalms, and 
 praying, so that he said he was a better Christian 
 while in this solitude than ever he was before, or 
 than he was afraid he should ever be again. 
 
 ' At first he never ate anything till hunger con-
 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK. 99 
 
 strained him ; partly from grief, and partly for want 
 of bread and salt ; nor did he go to bed till he 
 could watch no longer. The pimento wood, which 
 burnt very clear, served him both for fire and candle, 
 and refreshed him with its pleasant smell. He 
 might have fish enough, but could not eat them for 
 want of salt ; they made him ill, except craw-fish, 
 which are there as large as lobsters, and very good. 
 These he sometimes boiled, and at others broiled, 
 as he did the goat's flesh, of which he made very 
 good broth, for they are not so rank as ours. 
 
 ' He kept an account of five hundred that he killed 
 when there, and caught as many more, which he 
 marked on the ear and let go. When his powder 
 failed he took them by speed of foot ; for his way 
 of living, and continued exercise of walking and 
 running, cleared him of all gross humours, so that 
 he ran up the rocks and hills, as we perceived when 
 we employed him to catch goats for us. We had 
 a bull-dog, which we sent with several of our 
 nimblest runners to help him to catch goats ; but 
 he distanced and tired both the dog and men, 
 catched the goats, and brought them to us on his 
 back. He told us that his agility in pursuing a 
 goat had once like to have cost him his life. He 
 pursued it with so much earnestness that he catched 
 hold of it on the brink of a precipice hidden by 
 some bushes, so that he fell with the goat down the 
 said precipice a great height, and was so stunned
 
 ioo FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and bruised that he narrowly escaped with his life, 
 and when he came to his senses found the goat dead 
 under him. He lay there about twenty-four hours, 
 and was scarce able to crawl to his hut a mile 
 distant, or to stir abroad again in ten days. 
 
 ' After a while he came to relish his meat well 
 enough without salt and bread, and in the season 
 had plenty of good turnips, which had been sown 
 there by Captain Dampier's men, and had over- 
 spread some acres of ground. He had enough of 
 good cabbage from the cabbage tree, and seasoned 
 his meat with the fruit of the pimento tree, which 
 is the same as the Jamaica pepper, and smells 
 deliciously. He soon wore out all his shoes and 
 clothing by running through the woods ; and at last, 
 being forced to shift without them, his feet became 
 so hard that he could run everywhere without annoy- 
 ance, and it was some time before he could wear 
 shoes after we found him. For, not being used to 
 any for so long, his feet swelled when he first came 
 to wear them. 
 
 ' After he conquered his melancholy he diverted 
 himself sometimes by cutting his name on the trees, 
 and the time of his being left and continuance there. 
 He was at first much pestered with cats and rats, 
 that bred in great numbers from some of each 
 species which had got ashore from ships that put 
 in there for wood and water. The rats gnawed his 
 feet and clothes when asleep, which obliged him to
 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK, 101 
 
 cherish the cats with goat's flesh ; by which many 
 of them became so tame that they would lie about 
 him in scores, and soon delivered him of the rats. 
 
 ' He likewise tamed some kids, and to divert him- 
 self would now and then sing and dance with them 
 and his cats ; so that by the care of Providence, and 
 vigour of his youth, he came at last to conquer all 
 the inconveniences of his solitude and to be very 
 easy. When his clothes wore out he made himself 
 a coat and cap of goat-skins, which he stitched 
 together with little thongs of the same, that he cut 
 with his knife. He had no other needle but a nail, 
 and when his knife was worn to the back he made 
 , others as well as he could of iron hoops that were 
 left ashore, which he beat thin and ground upon 
 stones. Having some linen cloth by him he sewed 
 himself shirts with a nail, and stitched them with 
 the worsted of his old stockings, which he pulled 
 out on purpose. He had his last shirt on when we 
 found him. 
 
 ' At his first coming on board us he had so much 
 forgot his language for want of use that we could 
 scarce understand him, for he seemed to speak his 
 words by halves. We offered him a dram, but he 
 could not touch it, having drunk nothing but water 
 since his being there, and it was some time before 
 he could relish our victuals. He could give us 
 account of no other product of the island except 
 some small black plums, which are very good, but
 
 102 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 hard to come at, the trees which bear them growing 
 on high mountains and rocks. The climate is so 
 good that the trees and grass are verdant all the 
 year. He saw no venomous or savage creature, nor 
 any sort of beast but goats on the island, the 
 first of these having been put ashore here, on purpose 
 for a breed, by Juan Fernandez, a Spaniard, who 
 settled there with some families till the continent 
 of Chili began to submit to the Spaniards, which 
 tempted them to quit this island, though capable of 
 maintaining a number of people, and of being made 
 so strong that they could not easily be dislodged. 
 
 ' Ringrose, in his account of Captain Sharp's 
 voyage, and other buccaneers, mentions one who 
 had escaped ashore here out of a ship, which was 
 cast away with her company, and says that he lived 
 five years alone before he had an opportunity of 
 another ship to carry b.im off. While Captain 
 Dampier talks of a Mosquito Indian that belonged 
 to Captain Watkin, who being a-hunting in the 
 woods when the captain left the island, lived here 
 three years alone, and shifted much as Mr. Selkirk 
 did, till Captain Dampier came hither in 1684 and 
 carried him off. The first that went ashore was one 
 of his countrymen, and they saluted one another, 
 first by prostrating themselves by turns on the 
 ground, and then embracing. 
 
 ' But whatever there is in these stories, this of 
 Mr. Selkirk I know to be true, and his behaviour
 
 ABOUT ALEXANDER SELKIRK. 103 
 
 afterwards gives me reason to believe the account 
 he gave me how he spent his time, and bore up 
 under such an affliction, in which nothing but the 
 Divine Providence could have supported any man. 
 And by this we may see that solitude and retire- 
 ment from the world is not such an insufferable 
 state of life as most men imagine, especially when 
 people are fairly called, or thrown into it unavoid- 
 ably, as this man was, who in all probability must 
 otherwise have perished in the seas, the ship which 
 he left being cast away not long after, when few of 
 the company escaped.' 
 
 More about Juan Fernandez is written by Captain 
 Rogers, but the chief interest is in his account of the 
 finding of Selkirk.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ABOUT ROBINSON CRUSOE, AND THE SUBSE- 
 QUENT HISTORY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ. 
 
 r I ^HE story of Robinson Crusoe, as every one 
 *- knows, was suggested by the perusal of the 
 Journal of Captain Rogers, which had been published 
 about seven years before the world-renowned romance 
 first appeared. The discovery of the Scotch sailor, 
 and his return to his native land, made great noise 
 at the time, and Defoe took note of facts so interest- 
 ing, and turned them to good account in that story 
 of which the great Dr. Johnson said { nobody ever 
 laid it down without wishing it were longer.' Every 
 boy reader will agree in this opinion with the most 
 learned of critics. Of course it is only of the 
 original story that this is truly said, because the 
 unparalleled success of the book led the author to 
 write a second and a third part, which are very 
 inferior in merit or attractiveness. The skill and 
 genius of Defoe appear in the art he has of giving 
 to fiction all the appearance of reality. By the 
 minuteness of his descriptions he is prevented from
 
 ABOUT ROBINSON CRUSOE. 105 
 
 becoming ever tedious, and the probability of the 
 story is so much increased thereby that many have 
 read the book under the belief that it was a true 
 story, and not a tale. It can be called ' fiction 
 founded on fact,' so far as the general subject of 
 the shipwreck, the solitary survivor, the adventures 
 of the early years, and other details agree with 
 what had been told of Alexander Selkirk. But 
 Defoe adds many new romantic chapters out of his 
 own fancy, and he makes Robinson Crusoe's island 
 not Juan Fernandez, but an imaginary island, north 
 of Brazil, near the mouth of the river Orinoco. 
 This does not matter to the readers of the story, but 
 our present concern is with the real island of Juan 
 Fernandez, and the real shipwrecked sailor Alexander 
 Selkirk, whose actual sea-chest, drinking-cup, and 
 other relics are now to be seen in the Museum of the 
 Society of Antiquaries at Edinburgh. 
 
 Although the connection of Alexander Selkirk 
 with Commodore Anson merely amounts to the 
 fact that Anson found some of the goats which 
 Selkirk had marked many years before, our readers 
 will doubtless be pleased to have a few more facts 
 both about the island and its solitary tenant. 
 
 When Captain Rogers was at Juan Fernandez, 
 Selkirk kept up a supply of goats for the ships, two 
 each day. It was some time before he got accus- 
 tomed again to the speech, and the diet, and the 
 routine of life on board ship. He had drunk
 
 io6 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 water so long that he could not touch spirits, 
 and it was only by degrees that he could relish 
 the food. Dampier confirmed the statement of 
 Selkirk about his having been left on the island, 
 for it happened during his own famous voyage, 
 when Captain Stradling of the ' Cinque Ports ' 
 left Selkirk on shore in consequence of a quarrel 
 between them. Dampier also told Rogers that 
 Selkirk was the best man on board the ' Cinque 
 Ports,' and it was from this testimony that he was 
 made mate of the ' Duke.' Rogers was so pleased 
 with him that he promoted him to take command 
 of a prize, the 'Santa Josepha,' of 50 tons, full of 
 cocoa, cocoa-nuts, and some tobacco, which were 
 distributed among the men ; and then the ship, 
 being cleansed and re-christened the ' Increase,' be- 
 came the hospital ship of the little fleet, all the sick 
 and a doctor from each ship being put on board, 
 with Mr. Selkirk as master. After his return Selkirk 
 had various appointments, and ultimately joined the 
 royal navy, and died A.D. 1/23, aged forty-seven, 
 having attained the rank of Lieutenant of H.M.S. 
 ' Weymouth.' 
 
 With regard to the subsequent history of Juan 
 Fernandez, a few words must suffice. The island 
 belonged to Spain at the time of Anson's visit, under 
 the governor of Chili, and it now belongs to Chili, 
 since that republic assumed its independence. In 
 former times it was only rarely of use as a place
 
 ABOUT ROBINSON CRUSOE. 107 
 
 of call for vessels on lawful business, for there was 
 then no trade to San Francisco. This was not in 
 existence ; Californian gold had not been discovered, 
 Peruvian guano was unknown to commerce, the 
 colonists of North America had not found their 
 way across to the Pacific, and British emigrants 
 had not begun to seek new homes in Australia and 
 New Zealand. No wonder that Alexander Selkirk 
 waited for years before he saw an English ship, 
 though a few Spanish vessels appeared during his 
 four years' sojourn. The buccaneers haunted the 
 place, and it was to make it less attractive to them 
 that the Spaniards set loose fierce dogs, to diminish 
 the resources of the island for these lawless pirates. 
 
 Attempts have been made at various times to 
 colonise the island, but they usually failed, or were 
 soon given up. It was then used as a penal settle- 
 ment, first by Spain, and afterwards by the Chilian 
 government. Some Yankee speculators leased the 
 island from the Chilians, and tried to get Tahitian 
 labour, but the project was soon abandoned. The 
 cheapness of land on the continent and the abund- 
 ance of labour there made the speculation a failure. 
 
 Omitting notices of visits by other recent voyagers, 
 such as that of Captain King, of II. M.S. ' Adventure,' 
 in 1833, it may be mentioned that in 1868 Commo- 
 dore Powell and the officers of H.M.S. ' Topaze ' of 
 the Pacific Squadron erected a tablet, with inscrip- 
 tion, in memory of Selkirk, on an elevated spot, called
 
 io8 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 ' Selkirk's Look-out/ giving the dates and main facts 
 of his career. 
 
 In November 1877 Captain Chatfield, of H.M.S. 
 'Amethyst,' made a trip from Valparaiso to Juan 
 Fernandez, and he saw and described the tablet of 
 cast-iron which was erected by the officers of the 
 ' Topaze.' Mr. Haefligar, a naturalist, who accom- 
 panied Captain Chatfield, wrote some letters in the 
 Valparaiso papers at the time, giving an account 
 of the island, and describing the animals and the 
 vegetable products abounding in the fertile valley. 
 
 There is a full report on the latter subjects in 
 the ' Notes by a Naturalist on the " Challenger." ' 
 Professor Moseley, F.R.S., gives a most interesting 
 account of the geology, zoology, and botany of the 
 island. He too visited the site of the monument to 
 Selkirk. He tells us that the aspect of the island 
 as to vegetation is very different from what it was 
 in Anson's days. For several hundred feet above 
 the sea-level trees are absent, the forests having 
 been all felled. No growing sandal-wood was found, 
 though dead timber of it was noticed. He mentions 
 the humming-birds, the fur-seals, the fish, and the 
 rock-lobsters (Palinurus frontalis}, still so plentiful 
 that more than sixty were captured by a bailed 
 hoop-net 'put over the ship's side at the anchorage, 
 and hauled up at short intervals. The meat of the 
 tails of these lobsters, or cray-fish, as Anson calls 
 them, is dried for export to Chili. For at the time
 
 ABOUT ROBINSON CRUSOE. 109 
 
 of the visit of the ' Challenger ' the island was rented 
 from the Chilian government as a farm by a Chilian, 
 who employs a considerable number of labourers, rears 
 cattle, and grows fruits, and does a very good trade 
 with passing vessels. The dried lobsters and the 
 skins of fur-seals also yield good return as exports. 
 Professor Moseley says : ' The study of Robinson 
 Crusoe certainly first gave me the desire to go to 
 sea, and Darwin's Journal settled the matter. Defoe 
 was obliged to lay the scene of his romance in the 
 West Indies, in order to bring in the Carib man 
 Friday. He thus gained the parrot, but he lost the 
 sea-elephants and fur-seals of Juan Fernandez, one 
 of the latter of which would have made a capital 
 pet for Crusoe.' 
 
 One other reference we must make to the litera- 
 ture connected with the island. Every one knows 
 the poem by Cowper, ' Supposed to be written by 
 Alexander Selkirk during his solitary abode in the 
 island of Juan Fernandez,' beginning 
 
 ' I am monarch of all I survey, 
 
 My right there is none to dispute ; 
 From the centre all round to the sea 
 I am lord of the fowl and the brute. 
 
 ' O solitude ! where are the charms 
 
 That sages have seen in thy face ? 
 Better dwell in the midst of alarms 
 Than reign in this horrible place. 
 
 Then, after making him lament the absence of 
 ' humanity, friendship, and love,' he describes him
 
 no FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as turning to religion for comfort, and saying, with 
 no less truth than beauty 
 
 ' Religion ! what treasure untold 
 
 Resides in that heavenly word ! 
 
 More precious than silver or gold, 
 
 Or all that the earth can afford. 
 
 ' But the sound of the church-going bell 
 These valleys and rocks never heard, 
 Ne'er sighed at the sound of a knell, 
 Or smiled when a Sabbath appeared.' 
 
 The entire ideas connected with the poem are 
 pensive, yet not sad, and fitly summed up by 
 Cowper in the closing lines : 
 
 ' But the sea-fowl is gone to her nest, 
 
 The beast is laid down in his lair ; 
 Even here is a season of rest, 
 And I to my cabin repair. 
 
 ' There is mercy in every place, 
 
 And mercy encouraging thought ! 
 Gives even affliction a grace, 
 And reconciles man to his lot.' 
 
 Selkirk died young, but Defoe makes Robinson 
 Crusoe live to a good age ; and when he finally re- 
 turns to London after ten years and nine months' 
 absence, every reader sympathises with the old man 
 of seventy-two, as he thus closes his story : "And 
 here, resolving to harass myself no more, I am 
 preparing for a longer voyage than all these, having 
 lived a life of infinite variety, and learnt sufficiently 
 the value of retirement and the blessing of ending 
 one's days in peace."
 
 ABO UT ROBINSON CR USOE. 1 1 1 
 
 But we have lingered almost too long over the 
 fascinating associations conjured up by the visit of 
 Anson to Juan Fernandez, and must pass on to the 
 troubles and the triumphs of the remainder of the 
 voyage.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'GLOUCESTER' AT JUAN 
 FERNANDEZ. 
 
 the 2 ist of June some of the people, from an 
 eminence on shore, discerned a ship to lee- 
 ward, and she carried so little sail that they came 
 to the conclusion it was one of the squadron which 
 had probably suffered much from the stormy passage. 
 After viewing her for some time the weather grew 
 thick and hazy, and they lost sight of her. As no 
 ship appeared for some days the worst fears were 
 entertained, and the fate of the crew was more 
 anxiously canvassed, in thinking that after being in 
 sight of the island they might have been so dimi- 
 nished in number and weakened in strength as to 
 be unable to ply up to windward. But about noon 
 on the 26th a sail was again discerned in the 
 north-east quarter, and when she came near enough 
 they could distinguish her as the ' Gloucester.' 
 
 The Commodore, having little doubt of her being 
 in great distress, immediately ordered his boat to 
 her assistance, laden with fresh water, fish, and 
 vegetables. This proved indeed a seasonable relief,
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE ' GLOUCESTER: 113 
 
 for never was a crew in greater straits. They had 
 already lost two-thirds of their complement, and of 
 those remaining alive scarcely any were capable of 
 doing duty except the officers and their servants. 
 They had for a considerable time been on short al- 
 lowance of water, a pint to each man for twenty-four 
 hours ; and so little was left that but for the supply 
 now obtained they must soon have died of thirst. 
 
 The ' Gloucester ' plied in within three miles of 
 the bay, but the winds and currents both being 
 contrary she could not reach the road. However, 
 she continued in the offing the next day, when the 
 Commodore, seeing there was no chance of her 
 coming to an anchor till the wind shifted, repeated 
 his assistance, sending to her the ' Tryal's ' boat, 
 manned with some of the ' Centurion's ' people, with 
 further supply of food and of water. 
 
 Captain Mitchell was under the necessity of 
 detaining both this boat and that sent the pre- 
 ceding day ; for without the help of their crews he 
 had no longer strength to navigate the ship. In 
 this tantalising situation the ' Gloucester ' continued 
 for nearly a fortnight, without being able to fetch 
 the road, though frequently attempting it. On the 
 9th of July she was seen stretching away to the 
 eastward at a considerable distance, which was 
 supposed to be with the design to get to the south- 
 ward of the island ; but as they soon lost sight 
 of her, and she did not appear again for a week, 
 
 8
 
 ii4 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the Commodore was greatly concerned, knowing 
 she must be in extreme distress for want of water. 
 At length she was discovered on the i6th, en- 
 deavouring to come round the eastern point of the 
 island ; but the wind still blowing directly from 
 the bay prevented her getting nearer than within 
 four leagues of the land. 
 
 On this, Captain Mitchell made signals of distress, 
 and the ' Centurion's ' long-boat was sent, with a 
 store of water, and plenty of fish and other refresh- 
 ments. As the long-boat could not be spared, the 
 coxswain had positive orders to return again im- 
 mediately ; but the weather proving stormy the next 
 day, and the boat not appearing, there was new fear 
 that she was lost, which would have proved an 
 irretrievable misfortune to them all. However, the 
 third day after, they were relieved of this anxiety 
 by the joyful sight of the long-boat's sails upon the 
 water ; on which the Commodore sent the cutter 
 immediately to her assistance, by which the long- 
 boat was towed alongside in a few hours. It was 
 then found that the long-boat had taken in six of 
 the ' Gloucester's ' sick men to bring them on shore, 
 two of whom had died in the boat. The dreadful 
 condition of the crew of the ' Gloucester ' was the 
 more fully ascertained, there being scarcely a man 
 in health on board, except those sent from the 
 ' Centurion ; ' and numbers of the sick every day 
 dying, it appeared that but for the last supply sent
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE < GLOUCESTER: 115 
 
 by the long-boat all must have perished together 
 for want of water. 
 
 It was a dismal prospect. The ' Gloucester ' had 
 already spent a month in her endeavours to fetch 
 the bay, and she was now no further advanced than 
 at the first moment she sighted the island. The 
 people on board had given up hope of ever setting 
 foot there, so long had they been baffled in their 
 efforts ; and it was a grievous aggravation of their 
 distress to be within view of the relief it was not 
 in their power to reach. 
 
 At last deliverance came from this terrible situa- 
 tion, and when it was least expected. After having 
 disappeared again for some days, and almost hope- 
 lessly lost sight of, at daybreak on the 23rd of July 
 she was seen opening the N.W. point of the bay, 
 with a flowing sail. All the boats available went 
 out to her assistance, and in an hour's time from 
 her being descried she anchored safe in the bay 
 between the ' Centurion ' and the shore. They were 
 helped in mooring, and their sick sent on shore, 
 the whole numbering less than eighty, of which it 
 was feared that the greater part could not recover. 
 But whether it was that those most weakened by 
 the scurvy had succumbed, or the greens and fresh 
 provisions sent on board had prepared the survivors 
 for a more speedy recovery, the sick from the 
 ' Gloucester ' were in general relieved and restored 
 to their health in a much shorter time than the
 
 u6 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 sick of the ' Centurion ' when they were first put on 
 shore ; and very few of the ' Gloucester's ' men died 
 after they were landed. 
 
 The principal events relating to the arrival of the 
 ' Gloucester ' having been thus described in a con- 
 tinued narrative, it may be mentioned here that the 
 ' Centurion ' was never joined by any other ship of 
 the squadron, except the remaining victualler, the 
 ' Anna ' pink, which made its appearance about the 
 middle of August. But for the present the story of 
 its adventures must be deferred, in order to give an 
 account of what was done by the Commodore and 
 his men of the ' Centurion,' both on board and on 
 shore, during the period of the ' Gloucester's' frequent 
 and ineffectual attempts to reach the island. 
 
 It was the loth of June, as already stated, that 
 the ' Centurion ' cast anchor in Cumberland Bay on 
 the northern side of Juan Fernandez. The first 
 employment, after sending the sick on shore, was 
 the cleansing the ship and getting a fresh supply 
 of water. It was necessary to do this quickly, for 
 some appearances discovered on shore gave ground 
 for believing that there were Spanish cruisers in 
 those seas, and that they had very lately been at 
 the island, and might possibly return. The heaps 
 of ashes where fires had been made, the bits of 
 earthen jars that seemed but freshly broken, and 
 the bones and pieces of fish not yet decayed, proved 
 the recent time of the visits tg the island. As
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'GLOUCESTER.' 117 
 
 Spanish merchant ships had been warned to avoid 
 the island, as being the rendezvous of buccaneers 
 and pirates, Commodore Anson concluded that the 
 Spanish war-ships of Pizarro's fleet had been there. 
 He knew that they had been sent to intercept him, 
 but he did not then know that these ships had met 
 with disasters as great as his own squadron, and 
 that the Spaniards were as incapable of attacking, 
 from their wretched, enfeebled condition, as the 
 English were of defence. Not having above thirty 
 hands fit for fighting, it was thought that the 
 ' Centurion ' must fall an easy prey to any vessel 
 of Pizarro's fleet. Hence the haste to get the 
 ' Centurion ' ready for making off before an armed 
 enemy appeared. 
 
 Fortunately there was no danger such as at first 
 was feared. But the condition of the sick continued 
 a source of anxiety. Besides the vegetables and 
 fish, it was thought that fresh baked bread would 
 help their recovery, so a large copper oven from the 
 ship was set up near the sick-tents. 
 
 On the very last day of June a sudden gust of 
 wind directly off shore parted the small bower 
 cable about ten fathom from the ring of the anchor. 
 The ship at once swung off to the next bower, which 
 happily stood the violence of the jerk, and brought 
 up with two cables on end in eighty fathom. 
 There were at the moment not above a dozen sea- 
 men in the ship, and had the squall continued they
 
 n8 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 might have been driven out to sea in this helpless 
 condition. However, the boat was sent on shore to 
 bring off all who were capable of acting, and the 
 wind abating the boat was received safely with the 
 reinforcement from shore. With this additional 
 strength they set to work to heave in what remained 
 of the cable, some of which had been damaged, but 
 what was serviceable was bent to the spare anchon 
 which was got over the ship's side. Next morning, 
 July ist, the wind being favourable, the ship was 
 warped in again, and the anchors let go, in forty-one 
 fathom, in a position where they remained secure 
 afterwards. The anchor itself, though often swept 
 for, could not be recovered, the buoy having sunk at 
 the very time the cable parted, so that they were 
 never able to find the place where it sank. 
 
 Asjuly advanced, some of the men being toler- 
 ably recovered, the strongest of them were put upon 
 cutting down trees and splitting them into billets, 
 "end those not strong enough for this work carried 
 the billets by one at a time to the water-side. 
 Even the feeblest and oldest did what they could 
 in this lighter labour. A tent was set up for the 
 sail-makers, who were set to work in repairing the 
 old sails or making new ones. The smiths also, 
 as far as they had strength, were busied in mending 
 the chain-plates and other broken or decayed iron- 
 work. All this was carried on in hopes of the 
 arrival of the ' Gloucester.'
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'GLOUCESTER.' 119 
 
 When at length Captain Mitchell was able to come 
 to anchor in the bay, he waited, on the Commodore, 
 and told him that he had been forced by the winds, 
 in his last absence, as far as a small island called 
 Mas-a-Fuera, about twenty- two leagues to the west- 
 ward of Juan Fernandez. He saw several streams 
 and cascades of water, but the wind blew so strong 
 upon the shore, causing so great a surf, that it was 
 impossible for the boat to land. The attempt was 
 made, and was not altogether useless, for the people 
 returned with a boat-load of fish. The island was 
 covered with trees and verdure, and was in length 
 about four miles. If any bay existed, this island of 
 Mas-a-Fuera might prove a hospitable place of shelter, 
 and was not a barren rock, as former navigators had 
 reported. 
 
 On hearing this, the Commodore thought that 
 possibly some of the missing ships of the squadron 
 might have fallen in with this island, and remained 
 there, thinking it to be the true place of rendezvous. 
 He determined to send the ' Tryal ' sloop, as soon 
 as she could be fitted for the sea, to ascertain this. 
 Next morning several of the best hands were sent 
 on board the ' Tryal ' to fix her rigging, while the 
 long-boat was employed in carrying whatever stores 
 and necessaries might be needed ; these being taken 
 from the ' Centurion ' and from the ' Gloucester.' 
 
 It was not till after the 4th of August that the 
 ' Tryal ' got under weigh and proceeded on her
 
 120 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 cruise. She did not return till near the middle of 
 the month, having been round the island of Mas-a- 
 Fuera without meeting any of the ships, but bring- 
 ing the same favourable account of the island as 
 had been brought by Captain Mitchell of the 
 ' Gloucester.' There were very great numbers of 
 goats, very tame, and not apprehensive of danger 
 until they had been frequently fired at. The 
 Spaniards, supposing the island to be barren, as was 
 the general idea, did not think it could be frequented 
 by their enemies, and so they had not sent dogs on 
 shore as they did at Juan Fernandez. Besides the 
 goats, the people of the ' Tryal ' found vast numbers 
 of seals, and of sea-lions.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'ANNA' PINK, AND THE 
 STORY OF HER ADVENTURES SINCE PARTING 
 COMPANY. 
 
 T3EFORE the return of the 'Tryal' from her 
 ^** cruise, excitement was caused by the appear- 
 ance of a sail in the distance, to the north. It was 
 on Sunday, the i6th of August, about noon. A 
 gun was immediately fired from the ' Centurion,' 
 which was the appointed signal for calling the 
 people to the shores, many of whom were now 
 living in separate huts, under the idea that this 
 would be better for recovering health than so many 
 being together in the sick tents. The people 
 readily obeyed the summons, and the boats were 
 waiting to carry them on board. At first it was 
 supposed to be the ' Tryal ' sloop, but as it drew 
 nearer she was seen to be a vessel with three masts ; 
 but whether friend or foe was as yet uncertain. 
 The suspense ended by her being recognised as the 
 victualler ' Anna.' She had, like the ' Gloucester, 1 
 fallen in to the northward of the island ; but the 
 weather being now favourable, she had the good
 
 122 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 fortune to come to anchor in the bay, at five in the 
 afternoon. Her arrival was gladly welcomed, all 
 the more that she had on board provisions and 
 other stores. Among these was ample supply of 
 flour, for lack of which only small allowances of 
 fresh bread had been available. Now the ovens 
 were kept busy, and the fear of running short of 
 other provisions was removed. 
 
 It should have been mentioned that the captain 
 of the ' Tryal ' sloop, on her arrival, had reported to 
 the Commodore having fallen in with the victualler 
 on the pth of May, off the coast of Chili ; and had 
 kept company with her for four days, when they 
 were parted in a hard gale of wind. All June and 
 July having passed without any tidings, it was found 
 necessary, at the end of January, to order short 
 allowance of bread, and it was also found that the 
 former Purser had neglected to take on board the 
 ' Centurion ' large quantities of various kinds of 
 provisions which the Commodore had specially 
 ordered him to receive. Hence the supposed loss of 
 the victualler had been the more annoying, and the 
 joy on her unexpected appearance in the middle of 
 August the more general. What had happened to 
 the ' Anna ' since she parted company off the coast 
 of Chili will now be told. 
 
 On the first arrival of the ' Anna ' at the island, it 
 caused surprise that the crew were able to work their 
 ship as they did, and bring her to anchor without the
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'ANNA' PINK. 123 
 
 distress and difficulty shown by the people of the 
 ' Gloucester ' and 'Tryal,' as well as of the ' Centurion.' 
 But the explanation was soon given. After parting 
 with the ' Tryal,' the ' Anna ' found herself near 
 land, and steering towards it expected to obtain 
 shelter among some of the many islands off the 
 coast. They came to anchor eastward of the island 
 of Inchin, but not having hands enough to veer away 
 the cable briskly, they were driven to the eastward, 
 and next day let go their sheet anchor. Although it 
 brought them up for a short time, they continued to 
 drive till they were within a mile of the shore. As 
 the boats were very leaky, and no place for landing 
 appeared, they gave themselves up for lost ; expect- 
 ing either to be cast on the rocks, or if any escaped 
 shipwreck that they would be massacred by the 
 savages on that coast, who were bitterly hostile 
 to the Spaniards, and who would not know how to 
 distinguish other strangers from their usual foes. 
 Under this condition of fear they drifted nearer and 
 nearer to the shore, but at last they perceived a 
 small opening in the land, for which they steered, and 
 found it to be a channel between an island and the 
 mainland, leading them to an excellent and sheltered 
 harbour. Here the ship was anchored in twenty- 
 five fathom water, with only a hawser and a small 
 anchor of about three hundredweight. The crew 
 consisted of only sixteen hands, men and boys. 
 Here they remained for nearly two months ; and
 
 124 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 although symptoms of scurvy had appeared in some, 
 all were restored to perfect health by the abundance 
 of good provisions, and excellent water with which 
 the adjacent shore abounded. 
 
 Of the port as a convenient and safe refuge, and 
 of the resources of the island, they gave a very 
 favourable account, but as they could not give an 
 accurate idea of its position the report is not likely 
 to be of use for other navigators, and may be here 
 omitted. Nor were any of the people detached 
 to make observations at more distant parts ; their 
 number being so few, and their fear of being 
 attacked, either by Spaniards or Indians, so great, 
 that their excursions were only in the neighbourhood 
 of the port, and where they were ever in view of 
 the ship. 
 
 The only information obtained by them was of 
 a negative kind, disproving the accounts given by 
 Spanish writers that this coast was inhabited by a 
 fierce and powerful race of savages. All the time 
 they continued there they saw only one Indian 
 family, which came into the harbour in a canoe 
 about a month after their own arrival. The family 
 consisted of an Indian about forty years old, his 
 wife, and two children, one about three years old 
 and a babe. They seemed to have all their property 
 with them, a dog, a cat, a fishing-net, a knife, a 
 hatchet, some of the bark of trees for covering a hut 
 or wigwam, and a flint and steel.
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'ANNA' PINK. 125 
 
 The master of the ' Anna,' as soon as he saw 
 them, sent his yawl and brought them on board. 
 Fearing if they were allowed to go away they 
 might bring other Indians, the master thought it 
 prudent to secure them, but treated them with as 
 much gentleness as possible. In the daytime they 
 were allowed to go where they pleased about the 
 ship, but at night they were locked up in the fore- 
 castle. They were fed the same as the rest of the 
 crew, not excepting the brandy, which they seemed 
 to relish. The master took the man on shore when 
 he went shooting, and he seemed extremely delighted 
 when the master killed his game. All the crew 
 treated the strangers with great humanity, and they 
 seemed to be contented and cheerful. 
 
 But the man soon began to be pensive, and to 
 grow restless at his confinement. He evidently was 
 of quick natural faculties, and though not capable of 
 the slightest conversation in words, yet by signs he 
 showed remarkable ability in making himself under- 
 stood, and was also very curious and inquisitive. For 
 instance, on looking at the size of the ship, and 
 seeing so few people on board, he supposed that the 
 crew must have been more numerous ; and to repre- 
 sent what was passing in his mind he laid himself 
 down on the deck, closed his eyes, and, stretching 
 himself out motionless, he thus expressed his notion 
 of the diminution of number, by imitating the 
 appearance of a dead body. But the strongest
 
 126 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL, 
 
 proof of his shrewdness came out in the manner 
 of his escape from the ship, which he managed with 
 the utmost cleverness. 
 
 After being in custody for about eight days, the 
 scuttle of the forecastle, where he and his family 
 were locked up every night, happened to be unnailed. 
 The following night being very dark and stormy, 
 so that unusual noise could not be heard, he con- 
 trived to convey his wife and children through the 
 unnailed scuttle, and then over the ship's side into 
 the yawl. Then, to prevent being pursued, he cut 
 away the long-boat and his own canoe, which were 
 towing astern, and immediately rowed ashore. It 
 was not till the noise of the oars in the water gave 
 the alarm that the watch on the quarter-deck, with 
 loaded arms, had the slightest suspicion of any 
 movement on board. It was then too late to stop 
 him, or to pursue him, for, the boats being all adrift, 
 it was a considerable time before they could recover, 
 by getting on shore, their own boats. By this exploit 
 the Indian certainly had his revenge on those who 
 had confined him, not only by the trouble they had 
 to recover their boats, but by the terror he caused 
 on his departure ; for on the first alarm of the watch, 
 who cried out " The Indians ! " the whole ship was 
 thrown into consternation, thinking that they were 
 being boarded by a fleet of armed canoes. 
 
 His late captors and masters were so pleased 
 with the enterprise of this man that they could not
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE 'ANNA' PINK. 127 
 
 but admire, in spite of the fear he had given rise 
 to, from the possibility of his spreading the report 
 of the presence of the ship. Lest they were re- 
 maining in concealment only in the neighbourhood, 
 and might suffer for want of food, the sailors 
 prevailed on the master to deposit some food, which 
 they knew the Indians had most relished, in a place 
 where they would be likely to see it ; and this act 
 of humanity was not in vain, for the provisions dis- 
 appeared in a manner that made them conclude the 
 Indians had taken them. 
 
 At the same time, the master and others feared 
 that they might go to the island of Chiloe, where 
 there were Spaniards, and might return as guides 
 with a force sufficient to surprise and capture the 
 ship. The precaution was taken of omitting to fire 
 the evening gun, for the master, from ostentatious 
 imitation of the custom of men-of-war, had hitherto 
 fired a signal gun every evening, at the setting of 
 the watch. This he said he had continued to do, 
 although no longer in company with the ships of 
 the navy, in order to awe the enemy, if any were 
 within hearing, and to convince them that the vessel 
 was always on her guard. 
 
 The crew now being well refreshed, and their wood 
 and water well replenished, they put to sea, a few 
 days after the escape of the Indians, and had a 
 fortunate passage to Juan Fernandez, where they 
 arrived on the i6th of August, as already recorded.
 
 128 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 This victualler, the ' Anna,' was the last ship that 
 joined the Commodore at Juan Fernandez. The 
 remaining ships of the squadron were the ' Severn/ 
 the ' Pearl,' and the ' Wager.' The ' Severn ' and the 
 ' Pearl,' as was afterwards learned, parted company 
 with the squadron off Cape Noir, and instead of 
 trying, like the others, to push on to the next 
 rendezvous, put back to the Brazils.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE WRECK OF THE 'WAGER? 
 
 F the ships that had doubled Cape Horn, the 
 absence of the ' Wager ' most affected the 
 expedition, being the store-ship of the squadron. 
 Though now rated as one of His Majesty's ships, 
 and fitted out as a man-of-war, she was originally a 
 merchant Indiaman. Having plenty of storage 
 room, she was deeply laden with all kinds of bales 
 and merchandise, and with careening gear and 
 necessaries for the use of the other ships. But what 
 most concerned the Commodore was that she had 
 on board some field-pieces, mounted for land service, 
 together with mortars and other artillery stores, and 
 pioneers' tools intended for the operations on shore. 
 As the Commodore had resolved to attack the 
 Spanish fortified station of Baldivia, as the first 
 undertaking of the squadron, Captain Cheap was 
 above all solicitous that these military stores which 
 were in his custody might be ready before Baldivia, 
 so that the squadron on its rendezvous there (he 
 little knew the condition they were reduced to) 
 might not blame him for delay or disappointment. 
 
 9
 
 130 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Therefore he determined to omit the first rendezvous 
 at Socoro, and proposed to steer direct for Baldivia. 
 
 In this course she made the land on the I4th 
 of May, about the latitude of 47 South. Captain 
 Cheap, exerting himself on this occasion in order 
 to get clear of it, had the misfortune to fall down 
 the after-ladder and dislocate his shoulder, which 
 rendered him incapable of acting. This accident, 
 together with the crazy condition of the ship, which 
 was little better than a floating wreck, so severely 
 had she suffered from the tempestuous voyage, 
 prevented her from getting off to sea, and entangled 
 her more and more with the land. Next morning 
 she struck on a sunken rock, and soon after bilged, 
 and grounded between two small islands at about a 
 musket-shot from the shore. The crew got almost 
 all safe on shore, on an island called afterwards 
 ' Wager Island.' But they were in so disorganized 
 and mutinous a state that the captain and officers 
 lost all authority over the ill-disposed and ill-con- 
 ducted, who were the great majority of those who sur- 
 vived. The ship was pillaged, the spirit stores were 
 broken into, and some of the men through drunken- 
 ness perished on the wreck. Only a small number 
 remained faithful to the service and to the officers 
 of the ship. Yet the others could not exactly be 
 called ' mutineers,' for in those times it was taken 
 for granted that when a ship was wrecked, and the 
 pay and provisioning of the crew ceased, they were
 
 THE WRECK OF THE WAGER: 131 
 
 no longer under authority and ordinary discipline. 
 It was not till long afterwards, and at the instance 
 of Anson, from the experience of the ' Wager,' that 
 the law was made clear for maintaining and con- 
 tinuing discipline after a ship is wrecked. 
 
 The facts about the wreck of the ' Wager/ and 
 the history of the proceedings of the crew till all 
 finally left ' Wager Island,' after living for many 
 months on that desolate island, were made known 
 through the arrival of some of the seamen in 
 England. They had left the island, under the 
 advice and guidance of Mr. Bulkeley, one of the 
 warrant officers, who persuaded them that by re- 
 turning through the Straits of Magellan, and then 
 ranging along the coast, they should arrive at Brazil, 
 where they hoped to be well received (the Portu- 
 guese being then friendly), and thence procure a 
 passage to England. This was effected, though with 
 the loss of most of their number, and after great 
 labours and hazards. Captain Cheap, and those who 
 agreed with him, resolved to remain, and, in the best 
 way they could, find their way northward, by land 
 or by coasting in the barge and yawl, which were left 
 when the others went off in the long-boat and cutter. 
 
 When the ship was wrecked there were alive on 
 board the ' Wager ' about a hundred and thirty 
 persons. Of these above thirty died upon Wager 
 Island ; eighty went off in the long-boat and cutter 
 to the southward, leaving behind the captain and
 
 I 3 2 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 nineteen others, as many as the barge and the yawl 
 could well carry. 
 
 It was the I3th October, five months after the 
 shipwreck, that the long-boat, converted into a 
 schooner, weighed and stood to the southward, giv- 
 ing Captain Cheap, Lieutenant Hamilton of the land 
 forces, and the others on the beach three cheers on 
 their departure. They did not get to Rio Grande on 
 the coast of Brazil till the 29th of January, 1743. 
 
 Having, by various accidents, left about twenty of 
 their people on shore at different places they touched 
 at, and a larger number having perished of hunger 
 and sickness during the navigation, there were not 
 above thirty who reached Rio Grande. The loss of 
 the cutter, which broke away from the stern and 
 was staved, was a great misfortune, for with it they 
 could get provisions and water at places where the 
 schooner could not get to shore safely. 
 
 After the arrival of Mr. Bulkeley in England, 
 with a remnant of the ' Wager's ' crew, a narrative 
 of their adventures was published ; but this is not 
 a matter belonging to the history of Anson's expe- 
 dition. Neither need we dwell on the far more 
 interesting account of the adventures and misfor- 
 tunes of Captain Cheap and the officers of the 
 ' Wager.' Only three persons out of the twenty left 
 on Wager Island, after the majority left, contrived, 
 after long travel by land and water, to reach England. 
 A fourth turned up some months after, a midship-
 
 THE WRECK OF THE ' WAGER: 133 
 
 man, Campbell, who had stayed behind in South 
 America, and came back to Spain in Pizarro's ship, 
 the 'Asia.' The others, by help of Indians, got to 
 the island of Chiloe, and were sent to Valparaiso, 
 and thence to St. Jago, the capital of Chili, where 
 they remained for a year. When news arrived of 
 an armistice being settled between England and 
 Spain, Captain Cheap and the only two of his 
 officers still with him were permitted to return to 
 Europe in a French ship. One of these three was 
 the Hon. John Byron, a scion of the noble house 
 to which the poet Byron belonged. He was only a 
 young lieutenant when he went out with Anson. 
 He afterwards rose to high rank and distinction, 
 and was employed on special service in those very 
 regions where he had undergone the hardships of 
 which he published his personal recollections. He 
 did not reach England with Captain Cheap till after 
 ' Anson's Voyage ' had been published, which there- 
 fore contains reference only to the earlier part of his 
 adventures. The whole of the story was not made 
 known till long afterwards, through the publication 
 by Byron, in 1768, of ' The account of the loss of the 
 " Wager," and of the great distresses suffered by him- 
 self and his companions on the coast of Patagonia, 
 till his arrival in England in 1746.' There are few 
 books of shipwreck and disaster by sea of more 
 thrilling interest than this of the loss of the ' Wager,' 
 by Commodore Byron.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE FROM JUAN FER- 
 NANDEZ STATE OF THE CREWS FROM THE 
 RAVAGES OF SCURVY. 
 
 A BOUT a week after the arrival of the ' Anna ' 
 * ^ victualling ship, the ' Tryal,' which had been 
 sent to explore the island of Mas-a-Fuera, returned 
 to the Commodore's station. No other ship of the 
 squadron had been met with, but opportunity was 
 taken to examine the island thoroughly. Its name 
 was given by the Spaniards ' Mas-a-Fuera ' (more 
 distant), from its being farther from the mainland 
 than Juan Fernandez. It was a much better place 
 than was supposed, well-wooded and with plenty of 
 good water. They found a large number of goats, 
 the Spaniards having the idea that it was too barren 
 a place to be frequented by their enemies the 
 buccaneers, and so they had not turned dogs loose 
 there, as has been already explained. Seals, sea- 
 lions, fish, and other supplies were abundant. There 
 are good stations for anchorage near shore, and 
 some reefs, which are not dangerous, because their 
 position is to be always seen by the seas breaking 
 over them.
 
 PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE. 135 
 
 The latter part of August was spent in unloading 
 the stores from the ' Anna.' They had the mortifi- 
 cation to find that most of the food was decayed and 
 unfit for use, the vessel having admitted much water 
 by the working and straining in bad weather, by 
 which some of the casks had rotted, and bags of 
 rice, flour, and other eatables soaked through. As 
 soon as the stores worth preserving had been taken, 
 the Commodore, in pursuance of his instructions, sent 
 notice to the master of the victualling ship that he 
 would now be discharged ; at the same time giving 
 to him a certificate specifying how long he had been 
 employed. He was then at liberty either to return 
 directly to England, to make the best of his way to 
 any port where he thought he might take in a cargo 
 such as would answer the interest of the owners. 
 But next day the master wrote an answer to the 
 Commodore, saying that from the great leakage in 
 the passage round Cape Horn he feared that the 
 damage to the ship by the tempestuous weather had 
 been great, and it was impossible to venture to sea 
 without the vessel being refitted. He therefore 
 requested the Commodore to allow the carpenters of 
 the squadron to examine and report on her condi- 
 tion. The result was that very extensive decays 
 and defects were discovered, and it was certified that 
 the vessel could not put to sea without first being 
 thoroughly refitted. 
 
 To undertake this repair under existing circum-
 
 136 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 stances was impossible, as all the iron and plank 
 in the squadron would not have sufficed for the 
 purpose. Accordingly, the master of the ' Anna ' 
 petitioned the Commodore, on behalf of the owners, 
 that the hull and furniture of the ship should be 
 purchased for the use of the squadron, as there were 
 not a few things which would be serviceable in 
 refitting the other ships. The Commodore assented, 
 and an accurate inventory having been made, and 
 the value of all articles estimated as nearly as 
 possible, an agreement was made with Mr. Gerard, 
 the master, to purchase the whole for .300. The 
 hull was then broken up. The hands belonging to 
 the ' Anna ' were sent on board the ' Gloucester,' 
 which had lost most men in proportion to her 
 complement. Afterwards two or three were received 
 on board the ' Centurion,' at their own urgent request, 
 being averse to sailing with their old master, on 
 account of some particular ill-usages they conceived 
 they had suffered from him. 
 
 It was now the beginning of September. The 
 people were all so far recovered that there was 
 little danger of losing more at present. It may be 
 well therefore here to give a brief summary of the 
 loss since leaving England, to show the sufferings 
 already endured, and to convey some idea of the 
 present strength of the squadron. On board the 
 ' Centurion ' since leaving St. Helen's 292 had died, 
 and there remained on board 214. This was a
 
 PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE. 137 
 
 most extraordinary mortality ; yet on board the 
 ' Gloucester ' the death-rate was far higher. Out of 
 a smaller crew the same number, 292, had died, 
 and only 82 remained alive. The ' Tryal ' sloop 
 had fared better, for she buried 42, and 39 still 
 survived. The loss was chiefly from scurvy, and the 
 havoc of this disease had fallen far more severely 
 on the Chelsea invalids and the marines than on 
 the sailors. On board the 'Centurion/ out of 50 
 invalids and 79 marines, there remained only 4 
 invalids, including officers, and 1 1 marines. On 
 board the ' Gloucester ' every old Chelsea pensioner 
 perished, and out of 48 marines only 2 escaped. 
 From this account it appears that these three ships 
 together left England with 961 men on board, of 
 whom 626 had died up to this time ; and the whole 
 remaining crews, which were now to be distributed 
 amongst three ships, amounted to not more than 
 335, men and boys; a number greatly insufficient 
 for the manning the ' Centurion ' alone, and scarcely 
 capable of navigating the three ships with the 
 utmost exertion of their strength and vigour. 
 
 This great reduction of the force caused the 
 more alarm and anxiety as the Commodore was as 
 yet without any certain knowledge of the fate of 
 the Spanish fleet under Admiral Pizarro, and had 
 reason to suppose that some part of it at least had 
 got round into these seas. However much the 
 Spaniards might have suffered in the passage, every
 
 138 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 port in the South Seas was open to them for 
 refitting, and for recruiting the number they might 
 have lost. Besides, there was reason to expect that 
 a force was to be sent out from Callao, the tidings 
 of Anson's expedition having long ago spread in 
 every region of the Spanish world. The English 
 squadron was now not merely unfit to offer resist- 
 ance to any naval force that might attack it, far less 
 to attempt any of the enemy's considerable towns and 
 fortified places. Such was the position of affairs, and 
 it might well raise very desponding reflections in the 
 Commodore and his officers at Juan Fernandez. 
 
 The frightful mortality from scurvy is the saddest 
 and most lamentable incident in the whole story of 
 this expedition. It is the more painful to read of 
 it, inasmuch as this once terrible scourge of sailors 
 has long been under the thorough control of sanitary 
 knowledge and medical skill. For a long time 
 after Anson's voyage there was still much mystery 
 as to the cause of the malady, but in several earlier 
 voyages facts had been put on record as to simple 
 and sufficient methods of protecting the health of 
 the seamen. It is strange that the naval and 
 medical authorities at home had not noted these 
 useful experiences of old navigators, and at a more 
 early period introduced to the Navy the knowledge 
 of the diet and regimen by which the ravages of 
 scurvy could be abated. Scurvy is, except under very 
 rare and special conditions, almost banished from
 
 PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE. 139 
 
 our ships. The surgeons of Anson's ships seem to 
 have been ignorant and unskilful in regard to the 
 care of their men. 
 
 In painful contrast to the calamities of Anson's 
 expedition from this cause is the story of Captain 
 Cook's celebrated first voyage round the world. 
 Cook's ship, the ' Resolution,' was out for nearly 
 the same time as Anson's ' Centurion,' and only 
 about thirty years later. He cruised in all climates, 
 from 5 2 North to 71 South, and was exposed to all 
 the perils of the sea, but he did not lose a single 
 man from scurvy ! Out of his whole crew he lost 
 only four, of whom two were drowned, one was killed 
 by a fall, and one died from a complicated disease, 
 the seeds of which he brought on board with him 
 in his bad constitution. 
 
 Captain Cook's report of his voyage, as regards 
 the health of his people, and the measures taken 
 to preserve it, appeared in a letter to the President 
 of the Royal Society, then the celebrated physician 
 Sir John Pringle. It was published in the Philo- 
 sophical Transactions of 1776, and is dated March 
 5th of that year. It is a most interesting and 
 valuable document, and worthy of being studied by 
 all who are interested in the welfare of seamen, 
 whether in the Navy or in the Mercantile service. 
 It does not treat of preventives and remedies for 
 scurvy only, but gives sensible suggestions on many 
 matters of diet, regimen, and discipline.
 
 140 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Since that time lime-juice has been introduced. 
 With this portable remedy, and by using due 
 precautions with regard to ventilation, cleanliness, 
 diet, and cheerful employment, numerous crews 
 have had perfect health maintained, whether during 
 long cruises in tropical seas or during successive 
 winters in Arctic regions. It is all the more to the 
 honour of Captain Cook that with far less potent 
 anti-scorbutic appliances he managed to bring his 
 ship back to England, after three years and eighteen 
 days, with a perfectly clean bill of health. His 
 report is the more worth recalling from the contrast 
 it presents to the sad catalogue of woes recorded 
 in Anson's voyage. So erroneous were the ideas of 
 the disease among the officers and surgeons of that 
 squadron, that it is stated in the official narrative 
 that ' the air of the sea seems to be charged with 
 some hurtful principle, and that the cure is to be 
 obtained only by a change to the air of the land.'
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS AGAINST 
 THE SPANIARDS. 
 
 T N the beginning of September the men were 
 -L tolerably well recovered, and the season for 
 navigation in that climate was drawing near. Every 
 effort was therefore made to get the ships in readiness 
 for the sea. The fore-mast of the ' Anna ' was con- 
 verted into a main-mast for the ' Tryal ' sloop ; and 
 the main-mast was laid aside to make a mizzen-mast 
 for the * Wager,' as the Commodore still hoped that 
 she and other ships of the squadron might arrive at 
 the island. 
 
 All hands were busily employed in forwarding 
 preparations for departure, when on the 8th of Sep- 
 tember, about 1 1 A.M., a sail was espied to the N.E., 
 which continued to approach till her courses appeared 
 even with the horizon. There was a general expec- 
 tation that she might prove one of the missing ships ; 
 but when she steered away to the eastward without 
 haling in for the island they all concluded she must 
 be a Spaniard. There was great talk about the
 
 i 4 2 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 matter among the men, some saying that she had 
 doubtless been near enough to discover something 
 that gave her certainty of an enemy being there, 
 and therefore she made off. The Commodore 
 promptly determined to settle all doubts and surmises 
 by giving chase, and the ' Centurion ' being in greatest 
 forwardness, all hands were ordered on board, the 
 rigging set up, the sails bent, and by five in the 
 afternoon she got under sail. There was hardly any 
 wind, so that all the boats were employed to tow the 
 ' Centurion ' out of the bay ; and. even the little wind 
 that there was lasted only long enough to give an 
 offing of two or three leagues, when it flatted to a 
 calm. Night coming on they lost sight of the chase, 
 and had to wait, in extreme impatience, for the return 
 of daylight. In the morning, though the weather 
 continued perfectly clear, not a sight of the ship 
 could be got from the mast-head. This was a great 
 disappointment, for they were all satisfied that it was 
 an enemy's ship, and the first seen in these seas. 
 
 The Commodore had come to the conclusion, under 
 the depression caused by the feebleness of his force 
 and the absence of military stores, that no larger 
 enterprise remained for the fleet than the capture of 
 such vessels as came in their way in these seas. 
 Here was the first of such ships, and it had escaped. 
 He was resolved not to give up the search too lightly ; 
 and just then, a slight breeze springing up from the 
 W.N.W., they got up the top-gallant masts and yards,
 
 FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS. 143 
 
 set all sails, and steered to theS.R.in hope of re-sighting 
 the ship, which he imagined to be bound for Val- 
 paraiso. All that day, and the next, the same course 
 was continued ; and then, as no sight of the chase 
 was obtained, they conceived that by this time, having 
 so good a start, she must have reached her port. 
 
 It was therefore resolved to return to Juan Fer- 
 nandez, and with that view they haled up to the S.W., 
 having very little wind until the 1 2th of the month, 
 when at three in the morning there sprang up a fresh 
 gale from the W.S.W., which obliged them to tack 
 and stand to the N.W. At daybreak they were 
 agreeably surprised by the sight of a sail on their 
 weather-bow, between four and five leagues distant. 
 All sail was immediately crowded, and as they stood 
 after her they soon perceived it was not the same 
 ship that they had previously given chase to. She 
 at once bore down upon the ' Centurion,' showing 
 Spanish colours, and making a signal, as if to her 
 own consort ; but on observing that her signal was 
 not answered she instantly loofed close to the wind, 
 and stood to the southward. The ' Centurion's ' men 
 were now all in high spirits, and put about the ship 
 with great briskness. As the chase appeared to be a 
 large ship, and had mistaken the ' Centurion ' for her 
 consort, it was supposed she was a man-of-war, and 
 probably one of Pizarro's squadron. This induced 
 the Commodore to order all the officers' cabins to be 
 knocked down and thrown overboard, with several
 
 144 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 casks of water and stores which stood between the 
 guns, so as to have the ship all clear and ready for 
 an engagement. 
 
 For a short time there was hazy weather and rain, 
 during which the sight of the chase was lost, and 
 fears were entertained that if dull weather should 
 continue she might, by going upon the other tack, 
 or by some other artifice, make her escape. But in 
 less than an hour the sky cleared, and it was seen 
 that the ' Centurion ' had both weathered and fore- 
 reached upon her considerably ; and they were near 
 enough to discover she was only a merchantman, 
 without so much as a single tier of guns. About 
 half-past twelve the distance was reduced so as to 
 allow four shot being fired amongst her rigging ; 
 upon which they lowered their top-sails, and bore 
 down to the ' Centurion,' but in great confusion, 
 their top-gallant sails and sky-sails all fluttering in 
 the wind, owing to their having let run their sheets 
 and halyards just as the four shot came upon them ; 
 after which not a man had courage enough to venture 
 aloft to take them in. 
 
 As soon as -the vessel came within hale, the 
 Commodore ordered them to bring to under his 
 lee-quarter ; and then hoisted out the boats, and 
 sent Mr. Saumarez, his first lieutenant, to take 
 possession of the prize, with directions to send all 
 the prisoners on board the ' Centurion,' beginning 
 with the officers and the passengers.
 
 FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS. 145 
 
 When Lieutenant Saumarez stepped on board 
 he was received with every token of most abject 
 submission, for they were all, especially the pas- 
 sengers, in extreme terror, and under the greatest 
 apprehension of meeting with severe and cruel 
 treatment, as such is too generally the custom with 
 Spaniards towards their enemies. The lieutenant 
 at once, with great courtesy, endeavoured to 
 dissipate their fears ; assuring them that these were 
 groundless, and that in the Commodore they would 
 find a generous foe, who was not less remarkable 
 for his lenity and humanity than for his resolution 
 and courage. . 
 
 The prisoners who were first sent on board the 
 ' Centurion ' informed the Commodore that the 
 prize was called ' Nuestra Seiiora del Monte 
 Carmelo ' (Our Lady of Mount Carmel), and was 
 commanded by Don Manuel Zamorra. Her cargo 
 consisted of sugar and of woollen cloth, with some 
 cotton bales, tobacco, and other sundries. These 
 were the principal commercial goods, but a more 
 welcome and valuable prize was the discovery of 
 several chests of plate, and a large quantity of 
 silver dollars. The ship's burden was about 
 450 tons ; she had fifty-three sailors on board, both 
 whites and blacks ; she came from Callao, and had 
 been twenty-seven days at sea before she was taken. 
 She was bound to Valparaiso, in Chili, where she 
 intended to load with corn, wine, dried beef, and 
 
 10
 
 146 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 small cordage, which at Callao they convert into 
 larger rope. The ship, though thirty years old, 
 was in good condition, for these ships only put to 
 sea in the summer months. The rigging was 
 indifferent, as were likewise the sails, which were 
 made of cotton. She had only three four-pounders, 
 altogether unserviceable, the gun-carriages being 
 scarcely able to support them ; and there were no 
 small arms on board, except a few pistols belong- 
 ing to passengers. The prisoners reported that they 
 left Callao in company with two other ships, 
 with whom they had parted some days before they 
 sighted the ' Centurion,' which they mistook for 
 one of their consorts. By the description it was 
 certain that it was one of these that the ' Centurion ' 
 had first chased ; their coming in sight of the island 
 scared them, having been warned not to approach 
 it, as being the probable place of rendezvous of the 
 English squadron, of which all had heard in those 
 parts of the world by this time. 
 
 What was more important was, that the Com- 
 modore now learned for certain, both from the 
 passengers and from letters and papers found in 
 the prize, that the powerful squadron under Pizarro 
 had been on the look-out for the English ships. 
 He also learned that the Spanish Admiral had met 
 with as great disasters as the English fleet ; having 
 had to put back again into the River La Plata with 
 the loss of two of his largest ships, Moreover,
 
 FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS. 147 
 
 although for a time the Governor of Peru had 
 warned all vessels not to put to sea on account 
 of Anson's expedition, yet now, after so long a time 
 had elapsed without any tidings of them on the 
 coast, it was supposed that they must have been 
 lost, and the embargo sending merchant ships to sea 
 had been taken off. This was so far good news, as 
 the Commodore, notwithstanding the diminution of 
 his force, might still hope to make valuable captures, 
 and thereby in part indemnify himself for the dis- 
 appointment as to attempts on Spanish settlements 
 on shore. 
 
 There had been a narrow escape after all ; for the 
 Governor of Peru, on the recommendation of Pizarro, 
 had fitted out and sent to Juan Fernandez a fleet 
 consisting of one fifty-gun ship, two of forty guns, 
 and one of twenty-four guns. Three of these were 
 stationed off the port of Concepcion, and the fourth 
 at Juan Fernandez, for the purpose of intercepting 
 the English squadron, and attacking the ships 
 singly before they could join again. They con- 
 tinued to cruise off the coast till the 6th of June, 
 and only retired on concluding that the English had 
 either perished or been driven back. If Anson 
 had got to the island at the end of May, as he 
 expected, he could have made a poor defence 
 if attacked by Spaniards in fresh condition, and 
 well-armed. But the delay caused by haling in 
 for the main to secure the easting for reaching
 
 148 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the island, though regretted at the time on account 
 of the numbers lost by prolonged continuance at 
 sea, proved a fortunate delay after all. The 
 Spaniards, tired out with waiting, left only a few 
 days before the ' Centurion ' dropped anchor ; and 
 this accounted for the broken jars, ashes of fires, 
 fish-bones, and other marks of recent sojourners on 
 the island. One additional piece of information 
 the prisoners gave, that the Spanish ships, on 
 returning to Callao, were found to be so much 
 damaged during their cruise that they had been laid 
 up for repair, and it must be at least two months 
 before their armament could be again fitted out. 
 All this was very satisfactory information, and gave 
 new hopes to the Commodore and his people. 
 
 The prisoners being now all on board the ' Cen- 
 turion,' she made sail to the northward, accompanied 
 by her prize, and next morning they sighted Juan 
 Fernandez, and came to anchor in the bay. The 
 Spaniards could not help loudly expressing their 
 astonishment on beholding the condition of the 
 squadron, after all the distresses they knew had 
 been gone through. They wondered that any of 
 the ships had ever weathered such storms, and that 
 so many of the crew had survived the frightful sick- 
 ness of so long a period ; but their amazement rose 
 to the highest pitch on seeing the ' Tryal ' sloop at 
 anchor, all in trim and serviceable order. They 
 said they were surprised that, after all the fatigue
 
 FIRST VENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS. 149 
 
 and calamities endured, the English had the strength 
 and industry to build this beautiful new ship on 
 the spot. Nor was it without much difficulty they 
 were persuaded to believe that she came from 
 England with the rest of the squadron ; they long 
 insisting that it was impossible for such a slender 
 bauble to pass round Cape Horn when the best 
 war-ships of Spain were obliged to put back. 
 
 On arriving at Juan Fernandez the letters found 
 on board the prize were more minutely examined. 
 From them it appeared that several other merchant- 
 men had left Callao for Valparaiso ; so the Commo- 
 dore despatched the ' Tryal ' the very next morning 
 to cruise off Valparaiso, reinforcing the crew with 
 ten hands from his own ship. He resolved also, 
 now that he knew there was no formidable Spanish 
 squadron in these seas, to divide the ships under his 
 command and employ them in separate cruises, so 
 as not only to increase the chance for prizes, but 
 also thus to run less risk of alarming the enemy's 
 coast. Every preparation was eagerly made for 
 these enterprises, and during the week that was thus 
 spent the Commodore directed that the guns that 
 belonged to the ' Anna,' viz., four six-pounders, four 
 four-pounders, and two swivels, should be mounted 
 on board the prize, the ' Carmelo.' He also sent on 
 board the ' Gloucester ' six Spanish passengers and 
 twenty-three seamen, to assist in navigating the 
 ship. He directed Captain Mitchell to start as soon
 
 150 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as possible towards the latitude of five degrees south, 
 and to cruise off the high land of Paita, keeping at 
 such a distance from shore as not to be descried. 
 On this station he was to continue till he should be 
 joined by the ' Centurion,' which would be whenever 
 it was known that the Viceroy had fitted out the 
 war-ships at Callao, or the receiving of any other 
 intelligence making it desirable to concentrate the 
 force of the squadron. These orders being delivered 
 to Captain Mitchell of the ' Gloucester,' on Saturday 
 the 1 9th of September, the ' Centurion ' weighed 
 anchor, and, in company with its prize, got out of 
 the bay ; the Commodore then taking his last leave, 
 as he thought, of Juan Fernandez, and steering to 
 the eastward, with the intention of joining the 
 ' Tryal ' in her station off Valparaiso.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE AFTER LEAVING 
 JUAN FERNANDEZ MORE PRIZES. 
 
 * I A HE ' Centurion,' with her prize the ' Carmelo,' 
 -* weighed from the bay on the north of Juan 
 Fernandez on the 1 9th of September ; yet it was 
 the 22nd of the month before they lost sight of the 
 island, owing to the irregularity and fluctuation of 
 the winds in the offing. After that the course was 
 continued eastward, to reach the cruising place of 
 the ' Tryal ' off Valparaiso. On the evening of the 
 24th, a little before sunset, two sails were seen to 
 the eastward. The ' Carmelo ' was ordered to stand 
 directly from the ' Centurion,' to avoid any suspicion 
 of being cruisers in company, and the Commodore 
 steered with all canvas towards the ships descried, 
 and got ready for an engagement. One of these 
 ships, which had the appearance of being a large 
 strong vessel, made directly for the ' Centurion,' 
 whilst the other kept at a great distance. By seven 
 o'clock the ' Centurion ' was within pistol-shot of 
 the nearest, and had a broadside ready to pour into 
 her, the gunners having their matches in their hands,
 
 152 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and only waiting for orders to fire. The Com- 
 modore, knowing it was now impossible for her 
 to escape, ordered the master to hail the ship in 
 Spanish, upon which an answer came in English 
 from the commanding officer on board her, who 
 proved to be Mr. Hughes, Lieutenant of the ' Tryal.' 
 He soon explained that his ship was a prize taken 
 by the ' Tryal ' a few days before, and now under 
 his charge. Soon after the ' Tryal ' came up, and 
 Captain Saunders, her Commander, came on board 
 the ' Centurion.' He told the Commodore that he 
 had taken the prize on the i8th; that she was a 
 prime sailer, and had cost him thirty-six hours' chase 
 before he could come up to her. For a long time 
 he gained so little upon her that he almost gave up 
 hope of taking her ; and the Spaniards, though 
 alarmed at first with seeing nothing but a cloud of 
 sail in pursuit of them, the hull of the ' Tryal ' being 
 so low in the water that no part of it appeared, yet, 
 knowing the speed of their ship, they must have soon 
 recovered their sense of security. When night came 
 on they altered their course, and shut up their 
 windows to prevent any lights being visible, but it 
 so happened that there was a crack or crevice in 
 one of the shutters, the light from which sufficed to 
 be a mark for the ' Tryal ' to keep up the chase, till 
 they at length arrived within gun-shot. Then 
 Captain Saunders alarmed them unexpectedly with 
 a broadside, when they flattered themselves they had
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE. 153 
 
 given him the slip and were far out of reach. How- 
 ever, they kept the same sail abroad, and it was not 
 observed that this first salute had made any impres- 
 sion on them ; but just as the ' Tryal ' was preparing 
 to repeat her broadside, the Spaniards lowered their 
 sails and submitted without any resistance. 
 
 She was one of the largest merchantmen employed 
 in those seas, being about 600 tons burthen, and was 
 called the ' Arranzazu.' She was bound from Callao 
 to Valparaiso, and had much the same cargo as the 
 1 Carmelo ' had, except that there was very little 
 silver on board, amounting only to about .5,000 
 sterling. 
 
 To balance this success the Commodore had the 
 grief to learn that the ' Tryal ' was in bad condition, 
 having had the misfortune to have sprung her main- 
 mast, and that her main-top mast had come by the 
 board ; and on the morning following, a fresh gale 
 coming on, she had the additional ill-luck to spring 
 her fore-mast ; so that now she had not a mast left 
 on which sail could be carried. The wind continued 
 to blow so hard, and raised such a sea, that the 
 Commodore could not hoist out a boat to send 
 assistance, and could only lie to for the greatest part 
 of the forty-eight hours, so as not to leave her in 
 her present disabled condition. This was the more 
 annoying that the ' Centurion ' was all the while 
 driving to the leeward of her proposed station, and 
 Spanish ships that might have been intercepted
 
 154 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 would now gain the port of Valparaiso without 
 obstruction. 
 
 The weather gradually becoming more moderate, 
 the Commodore sent his boat on the 2/th for the 
 Captain of the ' Tryal ' to come again on board the 
 ' Centurion.' Captain Saunders brought with, him a 
 paper, signed by himself and all his officers, repre- 
 senting that the ' Tryal ' was so leaky in her hull 
 that the pumps had to be plied constantly, and could 
 scarcely keep her free in the quietest weather ; while 
 in the late gale the water so increased upon them, 
 though all hands by turns were at the pumps, and if 
 they encountered much bad weather they feared they 
 must all inevitably perish. Therefore they petitioned 
 the Commodore to consider what measures could be 
 taken for their safety. 
 
 The Commodore at once saw that the repairing 
 of so great defects was an undertaking greatly 
 beyond his power under existing circumstances ; for 
 there were no masts to spare her, and no stores to 
 complete her rigging ; nor was there any port at 
 hand where she could be hove down to get the hull 
 examined. Even if there had been a port, and 
 proper requisites for repairs, it would not have been 
 advisable, in so critical a conjuncture, to devote so 
 much time as would be necessary for the operations. 
 
 There was no course left to the Commodore but to 
 destroy the ' Tryal ' and take out her people. How- 
 ever, as it would be expedient to keep up the appear-
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE. 155 
 
 ance of their force the Commodore appointed the 
 1 Tryal's ' prize (which had been often employed by 
 the Viceroy of Peru as a war-ship) to be a frigate in 
 His Majesty's service, manning her with the ' Tryal's ' 
 crew, and giving commissions to the captain and all 
 the officers accordingly. 
 
 This new frigate, added to the British Navy, had 
 mounted thirty-two guns ; but she was now to have 
 only twenty, which were the twelve on board the 
 ' Tryal ' and eight that had belonged to the ' Anna.' 
 She carried no guns when engaged as a merchantman, 
 but only when she had been on service for the Viceroy. 
 This affair having been thus settled, orders were 
 given to Captain Saunders to take out of the sloop 
 the arms, ammunition, stores, and whatever might be 
 of any use to the other ships, and then to scuttle her 
 and sink her. After seeing her destroyed, Captain 
 Saunders, with his new frigate, to be called the ' Tryal 
 Prize,' was to proceed to cruise off Valparaiso, keep- 
 ing the heights above the city at the distance of 
 twelve or fourteen leagues N.N.W. This was done 
 because all ships from Valparaiso to the northward 
 steer that course, and the Commodore sought to 
 stop any intelligence that might be despatched to 
 Callao, giving alarm, through two of their ships 
 being missing, as to the English squadron being 
 in their neighbourhood. The ' Tryal Prize ' was to 
 continue on that station twenty-four days, and if not 
 joined by the Commodore was to proceed down the
 
 156 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 coast to Pisco or Nasca. The Commodore also gave 
 orders to Lieutenant Saumarez, now in command of 
 the ' Centurion's ' prize, the ' Carmelo,' to keep com- 
 pany with Captain Saunders, both to assist in un- 
 loading the sloop and by spreading in their cruise 
 to afford less chance of Spanish vessels slipping 
 by unobserved. These orders being despatched, 
 the Commodore, with the 'Centurion,' parted from 
 the other ships in the evening of September 2/th, 
 steering to the southward with the view of cruising 
 for some days to the windward of Valparaiso. 
 
 By this disposition of the ships the best advantage 
 possible for so small a force was gained. For the 
 ' Gloucester' also by this time might be supposed to 
 be drawing near the high land of Paita, and thus 
 the small fleet was so stationed as to intercept all 
 vessels passing either between Peru and Chili to 
 the southward, or between Panama and Peru to the 
 northward ; since the chief trade from Peru to Chili 
 being carried on at the port of Valparaiso, the 
 ' Centurion ' cruising to the windward of that port 
 would in all probability meet with them, the practice 
 being for merchantmen to fall in with the coast 
 to the windward of Valparaiso. The ' Gloucester ' 
 would in like manner be in the path of trade bound 
 from Panama or the northward to any part of Peru, 
 the high land off which her station was appointed 
 being made by every ship on that voyage. And while 
 the ' Centurion ' and ' Gloucester ' were thus inter-
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE. 157 
 
 rupting the Spaniards' trade, the ' Centurion's ' prize 
 and the ' Tryal's ' prize were so posted as to intercept 
 ships from Valparaiso to the northward, such ships 
 being likely to carry to Peru an account of the 
 English being in those seas. 
 
 These dispositions were admirable, but the distress 
 of the ' Tryal ' was unfortunate not only in extent 
 but in the time of its occurring, for opportunity was 
 given to all ships bound for Valparaiso to reach that 
 port without molestation. 
 
 Between the 2 9th of September, when the 'Cen- 
 turion left Captain Saunders, and the 6th of October 
 not a single sail was sighted. As it seemed useless 
 to stay longer, the Commodore proceeded to join 
 the two prizes off the high land where they had 
 been ordered to cruise. Not finding them there he 
 proceeded down the coast to the second rendezvous, 
 off the high land of Nasca, where Captain Saunders 
 had been directed to join the ' Centurion.' This 
 station was reached on the 2ist of October, yet no 
 sail was seen till the 2nd of November, when two 
 ships appeared in sight together. Immediately 
 chase was given, when it turned out that these were 
 the two prizes. As they had the wind of the 
 ' Centurion,' she brought to and waited their coming 
 up. Captain Saunders came on board, and reported 
 to the Commodore that he had, according to orders, 
 scuttled the ' Tryal ' sloop, and remained by her 
 till she sank, which was rather a tedious affair, the
 
 158 FROM MIDDY TO' ADMIRAL. 
 
 hull, without masts or sails to steady her, rolling 
 and pitching so violently that no boat could with 
 safety stay near her to effect the scuttling. During 
 this attendance on the sloop they were all drifted 
 so far to the north-west that they were obliged to 
 stretch a long way to the westward to regain their 
 station, which was the reason of not meeting as 
 expected. Captain Saunders had also been unfor- 
 tunate in not seeing a single vessel since separating 
 from the Commodore. 
 
 This disappearance of vessels from the seas led 
 to the belief that the Spaniards, missing the two 
 ships taken as prizes, had suspected the presence of 
 enemies, and had consequently again laid an embargo 
 on all the trade in the southern parts. The 
 Commodore also apprehended that they might be 
 fitting out the men-of-war at Callao, for he knew it 
 was not an uncommon thing for an express from 
 Valparaiso to reach Lima in about thirty days, and 
 it was now fifty since the first prize had been taken. 
 These considerations led the Commodore to resolve 
 to hasten down to the leeward of Callao, and to 
 join Captain Mitchell of the ' Gloucester,' who was 
 stationed off Paita, so that they might be ready to 
 give the Viceroy's ships from Callao a warm recep- 
 tion if they did put to sea. 
 
 That same afternoon, therefore, the Commodore 
 bore away, taking particular care to keep at such 
 a distance from the coast that there might be no
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE. 159 
 
 danger of being discovered from thence ; for he 
 knew that all the country vessels were ordered, 
 under the severest penalty, not to sail past the port 
 of Callao without stopping. As this order was 
 constantly complied with, a ship seeming to act 
 contrary to it would be suspected to be a stranger 
 and an enemy. In this new station the Commodore 
 took on board the ' Centurion ' part of his crew, 
 which he had formerly given up to man the 
 ' Carmelo,' being uncertain whether he might not 
 soon meet with the Spanish squadron from Callao. 
 On the 5th of November, in the afternoon, the 
 high land of Barranca, latitude 10 36' south, was 
 in view, distant eight or nine leagues N.E. by E. 
 Soon afterward, between four and five o'clock, a 
 sail was seen. She first appeared to leeward, and 
 all three vessels gave her chase, but the ' Centurion ' 
 so much outsailed the two prizes that she soon ran 
 them out of sight, and gained considerably on the 
 chase. Night came on before she could be over- 
 taken, and shortly after she was lost sight of. The 
 Commodore resolved, being then before the wind, 
 to keep all his sails set and not change his course. 
 The Spaniard would doubtless alter her course in 
 the night ; yet as it was uncertain what tack she 
 might go upon it was thought prudent to keep on, 
 rather than change the course on conjecture, when 
 if a mistake was made the loss was certain. So the 
 chase was continued for about two hours in the
 
 160 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 dark, when Mr. Brett, the second lieutenant, dis- 
 covered her about four points on the larboard bow, 
 steering off to the seaward. The ' Centurion's' helm 
 was immediately clapped a-weather, and standing for 
 her came up within range in less than an hour, when, 
 after firing fourteen shot at her, she struck. 
 
 The third lieutenant, Mr. Dennis, was sent in the 
 boat, with sixteen men, to take possession of the 
 prize, and to bring the prisoners to the ' Centurion.' 
 This vessel was the ' Santa Teresa,' of about 300 
 tons, commanded by Bartolome Urranaga, a Bis- 
 cayer. She was bound to Callao from Guiaquil, 
 where she was built. Her cargo consisted of timber, 
 cocoa, hides, Pito thread made from grass fibre, 
 tobacco, and sundries ; the specie on board not 
 being above 170 sterling value. The cargo, it is 
 true, was valuable, could it have been disposed of ; 
 but the Spaniards were ordered never to ransom 
 their ships, so that all goods captured were of no 
 advantage except what little could be made use of, 
 as tobacco, and such stores. 
 
 Besides the crew of this prize, amounting to forty- 
 five hands, there were on board ten passengers, four 
 men and three women, natives of the country, born 
 of Spanish parents, together with three black slaves. 
 The women were a mother and two daughters, the 
 elder about twenty-one, and the younger about 
 fourteen. They were excessively alarmed at falling 
 into the hands of an enemy, both from the just
 
 THE 'CENTURION'S' CRUISE. 161 
 
 terror due to the outrages of the buccaneers, and 
 also because they had been taught by their priests 
 that all heretics were terrible and cruel savages. 
 They hid themselves while the officers and men first 
 came on board, and when they were found it was 
 with great difficulty that Lieutenant Dennis could 
 persuade them to approach the light. However, he 
 soon satisfied them, by the humanity and kindness 
 of his conduct, and by his assurances of his protec- 
 tion, and of their honourable treatment, that they 
 had nothing to fear. On hearing of this the Com- 
 modore was much pleased, and sent directions that 
 they should be continued on board their own ship, 
 and there receive every attention and consideration. 
 To give them further assurance, and to secure his 
 orders being fully attended to, he permitted the 
 Pilot, who in Spanish ships is generally the second 
 in rank when on board, to stay in the 'Teresa' 
 with them as their guardian. By this compassionate 
 and considerate behaviour of the Commodore the 
 terror of the female prisoners was entirely removed, 
 and they continued to be at ease during the whole 
 time they were in the hands of the ' heretics.' 
 
 At the beginning of the chase the ' Centurion,' 
 having outrun her two consorts, had to lay by all 
 the night after the prize was taken firing guns and 
 making fire signals every half-hour lest Captain 
 Saunders and Lieutenant Saumarez should pass on 
 unobserved ; but they were so far astern that they 
 
 1 1
 
 1 62 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 neither saw nor heard any signals, and were not 
 able to join till broad daylight. Then they all 
 proceeded together to the northward, being four sail 
 in company. 
 
 There being a supply of timber on board the new 
 prize, the Commodore ordered all the boats to be 
 repaired, and a swivel gun-stock to be fixed in the 
 bow both of the barge and pinnace, to increase their 
 strength in case they had to be used for boarding 
 ships at sea, or for any attempts on shore. 
 
 As they advanced it was found that a strong 
 current set them northward, at the rate of ten or 
 twelve miles each day. At about eight degrees of 
 south latitude they were attended by vast numbers 
 of flying fish and bonitos, and the range of these 
 was much greater on the west than on the east side 
 of South America, the numbers continuing till near 
 the southern tropic, whereas on the opposite side 
 they did not come so far towards the equator. The 
 cool air from the presence of the lofty ranges of 
 mountains caused the temperature to be very toler- 
 able, in latitudes where without their influence the 
 heat would have been oppressive, looking at latitude 
 only. But in a very short run the difference be- 
 tween the temperate air of Peru and the sultry 
 West Indian atmosphere was painfully striking, the 
 high lands on the Isthmus of Panama being but as 
 molehills to the lofty ranges of the Andes.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PAITA, AND 
 WHAT HAPPENED THERE. 
 
 \ 
 N the i oth of November the ' Centurion ' and 
 
 her consorts, were about three leagues south of 
 the island of 'Lobos de le Mar,' in latitude 6 27' 
 south. There is another island not far off to the 
 northward, much resembling it in shape and appear- 
 ance, and often mistaken for it, called Lobos de Tierra. 
 As they were near the station appointed for meeting 
 the ' Gloucester/ and fearing to miss her, easy sail 
 was made all night. Next morning, at daybreak, a 
 ship was seen in shore and to windward, plying up 
 the coast. She had passed under cover of the night 
 and, being soon discovered not to be the ' Gloucester,' 
 chase was given. The wind being extremely slight, 
 the Commodore ordered the ' Centurion's ' barge, his 
 own pinnace, and the ' Tryal's ' pinnace, to be 
 manned and armed to pursue the chase and board 
 her. Lieutenant Brett, who commanded the barge, 
 came up with her first about nine o'clock, and run- 
 ning alongside of her, fired a volley of small shot
 
 1 64 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 between the masts, just over the heads of the people 
 on board, and then instantly entered with the greatest 
 part of his men. The enemy made not the least re- 
 sistance, being sufficiently frightened by the volley of 
 shot and by the gleaming of the cutlasses. 
 
 The lieutenant ordered the sail to be trimmed arid 
 bore down to the Commodore, taking up in his way 
 the two pinnaces. When within about four miles 
 of the ' Centurion ' he put off in the barge, bringing 
 with him a number of the prisoners, from whom he 
 had gathered some intelligence which he was anxious 
 as soon as possible to convey to the Commodore. 
 
 On his arrival it was made known that the prize 
 was called ' Nuestra Senora del Carmin,' Our Lady 
 of Carmin, of about 270 tons ; that she was com- 
 manded by Marco Morena, a Venetian, and had a 
 crew of forty-three sailors. She was deeply laden 
 with iron, steel, wax, pepper, cedar, cinnamon, and 
 other merchandise, including rosaries and indulgences. 
 This cargo was not of great use to the English 
 under their present circumstances, yet its capture 
 was a great loss to the Spaniards, for it was worth 
 400,000 dollars prime cost at Panama, and it was 
 the most considerable prize taken in this part of 
 the world. The ship was bound to Callao, and had 
 stopped at Paita to get fresh supply of water and 
 provisions, having left that place only twenty-four 
 hours before she was captured. 
 
 The most important intelligence which Mr. Brett
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PA IT A. 165 
 
 wished the Commodore to obtain was the infor- 
 mation given by one John Williams, an Irishman 
 and Roman Catholic, who was found on board the 
 Spanish vessel. He said he had worked his passage 
 from Cadiz, and had travelled over all the kingdom 
 of Mexico as a pedlar. He asserted that by this 
 business he had got 4,000 to 5,000 dollars ; but the 
 priests, on discovering that he possessed this money, 
 managed to strip him of everything that he had. 
 He was, indeed, at the present all in rags, having 
 just got out of gaol in Paita, where he had been 
 imprisoned for some misdemeanour not specified. 
 He professed great joy at seeing his fellow-country- 
 men, as he called them. 
 
 He told them that a few days previously a vessel 
 came into Paita, the master of which informed the 
 governor that he had been chased in the offing by 
 a very large ship, which from her size and the colour 
 of her sails he was persuaded must be one of the 
 English squadron. This was really the ' Gloucester,' 
 as was afterwards ascertained. The governor ques- 
 tioned the master of this vessel minutely, and being 
 satisfied of the truth of the statement sent an express 
 immediately to Lima to acquaint the Viceroy there- 
 with. The royal officer in command at Paita, from 
 first hearing this news of the vessel being chased, had 
 been busily employed in removing the king's treasure, 
 and his own, to Piura, an inland town about fourteen 
 leagues distant.
 
 166 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 From other prisoners it was ascertained that large 
 sums of money belonging to some merchants of 
 Lima were then lodged in the custom-house at 
 Paita, waiting to be shipped on board a vessel pre- 
 paring to sail for a place on the coast of Mexico, in 
 order to purchase part of the cargo that came 
 annually from the East by the Manilla ship. As this 
 vessel with its large amount of silver was said to be 
 a fast sailer, the Commodore felt sure that if it got 
 out of port he could never hope to come up with it ; 
 and as cruising in these parts would be of little 
 further advantage now that the presence of an 
 English squadron was widely known, he promptly 
 came to the resolution to make a sudden attack on 
 Paita. 
 
 Having gathered all the information available as 
 to the strength and condition of the place, he was 
 satisfied that there was little risk of losing many of 
 his men in the attempt. He had not only the pro- 
 spect of seizing the treasure and other valuables, 
 but would also have an opportunity of setting the 
 prisoners on shore, who were now very numerous, 
 and caused greater consumption of food than could 
 be furnished to them much longer out of the stock 
 that remained. All these considerations determined 
 him to attack the place without delay. 
 
 The town of Paita is situated in the latitude of 
 5 12' south; on a barren soil, but with a conve- 
 nient harbour, much frequented by vessels coming
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PAITA. 167 
 
 from the north, as being the only place where ships 
 from Acapulco and Panama can touch, to get water 
 and provisions, in their passage to Callao. The 
 place itself produces little, and could not furnish 
 fresh water, but the supplies for vessels in the port 
 are brought from Indian towns in the neighbourhood, 
 and cattle are sometimes brought from the country 
 round Piura. 
 
 The port of Paita, besides supplying the northern 
 trade bound to Callao with water and necessaries, is 
 the usual place where passengers from Acapulco and 
 Panama, bound to Lima, the capital of Peru, dis- 
 embark ; for as it is two hundred leagues from hence 
 to Callao, the port of Lima, and as the wind is 
 generally contrary, the passage by sea is very tedious 
 and uncertain, whereas by land, from Paita there is 
 a tolerably good road, parallel with the coast, with 
 many villages and stations for the accommodation of 
 travellers. 
 
 The Commodore obtained from the prisoners 
 every possible information about the place its 
 population, its strength, and all that could be useful 
 in carrying out his design. He learned that the 
 town is an open place ; and its sole defence a fort, 
 with a few cannon mounted, but without ditch or 
 outwork, being surrounded by a plain brick wall ; 
 and that the garrison consisted of only one weak 
 company of soldiers, though the town itself might 
 possibly arm two or three hundred men more. The
 
 i68 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 inhabitants, he was told, were chiefly a mixed 
 breed Indians and black slaves with only a few 
 whites. 
 
 The Commodore, after ascertaining all this, resolved 
 to attempt the place that very night. They were 
 then about twelve leagues distant from the shore ; 
 far enough to prevent their being discovered ; yet 
 not so far but that by making all the sail possible 
 they might arrive in the bay long before day- 
 break with the ships. The approach of the ships, 
 even in the night, might however be seen easily, so 
 as to alarm the people and afford time to remove 
 their valuable effects. He therefore resolved to 
 make the attack with the boats only, ordering the 
 eighteen-oared barge and the pinnaces of the 
 ' Centurion ' and the ' Tryal ' for the service. Fifty- 
 eight men were picked for manning the boats, well 
 furnished with arms and ammunition. 
 
 The command of the expedition was entrusted to 
 Lieutenant Brett, to whom the necessary orders were 
 given. Two of the Spanish pilots were commanded 
 to accompany the Lieutenant, to conduct him to the 
 most convenient landing-place, and afterwards to be 
 his guides on shore. To have the greater security 
 for the behaviour of the pilots, the Commodore 
 assured them and all the prisoners that they should 
 be released and put on shore at this place provided 
 the pilots acted faithfully ; but in case of treachery, 
 or any misconduct, he threatened that the pilots
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PA IT A. 169 
 
 should be instantly shot, and the rest of the 
 Spaniards be carried as prisoners to England. 
 
 A singular circumstance was afterwards discovered 
 regarding one of these two pilots. About twenty 
 years before this he had been taken by Captain 
 Clipperton, and had been compelled to lead the 
 captain and his people to the surprise of Truxillo, 
 a town inland to the south of Paita ; when, however, 
 he contrived to give alarm to his countrymen, and to 
 save them, though their town was taken and pillaged. 
 This was not known till afterwards, but it was a 
 singular thing that the same man, after so long an 
 interval, should be a second time compelled to act 
 against his own people, and be at both times a 
 prisoner. 
 
 The ships stood towards the port till within five 
 leagues of the place, when Brett with the boats 
 under his command put off, and arrived at the 
 mouth of the bay without being discovered. But as 
 soon as he entered it some of the people on board 
 a vessel at anchor there perceived them, and getting 
 into their boat rowed toward the fort, shouting and 
 crying, ' The English, The English dogs ! ' and with 
 loud noise giving alarm. The whole town was very 
 soon in commotion, and lights were seen hurried 
 backwards and forwards in the fort, and about the 
 town. Lieutenant Brett upon this encouraged his 
 men to pull briskly, that they might give the enemy 
 as little time as possible for preparing defence.
 
 170 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 However, before the boats could reach the shore 
 the people in the fort got ready some of their guns 
 and pointed them towards the landing-place ; the 
 direction and range being probably known to them, 
 for the first shot passed extremely near one of the 
 boats, whistling just over the heads of the crew. 
 This made them re-double their efforts, and some 
 were disembarked at the landing-place before a 
 second gun was fired. As soon as they landed they 
 were conducted by one of the pilots to the entrance 
 of a narrow street, not above fifty yards from the 
 beach, where they, were covered from the fire of 
 the fort. 
 
 Being formed as well as the time and light would 
 allow, they were immediately marched for the parade 
 a large square at the end of the narrow street ; the 
 fort forming one side of the square and the Gover- 
 nor's house another side. In this quick march the 
 shouts and cheers of nearly sixty sailors, now for 
 the first time on shore, and in an enemy's country, 
 may well be imagined to have been loud and joyous. 
 Their hurrahs, joined with the noise of some drums 
 carried by them, and favoured by the darkness, 
 gave the inhabitants an exaggerated idea of the 
 numbers attacking, who were probably reckoned by 
 as many hundreds as there were only scores. 
 
 On first entering the square a volley was fired 
 from a gallery in the Governor's house, by the 
 merchants who owned the treasures at the custom
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PAITA. 171 
 
 house ; but they disappeared on the first fire made 
 in return by the sailors, who were left in quiet 
 possession of the parade. The people of the town 
 had already shown themselves only solicitous about 
 saving themselves by flight. 
 
 Lieutenant Brett now divided his men into two 
 parties, one of them being ordered to surround the 
 Governor's house, and if possible to secure him ; 
 while he at the head of the other band marched to 
 the fort, with intent to force it. But to his surprise, 
 and against his expectation, they entered without 
 resistance, the soldiers having taken to their heels 
 on their approach, and made their escape over the 
 surrounding wall. 
 
 Thus was the whole place mastered in less than 
 a quarter of an hour from the first landing ; and 
 with no more loss than that of one man killed by 
 a bullet and two wounded, one of these being the 
 pilot of the ' Teresa,' slightly bruised by a ball which 
 grazed his wrist The Honourable Mr. Keppel, 
 son of Lord Albemarle (then a very young officer, 
 afterwards famous as an admiral), had a narrow 
 escape ; for having on a jockey cap, one side of the 
 peak was shaved off close to his temples by a ball, 
 which however did him no other injury. 
 
 Lieutenant Brett, when he had thus far happily 
 succeeded, placed a guard at the Governor's house 
 and another at the fort, and planted sentinels at all 
 the avenues of the town, both to prevent any surprise
 
 1 72 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 from the enemy and to secure the effects in the 
 place being embezzled. This being done, his next 
 care was to seize on the custom-house, where the 
 treasure lay, and to examine what inhabitants still 
 remained in the town, that he might judge what 
 further precautions it was necessary to take. He 
 soon found that the numbers that had remained in 
 the place were few, and in no way formidable ; 
 for the greatest part, being in bed when the night 
 alarm came, ran off with such precipitation to save 
 their lives that they hardly gave themselves time to 
 put on their clothes. In this general stampede the 
 Governor was not the last to secure himself, for he 
 fled from the place betimes half-dressed, leaving 
 behind a young wife to whom he had been only a 
 few weeks married, who also managed to escape, 
 with the help of two of the Governor's servants, just 
 as the detachment, ordered to invest the house, 
 arrived before it. 
 
 This escape of the Governor was annoying, for the 
 Commodore had particularly recommended to Mr. 
 Brett to secure him if possible, in hopes that thus 
 they might be able to treat for the ransom of the 
 place on payment of a large sum of money. His 
 alertness in flight rendered the carrying out of the 
 Commodore's order impossible, to the great vexation 
 of Lieutenant Brett. The few inhabitants remaining 
 in the town were confined as prisoners under guard 
 in one of the churches, except some stout negroes,
 
 CAPTURE OF THE TOWN OF PAITA. 173 
 
 who were compelled during the remaining part of 
 the night to carry the treasure from the custom 
 house and from other places to the fort, their work 
 being superintended by men armed with muskets. 
 Those of the sailors who were not thus employed, 
 now posted as sentinels, made the best use of their 
 time in pillaging on their own account. In entering 
 private houses the first things that came in their 
 way were the clothes which the Spaniards in their 
 flight had left behind them, and which, according 
 to the fashion of the country, were most of them 
 gay with embroidery or lace. These splendid cos- 
 tumes the sailors eagerly laid hold of, and put them 
 on over their own tarry trousers and dirty jackets, 
 not forgetting the bag-wigs and laced hats generally 
 found with the clothes. Two or three of the 
 sailors having begun this dressing up, the fun of 
 the thing spread to the whole detachment ; and 
 those who came latest into the fashion, not finding 
 men's clothes sufficient to equip themselves, were 
 glad to seize women's gowns and petticoats, pro- 
 vided there was colour or finery enough to attract 
 notice. When a party of the pillagers thus ludi- 
 crously attired first appeared before the commander, 
 Mr. Brett was so surprised at the grotesque sight 
 that he was not immediately satisfied they were his 
 own men.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 
 
 \\ T'HILE these things were going on at Paita, 
 the Commodore was occupied in the follow- 
 ing manner on board the ' Centurion.' After the 
 boats went off he ordered the ships to lay by till 
 an hour after midnight ; and then, supposing the 
 men with Lieutenant Brett to be near landing, 
 easy sail was made for the bay, which was reached 
 at seven in the morning, and soon after opening the 
 bay a full view of the town was obtained. There 
 was every reason to hope that the enterprise had 
 been successful, but with joy a certain proof was 
 now discovered, on seeing through their perspective 
 glasses, or telescopes as we now call them, an 
 English flag flying on the lofty flag-staff of the 
 fort. They plied into the bay with as much 
 expedition as the wind, which then blew off shore, 
 would permit. About eleven o'clock the ' Tryal's ' 
 pinnace came on board, laden with dollars and 
 church-plate, and the officer in command informed 
 the Commodore of the preceding night's trans-
 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 175 
 
 actions ; the good news soon being spread through 
 all the ships. 
 
 About 2 P.M. the ships anchored at about a mile 
 and half distance from the town, and were con- 
 sequently near enough to have more ready inter- 
 course with those on shore. It was then ascertained 
 that Mr. Brett had gone on collecting and removing 
 the treasure, and valuable effects of all kinds, 
 without interruption as yet ; but that the Spaniards 
 were collecting forces from all the neighbouring 
 country, and the large body of men, posted on 
 a hill at the back of the town, presented rather 
 a formidable appearance. Amongst the force there 
 were two hundred horse, seemingly very well armed 
 and mounted, and also properly trained and disci- 
 plined, having trumpets, drums, and standards. 
 
 These troops paraded about the hill with much 
 ostentation, sounding their military music, and 
 practising every art to show their strength, in hopes 
 that this demonstration of force and numbers might 
 induce the small body of English (for by this time 
 they knew how small the number was) to abandon 
 the place and return to the ships before the pillage 
 was completed and further damage' done. Mr. 
 Brett, however, was quite sure that this body of 
 horse, which looked formidable in the distance, and 
 seemed to be what the enemy principally depended 
 on, would not dare to venture an attack among 
 houses and in streets, even if they had been three
 
 176 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 times as numerous. Therefore he disregarded their 
 menacing appearance, and coolly continued, as long 
 as daylight lasted, to send off the treasure, and also 
 employing the boats to convey on board ample 
 supply of fresh provisions, including fowls, hogs, 
 and other things found in great abundance in the 
 deserted town. As night drew on, the Commodore, 
 to prevent any surprise, sent on shore a reinforce- 
 ment, so as to allow of fresh and additional 
 sentinels in all streets and passages leading to the 
 square ; and gave orders, for further security, that 
 high barricades should be formed in the streets. 
 The Spaniards, however, continued quiet throughout 
 the night, and next day the work was renewed of 
 loading the boats and sending them off to the 
 ships. 
 
 By this time it was apparent how prudent and 
 sensible had been the views of the Commodore as 
 to securing the person of the Governor. There 
 were many storehouses full of valuable goods, too 
 bulky to be carried on board the ships, and useless 
 to the captors under present circumstances. Had 
 the Governor been in the power of the English, he 
 would in all probability have been induced to treat 
 for the ransom of this merchandise on terms 
 advantageous to both sides. Whereas now, having 
 escaped, and being at the head of a large force 
 collecting from the surrounding districts, and having 
 even got a body of militia from Piura, fourteen
 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 177 
 
 leagues distant, he was so elated with his new 
 military command that he seemed not to trouble 
 himself about the fate of his government at Paita. 
 He took not the slightest notice of repeated mess- 
 ages sent by the Commodore, through merchants 
 and inhabitants taken prisoners, nor did he notice 
 threats that if he refused to treat for ransom the 
 town and all the warehouses would be burnt to 
 ashes. 
 
 Two days later some negro slaves who deserted 
 from the Spaniards brought information that the 
 forces on the hill had so increased that they had 
 resolved to storm the town and the fort on the 
 following night ; and that a Scotch Papist, one 
 Gordon, captain of a ship in these seas, was to 
 have command of this enterprise. This report being 
 conveyed to the Commodore he sent further rein- 
 forcements on shore, and Lieutenant Brett doubled 
 the guards at each of the stations and barricades. 
 The posts were connected by means of sentinels, 
 placed within call of each other, and patrols, with 
 a drum, visited the posts by frequent rounds ; which 
 marks of vigilance the enemy could not but be 
 aware of, as they could hear the drum if not the 
 call of the sentinels. The second night accordingly 
 passed without molestation, or the threatened attack 
 being made. On the third morning, the I5th of 
 November, the boats had finished the work of 
 carrying off the most valuable parts of the effects 
 
 12
 
 1 78 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 in the town that were portable. The Commodore, 
 intending to sail in the afternoon, sent all the 
 prisoners, eighty-eight in number, on shore, giving 
 orders that they should be secured in one of the 
 churches, under strict guard, till the men were 
 ready to be embarked. Mr. Brett was at the same 
 time ordered to burn the whole town, except the 
 two churches, which fortunately were isolated, and 
 at a distance from the houses ; and then he was 
 to abandon the place and return on board with 
 his men. 
 
 These orders were well carried out, pitch, tar, 
 and other combustibles, of which great quantities 
 were found, being placed in houses in different parts 
 of the town, so that, fire being set to the houses 
 in many quarters at the same time, the destruction 
 might be more violent and sudden, and the difficulty 
 increased of the Spaniards extinguishing the fires 
 after the departure of the captors. The cannon in 
 the fort were dismounted and spiked ; and the 
 houses most to windward being fired, Mr. Brett 
 mustered his men and marched towards the beach, 
 where the boats waited to carry them off. 
 
 The Governor, seeing from the hill what was 
 going on, sent a squadron of horse, about sixty 
 picked men, to hasten the retreat of the English, 
 and thereby probably to lay some foundation for 
 future boasting to the Viceroy, of having driven off 
 the invaders. They came down with much pomp
 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 179 
 
 and ostentation, but on Mr. Brett ordering his men 
 to halt and face about, the Spaniards at once 
 stopped their career, and did not dare to advance 
 a step farther. 
 
 When the men reached the boats, and were 
 ready to go on board, one of the sailors was found 
 by his comrades to be missing, besides the one 
 who had been shot dead. Not knowing by what 
 accident this other man was missing, there was some 
 delay, from unwillingness to abandon him, but it 
 was impossible to return to make search, and all 
 had to get into the boats for departure. When the 
 last man was actually embarked, and the boats just 
 putting off, the voice of the missing man was heard 
 loudly calling to be taken in. The smoke was so 
 dense on the beach that they could not see, though 
 his voice was plainly heard. The lieutenant ordered 
 one of the boats to go towards the place where the 
 cries were heard, and there the man was found, up 
 to the chin in water, having waded as far as he 
 durst, in mortal fright of falling into the hands of 
 his enraged enemies. He was rescued, and on 
 inquiry it appeared that he had taken too much 
 brandy that morning, and fell into so sound a sleep 
 that he was only roused by the heat and the roaring 
 of the flames around him. The fright sobered him, 
 and he had enough presence of mind to push 
 through the thick smoke and make the best of his 
 way to the beach, and run into the water as far
 
 i8o FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as he could wade, for he could not swim. This 
 incident is worthy of being recorded as testimony 
 to the general conduct and discipline of the men ; 
 since of the whole number, and with abundant 
 opportunity of excess, this was the only instance of 
 over-indulgence in liquor during the time of the 
 operations on shore. 
 
 Having mentioned this single instance of drunk- 
 enness, there is one other incident worth recording, 
 from its peculiar circumstances. There was an 
 Englishman who had formerly worked as a ship- 
 carpenter in the yard at Portsmouth. Leaving his 
 country, he had entered into the Spanish service, 
 and was employed by them at the port of Guiaquil. 
 His friends in England, knowing he was in that part 
 of the world, put letters on board the ' Centurion ' to 
 be delivered to him in case he should be met with. 
 It so happened that this man was at Paita at the 
 time of the attack, and he retired to the hill with 
 the Spaniards when they retreated thither. Being 
 ambitious, as it seemed, to acquire a reputation for 
 zeal among his new masters, he came down from 
 the hill unarmed, and told one of the sentinels that 
 he was desirous of surrendering himself, and of re- 
 turning to the British service. The sentinel had a 
 cocked pistol in his hand, but being startled by 
 being addressed in English, and deceived by the 
 man's fair speeches, he was so imprudent as to 
 allow him to come nearer than he ought ; upon
 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 181 
 
 which the shipwright, watching his opportunity, 
 rushed on the sentinel, seized his pistol, and having 
 wrenched it out of his hand ran off with it up the 
 hill. Two other sailors, who had seen the fellow 
 approaching, and having their suspicions aroused, 
 now pursued him, but he got far up the hill before 
 they could overtake him. The fellow then turned 
 round and fired the pistol, which fortunately missed 
 them ; upon which they returned the fire and shot 
 the traitor dead. The sentinel who had been thus 
 imposed upon did not escape punishment, but for 
 the sake of example, and of maintaining discipline, 
 necessary for the common safety, he got a sharp 
 flogging by the commander's orders. 
 
 As the boats were returning to the ship, the 
 sight of the burning town was a very imposing 
 spectacle. Mr. Brett made a sketch of the scene, 
 which was afterwards given as an engraving in the 
 large edition of the Narrative of Anson's Voyage. 
 As soon as he got back to the ' Centurion,' the 
 Commodore prepared to sail from the place that 
 evening. On first coming into the bay he found 
 six Spanish vessels at anchor there, one of them 
 being the ship which was to have carried the 
 treasure at Paita to the coast of Mexico for trading. 
 Persuaded that she must be a good sailer, the 
 Commodore resolved to take it with him on his 
 further cruise. The other five vessels, two snows, 
 a barque, and two row-galleys, would not be of
 
 1 82 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 service, and orders had been given that the masts of 
 all of them should be cut away at his first arrival, 
 and now they were towed out of the harbour, 
 scuttled, and sunk. The command of the new 
 vessel was given to Mr. Hughes, the lieutenant of 
 the ' Tryal,' who had with him a crew of ten men 
 to navigate her. Towards midnight the squadron 
 weighed anchor and sailed out of the bay, being 
 now augmented to the number of six sail viz., the 
 ' Centurion ' and the ' Tryal,' with the prizes, the 
 ' Carmelo,' the ' Teresa,' the ' Carmin,' and the last- 
 acquired vessel, called the ' Solidad.' 
 
 With regard to the losses sustained by the 
 Spaniards, and the booty acquired by the English 
 at Paita, a few facts may be mentioned. The 
 Spaniards, in the statements sent to the government 
 at Madrid, estimated their whole loss at a million 
 and a half of dollars, a sufficiently moderate valua- 
 tion considering the great quantity of valuable goods, 
 silks, velvets, broadcloths, and other stuffs destroyed 
 by fire. As to the value of the booty carried off, 
 though inconsiderable compared with what was 
 destroyed, the amount was not to be despised, for 
 the plate, dollars, and other coin amounted to above 
 ^30,000 sterling, besides jewels, rings, bracelets, and 
 other articles, the worth of which could not then be 
 determined. Besides all which, there was consider- 
 able plunder appropriated by the immediate captors, 
 not thrown into the common lot, as it ought in
 
 RETURN TO THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 183 
 
 strictness to have been. On the whole, this proved 
 the most important booty obtained upon that coast. 
 There is one other matter of importance to speak 
 of, not merely in connection with Paita, but with all 
 the operations on these coasts : the Commodore's 
 conduct to prisoners and to all with whom he came 
 in contact. At Paita the whole of the prisoners 
 taken in the previous prizes were sent on shore and 
 set at liberty. While they continued on board the 
 English ships they were treated always with the 
 utmost kindness and consideration consistent with 
 security. Among them were several people of dis- 
 tinction, such as a youth of seventeen, son of the 
 Vice President of the Council of Chili. This youth, 
 never having been from home before, lamented his 
 captivity in most moving manner, and spoke in plain- 
 tive strain of his parents and brothers and sisters, 
 whom he thought he should never see again, for he 
 believed, if his life was spared, his doom would be 
 perpetual slavery. The barbarity of the buccaneers, 
 turned to artful use by the priests, had filled all the 
 people of South America with most terrible ideas of 
 English cruelty, so that all the prisoners on first 
 coming on board showed signs of fear and of 
 wretched dejection. The Commodore, from his 
 innate humanity and kindness, felt true pity for 
 those who had these painful impressions, and took 
 great trouble to disabuse the minds of his captives 
 of their false ideas of Englishmen. He used to
 
 1 84 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 invite to his own table in turns as many of the 
 principal people among the prisoners as there was 
 room for, and gave orders to his officers to see to 
 the comfort and happiness of all under their charge. 
 This Chilian youth became after a time so attached 
 to the Commodore that it seemed as if he would 
 gladly have preferred a voyage in the ' Centurion ' to 
 England, instead of being at once set on shore at 
 Paita, with liberty to return to his country and his 
 friends. 
 
 The conduct of the Commodore to his female 
 captives, and especially to the high-bred ladies taken 
 in the ' Teresa/ made so strong an impression on a 
 Jesuit, an ecclesiastic of distinction, who was witness 
 of it, that he said he doubted if his personal and 
 ecclesiastical character would be sufficient to make 
 his countrymen believe what he would tell them on 
 this point. To allow these ladies to remain in their 
 own cabins, in their own ship, with injunctions as to 
 their privacy and their comfort being attended to, 
 and permitting the pilot of the ' Teresa ' to stay with 
 them as their guardian, greatly surprised this priest, 
 who possibly himself believed the tales about 
 English inhumanity to those of other nations or 
 different faith. The ladies themselves refused to go 
 on shore at Paita till they had permission to wait 
 on the Commodore on board the ' Centurion,' in 
 order to return their warmest thanks in person. 
 The Commodore had not even seen them till that
 
 RETURN 2O THE SHIPS WITH THE SPOIL. 185 
 
 occasion, although he had heard much of their beauty 
 and of their accomplishments. As to the Jesuit, he 
 passed the highest encomiums on the Commodore, 
 both at Lima and other places, and he is reported to 
 have said that he must thenceforth interpret with 
 reservation, and in lax hypothetical sense, the dogma 
 of his Church as to the impossibility of heretics 
 being saved ! 
 
 The impressions spread abroad by this conduct 
 reached far beyond the circles of the relatives and 
 neighbours of the prisoners. Often in after times 
 there were proofs of the good feeling produced by 
 these acts of humanity and courtesy. What was 
 done was not out of policy, but out of generosity 
 and goodness ; and the reputation of Anson for these 
 qualities was long honoured not only on the coasts 
 of the South Seas but throughout all the Spanish 
 settlements in America.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. - 
 
 HOW ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES ABOUT THE 
 TREASURE TAKEN AT PAITA FURTHER 
 CRUISING IN THE SOUTH SEAS. 
 
 A FTER leaving the Paita coast, the Commodore 
 * ^ gave orders that the ships should spread them- 
 selves, to have a better look-out for the ' Gloucester,' 
 as they were drawing near the station where Captain 
 Mitchell had been directed to cruise. That whole 
 day and the next day passed without seeing him, 
 though there was hourly expectation of meeting. 
 But meanwhile a new trouble had arisen in the 
 squadron, about the plunder gotten at Paita. 
 
 Those who went ashore in the boats, and had 
 secured for themselves part of the booty, said that 
 this was the just reward for the risks they ran, 
 and the exertions in that service. Those who had 
 remained on board maintained that they were all 
 equally ready to go on shore ; and in the ships they 
 had not only the usual labour of the day, but at 
 night had to be constantly on duty, under arms, to 
 secure the prisoners, whose number exceeded their
 
 HOW ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES. 187 
 
 own. Their service on board was as necessary to 
 the success of the enterprise as that of the others 
 on shore, therefore they could not be deprived of 
 their share of the plunder without injustice. The 
 contest was carried on with great heat on both sides. 
 After all, the plunder in question was of very trifling 
 amount compared with the treasure openly taken in 
 the town, to their share of which the men on board 
 had undoubtedly an equal right. 
 
 An appeal being made, through the officers, to 
 the Commodore, he thought it prudent to stop the 
 altercation and discontent by prompt action. 
 
 Accordingly, he ordered all hands upon the 
 quarter-deck, and there addressed them. He first 
 commended warmly the behaviour of the men who 
 had been on shore, and thanked them, in his own 
 name and the name of their country, for their 
 services on that occasion. Then he referred to the 
 statements made, and the reasons urged, by those 
 who had remained on board for an equal distribu- 
 tion of all the plunder. He told them that to his 
 sense of justice these reasons were conclusive, and 
 therefore, as the matter had been submitted to him, 
 he insisted that not the men only, but the officers 
 also, who had been employed in taking the place 
 should produce the whole of their plunder, and 
 deposit it upon the quarter-deck ; and then it would 
 be impartially divided amongst the whole crew, in 
 proportion to each man's rank and commission
 
 :88 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 according to the rules and usages of the service. 
 And in order to prevent those who had got posses- 
 sion of special plunder from murmuring at this 
 diminution of their booty, he said he would give up 
 his own entire share, to be distributed amongst those 
 who had been detached for the attack on the place. 
 
 What could the men say to such a speech ? The 
 justice and generosity of their chief touched the 
 hearts of almost every one who heard him, and a 
 sympathetic and assenting cheer showed how the 
 Commodore's proposal was received. If there were 
 some few whose selfish dispositions were impervious 
 to this appeal to their sense of equity and honour, 
 they were ashamed to express dissent from the 
 general submission to the Commodore's decision. 
 Thus this troublesome affair, which if permitted to 
 go on might have led to much dissension and bad 
 feeling, was settled by the Commodore's prudence 
 and wisdom, to the general satisfaction of the ship's 
 company. 
 
 On the following day a sail was descried and 
 chase given, and when near enough she was dis- 
 covered to be the ' Gloucester,' with a small vessel 
 in tow. In about an hour they joined the ' Cen- 
 turion,' when Captain Mitchell reported that in the 
 whole of his cruise he had taken only two prizes ; 
 one of them a small snow, with cargo of wine, 
 brandy, and olives, and about 7,000 in specie ; 
 the other prize being a large boat or launch, which
 
 HOW ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES. 189 
 
 the ' Gloucester's ' barge came up with near the 
 shore. The prisoners on board this last vessel 
 alleged that they were very poor, and that they had 
 nothing but cotton for their loading. It was soon 
 found that they were far better off than they pre- 
 tended, for the ' Gloucester ' people found them at 
 dinner served up in silver dishes. At first there 
 seemed nothing but cotton as cargo, but when some 
 of the jars containing it were examined more strictly 
 on board the ' Gloucester/ there was found in every 
 jar a large quantity of dollars and double doubloons, 
 to the amount on the whole of nearly ; 12,000. 
 This money was going to Paita, and belonged to 
 the same merchants who were proprietors of the 
 greatest part of the treasure taken there, so that if 
 this boat had escaped the ' Gloucester ' the cargo 
 would probably have been captured all the same. 
 Other ships had been sighted, but they had escaped. 
 Being now joined by the ' Gloucester ' and her 
 prize, the Commodore resolved to stand to the 
 northward, and to make the best of his way either 
 to Cape St. Lucas on California, or to Cape Corrientes 
 on the coast of Mexico. Indeed, the Commodore, 
 when at Juan Fernandez, had determined with 
 himself to touch in the neighbourhood of Panama, 
 and to open some correspondence overland with 
 the fleet on the other side of the Isthmus under 
 the command of Admiral Vernon. For, at the time 
 of leaving England, a large force was at Portsmouth
 
 igo FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 intended to be sent to the West Indies, on an 
 expedition against some of the Spanish settlements. 
 And Anson, taking for granted that this enterprise 
 had been successfully carried out, and that Porto 
 Bello might perhaps be now garrisoned by English 
 troops, hoped that on arriving at the Isthmus -he 
 could easily open communication with his country- 
 men on the opposite coast, either by the Indians, 
 who were greatly disposed in favour of the English, 
 or by Spanish messengers through giving suitable 
 pay and rewards. He flattered himself, in these 
 meditations, that he might perhaps get reinforce- 
 ments from the other side, and by combined opera- 
 tions with the commanders in the West Indies he 
 might take Panama itself, which would give to 
 England the possession of the Isthmus, and indi- 
 rectly make our nation masters of all the treasures 
 of Peru. 
 
 Such were among the dreams cherished by 
 Commodore Anson on the island of Juan Fernandez, 
 notwithstanding the feeble condition to which his 
 squadron had been then reduced. If the success of 
 the force in the West Indies had been equal to the 
 general expectation, these ideas might have been well 
 founded. But when he examined the papers found 
 on board the ' Carmelo/ the first prize taken in the 
 South Seas, he had learned that the attempt against 
 Carthagena had failed, and that there was little 
 probability of the fleet succeeding in any other
 
 HOW ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES. 191 
 
 enterprise such as would justify his touching at the 
 Isthmus, seeing he was incapable of attacking so 
 strong a place as Panama ; and he had also reason 
 to believe that there was a general embargo on all 
 the coast, and little chance of picking up prizes. 
 
 Then 'it was that there gradually was formed in 
 Anson's mind the resolution to steer as soon as 
 possible to the southern coasts of California, or 
 adjacent shores of Mexico, and there wait for the 
 celebrated Manilla galleon, which he knew ought to 
 be at sea bound to the port of Acapulco. 
 
 It was now the middle of November, and the 
 Manilla ship arrived at Acapulco usually about the 
 middle of January. The passage thither should not 
 occupy above a month or five weeks from where 
 they then were, so that they had nearly twice as 
 much time as was necessary to reach the station 
 where they might hope to intercept her. Qjily one 
 piece of business had to be first attended to, the 
 recruiting the stock of water. The number of 
 prisoners on board since leaving Juan Fernandez 
 had hastened the consumption, and at Paita, where 
 they hoped to get a supply, they could not obtain 
 more than for use during the stay there. On 
 examining the accounts of former navigators, and 
 examining the Spanish prisoners, it was found that 
 Quibo, at the mouth of the Gulf of Panama, would 
 be the most suitable place for watering the squadron. 
 There was also the chance of meeting with some
 
 ig2 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Spanish vessels bound to or from Panama, especially 
 such as might have put to sea before they had any 
 intelligence of an English squadron being in these 
 parts. 
 
 Determined by these reasons, the course was 
 taken northwards, eight ships now in company, and 
 consequently having the appearance of a very 
 formidable fleet. On the ipth Cape Blanco was 
 sighted, bearing S.S.E., about seven miles distant. 
 This cape, in latitude 4O Q 15' South, is always made 
 by ships bound either to windward or to leeward, 
 so that it is an excellent station to cruise upon the 
 enemy. The Commodore, therefore, ordered a good 
 look-out to be kept, and made some suitable pre- 
 parations. It was found by this time that the last 
 prize, the ' Solidad,' was far from answering the 
 character given her of a good sailer ; and she and 
 the ' Santa Teresa ' delaying the squadron consider- 
 ably, the Commodore ordered that both of these 
 should be cleared of everything that might prove 
 useful to the rest of the ships, and then be 
 burned. This being done, and a rendezvous having 
 been given to the ' Gloucester ' and to the other 
 ships, they proceeded on their course for Quibo. 
 On the 22nd the island of Plata was sighted, and 
 one of the prizes was ordered to stand close in with 
 it, both to discover if there were any ships between 
 the island and the mainland, and to look out for 
 a stream of fresh water, the supply from which
 
 HOW ANSON SETTLED DISPUTES. 193 
 
 might save the trouble of going to Quibo ; but the 
 ship returned without any satisfactory report. 
 
 The next point sighted was Manta, S.E. by E, 
 seven miles distant. There being a town of the 
 same name in the neighbourhood, Captain Mitchell 
 took this opportunity of sending away several 
 prisoners from the ' Gloucester ' in the Spanish 
 launch. The boats of all the ships were now daily 
 employed in distributing provisions on board the 
 prizes, to complete their stock for six months. 
 That the ' Centurion ' might be better prepared to 
 give the Manilla ship a warm reception when they 
 met, the carpenters were ordered to fix eight stocks 
 in the main and fore tops, which were properly 
 fitted for the mounting of swivel guns. 
 
 It was evident that the capture of the famous 
 Manilla ship was from this time the absorbing sub- 
 ject in the Commodore's mind. Every information 
 that could be possibly extracted from the prisoners 
 in the several prizes had been carefully noted and 
 considered. Much had been recorded in various 
 narratives of former navigators, and were now called 
 to remembrance. The old book of Captain Woods 
 Rogers was brought out again, and with eager 
 interest his account was read of an actual engage- 
 ment with two Manilla ships, one of which was 
 taken by the daring Bristol privateer, in his vessel 
 the 'Duke,' on the 2ist of December, 1709. The 
 other, a much larger ship r proved too strong to be 
 
 13
 
 194 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 captured, and Rogers had to retire, baffled and 
 severely wounded, though he kept up a sturdy fight, 
 till night enabled him to withdraw, in sorely 
 shattered condition, from the unequal encounter. 
 His account confirmed what was rumoured about 
 the strength of the Manilla ships, the number of 
 their crews, and the elaborate defences provided 
 against their being boarded.
 
 . CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 TO QUIBO, AND THENCE TO THE COASTS OF 
 MEXICO. 
 
 /~\N the 2 /th of November, Captain Mitchell 
 ^-*^ having finished the clearing of his largest 
 prize, she was scuttled and set on fire. There were 
 still five ships left, all good sailers, so that they now 
 would never occasion delay to each other. 
 
 On the 3rd of December the island of Quibo was 
 sighted, and in the forenoon of the next day they 
 anchored in a convenient situation. This island is 
 as convenient for wooding as for watering, the trees 
 growing close to the high-water mark, while fresh 
 water runs over the sandy beach into the sea. In 
 two days all the wood and water wanted had been 
 laid in. The island is almost entirely covered with 
 trees, spread over the country, which is not rugged, 
 nor of great elevation save at one part. The thick- 
 ness of the forest hindered access to places where 
 many herds of deer were to be found, and although 
 often seen only two were killed during the stay 
 on the island. There were many monkeys and
 
 196 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 guanos, the latter affording plenty of food. Pro- 
 digious flights of macaws were seen, and some 
 parrots and paroquets, but not many other birds. 
 
 The Spaniards said that serpents abounded in 
 the woods some of them very dangerous, from their 
 darting from the boughs on whatever comes within 
 reach, and having venomous fangs. The sea is 
 infested by large and numerous alligators. Ani- 
 mated life was on the whole not attractive on the 
 island, the advantages of which consisted in its 
 abundant wood and good accessible fresh water. 
 Pearl-fishers from Panama come in large numbers 
 in the summer season, the pearl fisheries being very 
 productive. The oysters themselves are large, 
 tough, and unpalatable ; but the pearls, everywhere 
 found in the bay or gulf of Panama, are at Quibo 
 of superior quality. Negro slaves are trained and 
 employed as divers. 
 
 In speaking of the scant food to be obtained, an 
 exception must be made so far as the supply of turtle 
 from the sea is concerned. This is in great abun- 
 dance and perfection. There are several species, 
 some of them indifferent for eating, but valuable 
 as affording tortoise-shell for trade ; whereas the 
 ' green turtle ' is by many regarded as the most 
 delicious of all eatables. Even those sailors who 
 thought it too rich at first trial came to be so 
 pleased with the diet that they never tired of it 
 There was not only a plentiful consumption while
 
 TO QUISO AND THE COASTS OF MEXICO. 197 
 
 on the island, but a number of them were carried 
 off to sea, and served to lengthen the store of provi- 
 sions, and afforded the whole crew a good supply of 
 fresh and palatable food. Large turtles, weighing 
 about two hundred pounds each those taken from 
 Quibo lasted nearly a month ; in fact, before the 
 store was spent a fresh supply was obtained on the 
 Mexican coast. 
 
 There, during the heat of the day, great numbers 
 were often seen, fast asleep, floating on the surface 
 of the water. On discovering them, a boat was sent 
 out, with a man in the bow, who was an expert 
 diver. As the boat came within a few yards of the 
 turtle the diver plunged into the water, rising as 
 near as he could guess to the turtle, when, seizing 
 the shell near the tail, and pressing down the hinder 
 parts, the turtle was roused up from sleep, and 
 began to strike out with its claws, which motion 
 supported both it and the diver till the boat came 
 up and took them in. When the turtles are dis- 
 covered on land, where they go to lay their eggs, 
 and for other purposes, being amphibious animals 
 the capture is more easy, for the men merely turn 
 them on their backs, to prevent them getting back 
 to the water, and so they are taken and brought 
 off at leisure. 
 
 For the four months succeeding the visit to Quibo 
 turtle was never scarce on board ship ; and though 
 the sailors had hardly set foot on land till they got
 
 198 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 there (except those employed in the attack at 
 Paita), yet in the whole seven months after leaving 
 Juan Fernandez no more than two men were buried. 
 This freedom from fatal diseases was ascribed in the 
 first place to the wholesome change in diet and 
 occupation, after the long and disastrous period at 
 sea ; and latterly to the feeding on turtle for four 
 months, which proves that this diet was at least 
 innocent, if not something more. It is remarkable 
 that at that time, whatever it may be now, there was 
 the utmost aversion to turtle as food both among 
 the Spaniards and among the Indians and negroes. 
 The slaves who were retained to help in navigating 
 the ships were astonished on seeing the sailors 
 eating such food, and were fully persuaded it would 
 destroy them ; but gradually they got over their 
 prejudice, and ate of it heartily, preferring it to any 
 sort of provision. 
 
 In three days all the business that took the 
 ' squadron to Quibo was completed, and the Com- 
 modore was naturally anxious to lose no time so 
 as to get to the Mexican coast before the Manilla 
 galleon was due there. For all accounts led to the 
 conclusion that it seldom got to Acapulco before 
 the middle of January, and sometimes as late as the 
 middle of February. It being as yet early in the 
 month of December, there was every hope of being 
 in time. But at sea in those times all depended on 
 the winds and waves. The anchors were to be
 
 TO Q_UIBO AND THE COASTS OF MEXICO. 199 
 
 weighed on the 7th of December, but the wind 
 being contrary detained them a night ; and next 
 day, when they got into the offing, through the 
 same channel by which they had entered the road- 
 stead, they were obliged to keep hovering about the 
 island in hope of getting sight of the ' Gloucester,' 
 which was separated from the others on the first 
 arrival. It was the pth of December when they 
 put to sea; and on .the loth, still looking out for 
 the ' Gloucester/ a small sail was descried to the 
 northward, to which chase was given, and she 
 was soon taken. She proved to be a barque from 
 Panama, called the ' Jesu Nazareno.' She had 
 no cargo except some oakum and about a ton of 
 rock salt, and between .30 and 40 in specie, 
 chiefly small silver, for purchasing provisions at 
 Cheripe, a village on the continent. It was noted, 
 for the benefit of future voyagers in those parts, 
 that at Cheripe there is always plentiful store 
 of provisions, prepared for vessels which go thither 
 every week from Panama, the market of Panama 
 being largely supplied from thence. By putting a 
 few hands on board their prize, any quantity of 
 provisions could have been seized without hazard, 
 the place having no fortifications or defences. To 
 purchase provisions from peaceful villages was an 
 idea unthought of in those times, which were cer- 
 tainly less the days of chivalry and honour for 
 Englishmen than days more modern. Wellington
 
 200 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 paid for everything wherever his troops went, but 
 Spaniards and Frenchmen have always helped them- 
 selves to plunder from old times till now. 
 
 On the 1 2th of December the anxiety about the 
 'Gloucester' was removed by her joining. The 
 captain reported that in tacking to the southward, 
 on their first arrival at Ouibo, she had sprung her 
 fore-top-mast, which had caused the delay. After 
 scuttling and sinking the new prize barque, all sail 
 stood to the westward, leaving Quibo about nine 
 days after first coming in sight of it, notwithstand- 
 ing all the hindrances that had occurred. 
 
 The same day the Commodore delivered fresh 
 instructions to the captains of the ships of war, and 
 to the commander of the prizes, appointing the 
 rendezvouses they were to make, and the courses 
 they were to steer in case of separation. They were 
 in the first place to use all possible dispatch in 
 getting to the northward of the harbour of Acapulco, 
 where they were to endeavour to fall in with the 
 land between the latitude of 1 8 and 1 9 ; then they 
 were to bear up the coast at eight or ten leagues' 
 distance from the shore till they came abreast of 
 Cape Corrientes, in latitude 20 20'. After arriving 
 there they were to continue cruising on that station 
 till the 1 4th of February, when they were to make 
 for the middle island of the Tres Marias in latitude 
 21 25' ; bearing from Cape Corrientes N.W. by N., 
 twenty-five leagues distant. If at this island they
 
 TO QUIBO AND THE COASTS OF MEXICO. 201 
 
 did not meet the Commodore they were then to 
 recruit their wood and water, and immediately pro- 
 ceed for the island of Macao on the coast of China. 
 
 These orders were distributed to all the ships. 
 There was every expectation of their being easily 
 carried out, as it was supposed that on increasing 
 the offing from Ouibo the regular trade-winds would 
 be met with. But to their extreme vexation they 
 were baffled and delayed for more than a month, 
 either by tempestuous weather from the western 
 quarter, or by dead calms, with sultry air, alternating 
 with heavy rains, so that it was not till the 25th of 
 December the island of Cocos was sighted, which was 
 only about a hundred leagues from the continent ; and 
 even then they had the mortification to make so little 
 way that after five days they had not lost sight of 
 this island, which is in the latitude of 5 20' North. 
 From Cocos they stood W. by N., and were till the 
 9th of January in running a hundred leagues more. 
 This slow rate of progress was very disheartening, 
 and the visions of wealth were quickly vanishing. 
 A gale springing up on the evening of that day, the 
 9th, awakened new hope and energy, upon which 
 the ' Centurion ' took the ' Carmelo ' in tow, and the 
 ' Gloucester' the 'Carmin/ making all sail to improve 
 the advantage in case it should be only a temporary 
 passing gale. Next day, however, the wind con- 
 tinued in the same quarter, and the next day too 
 with such strength and steadiness that none could
 
 302 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 doubt that it was the true trade-wind. This con- 
 tinued without alteration till the I7th of January, 
 when latitude 12 51' had been reached, on which 
 day the wind shifted to the westward of north. The 
 change was imputed to their having haled up too soon, 
 though they reckoned they were full seventy leagues 
 from the coast ; for they had a settled idea that the 
 trade-winds were only regular and powerful at con- 
 siderable distance from the mainland. Yet although 
 the wind was not so good as at first it was, advance 
 was made, and on the 26th of January, being then 
 well north of Acapulco, they tacked and stood to 
 the eastward, with a view of making the land. This 
 was expected to be sighted on the 28th, according 
 to their reckonings, but though the weather was 
 perfectly clear they had no sight of it at sunset, and 
 therefore continued their course, not doubting but 
 they should see it next morning. About ten that 
 night a light was seen on the larboard bow, bearing 
 from the N.N.E. The light being very high, it was 
 conjectured that this was a signal aloft for the 
 guidance of other vessels, or of a consort. What 
 if this should prove to be the Manilla ship ! The 
 ' Carmelo,' then in tow, was instantly cast off by 
 the ' Centurion,' and a signal was given to the 
 ' Gloucester ' to do the same. Then both ships 
 made for the mysterious light, all kinds of conjec- 
 tures being rife, and some affirming that the canvas 
 of a ship was visible. The Commodore himself was
 
 TO QUIBO AND THE COASTS OF MEXICO. 203 
 
 so sanguine that he sent for the first lieutenant, and 
 directed him to see that all the great guns were 
 loaded with two round shot and one grape, charging 
 him at the same time not to suffer a gun to be fired 
 till he himself gave orders, saying he would not fire 
 till within pistol-shot of the Spaniard. In this 
 excited and eager state the night was passed, ex- 
 pecting every minute to come near the enemy, 
 and visions of millions of dollars rising in some 
 imaginations. 
 
 When morning broke, and daylight appeared, 
 great was the vexation and disappointment in 
 finding that the light which had occasioned all this 
 bustle and expectancy was not at sea at all, but 
 on shore ! Such is the power of imagination in 
 clouding the judgment, that no one on board 
 doubted of its being a ship's light, and at no great 
 distance, whereas it was a fire far off on a moun- 
 tain, possibly lighted, as some afterwards said, 
 according to custom, in order to guide expected 
 ships to port. 
 
 However, as they were certainly near the track 
 taken by vessels making for Acapulco, the ships 
 were spread out at a distance of twelve leagues 
 from the coast, in such a way that it was impossible 
 the Manilla ship could pass unobserved. The only 
 doubt was as to whether she might not already 
 have arrived before the fleet came upon the station. 
 To remove this perplexing doubt the Commodore
 
 204 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 resolved to send a boat, under cover of the night, 
 into the harbour to ascertain if the Manilla ship 
 was there or not. One of the Indians being very 
 positive that this could be done without discovery, 
 the barge was despatched on the 6th of February, 
 with a sufficient crew, under two officers, and taking 
 the Spanish pilot and the Indian who insisted on 
 the facility of the project. The barge did not 
 return till the iith, the officers reporting that there 
 was nothing like a port or harbour at the place 
 where it had been asserted to be ; that on satis- 
 fying themselves of this they had steered to east- 
 ward, coasting along-shore for above thirty-two 
 leagues ; that in their whole range they had found 
 nothing but long sandy beaches, over which the sea 
 broke with violence, so that no boat could land ; 
 and finally, that at the end of their run they did see 
 two ' pap-like heights,' said to be landmarks for the 
 port, at a great distance to the eastward, but so far 
 off that they could not attempt to reach them, their 
 provisions and water being almost exhausted, and 
 barely sufficient to last till they got back. It was 
 just possible that these hillocks were the ones 
 intended by the pilot and the Indians, if it was 
 true that eminences of the shape did exist behind 
 the harbour of Acapulco. 
 
 Accordingly, the Commodore, after sailing to the 
 eastward, determined to send the barge again on 
 the same enterprise, when within a moderate
 
 TO QUIBO AND THE COASTS OF MEXICO. 205 
 
 distance. The new attempt was made on the I2th 
 of February, the officers being straitly charged 
 not to let themselves be seen from the shore. 
 After waiting six days from the despatch of the 
 boat, and when the Commodore began to feel 
 uneasy at the prolonged absence, she returned, 
 reporting that they had found the port of Acapulco, 
 which they estimated was at least fifty leagues 
 distant, bearing from where they now were E.S.E. 
 On the i /th of February, abuot two in the morning, 
 they got within the island that lies at the mouth of 
 the harbour, but neither the Spanish pilot nor the 
 Indians appeared to be able to give any accurate 
 information where they then were. While lying 
 upon their oars in suspense what to do next, a 
 small light was seen on the surface of the water. 
 Towards this they moved as silently as possible, 
 and found that the light was in a fishing canoe, 
 which they surprised, with three negroes belonging 
 to it. The negroes were at first about to jump 
 overboard and swim to land, but a fowling-piece 
 being presented at them they submitted, and were 
 taken into the barge. The officers had the tact to 
 turn the canoe adrift against the face of a rock, 
 where it would certainly be dashed to pieces by the 
 waves ; this they did to deceive those who might 
 come to look after the missing canoe, who on seeing 
 the signs of a wreck would conclude that the men 
 had been drowned, and would have no suspicion of
 
 206 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 their having been carried off. Having taken this pre- 
 caution the barge put to sea, and by daylight had 
 gained such an offing as rendered it impossible for 
 them to be seen from the coast. 
 
 From these negroes, who were found to know 
 very well what passed in the harbour of Acapulco, 
 the Commodore, on closely questioning them, got the 
 information that the Manilla galleon had arrived 
 there on the 9th of January, which was about twenty 
 days before the ' Centurion ' fell in with the coast. 
 At the same time they told that the ship had 
 delivered her cargo, and was now taking in water 
 and provisions for her return voyage. The Viceroy 
 of Mexico had by proclamation fixed her departure 
 for the 1 4th of March. 
 
 This news was joyfully received, for new hopes 
 were entertained, rising almost to certainty, that she 
 would fall into their hands. And it was vastly 
 more desirable to seize the ship on her return 
 voyage, inasmuch as the specie for which she had 
 sold her cargo, and which she would now have on 
 board, would be prodigiously more esteemed than 
 the cargo itself, however valuable ; because a great 
 part of it would have perished on their hands, and 
 none of it could have been disposed of by them at 
 so advantageous a mart as Acapulco.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 COMMERCE BETWEEN MANILLA AND ACAPULCO. 
 
 TT may be well here to give some account of 
 -* the commerce carried on between the city of 
 Manilla, on the island of Luzon, or Luconia, and 
 the port of Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. In 
 the latter part of the fifteenth century, and the begin- 
 ning of the sixteenth century, the search after new 
 countries and opening up new branches of commerce 
 was the ruling passion among several of the Euro- 
 pean powers. The kings of Portugal and of Spain 
 were those most deeply and successfully engaged 
 in these enterprises ; the Spaniards having first dis- 
 covered the rich and vast continent of America, 
 while the Portuguese, doubling the Cape of Good 
 Hope, had opened a new route to the East, and 
 made commercial settlements in the southern parts 
 of India and adjacent islands. The English and 
 the Dutch, being also great naval and trading 
 nations, were equally busy with such enterprises ; 
 but the two nations of the Peninsula, Spain and 
 Portugal, in those times had the largest proportion
 
 208 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 of new territories and of the commerce that followed 
 their flags. 
 
 These two nations soon came into collision, and 
 being extremely jealous of each other, became ap- 
 prehensive of mutual encroachments. Being both 
 faithful and zealous vassals of the Romish See, their 
 disputes were submitted to the Pope, Alexander VI., 
 who for a time settled their claims by granting to 
 the Spanish crown the dominion and property of 
 all places, known or yet to be discovered, a hundred 
 leagues to the westward of the Azores, leaving all 
 regions to the eastward of this limit to the Portu- 
 guese. The boundary was by mutual agreement 
 afterwards changed to a limit of two hundred and 
 fifty leagues more to the westward. By this 
 arrangement the Spaniards presumed that the 
 Portuguese would be prevented from interfering with 
 their settlements and commerce in the New World ; 
 and the Portuguese supposed that their East Indian 
 possessions, as well as the Spice Islands and other 
 maritime possessions in the East, would not be 
 interfered with by Spain. 
 
 The Holy Father proved not to be ' infallible ' in 
 the matter of geography, for he did not foresee that 
 the Spaniards by pursuing their discoveries in a 
 westward direction, and the Portuguese theirs in an 
 eastern direction, would at last meet, and be again 
 in the same hostile position and commercial rivalry 
 as before ; which happened not long afterwards.
 
 COMMERCE. 209 
 
 Ferdinand Magellan, an officer in the service of 
 the King of Portugal, on account of some affront, 
 or deeming his importance not appreciated by his 
 own country, entered into the service of the King 
 of Spain. Like other renegades, he showed peculiar 
 vindictiveness in trying to injure his first masters, 
 by showing how he could increase the power and 
 wealth of his new employers. Knowing that the 
 Portuguese justly regarded their traffic with the 
 Spice Islands as their most valuable acquisition in 
 the East, he resolved to push his discoveries and 
 enterprises still to the westward, and so give the 
 Spanish monarch a right to interfere both in the 
 property and the commerce of those regions. So, 
 in the year 1519, Magellan left Seville with a 
 powerful expedition, five ships and nearly two hun- 
 dred and fifty men ; stood west for the coast of 
 South America, in accordance with the literal rights 
 of Spain ; and then, ranging along the coasts, he 
 discovered, in October 1520, those world-famous 
 Straits which bear his name, opening for him a 
 passage into the South Seas. 
 
 After some stay on the coast of Peru, he again 
 continued his course westward across the Pacific 
 Ocean, discovering the Ladrones or Marian Islands, 
 and thence reaching the Philippine Islands. In a 
 skirmish with the natives in one of the islands he 
 was slain, but his squadron took possession of the 
 Philippine group, so named after King Philip, and 
 
 14
 
 2io FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 these islands have ever since continued to belong to 
 the crown of Spain. By the death of Magellan his 
 project of reaching and seizing some of the Spice 
 Islands was thwarted, although those who succeeded 
 Magellan in command visited them, and brought 
 some of their valued products back to Spain, when 
 they returned thither round the Cape of Good Hope. 
 This voyage is ever memorable as being the first de- 
 monstration of the sphericity of the earth, Magellan's 
 ships being the first to sail round the world. 
 
 Although failing to acquire the possession of any 
 of the Spice Islands, the Philippine Islands were seen 
 to be of vast importance, not only for obtaining 
 productions similar to those by which the Portu- 
 guese had amassed such wealth, but also from their 
 position as convenient for trade with China and other 
 parts of the East. A communication was therefore 
 soon established between these islands and the 
 Spanish colonies on the coast of Peru. Steps were 
 also taken to occupy the islands, and to found a chief 
 city, which should be the mart for all Eastern articles 
 of commerce, which were brought there by merchants 
 from every region for being sold, the returns for 
 this commerce being principally in silver, the common 
 currency in the East. 
 
 The Philippine Islands were indeed a vast addition 
 to the dominions of Spain. The group so named, 
 extending between 5 and 20 north of the equator, 
 included nearly a thousand islands and islets ; most
 
 COMMERCE. 211 
 
 of them small, but several of considerable size, the 
 two largest, Luzon and Mindanao, being respectively 
 41,100 and 34,000 square miles in area. A dozen 
 other islands range in area from 5,000 to 2,000 
 square miles each ; the whole group forming an area 
 of 1 1 3,000 square miles, with a population which 
 speedily grew to be numbered by millions. At the 
 present time they are not far from eight millions. 
 Their productions are numerous and valuable ; the 
 manufacture of tobacco in the shape of cigars and 
 cheroots giving employment to 20,000 or 25,000 
 persons. The city of Manilla has increased to be 
 now a place with probably 175,000 population, 
 having extensive trade with Great Britain, the 
 United States, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. 
 The chief Spanish settlement at first was at Cebu, 
 but Manilla was founded in 1581, and has ever 
 since been the seat of government, the residence of 
 the Spanish Viceroy, and the centre of trade and 
 commerce. 
 
 At the time of Commodore Anson's expedition 
 the commerce was almost entirely confined to one 
 channel, and that was to Mexico, to which was con- 
 veyed all the various merchandise arriving at Manilla 
 from many regions, while American silver came in 
 return as payment. 
 
 When this trade was first commenced, it was 
 between Manilla and Callao, in northern Peru, the 
 t>est harbour on the Peruvian coast, and also the
 
 212 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 port of Lima, the capital and seat of government. 
 Although the distance between these two ports was 
 above three thousand leagues, the voyage to the 
 Philippines was often made in little more than two 
 months, because the regular trade-winds made the 
 voyage speedy and certain. But the return voyage 
 from Manilla was most tedious and uncertain, some- 
 times lasting during the greater part of a year, the 
 ships having to ply against the wind. By the advice 
 of some old navigators the course was altered 
 steering northward till clear of the trade-winds, and 
 then getting into the range of westerly winds, which 
 took them towards the coast of California. Therefore 
 the regular station on the American side of the ocean 
 was, at a very early period, changed from Callao to 
 Acapulco on the coast of Mexico, one of the finest 
 ports on the Pacific coast. This had long been the 
 course of the trade when Anson came to these seas. 
 The traffic from Manilla was very great, not only 
 across the Pacific to the Mexican coast, but to and 
 from all parts of China and India, from which such 
 commodities were brought as were intended to supply 
 the wealthy kingdoms or provinces of Mexico, Peru, 
 and other parts of the New World. The rich fleets 
 attracted the attention of pirates, buccaneers, and 
 other sea-robbers, so that strongly-armed ships had 
 to be employed, either for the carrying of cargoes or 
 for the protection of merchant ships. By degrees it 
 came to be the custom for one or two very large
 
 COMMERCE. 213 
 
 and powerful vessels to undertake the great voyage 
 across the ocean, and these great armed ships were 
 the famous Manilla galleons which were talked about 
 in every European country, and which were now, 
 near the middle of the eighteenth century, the object 
 of Commodore Anson's attention. In his time the 
 trade usually was carried on in one, or at most two 
 ships, which sailed from Manilla about July, arriving 
 in Acapulco at varying times, from the middle of 
 December to the middle of February ; and, having 
 disposed of their merchandise, returning for Manilla 
 in March, and arriving generally in June the whole 
 voyage occupying nearly a year. Though only one 
 ship was usually sent out at a time, there was always 
 another gathering its freight and ready for sea on 
 the arrival of the first ; and therefore this vast 
 commerce was provided with several great ships, 
 three or four, that in case of any mishap or accident 
 the trade might not be suspended. These were 
 King's ships, all of them commissioned and paid by 
 him, and one of the commanders was styled the 
 General, who carried the royal standard of Spain at 
 the main-top-gallant mast-head. They were equal to 
 first-rate men-of-war, of 1,500 to 2,000 tons burden, 
 and with crews of several hundred men, and never 
 less than fifty guns. One or two of the vessels were 
 reported to exceed largely these figures, so that it was 
 no light enterprise for Anson to seek to capture such 
 a ship.
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Before returning to the story of Anson's voyage, 
 it may be interesting to give one or two more 
 details about the galleons and their proceedings. 
 The method of their storage of water on board was 
 peculiar. In the South Seas the custom of the 
 Spaniards in those times was to carry water not in 
 casks or in tanks, as now, but in large earthen jars, 
 like the large oil-jars with which we are familiar in 
 Europe, or in the eastern story of " AH Baba and the 
 Forty Thieves." With a crew of some hundreds, and 
 as many passengers sometimes, a large stock of 
 water must be provided. When the Manilla ship 
 first put to sea she took on board a much greater 
 quantity of water than could bz stowed between 
 decks, and the jars containing it were hung all about 
 the shrouds and stays, exhibiting at a distance a 
 very odd appearance. Fresh supply when wanted 
 was got from catching rain as it fell, mats being 
 ranged against the gunwales slopingly, the lower 
 edges of the mats resting on large slit bamboos, 
 from which, as a trough or drain, the water was 
 conveyed to replenish the jars. 
 
 The usual course in going to Mexico was, as 
 already mentioned, to steer north so far as to meet 
 westerly winds. When the ship fead run into the 
 longitude of about 100 from Cape Espirito Santo, 
 it was usual to look out for weed floating on the 
 sea, which indicated proximity to the shore of 
 California, when the course was taken southward,
 
 COMMERCE. 215 
 
 keeping well out to sea till near the latitude of 
 Cape St. Lucas, to ascertain their reckoning at that 
 point, and to gather from the Indians if any 
 enemies were on the coast. The inhabitants in that 
 neighbourhood are directed, on sight of the vessels, 
 to make the proper signals with fires. Then the 
 captain sends his launch on shore with letters, and 
 with supplies, to the Jesuit convents on that terri- 
 tory, who are thus in correspondence with their 
 brethren in Manilla. If the captain hears that the 
 coast is clear, he was directed then to proceed from 
 Cape St. Lucas to Cape Corrientes, from which he 
 coasts it along for the port of Acapulco. 
 
 On arriving at this place, a poor deserted-looking 
 town during most of the year, merchants and traders 
 flock to the ship from every part of Mexico. The 
 cargo being landed and disposed of, the silver, and 
 the provisions and water, are quickly put on board, 
 and the ship is got ready for sea with the utmost 
 expedition. There was generally an increase of the 
 hands on the return voyage,' and besides sailors there 
 were soldiers, to relieve or to reinforce the garrison 
 in the Philippine Islands. Many merchants also used 
 to take advantage of the security of so well-manned 
 and armed a vessel, so that often there were six 
 hundred persons on board in the return voyage. 
 
 On leaving Acapulco the captain had to steer 
 for latitude 13 to 14, continuing on that parallel 
 till the island of Guam, one of the Ladrones, was
 
 216 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 sighted. Here there is a small Spanish garrison, 
 and means for getting water and provisions if 
 wanted ; but the ship rarely stays above a day or 
 two, as the road is dangerous in rough weather. 
 Then they steer for Cape Espirito Santo, and for 
 successive stations, approach to which is always 
 helped by fire signals, and at each station inquiry 
 is made as to the probability of meeting hostile 
 cruisers, or pirates strong enough to be feared. 
 Such were the arrangements of the Manilla ships 
 in the days of Commodore Anson, whose proceedings 
 we now continue to narrate.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO FOR THE MANILLA 
 SHIP. 
 
 ~\\ THEN the Commodore ascertained that the 
 * ' ship had not yet sailed from Acapulco, he 
 resolved to cruise off the Mexican coast, and wait 
 till she came out. The disposition of the squadron 
 was ordered in the best way for intercepting the 
 galleon, and at the same time not to be descried 
 from the shore. The ' Centurion ' kept in sight the 
 two pap-like hills over the harbour, bearing from her 
 N.N.E. at fifteen leagues distant, a sufficient offing 
 to prevent their being seen by the Spaniards. To 
 the westward of the Commodore's ship was stationed 
 the ' Carmelo,' and to the eastward the ' Tryal 
 Prize,' the 'Gloucester,' and the 'Carmin.' The 
 ' Carmelo ' and the ' Carmin ' formed the extreme 
 ends of the arc of a circle, all the vessels twelve 
 leagues from each other, but all so connected by 
 signals that it was impossible for the galleon to pass 
 unobserved, as she could certainly be seen above 
 six leagues off. The two cutters belonging to the
 
 218 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 ' Centurion ' and the ' Gloucester ' were manned and 
 sent in shore, with orders to lie all day at about 
 four or five leagues from the entrance to the port, 
 where from their small size they could not be seen. 
 In the night they were to move in nearer the port, 
 and return to their post of observation each morning. 
 
 On board the ships every preparation was being 
 made for an engagement. As only the ' Centurion ' 
 and ' Gloucester ' were capable of coming to close 
 quarters and lying alongside of the big Spanish ship, 
 the Commodore strengthened the crews of those 
 two vessels by taking from the ' Carmelo ' and 
 ' Carmin ' all the best men, leaving only sufficient 
 for navigating these prizes. The negroes in the 
 ' Tryal's ' prize were encouraged by promise of 
 getting their freedom on condition of good behaviour. 
 They had been drilled along with the crew, and 
 trained to the management of the great guns for the 
 preceding two months,. and always kindly treated ; so 
 that on the ' Gloucester,' to which they were drafted, 
 they could be counted on to do good service. 
 
 When the 3rd of March came, the day fixed by 
 proclamation for the sailing of the galleon, all 
 were in the highest pitch of excitement. The day 
 passed, and the night, and the next day and the 
 next night, but no signs of the ship appeared. 
 Hope still was kept up, nor was vigilance abated ; 
 but when the 7th day of March came, which was 
 Sunday in Passion Week, a time observed by the
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO. 219 
 
 Papists by cessation from all ordinary labours, the 
 expectation of the sight of the ship was postponed 
 till the week following. A visit from the cutters 
 reassured the Commodore that the galleon was 
 still in port, for she could not possibly have come 
 out without their seeing her. This was on Friday 
 the 1 2th of March. On Monday following, the I 5th, 
 the cutters were sent back to their station off the 
 port, and the hopes in the fleet remained sanguine 
 as before. 
 
 But when after a week from that no appearance 
 of movement was signalled, the eagerness of hope 
 was greatly lessened, and a depressing feeling of 
 despondency spread through the fleet. It began 
 to be thought, and the Commodore himself had 
 that conviction, that the sailing of the galleon 
 had been countermanded, and this because the 
 Governor had suspicion, if not certainty, of enemies 
 being on the look-out. On questioning the negroes 
 taken in the Acapulco fishing-boat, it was ascertained 
 that the taking of Paita was well known to the 
 Governor, and the fact of English cruisers being off 
 the coast was universally known to the people, and 
 especially to the merchants, whose freights were 
 in peril. Consequently it was extremely probable 
 that the sailing of the galleon had been put off 
 for the present, if not for the whole year, as was 
 sometimes done in seasons of danger. What was 
 now to be done ?
 
 220 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 The Commodore, in the vexation of disappoint- 
 ment, thought that he would make a dash at 
 Acapulco itself, as he had done at Paita, and so 
 secure all the treasure to be found there, whether 
 in the galleon ready for sailing, or in the ware- 
 houses on shore. His idea was to take the ships 
 as near as he could to the port without being 
 discovered, and then to surprise the place by a night 
 attack with all the boats. This plea was abandoned 
 chiefly because he learned from the prisoners (and 
 it was confirmed by the officers of the cutters) that 
 near the coast there was at this season always 
 a dead calm for the greatest part of the night, and 
 that towards morning, when a breeze usually sprang 
 up, the wind blew constantly off the land. To 
 move in from the offing in the evening, as he had 
 proposed, and arrive at the port before daylight, he 
 found to be impossible. 
 
 Things continued in this state of suspense and 
 of disappointment till the 23rd of March, when the 
 cutters had been ordered to return to the ships 
 They did not appear till the following day, having 
 been drifted to the leeward by a strong current, 
 which had, in fact, driven the whole squadron to 
 windward. On the arrival of the cutters the 
 Commodore made- a signal for all the commanders 
 to come on board the ' Centurion ' for a conference. 
 On inquiry it was found that the stock of water 
 on all the ships was low, and that it would be
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO. 221 
 
 necessary to quit the present station to procure 
 a fresh supply. It was agreed that the harbour 
 of Chequeta, being nearest, was the most eligible, 
 and orders were given to make for that place, at 
 the same time resolving that the cutter under Mr. 
 Hughes of the ' Tryal's ' prize, was to cruise off 
 Acapulco for twenty-four days longer, in case of the 
 possibility of the galleon coming out after the 
 disappearance of the fleet. The arrival at the 
 intended port was not speedy, as the progress was 
 retarded and often interrupted by calm and by 
 adverse currents. In these intervals the Commo- 
 dore employed his crews in taking out from the 
 ' Carmelo ' and ' Carmin ' all that was valuable on 
 board, with the intention of destroying these prize 
 vessels as soon as they were tolerably cleared, and 
 then the remaining ships would be reinforced with 
 men and with stores. 
 
 By the ist of April they were so far advanced 
 towards Chequeta, a place described by Dampier 
 in his voyages, that boats were sent along the coast 
 to find the entrance to the port, which is in latitude 
 17 36' north, and about thirty leagues to the 
 westward of Acapulco. In good weather the place 
 was safe for anchorage, but in rough weather the 
 surf breaking on the beach rendered the landing 
 of boats impossible. On the most fertile and 
 populous district of the coast, it was observed with 
 surprise that not a single boat or canoe could be
 
 222 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 seen, either for fishing or for pleasure ; and the 
 only explanation conjectured was that the Govern- 
 ment had prohibited the use of all small crafts in 
 order to prevent smuggling. The country adjacent 
 seemed to be well-cultivated and populous, and it 
 was hoped that a stock of good provisions, as well 
 as of water, could be here obtained. Instructions 
 were given to behave to the natives with great 
 civility, and to procure provisions by bartering with 
 some of the stores, otherwise not of much use, 
 in the cargo taken in the prize-ships. Some 
 hostility, however, began to be shown by the in- 
 habitants, and Mr. Brett was attacked when on 
 shore near the neighbouring Bay of Petaplan by 
 a troop of horse. The sailors had to fire in self- 
 defence, and the Spaniards were driven back to the 
 woods only after a sharp skirmish. This affair 
 caused it to be necessary to station one or two 
 boats off the coast to await the return of the 
 cutter left before Acapulco, for that crew might 
 have landed without suspecting danger, and been 
 cut off by the exasperated Spaniards at Petaplan. 
 All this detained the squadron longer at Chequeta 
 than the Commodore at first intended ; but the men 
 were usefully occupied in fishing, catching turtle, 
 and living on animal as well as vegetable food, 
 such as improved the men's health and strength 
 perceptibly. They were also employed in com- 
 pleting the unloading of the ' Carmelo ' and the
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO. 223 
 
 ' Carmin ; ' and further, after a mature consideration, 
 it was determined to get rid also of the ' Tryal's ' 
 prize. This was in good condition, and fit for the 
 sea ; but as the whole number on board the 
 squadron did not amount to the complement of 
 a fourth-rate man-of-war, it was impossible to 
 divide them into three or four ships, whether for 
 navigating safely in stormy weather, or in case 
 of encountering an enemy. Therefore all the stores 
 on board the ' Tryal's ' prize were removed into the 
 other ships, and the three prizes were got ready for 
 scuttling. This proceeding, and the necessary 
 repairs of the rigging, and other occupations, took 
 up so much time, that it was near the end of April 
 before there was any prospect of leaving. It ought 
 to have been mentioned, also, that after the affair 
 at Petaplan, the people of Chequeta became 
 openly hostile, and the getting of the water from 
 the lake and river at some distance from the beach, 
 could only be done under protection of a strong 
 armed guard, who went with the men fetching the 
 water. 
 
 The men were strictly cautioned not to straggle, 
 and never to go beyond a certain point in the forest 
 paths towards the lake, which was fortified, and 
 where sentries were posted. Notwithstanding these 
 cautions, the Commodore's cook, a Frenchman, Louis 
 Leger, was missing. As he was a Papist, there was 
 a suspicion among some of the men that he had
 
 224 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 deserted, with the view of disclosing all that he knew 
 to the enemy ; but in this the poor Frenchman was 
 wronged, for he was as true to Anson as a kind 
 master as was the French cook of Wellington at 
 Waterloo. It was afterwards ascertained that Leger 
 had been taken by some Indians, who carried him 
 prisoner to Acapulco ; from there he was transferred 
 to Mexico, and then to Vera Cruz, where he was 
 shipped on board a vessel bound to Old Spain. By 
 some accident the ship put into the Tagus at Lisbon, 
 where Leger made his escape on shore, and going 
 to the British Consul was by him concealed till he 
 could send him to England. In this singular way 
 was the first tidings conveyed of the safety of the 
 Commodore, and of his principal proceedings in the 
 South Seas. The cook's account of himself was 
 that he had rambled into the woods at Chequeta 
 to get some fresh limes for his master's store, and 
 when thus employed he was surprised by the Indians, 
 and taken as prisoner to Acapulco. The treatment 
 he everywhere received from the Spaniards was se- 
 vere and inhuman, showing the bitter hatred of that 
 nation to the English, and to all who were employed 
 by them. Poor Louis Leger met with a sad end 
 after passing through so many perils and adventures 
 for he was killed in an insignificant night-brawl 
 in London, the cause of which could scarcely be 
 discovered. 
 
 On the 2;th of April, all arrangements at
 
 CR UISING OFF ACAPULCO. 225 
 
 Chequeta being completed, the 'Tryal's' prize, the 
 ' Carmelo,' and the ' Carmin,' were towed out and 
 scuttled ; and a quantity of combustible materials 
 having been placed in their upper works, they were 
 fired. The ' Centurion ' and ' Gloucester ' weighed 
 anchor, and warped out of harbour, as there was little 
 wind. A canoe was left fixed to a grapnel in the 
 middle of the harbour, with a bottle in it, inclosing 
 a letter to Mr. Hughes, who had been left to cruise 
 off Acapulco, telling him to follow to the station in 
 the offing, where the Commodore would remain for a 
 short time before leaving the Mexican coasts to 
 cross the ocean towards the Philippines. A letter 
 was also despatched by a Spanish officer, one of the 
 prisoners, in whose honour reliance was placed, to 
 the Governor of Acapulco, in case the cutter with 
 its crew had fallen into his hands, asking for their 
 release, and promising an exchange of prisoners. 
 
 While this was being done, a sentry on the out- 
 look from the mast-head saw a boat in the distance, 
 which at first was taken to be the Spaniard returning 
 with the Governor's answer, but to the Commodore's 
 great joy it proved to be his own cutter. They 
 were in a miserable condition, not from the hardships 
 of imprisonment, as had been feared, but from the 
 privations and toils of their long cruise of six weeks, 
 with scant provisions and water, and exposed to the 
 inclemency of the weather in an open boat, as the 
 cutter was. The men had to be lifted on board, 
 
 15
 
 226 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 where they received such attention that they soon 
 recovered their health and strength. The Governor 
 sent a very courteous reply to the Commodore, 
 accompanying his despatch with a present of the 
 choicest refreshments, but the two boats containing 
 these gifts were so much tossed about, that to save 
 themselves the men had to throw the provisions 
 overboard, and had difficulty in getting back to 
 Acapulco. Sending on shore the rest of the prisoners 
 was the last transaction on the American coasts, 
 after which the ships stood out to sea, with the 
 purpose of making for the river of Canton in China, 
 where they expected to meet with many English 
 ships, and have the pleasure of obtaining the society 
 of their countrymen, as well as the conveniences and 
 indulgences of civilised life, of which during so long 
 a period at sea they had been deprived, for they 
 had been afloat now for nearly twenty months on 
 the American coasts. 
 
 It is needless to say that the feeling of disap- 
 pointment in the Commodore and the whole of the 
 people was strong at this position of their enter- 
 prise. This feeling was intensified by reflecting on 
 the mishaps and hindrances that had occurred, most 
 of which were really caused by mismanagement at 
 the outset of the expedition. By delays in starting, 
 the arrival at Cape Horn was at the worst season of 
 the year. In summer the passage might have been 
 made with little damage to the ships, and slight loss
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO. 227 
 
 of the crew. The ' Duke ' and ' Duchess ' of 
 Bristol, under Captain Woods Rogers, having be- 
 tween them above three hundred men, lost no more 
 than two from the coast of Brazil to Juan Fernandez ; 
 and on board the ' Duke ' alone, out of one hundred 
 and eighty hands, there were only twenty attacked 
 with scurvy, although privateers have few of the 
 conveniences and comforts provided in men-of-war. 
 Had the squadron got into the South Seas in good 
 condition, the town and port of Baldivia would 
 certainly have fallen into their power, and the whole 
 kingdom of Chili would have been so alarmed, that 
 the authority of Spain throughout the whole of the 
 Continent would have been shaken. At that time 
 there was much dissatisfaction among the Creoles, or 
 native-born Spaniards, as well as among the half- 
 castes and Indians, and opportunity might have 
 been taken to throw off the oppressive yoke of Spain. 
 These feelings of disaffection, and the desire for 
 avenging past wrongs and regaining independence, 
 were discovered by Anson in perusing the letters 
 taken on board the prizes, none of the prisoners 
 having taken the precaution to throw their papers 
 overboard before being captured, so that thus it was 
 the English obtained information not otherwise to be 
 procured. It was also found from the intercepted 
 papers that the Governor of Chili and of Panama, 
 and other high officials, both civil and military, 
 made urgent demands and serious complaints to
 
 228 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the chief ruler, or Viceroy of Peru. His answer 
 had been that the royal chest at Lima did not 
 admit of compliance with their requests, and 
 that he had difficulty enough to meet the claims 
 and the wants of his own Government. He even 
 said that he feared he would be unable to continue 
 the pay of the garrison of Callao, then the key of 
 the whole kingdom of Peru. The native descend- 
 ants of the races subdued by the Spaniards 
 cherished the ancient traditions of their country, 
 and hated the rulers, who were of the family of 
 Pizarro and the other conquerors of the land in 
 former times. In Chili there was a large territory 
 that had never been subdued, and there the Arau- 
 canian Indians still maintained their independence. 
 Had Anson established himself in those regions 
 there might have been serious troubles for the 
 Spanish Government by his presence, and by the 
 assistance given to the disaffected in the whole of 
 the southern part of the continent. With the 
 squadron in fuller strength, the two chief places on 
 the coast of the South Sea belonging to Spain 
 Callao and Panama, would probably have been 
 easily captured, for their fortifications were falling 
 into decay, and their garrisons weak, until the 
 prolonged delay in the appearance of Anson's 
 expedition had allowed time for strengthening the 
 cities, and reinforcing their defenders. All these, 
 and many other vexatious reflections, now occurred
 
 CRUISING OFF ACAPULCO. 229 
 
 to the Commodore, and awakened regrets and 
 anxieties. Nevertheless he was too patriotic an 
 Englishman and too brave a man to be wholly 
 discouraged ; and the failures in the past only 
 caused him to renew his determination, and to revive 
 his hopes of yet achieving some success worthy of 
 his country, and of the great enterprise which he 
 had undertaken. In this heroic spirit, notwithstand- 
 ing all his losses and disappointments, he led the 
 shattered remains of his expedition across the 
 Pacific Ocean, resolved yet to do some good service 
 before his return to England.
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC DESTRUCTION 
 OF THE ' GLOUCESTER: 
 
 OINCE he had failed to meet with the Manilla ship 
 ^~^ on the American side, the Commodore would 
 try to find her on the other side of the Pacific, and 
 wait for her arrival near Manilla. Before this pur- 
 pose could be accomplished many hardships and 
 dangers had to be encountered, as will appear in 
 the next portion of the narrative. 
 
 On the 6th of May, 1742, the coast of America 
 was finally left, the Commodore standing to the 
 S.W. in expectation of meeting the N.E. trade wind. 
 Another reason for standing to the southward was 
 the getting into latitude of 13 or 14 N., which 
 was the usual parallel for crossing the Pacific the 
 navigation being there esteemed the safest. Al- 
 though they advanced far enough out from land, 
 and had got to the proper latitude, they were 
 disappointed as to falling in with the trade wind, 
 the wind still continuing to the westward, or at best 
 variable. They stood more to the southward, yet
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. 231 
 
 still without success in their object ; and it was 
 actually seven weeks from leaving the coast before 
 the ships got into the regular trade wind. 
 
 It is indeed strange to read of such loss of time 
 and labour in our day, when the atmospheric cur- 
 rents are so much better known, and when steam 
 has made navigators comparatively independent of 
 winds and waves. Already Anson had passed more 
 time than should have sufficed to carry a sailing 
 ship to the easternmost parts of Asia ; but he was so 
 baffled by variable and contrary winds, that he had 
 not advanced above a fourth of the way across the 
 ocean. The delay by itself would have been abund- 
 antly mortifying, but the condition of his two ships 
 caused even greater trouble and anxiety. Both of 
 them were by this time in exceedingly crazy state ; 
 a spring in the foremast of the ' Centurion ' being 
 discovered, which was judged to be at least four 
 inches deep, for about twenty-six inches of its cir- 
 cumference. No sooner had the carpenters secured 
 this mast by fishing it, than the ' Gloucester ' made 
 a signal of distress, and this proved to be on account 
 of a spring in her mainmast, twelve feet below the 
 trussel trees, which appeared so dangerous that she 
 could not carry any sail upon it. The carpenters, 
 on examination, found the whole mast rotten and 
 decayed, and it was necessary to cut it down as low 
 as it was defective, so that a mere stump remained, 
 only as a step to the topmast. Worse than these
 
 232 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 failures in the ships, was the breaking out afresh of 
 sickness among the crews. Climate seemed to have 
 no effect in regard to the havoc caused by scurvy, 
 for the outbreak proved as severe in the present 
 warm region as it had been during the cold and 
 stormy passage round Cape Horn during winter. 
 There was abundance of good water on board, and 
 plenty of fresh provisions, yet the disease raged 
 with extreme violence, and was not checked by the 
 utmost attention that was given to the cleansing 
 and sweetening of the ships, by scrubbing and 
 fumigation, any more than by thorough ventilation, 
 by keeping all the ports open, so as to have always 
 fresh air between decks. The surgeon of the ' Cen- 
 turion,' who had formerly blamed the cold severity 
 of the climate, was now at his wits' end. He tried 
 every remedy that he had at hand (the famous pills 
 and c drops ' of Mr. Ward among them), but all to 
 no avail. The very slow progress of the ' Gloucester,' 
 by which the ' Centurion ' was also retarded, kept 
 both out at sea for a longer time than could have 
 been anticipated, and on this account many men 
 perished, who might have recovered if the ' Centurion ' 
 had pushed on alone to the Ladrones Islands, the 
 first point to be touched at. Probably a whole 
 month was lost by attending upon the ' Gloucester,' 
 with her few sails, and the Commodore being obliged 
 to lie-to for her, in his unwillingness to leave the 
 consort ship in distress.
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. 233 
 
 During almost the whole month of July the pro- 
 gress was steady, though very slow, the trade-wind 
 continuing favourable until the 26th of the month, 
 when they reckoned they were about three hundred 
 leagues from the Ladrones. Then a west wind was 
 encountered, which did not shift again to the east- 
 ward for four days. This was dispiriting, and hopes 
 of speedy relief were being damped when a terrible 
 mishap befel the ' Gloucester.' In one part of these 
 four days the wind lulled to a calm, causing the 
 ships to roll deep, when, the ' Gloucester's ' forecap 
 splitting, her foretop-mast came by the board, and 
 broke her foreyard directly in the slings. As she 
 was incapable of making any sail for the time, the 
 ' Centurion ' had to take her in tow as soon as the 
 wind freshened a little, and twenty of the healthiest 
 and ablest of the ' Centurion's ' crew were removed to 
 the ' Gloucester ' to assist in repairing the damages, 
 where they remained for ten days. 
 
 This was not the end of disasters. A violent 
 storm from the western board obliged the ' Cen- 
 turion ' to lie-to, and the ship sprung so bad a leak, 
 which let in so much water, that officers and men 
 had to be employed constantly at the pump. Next 
 day they had the vexation to see the ' Gloucester's ' 
 foretop-mast once more by the board. While 
 viewing this calamity, her topmast, which had hitherto 
 served as a jury mainmast, was seen to share the 
 same fate. The crew was so few and feeble that
 
 234 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 they were almost helpless, and there was no less 
 than seven feet of water in the hold, although every 
 man able to stand had been at the pumps for the 
 last twenty-four hours. While the gale lasted no 
 communication could be held, and this increase of 
 water in the hold was only known when Captain 
 Mitchell was able to bear up under the stern of the 
 Commodore's ship, and implore assistance to save 
 them from going to the bottom. 
 
 The Commodore's own crew was so reduced by 
 sickness and toil that it was impossible now to send 
 help, but a boat was sent on board to see the exact 
 state of the ' Gloucester,' and to report to the Com- 
 modore. The boat returned with a report by its 
 officer, and a representation signed by Captain 
 Mitchell and all his officers, from which it appeared 
 that the state of their ship was one involving great 
 and immediate peril to those on board, and that the 
 damages were such as could not be repaired at sea. 
 Giving details of the damage and decay, the statement 
 concluded by saying that the crew was greatly 
 diminished in number, no more than seventy-seven 
 men, including officers, remaining alive, with eighteen 
 boys, and two prisoners ; and that of this whole 
 number only sixteen men and eleven boys were 
 capable of keeping the deck, some of these being 
 infirm through sickness. 
 
 The Commodore, on receiving these reports, 
 immediately sent an order to Captain Mitchell to put
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. 235 
 
 his people on board the ' Centurion ' with as little 
 delay as possible, at the same time taking out of 
 the 'Gloucester' such stores as he could get at whilst 
 the ship remained above water. The boats of the 
 ' Centurion ' were sent, with as many men as could 
 be spared, to Captain Mitchell's assistance. This 
 removal occupied two days. The Commodore was 
 desirous of saving two of the cables and an anchor, 
 but the rolling of the ship and the weakness of the 
 men made this impracticable. The prize money 
 was secured, but the captured goods, of several 
 thousand pounds value, were lost, and a very small 
 quantity of provisions, most being spoiled by sea 
 water. About seventy sick men were conveyed on 
 board with as much care as possible, but three or 
 four of them expired while being hoisted into the 
 ship. 
 
 It was the I5th of August when the 'Gloucester' 
 was cleared of everything that was proposed to be 
 be removed. Instead of leaving her slowly to sink 
 it was resolved to hasten her destruction by burning, 
 as it was not known how near the island of Guam 
 they might be, the people of which might get some 
 advantage out of what would otherwise be left in the 
 wreck. So the fire was applied, not without some 
 apprehension of danger from explosion ; but she con- 
 tinued to burn slowly during the night, the guns 
 firing successively as the flames reached them, and 
 the final explosion when she blew up caused no great
 
 2 3 6 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 report, and was most marked from the vast pillar 
 of black smoke shot up to a considerable height in 
 the air. 
 
 Thus perished the 'Gloucester,' and the ' Centurion' 
 was now alone, the only remaining ship of the 
 squadron on those waters. The storm and the cur- 
 rents had driven her northward of her intended 
 course to the Ladrones, and the Commodore's anxiety 
 now was that he might be carried to some port of 
 Asia, so distant that mostly all his men might have 
 time to perish from the sickness on board. Every 
 day eight or ten, and on some days twelve, of the 
 men were buried, and those who had hitherto resisted 
 the disease began to fall down apace. Search was 
 made for the leak, and so far with success, that the 
 inflow of water was perceptibly diminished. On the 
 22nd sight was obtained of two islands, and then of a 
 third smaller islet ; but none of these, on being neared, 
 promised to afford any shelter or convenience. At 
 length on the 26th three other islands were discovered, 
 to one of which, afterwards ascertained to be Tinian, 
 the course was directed, Spanish colours being 
 hoisted at the foretopmast-head to lull suspicion 
 of hostility, and perhaps induce some of the people 
 to come on board from the shore. The cutter was 
 then sent to search for a proper berth for the ship, 
 and before long it was seen to return with a proa in 
 tow, which had been seen to be coming towards the 
 ship, probably under the idea that it was the Manilla
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. 237 
 
 galleon. The cutter, meeting this proa, took it, and 
 brought those that were in it on board as prisoners, 
 a Spaniard and four Indians. The Spaniard, on being 
 asked about Tinian, gave an account of the place 
 which surpassed the most sanguine hopes. In fact, 
 it was the chief place for supplying the garrison at 
 Guam, the principal fortified port in the islands. 
 This Spaniard was himself a sergeant of the garrison, 
 and had been sent with a detachment of Indians to 
 jerk beef, and get other provisions for Guam. He 
 had a barque at anchor for removing the stores, and 
 on learning that this was the only vessel at the place, 
 the Commodore sent the pinnace to secure it, in 
 order to prevent the Indians from carrying to the 
 Governor of Guam any intelligence of the 'Centurion ' 
 being at Tinian. 
 
 In the evening the ship was brought to anchor, 
 and this, as well as furling the sails, was a process, 
 which took some hours, so weak were the men and 
 so few capable of work, besides the crews of the 
 pinnace and the cutter which were sent on shore. 
 All the hands fit to stand at a gun amounted to 
 about seventy, the whole force to be now mustered 
 from the united crews of the ' Centurion/ the 
 ' Gloucester,' and the ' Tryal,' which left England 
 nearly a thousand in number ! 
 
 All was quiet during the night, and in the morning 
 a party was sent on shore to secure the landing-place, 
 as it was uncertain what opposition the Indians might
 
 238 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 offer to occupying the land needed for disembarking 
 the invalids. They all had fled to the woods, judg- 
 ing, from the seizing of the barque the night before, 
 that the new-comers were enemies. They left many 
 huts on the shore which they had inhabited, and this 
 saved much time and trouble that would have been 
 necessary in erecting tents. Many of the sick had 
 to be carried from the boats to the hospital hut on 
 men's shoulders, and m this good service all the 
 officers that were able, and the Commodore himself, 
 kindly assisted. 
 
 The salutary influence of the land made itself at 
 once apparent, the violence of the disease speedily 
 abating, and improvement in the state of the men 
 gradually taking place. On the day of first landing, 
 and the day preceding, twenty-one men had been 
 buried, but after that the deaths were few, and they 
 lost only ten more men during the two months that 
 they remained on this island. The vegetable diet 
 and especially the acid fruits, were credited by the 
 officers and men with the chief benefit, though some 
 still attributed the whole cure to change from sea to 
 land air. 
 
 Considering the size of the island, only about 
 twelve miles long, and half as many in breadth, the 
 abundance of live stock and provisions of all sorts 
 was wonderful. Of cattle there were at least ten 
 thousand, with plenty of poultry and of wild hogs, 
 which were hunted with dogs, for the Indians to
 
 VOYAGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. 239 
 
 pickle or smoke for the supply of the garrison at 
 Guam. Many kinds of vegetables and fruit were also 
 plentiful. No wonder that the sick soon recovered ! 
 The water also was excellent, and several lakes 
 abounded with duck, teal, plover, and other game. 
 The population is said to have been once very large, 
 but it was the policy of Spain to keep this island for a 
 provisioning depot, the inhabitants being compelled to 
 migrate to Guam, where the mortality was great, and 
 only a few Indians were left to look after the cattle 
 and provisions. The island has its drawbacks, there 
 being no rivers or running waters, and the roadstead 
 is not always safe for ships. Some troublesome 
 and a few venomous insects and reptiles are common, 
 but on the whole the place is a paradise as to climate 
 and the means of living.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 THE ' CENTURION' BLOWN OUT TO SEA. 
 
 r I A HE long and quiet sojourn at Tinian was 
 *- suddenly interrupted by a startling and unex- 
 pected event. On the i8th of September it was 
 new moon, and gales being anticipated, the Com- 
 modore ordered every precaution to be taken, 
 strengthening the hawsers and chains, in case of 
 great strain on the anchor cables, and lowering the 
 main and foreyard close down, to diminish the 
 power of the wind on the ship. For two or three 
 days the weather was squally and uncertain, but on 
 the 22nd the wind blew from the eastward with 
 such fury that they soon despaired of riding out the 
 storm. At this time the Commodore and the larger 
 portion of the crew were on shore, Anson himself 
 being laid down with sickness, and the convalescents 
 still in the huts and tents. The only hope of safety 
 for the ship, under ordinary circumstances, was to 
 put to sea instantly ; but all communication with the 
 shore was cut off, for no boat could live in such a 
 tempest. There was nothing for it but to ride it
 
 THE ' CENTURION' BLOWN OUT TO SEA. 241 
 
 out till the cables parted. At five in the afternoon 
 the small bower parted, and the ship swung off 
 to the best bower. As night came on the violence 
 of the wind increased. The tide running with great 
 force and rapidity, there was terrible commotion the 
 tide forcing the vessel before it, in spite of the wind 
 which blew upon the beam. The sea broke 
 tremendously all round, and a great tumbling swell 
 threatened to poop the ship ; by which swell the 
 long boat moored astern was on a sudden canted so 
 high, that it broke the transom of the Commodore's 
 gallery, whose cabin was on the quarter-deck, and 
 would doubtless have risen as high as the taffrail 
 had it not been for the stroke which stove the boat 
 all to pieces. 
 
 At eleven o'clock the tide slackened, but the wind 
 not abating, the best bower cable, by which alone 
 they rode, parted. The sheet anchor, the only one 
 now left, was instantly cut from the bow, but before 
 it could reach the bottom the vessel drifted from 
 twenty-two into thirty-five fathoms ; and after veering 
 away one whole cable and two-thirds of another, 
 ground could not be touched with sixty fathom of 
 line, a plain indication that the anchor lay near the 
 edge of the sandbank, and could not hold there 
 long. 
 
 In this extreme danger, Mr. Saumarez, the first 
 lieutenant, now in command, ordered guns to be 
 fired, and lights to be shown, as signals to the 
 
 16
 
 242 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Commodore of the distress. A short time after, 
 about an hour past midnight, a strong gust, attended 
 with rain and lightning, drove the ship off the 
 bank, and forced it out to sea, leaving the Com- 
 modore, and several of the officers, and a great part 
 of the crew, in all about 113 persons, on the island. 
 What were the feelings of those on shore as well as 
 those on board can be scarcely imagined. Those 
 on shore might never be able to depart from the 
 island, while those in the ship, ill prepared to 
 struggle with the fury of the winds and the seas, 
 expected every moment to be their last. 
 
 The storm which drove the ' Centurion ' to sea 
 blew with such turbulence that neither the Com- 
 modore nor any of the people on shore heard the 
 guns fired as signals ; and if any saw the flash of 
 the lights they were not distinguished from the 
 vivid glare of the constant lightning. So that, when 
 day broke, and it was perceived that the ship was 
 missing, there was much excitement and con- 
 sternation among them, many jumping to the 
 conclusion that the ship was lost, and proposing 
 that the boat should be sent round the island to 
 look after the wreck. Those who did not believe 
 she was wrecked had little hope of her ever being 
 able to make the island again ; as the wind continued 
 to blow strongly at east, and they knew well how poorly 
 she was manned and provided for struggling with 
 so tempestuous a gale. How could they leave the
 
 THE CENTURION' BLOWN OUT TO SEA. 243 
 
 island? They were at least six hundred leagues from 
 Macao, which was their nearest port ; and they were 
 masters of only the small Spanish barque, of about 
 fifteen tons, seized on their first arrival, and which 
 would not hold a fourth part of their number. As 
 to being taken off by some other ship, it was the 
 vaguest of all chances, for it was probable that no 
 European vessel had ever before anchored there. 
 A life-long exile seemed to be possible ; but it was 
 more likely that a worse fate awaited them, for the 
 Governor of Guam would certainly send to see what 
 had become of his Indians, and would send troops 
 to overpower them. In that case they would not be 
 treated as prisoners of war, the commissions of the 
 officers being on board the ' Centurion, 1 and they 
 would be treated as pirates, and subjected either to 
 a cruel death or to vilest slavery for life. 
 
 At this critical time, the Commodore, who always 
 appeared cool and self-possessed in times of difficulty 
 and trouble, showed himself worthy of his high 
 character and reputation. Whatever may have been 
 his own opinions, or his inward misgivings, he felt 
 it his chief duty to keep his people from being 
 depressed by despondency, and to inspire them with 
 hope and courage. He gathered his officers round 
 him, and to them, and to their men, he addressed 
 words of cheerful confidence, saying how little 
 foundation there was for their fear of the ' Cen- 
 turion ' being lost ; that it was not like men familiar
 
 244 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 with the affairs of the sea to give way to such a 
 groundless impression without some good reason ; 
 that a vessel which had passed through so many 
 perils would not easily perish. He was not without 
 hopes that she would reappear in a few days ; but 
 if she did not, the worst that could happen was that, 
 being driven so far to the leeward of the island as 
 to be unable to regain it, she would be consequently 
 obliged to bear away for Macao on the coast of 
 China. But as it was necessary to be prepared 
 against all events, he had considered a method of 
 carrying them off the island, and of rejoining their 
 old ship the ' Centurion ' at Macao. This method 
 he had planned after consultation with the ship's 
 carpenters, and it had been approved by those to 
 whom it had been mentioned. His plan was to 
 bring the Spanish barque on shore, to saw her 
 asunder, and lengthen her twelve feet, which would 
 enlarge her to near forty-ton burthen, and would 
 enable her to carry them all to China. Nothing 
 was wanting to carry out this plan but the united 
 resolution and industry of the whole body ; adding 
 that for his own part he would share the labour and 
 fatigue with them, and would expect no more from 
 any man than what he, their commander, was ready 
 to submit to. He would have them begin this work 
 at once, for if the ' Centurion ' came back there 
 would be the throwing away of only a few days' 
 application ; while if she did not, their -present
 
 THE ' CENTURION* BLOWN OUT 7O SEA. 245 
 
 position and the season of the year required their 
 utmost dispatch. 
 
 The felling of trees and sawing them into planks 
 was the first and most laborious task, and at this 
 the Commodore himself wrought, for the encourage- 
 ment of his people. There being neither blocks nor 
 cordage, rollers of tree-trunks had to be prepared 
 for moving the barque, and a dry dock for receiving 
 her, with waterways to the sea for bringing her up. 
 Then came the adaptation of spare cordage for the 
 rigging an d other equipment. A serious want was 
 that of a compass, for the Commodore's pocket- 
 compass, brought on shore for his own use, had 
 been borrowed by Lieutenant Brett, who had it with 
 him in the ' Centurion.' Nor was there a quadrant 
 for taking observations. However, in rummaging 
 a chest belonging to the Spanish barque, a small 
 compass was found, which although little better than 
 a toy, was a prize under the circumstances. There 
 were many difficulties as to the iron-work, and the 
 absence of smith's bellows, and the like ; but all 
 was overcome by ingenuity, and the work went 
 bravely fonvard. 
 
 While they were busily engaged in the prepara- 
 tion for their adventure with the enlarged barque, 
 which they expected to be soon ready, one after- 
 noon, it was the iith of November, one of the 
 seamen, being on a hill in the interior of the island, 
 perceived the ' Centurion ' in the distance, and running
 
 246 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 as fast as he could towards the landing-place, 
 shouted out to his comrades, ' The ship, the ship ! ' 
 Being brought to the Commodore, the glad news 
 was proclaimed, and there was unbounded joy. 
 The Commodore threw down his axe, with which 
 he was then at work, and for the first time broke 
 through the calm, equable demeanour he had hitherto 
 preserved, and joined in the general excitement. 
 Most of the men had run to the shore to feast their 
 eyes as soon as possible with the longed-for sight. 
 It was not till the evening that the ship was visible 
 to all, and then a boat was sent off with eighteen 
 men to reinforce the crew, and carrying fresh meat 
 and fruits. Next day, in the afternoon, she was 
 again anchored in the road. When the Commodore 
 went on board, as he did at once, he was welcomed 
 with rounds of cheers. It was now nineteen days 
 since the ship had been driven from the island, and 
 the crew could not but feel overjoyed at getting 
 back to a harbour, and refreshment, and rest, and 
 rejoining their shipmates and their honoured com- 
 mander. What had been their proceedings at sea 
 in the interval has now to be told.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 WHAT PASSED ON BOARD THE 'CENTURION' 
 WHEN DRIVEN OUT TO SEA. 
 
 TT was soon after midnight, on the 22nd of 
 *- September, in a night of extreme darkness, a 
 prodigious storm raging, with a very rapid tide 
 running, that the ' Centurion ' was driven from her 
 anchors, and forced to sea. The condition was truly 
 perilous ; the ship being leaky ; with three cables 
 in the hawses, to one of which hung the only 
 remaining anchor, not a gun on board lashed, nor 
 a port barred in, the shrouds loose, the topmasts 
 unrigged, and the fore and main-yards close down, 
 before the hurricane came on, so that there were 
 no sails that could be set except the mizzen. Then 
 there could be mustered for working the ship, in 
 such a condition, very little more than a hundred 
 hands, including several Indians and negroes ; and 
 of the crew the largest number were either boys, or 
 men enfeebled by sickness, from which they were only 
 lately recovering. For a time, the water from the 
 leak, and what was shipped through the hawse-
 
 248 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 holes, ports, and scuppers, kept all hands at the 
 pumps. Fear of being driven on the neighbouring 
 island of Aguignan compelled them to use every 
 effort to heave up the main and fore-yards, so as to 
 get canvas enough carried to weather the island ; 
 but the men could not accomplish this, and were in 
 momentary fear of striking and sinking a fear 
 which was only removed when daylight showed the 
 land at a good distance, a strong current having 
 preserved them from that danger. 
 
 For three days after leaving Tinian the stormy 
 weather continued, and the fourth day was passed 
 in the important work of heaving up the sheet- 
 anchor, which had been till now dragged at the bows 
 with two cables on end. Being the only anchor left, 
 and an impediment to navigation in its present situa- 
 tion, every effort was used to secure what would be 
 so essential on falling in with land again ; and 
 fortunately they succeeded in hanging the anchor 
 at the bow, although not till they had to rest and 
 regain strength for completing this, after first bring- 
 ing the anchor in sight. This was on the morning 
 of the 2 /th September, five days after being at sea. 
 On the same day they managed to get up their 
 main-yard, and were then able to make use of their 
 canvas and set their courses. They stood eastward, 
 in hope of regaining the island of Tinian, the reckon- 
 ing being that they were less than fifty leagues to 
 the south-west. But they reckoned without the cur-
 
 WHA TPA SSED ONBOARD THE ' CENTURION: 249 
 
 rents, which had carried them far to the westward, 
 and they were disappointed in not sighting land by 
 the ist of October, which they had made sure would 
 be the latest date for again sighting Tinian. Then 
 came apprehensions lest they might fall short of 
 water and provisions, as it appeared uncertain how 
 long they might be at sea. But, happily, the next 
 day they had sight of the island of Guam ; and then 
 they estimated that the ocean currents had carried 
 them at least forty leagues westward of their reckon- 
 ing. To keep plying to the eastward was now the 
 right course ; but it proved tedious work, the wind 
 being mostly from that quarter, and requiring fre- 
 quent tacking, for which the crew had little strength 
 left. The severe work of often putting the ship 
 about caused it to be the I ith of October, or nine- 
 teen days since leaving, before they got back to 
 Tinian.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 FAREWELL TO TINIAN, WITH SOME ACCOUNT 
 OF THE LADRONES ISLANDS. 
 
 ATT" HEN the Commodore went on board the 
 * ' Centurion ' on her return to Tinian he 
 resolved to leave the island as soon as he could 
 complete the stock of water for the voyage to Macao. 
 The watering proved a more tedious business than 
 expected, because the long boat had been staved 
 against the poop in the last storm, and all the casks 
 had to be rafted off, sometimes against a strong tide. 
 There was fresh delay of several days from the ship 
 being again driven out to sea by a sudden gale. It 
 did not prove so serious a mishap as before, as the 
 Commodore and all the officers were on board, but 
 there were many men on shore filling the water and 
 procuring provisions. However, after four or five 
 days at sea the c Centurion ' got to anchor again, 
 and relieved the fears of those on shore. 
 
 On the 2Oth of October, all the water, to the 
 amount of fifty tons, was on board ; and a sailor of 
 each mess was sent to gather as many oranges,
 
 FAREWELL TO TINIAN. 251 
 
 lemons, cocoa-nuts, and other fruits as possible, for 
 the use of themselves and their messmates during 
 the voyage. As soon as these purveyors were on 
 board, the barque and a proa were set on fire, so as 
 not to be left for the benefit of Spaniards, the boats 
 were hoisted in, and sails set for departure, steering 
 towards the south end of the island of Formosa on 
 the Chinese coast. 
 
 So they took final leave of Tinian, one of the 
 Ladrones or Mariana Islands. These are about 
 twenty in number, but only three or four of these 
 of any considerable size, the largest being Guam, or 
 Guajan, which is nearly ninety miles in circumference. 
 The other large islands are Rota, or Sarpan, Seypan, 
 and Tinian, where Anson had brought his ship and 
 his sickly crew. The islands were discovered by 
 Magellan in March 1521, and he gave them the 
 name of Ladrones (robbers), from the thieving pro- 
 pensities of the inhabitants. They were afterwards 
 called Mariana Islands, in honour of Mary Anna of 
 Austria, the wife of Philip IV. of Spain. They 
 have ever since been Spanish possessions, and are 
 included in the government of the Philippines. The 
 chief settlement, San Ignacio de Agaila, is on the 
 island of Guam, and here the Spanish Governor 
 and his officials have their residences. The native 
 population was once very numerous, but many 
 fled to escape the oppressive foreign rule, as they 
 were treated as slaves by their conquerors. The
 
 252 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 islands are mountainous, well watered, and wooded ; 
 and some of the smaller islets in the north of the 
 chain have active volcanoes. In Anson's time there 
 were probably above fifty thousand people in the 
 three islands, Guam, Rota, and Tinian. In 1864, 
 when a census was taken, there were not more than 
 five thousand in the whole group. Tinian was 
 almost wholly depopulated, and only a few hundred 
 Indians remained on Rota and other islands, for 
 tending cattle or growing vegetables for the people 
 and garrison of Guam. In Anson's time there were 
 said to be about five thousand inhabitants in Guam, 
 of whom more than a thousand were in the city of 
 San Ignacio de Agaiia. 
 
 Guam was in those times a port of considerable 
 importance, chiefly on account of the refreshment it 
 gave to the ships in the trade from the Philippines. 
 The great Manilla ship always anchored there, and 
 the roadstead was . protected by forts with batteries. 
 The Spanish troops at Guam were usually about 
 a hundred and fifty men. The Indians were 
 debarred the use of fire-arms, or any weapons, the 
 immense superiority of their number requiring this 
 for security. They are a superior race, bold, strong 
 and enterprising ; and it was only through the 
 Spaniards having fire-arms that the natives were so 
 easily subdued. Their skill in navigation was also 
 remarkable, and the proas of the Ladrones Islands 
 were considered wonderful vessels for strength and
 
 FAREWELL TO TINT AN. 253 
 
 for speed, and in build and construction, as well 
 as rigging, perfectly adapted to the seas where 
 they sail, which are wholly within the limits of the 
 trade-wind. 
 
 The construction of these proas is in direct con- 
 trast to that of every other sort of vessel. It is the 
 customary build to have the head of a vessel 
 different from the stern, but the two sides alike. 
 The proa, on the contrary, has head and stern alike, 
 but the two sides very different One side, which 
 is intended to be always the lee-side, is flat, while 
 the windward side is built rounding, like other 
 vessels. To prevent her oversetting, which would 
 be easily done owing to the small breadth and the 
 strait run of her leeward side, a frame, or outrigger, 
 is paid out from the windward side, at the end of 
 which is fastened a log, hollowed somewhat in shape 
 of a small boat. The weight of the frame nearly 
 balances the proa, and the hollow, buoyant, boat-like 
 log, being always in the water, prevents her over- 
 setting to windward. Two braces, from the head to 
 the stern, serve to steady the frame, and a thin 
 plank placed to windward prevents the shipping of 
 water ; upon which plank an Indian sits, who sees 
 to the baling when needed ; or in smoother water, 
 goods or stores are carried on this thin board or 
 plank. It is easy to imagine the convenience as 
 well as safety of these vessels. They never require 
 to put about, but run with either end foremost, there
 
 254 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 being a readily managed way of shifting the sail, so 
 that what was the stern of the proa becomes the 
 head, and she is quickly trimmed on the other tack. 
 The speed, too, is incredible ; at the lowest, with a 
 brisk trade wind, twenty miles an hour. Owing to 
 the narrowness of the vessel, and the flatness of the 
 lee-side, she can lie nearer the wind than any craft 
 known. There are usually six or seven Indians on 
 board, one at the head and one at the stern, who 
 steer the vessel alternately with a paddle, according 
 to the tack she is on ; the others employed in 
 setting and trimming the sail, or in baling out water 
 accidentally shipped. How far the double canoes 
 and outrigged craft of other island groups in the 
 Pacific have been derived from the proas of the 
 Ladrones is a matter for consideration. The com- 
 munication from group to group of islands is not 
 difficult, and it is not surprising that the Indians of 
 the Ladrones easily escaped, with such vessels, from 
 their enemies the Spaniards.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 
 
 TN the evening of the 2ist of October Tinian 
 * was left, the proper course being steered for 
 Macao, the Portuguese settlement on the coast of 
 China. The eastern monsoon was now, it was 
 reckoned, fairly settled ; a constant gale was blow- 
 ing right astern ; and they ran generally from forty 
 to fifty leagues daily. The sea, however, occasioned 
 the ship to labour much, by which the leak was 
 augmented, and much damage done to the rigging, 
 which in many parts had grown very rotten. The 
 crew being now in full health, no complaints were 
 made of fatigue, and all attended to the pumps, 
 and every other duty of the ship, with ease and 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 Before leaving Tinian, an attempt was strenuously 
 made to recover the lost anchors, the best and the 
 bower ; but all to no purpose, although Indian 
 divers were set to work. Except the prize anchors, 
 which were stowed in the hold, and were too light 
 to be depended on, there was only the sheet-anchor
 
 256 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 left, and this was too heavy for a coasting anchor.* 
 This caused anxiety to the Commodore as to how 
 he should manage on reaching the Chinese coast, 
 where they would be entire strangers, and should 
 doubtless be under necessity of frequently coming to 
 an anchor. The difficulty was met in an ingenious 
 manner. Two of the largest prize-anchors were 
 fixed into one stock, and two guns, four-pounders, 
 were placed between their shanks. This was in- 
 tended to serve as a best bower. A third prize 
 anchor was in like manner joined to the stream 
 anchor, with guns between them, so as to make a 
 small bower. Thus there were again, besides the 
 sheet anchor two others at the ' Centurion's ' bows, 
 one of them weighing 3,900, and the other 2,900 
 pounds. 
 
 On the 3rd of November, in the afternoon, an 
 island was sighted, which at first was supposed to 
 be Botel Tobago Xima ; but on nearing it, the size 
 was much less than usually described ; and in about 
 an hour another island was seen, where no chart or 
 journal they had examined gave notice of its exist- 
 ence. The Commodore then thought that possibly 
 the currents had brought the ship near the Bashee 
 
 * A singular incident occurred at Tinian about forty years ago. 
 An American whaler, weighing up her own anchor, hooked up 
 one of the anchors which Anson failed to recover. It was but 
 little corroded, after a submergence of nearly a century. What 
 became of it afterwards we do not know, but the finding of it 
 was an interesting memorial of Anson's voyage.
 
 FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 257 
 
 islands. It was thought advisable to bring to, and 
 wait for daylight. It was a dark morning, and the 
 uncertainty was prolonged, but in the forenoon, 
 when the weather cleared, the two islands were 
 again seen ; and pressing forward to the "w es t\vard, 
 the southern part of Formosa was sighted. This 
 satisfied them that the second island they saw was 
 Botel Tobago Xima, and the first only a small islet 
 a few miles east of it, not laid down in the charts. 
 
 After sighting Formosa, they steered W. by S., to 
 double its extremity, giving the rocky coast a wide 
 berth, as many dangerous reefs are known to be in 
 that part, with shoals stretching from them, as they 
 perceived from the breakers on all sides. These 
 rocky islets are called Vele Rete. In the evening a 
 number of fires were discerned on the island of 
 Formosa, which were supposed to be signals inviting 
 them to touch there, but the Commodore was 
 impatient to get to Macao. Steering W.N.W., he 
 proposed to fall in with the Chinese coast to the 
 eastward of Pedro Blanco, as the rock so called is 
 usually esteemed a good direction for ships bound 
 to Macao ; and this course was continued till the 
 following night, frequent trials being made to see if 
 they were in soundings. The next day, careful 
 look-out being always kept, the course was altered 
 to N.N.W., as the soundings had increased rather 
 than decreased ; and having run about thirty-five 
 miles in that direction, the soundings gradually 
 
 17
 
 258 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 diminished to twenty-two fathoms ; and at length 
 towards midnight sight was got of the mainland of 
 China, about four leagues distant. The ship was 
 then brought to, with her head to the sea, purposing 
 to wait for the morning. 
 
 Before sunset they were surprised to find them- 
 selves in the midst of an incredible number of 
 fishing boats, which seemed to swarm on the sea as 
 far as the eye could reach. There were thousands 
 of them five or six thousand certainly; and most of 
 the boats had five hands, none of them less than 
 three. The same crowds of fishing boats were met 
 with on every part of the coast, as they ran on to 
 the westward. At first the Commodore thought he 
 might from these boats get a pilot to carry them to 
 Macao, but it was not possible to entice any one on 
 board, or to obtain any information, probably from 
 their not understanding what was wanted. This 
 was evident when a number of dollars was shown 
 to them, to which they replied by holding up fish, 
 as if inquiring if bartering dollars for fish was the 
 object. So the fishermen had to be left, and reliance 
 placed on their own judgment as to the course for 
 Macao. 
 
 It was the 5th of November, at midnight, when 
 the coast of China was first made. The next day, 
 at 2 P.M., still standing to the westward, about two 
 leagues from the coast, crowds of fishing boats 
 around, a red flag was waved from one of the boats,
 
 FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 259 
 
 and a horn blown. This was taken as a signal, 
 either to warn the ship off some shoal or rock, or to 
 offer a pilot ; so the cutter was sent towards the 
 signalling boat. They found that this boat carried 
 the Superintendent or Commodore of the fishing 
 fleet ; for soon after the signal of the flag and the 
 horn all left off fishing, and every boat made for 
 the shore. 
 
 On the next morning the rock of Pedro Blanco 
 was sighted, a small but lofty eminence, sugar-loaf 
 like, both in shape and colour (whence the name 
 White Rock). It rises from the sea at a distance of 
 seven or eight miles from the shore. Passing 
 within a mile and a half, leaving it between them 
 and the land, next day they were abreast of a chain 
 of islands, stretching from east to west, called the 
 islands of Lema, fifteen or sixteen of which were 
 counted, with probably many others nearer the 
 mainland, all apparently rocky and barren. Still 
 there were fishing boats everywhere. Again the 
 cutter was sent to try to get a pilot, but in vain. 
 However, one of the Chinamen seemed to guess 
 what was wanted, for on hearing the name Macao, 
 he made signs to sail round the westward of the 
 islets or rocks of Lema, and then to hale up. 
 Following this direction, they came to anchor 
 towards evening in eighteen-fathom water. A rock 
 laid down in the charts, and an island called the 
 Grand Ladrone, afford direction, according to the
 
 260 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 charts, for finding the channel between the islands of 
 Cabona and Bamboo, which leads to Macao. 
 
 The cutter was sent out to sound the channel, but 
 before she returned, a Chinese pilot came on board 
 the ' Centurion,' who spoke broken Portuguese, and 
 said he would carry the ship to Macao for thirty 
 dollars, The money was at once paid, and they 
 weighed and made sail. Soon afterwards several 
 other pilots came on board, each of them producing 
 certificates from captains of European ships they 
 had piloted in ; but of course the first Chinaman who 
 had been engaged kept his post. He carried the 
 ship between the islands of Bamboo and Cabona. 
 The wind hanging in the northern board, and the 
 tides often setting strong against them, the course 
 was tedious, having frequently to come to anchor, so 
 that the passage through the channel was not made 
 till early on the morning of the 1 2th of November. 
 There they anchored, not far from the island of 
 Lantoon, the largest of a range of islets. Weighing 
 again at seven in the morning, and steering W.S.W. 
 and S.W. by W., the 'Centurion' happily anchored 
 in five-fathom water ; the city of Macao bearing 
 W. by N. three leagues distant, the peak of 
 Lantoon E. by N., and the Grand Ladrone S. by E., 
 each about five leagues off. 
 
 Thus, after a cruise of about two years' continuance, 
 
 they arrived once more at a friendly port, in a 
 
 civilized country with the conveniences of life in
 
 FROM TINIAN TO MACAO. 261 
 
 abundance ; where naval stores, now much needed, 
 could be procured ; and where they expected the 
 inexpressible satisfaction of receiving letters from 
 England ; and where from fellow-countrymen would 
 be obtained information on many events and occur- 
 rences of the knowledge of which they had been long 
 deprived. All this was pleasant in anticipation, 
 and much of it was enjoyed thankfully; but at the 
 same time there were some drawbacks and troubles 
 accompanying a state of so-called civilisation, of 
 which the next chapter will give some notion ; for 
 there is a perverse and evil, as well as a pleasant and 
 good, side of human nature, all the world over.
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 
 
 * I A HE city of Macao is a Portuguese settlement, 
 -* on the island of Heang-shan, in the river of 
 Canton. The site was given by the Emperor of 
 China to the Portuguese in 1 586, in return for assist- 
 ance rendered by them against pirates, by whom 
 the coasts were then terribly infested. An annual 
 tribute or rent used to be paid, but this was remitted 
 in 1863, and the place is now wholly belonging 
 to the crown of Portugal. The town and seaport 
 contains a population of between three and four thou- 
 sand, of whom the larger part are Chinese, and the 
 remainder Portuguese and half-breeds. Some 
 troops are stationed in the forts which defend the 
 harbour. The trade at the present time is chiefly 
 American. Near the town a cave and garden are 
 shown, where Camoens is said to have written most 
 of his epic poem the ' Lusiad.' The Chinese name 
 for Macao is Aou-mun, " the entrance to the bay." 
 
 At the time of Anson's voyage Macao was a place 
 relatively of greater importance than now, and of
 
 PROCEEDINGS A T MA CA O. 263 
 
 larger wealth and population. It has shared the 
 decay of the whole Portuguese nation and empire. 
 The Governor was nominated by the Portuguese, but 
 his authority had to be exercised with great circum- 
 spection, as the place was occupied only by the 
 sufferance of the Chinese, who could at any time 
 starve the population into subjection, and dispossess 
 them if so inclined. This caution was still exercised 
 in Anson's time, which chiefly accounts for the diffi- 
 culties he encountered in dealing with the Portuguese 
 Governor and officials. 
 
 Most of the European trading ships at that time 
 went beyond Macao, up the Canton River ; and at 
 that time there were about eleven ships, four of 
 them English. But the peculiar customs of the 
 Chinese applying solely to trading ships, the Com- 
 modore feared that if he insisted on being treated 
 on a different footing from merchantmen, he might 
 embroil the East India Company with the Regency 
 of Canton, and therefore he resolved rather to go up 
 the Canton River. He need not have been guided 
 by such considerations, for he might have gone 
 and stayed as long as he pleased, for anything the 
 Chinese could have done in opposition, but he always 
 preferred to act prudently. 
 
 As soon as he got to Macao he sent an officer 
 with his compliments to the Portuguese Governor 
 requesting his Excellency to apprise him in what 
 manner it would be proper for him to act to avoid
 
 264 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 offending the Chinese, which, as there were then 
 four English ships in their power at Canton, was 
 a matter worthy of attention. One difficulty the 
 Commodore expected would be made as to the duty 
 usually paid by ships in the Canton River according 
 to their tonnage. In civilised countries, by inter- 
 national usage, men-of-war in foreign ports are 
 always exempted from these port charges and 
 duties ; and the Commodore thought it would be 
 derogatory to the honour of his country to submit to 
 them in China. He asked the advice of the Governor 
 of Macao on this point. The boat returned in the 
 evening, with two officers sent by the Governor to 
 accompany the officer of the ' Centurion.' They 
 brought the message that, in the Governor's opinion, 
 the customary tribute would be expected by the 
 Chinese, as they would not distinguish a man-of-war 
 from a trading ship, not knowing the usages of 
 other nations. The Governor therefore advised 
 Anson not to go up the river ; and if he approved 
 he would send to him a pilot who would take the 
 ship to a safe harbour called the Typa, a place in 
 every way commodious for careening and repairing 
 the ship, which he understood was to be done ; and 
 where, in all probability, the customary duty would 
 not be demanded. 
 
 This proposal the Commodore agreed to, and in 
 the morning weighed anchor, under the direction of 
 
 v 
 
 the Portuguese pilot, and steered for the harbour of
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT MAC A O. 265 
 
 Typa, which is formed by a group of islands about 
 six miles from Macao. The castle of Macao was 
 here saluted with eleven guns, which were returned 
 by an equal number. 
 
 Next day the Commodore paid a visit in person 
 to the Governor, the same ceremony of salutes being 
 performed. Mr. Anson's purpose was to request a 
 supply of provisions, and such naval stores as were 
 required for refitting the ship. The Governor seemed 
 to be truly cordial, and said he would do all in his 
 power to give every assistance, but frankly owned 
 that he dared not openly furnish any supplies unless 
 there was produced to him a written order from the 
 Viceroy of Canton. He himself neither received 
 any provisions for his garrison, nor any other 
 necessaries, but by permission of the Chinese Govern- 
 ment ; and they took care to victual him from day to 
 day, so that he was forced to consider himself there 
 only on sufferance, as a vassal whom they could bring 
 to their own terms by laying an embargo on their 
 supplies. 
 
 On this declaration of the Governor, Anson 
 resolved to go himself to Canton to procure per- 
 mission from the Viceroy, and accordingly he hired 
 a Chinese boat for himself and his attendants ; but 
 just when they were about to embark, the Hoppo, or 
 Chinese Custom House officer at Macao, refused to 
 grant a permit to the boat, and ordered the boat- 
 men at their peril not to proceed. In vain the
 
 266 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Commodore, supported by the Governor, endeavoured 
 to persuade the Hoppo to withdraw his injunction 
 and grant the permit, that functionary remained 
 inflexible. Anson, upon this, told him that if the 
 permit was any longer refused, he would go with his 
 own boats, manned and armed ; and this threat at 
 once brought the Hoppo to his senses, for he well 
 knew he had no force to oppose such an action. 
 He granted the permit, and the Commodore went to 
 Canton. 
 
 His first step on arrival was to consult the officers 
 and supercargoes of the English ships how he 
 could procure from the Viceroy an order for the 
 necessaries he wanted. The answer they gave, 
 though well intended, did not commend itself to 
 the Commodore. They told him that it was the 
 custom never to apply to the supreme magistrate 
 or Viceroy himself, but to transact all matters 
 affecting the Government by the mediation of the 
 chief Chinese merchants of Canton. He was at 
 first persuaded to follow the same method, never 
 doubting that the English merchant ship captains 
 and supercargoes would exert aH their interest with 
 the Chinese merchants in his favour. 
 
 But when a week passed, and a second week, 
 and then nearly a month, without anything being 
 heard of his request, the Commodore's patience was 
 exhausted, and he insisted that a letter should be 
 delivered to the Viceroy, for an answer to which
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 
 
 he would wait. Then the crafty selfish Chinese 
 merchants threw off the mask, and confessed that 
 they had never made the application they promised, 
 nor could they do so ; declaring that the Viceroy 
 was too exalted a personage to be approached on 
 any occasion. Not content with having deceived 
 the Commodore by their false promises, these 
 merchants now used all their persuasion with the 
 English traders to prevent them intermeddling in 
 the affair ; representing to them that it would, in 
 all probability, embroil them with the Government, 
 and bring them into trouble, which insinuations 
 had unluckily too much weight with those they 
 were intended to influence. 
 
 Anson saw that little could be done through 
 such scheming, cold-blooded people as these 
 merchants, whether Chinese or British, who were 
 only calculating how his presence and his applica- 
 tion might affect their position and their profits. 
 He then said he supposed he must go to Batavia 
 to get his ship refitted ; not that he ever had any 
 thought of going there, but by throwing out the 
 idea some impression might be made on these 
 people. To go to Batavia a supply of provisions 
 would be needed, and this the merchants under- 
 took to procure for him ; though they assured him 
 that they could not render this service openly, 
 but in a clandestine way, proposing to send the 
 provisions then on board the English ships ready
 
 268 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to sail, in boats to the mouth of the Typa harbour, 
 where the ' Centurion's ' boats would receive what 
 was sent on payment being made. 
 
 The Commodore, on returning to the ' Centurion,' 
 found that not only provisions would be required, 
 but important repairs were absolutely necessary, 
 without which he could not possibly put to sea. 
 The ship if it left the port in its present condition 
 would run every risk of foundering ; and therefore, 
 notwithstanding the difficulties he had met with, 
 he determined to have her hove down before he 
 departed from Macao. He was now convinced 
 that his honourable anxiety not to injure the 
 East India Company's affairs, and his desire to do 
 nothing to weaken the position of their trading 
 vessels' officers, had occasioned all his trouble. He 
 saw now clearly that if he had disregarded their 
 advice, and carried his ship into the river of Canton, 
 and there addressed himself frankly and directly 
 to the Mandarins, instead of employing the 
 merchants in his behalf, he might have had his 
 requests granted, and at all events could not have 
 been worse off than he now was, with the additional 
 annoyance of having lost a month's time. He was 
 resolved to lose no more; so on the i/th of 
 December, the very next day after his return to his 
 ship, he wrote a letter to the Viceroy, acquainting 
 him that he was in command of a squadron of 
 British ships-of-war, that had been for two years
 
 PR O CEEDINGS A T MA CA O. 269 
 
 cruising against the Spaniards, who were at enmity 
 with the King of England, his master ; that on his 
 way back to England he had put into the port of 
 Macao for refitting, having a great leak in his ship, 
 and also being in great need of provisions ; that he 
 could not proceed on his voyage till his ship was 
 repaired, and stocked with necessary supplies ; that 
 he had been to Canton, but had not been able to 
 inform himself of the proper steps to be taken to 
 obtain an audience of his Excellency, and therefore 
 was obliged to apply by letter to request his 
 Excellency to give orders for his being permitted 
 to employ carpenters and proper workmen to refit 
 his ship, and to furnish himself with provisions and 
 stores, for enabling him to pursue his voyage to 
 England. He hoped that such orders would be 
 issued from his Excellency with as little delay as 
 possible, lest he might lose the present season, and 
 be prevented from departing till next winter. 
 
 This letter was translated into Chinese, and the 
 Commodore took it himself to the Hoppo or chief 
 officer of the Emperor's Customs at Macao, desiring 
 him to forward it to the Viceroy with as much ex- 
 pedition as he could. The Hoppo at first seemed 
 unwilling to take charge of the letter, and raised 
 many difficulties about it ; so far, that the Com- 
 modore suspected him of being in league with the 
 Canton merchants, who had already shown so much 
 apprehension of the Commodore's having direct
 
 270 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 intercourse with the Mandarins or the Viceroy. He 
 therefore, with some show of indignation, took back 
 his letter from the Hoppo, and told him he should 
 immediately send it to Canton in his own boat, and 
 give his officer positive orders not to return without 
 a reply from the Viceroy. 
 
 As soon as the miserable Hoppo saw that the 
 Commodore was in earnest, and fearing that he 
 might be called to account for refusing to send the 
 letter, he begged to be entrusted with it, and promised 
 to deliver it at Canton, and procure an answer as 
 soon as possible. It was now seen how justly 
 Anson had judged of the proper manner of dealing 
 with the Chinese. This letter was written on the 
 i /th of December. Two days after, on the iQth, 
 in the morning, there came a Mandarin of the first 
 class, Governor of the city of Janson, with two other 
 Mandarins of lower grade, and a considerable retinue 
 of officers and attendants, having with them eighteen 
 galleys or boats, decorated with imperial streamers, 
 furnished with music, and full of men. They grap- 
 nelled ahead of the ' Centurion,' and the chief 
 Mandarin sent a message to the Commodore, telling 
 him he was sent by order of the Viceroy of Canton 
 to examine the condition of the English ship, and 
 desiring the ship's boat to be sent to fetch him on 
 board. The ' Centurion's ' boat was immediately 
 despatched, and preparations made for the reception 
 of the Mandarin. In particular, a hundred of the
 
 PROCEEDINGS A T MA CA O. 271 
 
 most sightly of the crew were uniformlyarrayed in 
 the regimentals of the marines, and drawn up under 
 arms on the main-deck against his arrival. On 
 stepping on board the ship he was saluted by the 
 drums and what other military music there was ; 
 and passing by the new-formed guard, he was met 
 by the Commodore on the quarter-deck, who con- 
 ducted him to the great cabin. Here the Mandarin 
 explained his commission, declaring that he was 
 directed to examine all the articles mentioned in 
 the Commodore's letter to the Viceroy, and to com- 
 pare them with the representations made ; but he 
 was first to inspect the leak, for which purpose he 
 had brought two experienced Chinese carpenters ; 
 and that for more formally carrying out his instruc- 
 tions, he had sheets of paper, with void spaces 
 opposite to each statement, upon which his writers 
 would insert the reports, and add such information 
 as he might obtain by his own observation. 
 
 This Mandarin appeared to be a person of con- 
 siderable ability, and endowed with more frankness 
 and honesty than the trading merchants they had 
 hitherto dealt with. After the necessary inspections 
 had been made, particularly as to the leak, which 
 the Chinese carpenters reported to be to the full as 
 dangerous as it had been described, and consequently 
 that it was impossible for the ' Centurion ' to proceed 
 to sea without being refitted, the Mandarin ex- 
 pressed himself satisfied with the statements given
 
 272 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 in the Commodore's letter to the Viceroy. This 
 magistrate, as he was more intelligent than any 
 other of his nation that the English had met, was 
 also more inquiring, for he wished to see all parts of 
 the ship, and examine everything with great atten- 
 tion. He was much surprised with the size of the 
 lower deck guns, and at the weight and size of 
 the shot. 
 
 The Commodore, observing his astonishment, 
 thought this a good opportunity of convincing the 
 Chinese of the prudence of granting all his requests 
 in the most speedy and ample manner. He there- 
 fore told the Mandarin, and those who were with 
 him, that besides the request he had made for a 
 general permission, he had particular complaint to 
 prefer against the treatment he had received from the 
 Custom House at Macao ; that on first arriving, 
 boats had brought plenty of greens, and variety of 
 fish for their daily use, and that although those who 
 brought them were always paid to their full satis- 
 faction, yet the Custom House officers had soon 
 forbidden them to bring more, so that they were 
 deprived of those refreshments which were necessary 
 for the health of his men after their long and sickly 
 voyage. The Mandarins, the Commodore added 
 must be aware, after their inspection of the ship, 
 both of their wants, and of the force and strength 
 of the ship ; and therefore it was not because he had 
 not power to supply himself that he craved the
 
 PROCEEDINGS A T MA CA O. 273 
 
 interference of the Government, for the ' Centurion ' 
 could destroy the whole navigation of the river 
 and port if so inclined ; but this was not the way of 
 proceeding between nations in friendship with each 
 other ; and it was also true that a friendly nation 
 did not permit the ships of their friends to starve 
 or to sink in their ports, when these friends were 
 ready to purchase whatever they required. He 
 thought that he had shown great self-restraint and 
 moderation ; but, as his distresses were each day 
 increasing, famine would at last prove too strong for 
 any restraint, and necessity was acknowledged to be 
 above every other law ; and that therefore it could 
 not be expected that his crew would long continue 
 to starve in the midst of that plenty to which their 
 eyes were every day witnesses. 
 
 Then the Commodore, seeing the attention with 
 which his appeal was listened to, and believing that 
 the intelligent Chief Mandarin was a man not 
 insensible to humour, he added, with a less serious 
 air, that if, by delay in getting provisions, his men 
 should, from the impulses of hunger, be obliged to 
 turn cannibals, and to prey upon their own species, 
 it was easy to foresee that, independent of their 
 friendship to their comrades, they would much 
 prefer the plump, well-fed Chinese to their own 
 emaciated shipmates. 
 
 The First Mandarin good-humouredly acquiesced 
 in this reasoning, and told the Commodore that he 
 
 18
 
 274 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 was returning .to Canton that evening ; that on the 
 next day there would be summoned a council of 
 Mandarins to receive and consider his report ; and 
 that as he was himself fully convinced of the 
 urgency of the business, he had no doubt that on 
 his representation the council would be of the same 
 opinion, and that all that had been asked would be 
 amply and speedily granted. With regard to these 
 complaints about the Custom House of Macao, he 
 would rectify that at once upon his own authority. 
 Then desiring a list to be given to him of the 
 necessary provisions for the use of the ship during 
 one day, he wrote a permit under it, and delivered 
 it to one of his attendants, directing him to see that 
 quantity sent on board early every morning ; which 
 order, from that time forwards, was punctually 
 complied with. 
 
 When all this business had been concluded, the 
 Commodore invited the Chief Mandarin and the 
 two others to dinner, telling them that if the fare 
 was not equal to what he would wish, or they might 
 expect, it was not his fault, but the fault of those 
 of whom he had been making complaint. The 
 Mandarin accepted the invitation and the apology 
 with the utmost politeness, and the dinner passed 
 off very well. For one of the main dishes, beef, the 
 Chinese seemed to have no taste, but the fowls they 
 ate of heartily. The knives and forks were em- 
 barrassing, for they were evidently quite unused to
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 275 
 
 them ; but the Commodore told an attendant to cut 
 the white meat of the fowls into small pieces for 
 them. Whatever difficulty they had in complying 
 with the European manner of eating, they seemed 
 not to be novices in drinking ; for they got through 
 several bottles of Frontignac, and afterwards a bottle 
 of Citron water, which seemed to leave them as cool 
 as if they had taken no stronger drink. The 
 Commodore having, according to custom, made the 
 Mandarin a present, they all departed, in high good 
 humour, and with courteous ceremony, in the same 
 vessels that had brought them. 
 
 After the departure of the Mandarins, the Com- 
 modore awaited with some impatience the resolution 
 of the council to be held at Canton, authorising the 
 licenses for refitting his ship. The Chinese workmen 
 dared not engage themselves in his service till the 
 permission of the Government was obtained. Not- 
 withstanding the favourable disposition of the Chief 
 Mandarin, several days elapsed before any tidings 
 came from Canton. The Commodore was privately 
 informed that there had been much debate in the 
 council about his business, difficulty being raised 
 through the intrigues of the French at Canton. 
 They had an agent, well versed in the language, 
 and also clever in scheming on behalf of his com- 
 patriots. The French officers in command of ships 
 pretended that their East Indiamen, certainly large 
 and well-armed vessels, were men-of-war, and they
 
 276 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 were jealous of any distinction being allowed to 
 Commodore Anson on the ground of his bearing the 
 King of England's commission, while their masters 
 were only trading companies. They affected to 
 believe that after this their importance in the eyes 
 of the Chinese would be lessened if the ' Centurion ' 
 was treated with greater respect than their trading 
 ships ; and this feeling was not confined to French 
 captains, but to the commanders of other European 
 vessels in the river. This unworthy intriguing for their 
 own benefit and importance caused delay, but could 
 not overcome the strong representations made by the 
 Commodore's Mandarin friend, who finally gained 
 his plea with the council. 
 
 On the 6th of January, the Mandarin sent down 
 the Viceroy's formal warrant for the refitment of the 
 ' Centurion,' and for supplying her people with all 
 that they wanted. Having now got the necessary 
 permission, a number of Chinese smiths, carpenters, 
 and workmen went on board next day to treat as 
 to the work, and drove the best bargains they could 
 as to wages and terms. These being settled, the 
 Commodore next exerted himself about the most 
 important business of heaving down the ship, and 
 having her bottom thoroughly examined. Two 
 junks were hired, one for heaving down by, and the 
 other for a temporary magazine for the powder and 
 ammunition. On an adjoining island a large tent 
 was erected for lodging the stores and provisions.
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT MACAO. 277 
 
 About a hundred Chinese caulkers were soon at 
 work on the decks and sides of the ship. The 
 junks did not arrive till the 26th of January, and 
 the materials had to be purchased at Canton for the 
 work, so that there was tedious delay. The car- 
 penters found the leak to be caused by one of the 
 bolts being worn away, and this they effectually 
 repaired. 
 
 It was not till the 3rd of March that the whole 
 work was completed, all the sheathing and the 
 bottom made sound, and the ship righted again. 
 Then they took on board the powder, got in their 
 guns as fast as possible, and set to work to repair 
 the foremast, and to finish other articles of the 
 refitment. It was actually the beginning of April 
 before all was completed, the ship new rigged, 
 provisions and water on board, and all ready for sea. 
 Before this time the Chinese had begun to show 
 great anxiety to get them off; not knowing, or 
 pretending not to believe, that the Commodore was 
 more eager than they were to see the ' Centurion ' 
 depart. About the 3rd of April two Mandarins 
 came on board from Macao to press him to leave 
 their port. This rather nettled the Commodore, who 
 answered in somewhat brusque style, desiring them 
 not to give him further trouble, for he would go 
 when he thought proper, and not sooner. It is 
 possible that the merchants got these Mandarins to 
 interfere, and perhaps there was some good reason
 
 278 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 to wish to hasten the departure, because the rumours 
 of an English ship-of-war being in the port might 
 hinder the usual trade from the Spanish settlements. 
 The Mandarins, in their own way, ^resented the snub- 
 bing they had got ; for although they could not order 
 the Commodore to go, they did order their people 
 to carry no more provisions on board, and from that 
 time nothing could be purchased on any terms. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 6th of April, the ' Centurion ' 
 weighed from the Typa harbour, and warped to the 
 southward; and by the i$th she was got into the 
 Macao road, completing her stock of water as she 
 passed along ; and her whole business being finished 
 on the ipth, she weighed at three in the afternoon 
 that day, made sail, and stood to sea. 
 
 One incident of the Macao period remains to be 
 mentioned. In the month of December, Captain 
 Saunders took his passage for England on board 
 a Swedish ship, and was charged with despatches 
 from the Commodore. Shortly afterwards, Captain 
 Mitchell, Colonel Cracherode, chief of the land force, 
 and Mr. Taswell, one of the Agent Victuallers, with 
 his nephew, embarked on board one of the East 
 India Company's ships ; and with them, having 
 obtained the Commodore's leave, went the chaplain, 
 the Rev. Richard Walter, to whose journal of the 
 voyage we are indebted for most of the facts in the 
 previous narrative. 
 
 During the stay at Macao, the Commodore was
 
 PROCEEDINGS A T MA CA O. 279 
 
 informed by the officers of the Indiamen, that the 
 ' Severn ' and the ' Pearl,' the two ships of the 
 squadron which had parted company off Cape Nori, 
 and which had been supposed to be lost, had arrived 
 safely at Rio Janeiro. The ' Severn ' was the most 
 sickly of all the ships, having lost the largest number 
 of her crew, and the Commodore was obliged to 
 recruit her with a number of fresh hands before her 
 departure from St. Catherine's. Having lost many 
 after that, she was supplied with additional hands 
 a second time when at sea, after setting sail from 
 St. Julian's. Her state was so distressing, that the 
 Commodore had firmly believed she was lost when 
 the stormy weather began ; and it was therefore with 
 extreme joy he now received the news of her safety, 
 and that of the ' Pearl,' which had also been given 
 up for lost.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 THE TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 
 
 /^~\NCE more the 'Centurion' had got to sea, 
 ^-^ the ship well refitted, the stores replenished, 
 and a good stock of provisions on board. The 
 crew was also somewhat reinforced, for the Commo- 
 dore had entered twenty-three men during his stay 
 at Macao, the greatest part of them Lascars or 
 Indian sailors, and the rest Dutch. At Macao the 
 report was spread and encouraged, that the ship 
 was bound to Batavia, and thence to England. The 
 westerly monsoon was now set in, when that passage 
 is considered impracticable ; yet by the confidence 
 expressed by the Commodore in the strength and 
 sailing power of his ship, and the dexterity of his 
 hands, he had persuaded not only his own crew but 
 most of the people at Macao that he intended to 
 try this unusual experiment ; and so convinced were 
 they of this being his purpose, that many letters 
 were sent on board by people of Canton and Macao 
 to be carried by the ' Centurion ' to their friends at 
 Batavia.
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 281 
 
 But the Commodore's real design was of a very 
 different nature. His heart was still set on the 
 great Spanish galleons. He supposed that instead 
 of one annual ship from Acapulco to Manilla, there 
 would in all probability be two this year, since by 
 his cruising off Acapulco he had prevented the usual 
 annual ship from putting to sea the preceding 
 season. He was therefore not discouraged by his 
 former disasters and disappointments resolved again 
 to risk the perils and casualties of the Pacific, and to 
 cruise for these expected vessels off Cape Espirito 
 Santo, or the island of Samal, which is the first land 
 these ships always make at the Philippine Islands. 
 As June is generally the month in which they arrive 
 there, he doubted not but he should be at his 
 intended station in time to intercept them. It is 
 true he knew that they were said to be stout vessels, 
 mounting forty-four guns apiece, and each carrying 
 near five hundred hands ; and the two might be 
 expected to return in company, while he had but 
 two hundred and twenty-seven hands on board the 
 ' Centurion,' of which nearly thirty were boys. But 
 this great disproportion of strength did not deter him. 
 He knew his ship was better fitted for a sea engage- 
 ment than theirs, and he knew that his men would 
 exert themselves to the utmost, after all their disap- 
 pointments, and when they had in view the immense 
 wealth of these Manilla galleons. 
 
 This project the Commodore had resolved on in
 
 282 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 his own thoughts ever since his leaving the coast of 
 Mexico. And the greatest anxiety he had, and 
 sorest vexation he felt, at the various delays in China, 
 was from his fear of being so long delayed as to let 
 the galleons escape him. At Macao he was obliged 
 to keep his design wholly secret, because there being 
 a constant communication between the port and 
 Manilla, he was apprehensive that warning might be 
 sent to prevent the galleons putting out to sea, and 
 falling into his hands. 
 
 Being now at sea, and entirely clear of the coast, 
 the Commodore summoned all his people on the 
 quarter-deck, and informed them of his resolution to 
 cruise for the two galleons, of whose wealth they all 
 knew. He expected that there would be two of them 
 this year, and he had chosen a station where he could 
 not fail of meeting them. The Spanish vessels were 
 said to be stout ships, but he trusted in the courage 
 of Englishmen to disregard any odds on such an occa- 
 sion. He told them that though he had only two 
 hundred and twenty-seven hands on board all told, 
 and the Spanish ships five hundred men each, he did 
 not fear the result if he could come near them. He 
 further added that many ridiculous stories had been 
 spread about the strength of these ships, and that 
 they were even impenetrable to cannon-shot ; that 
 these fictions had been principally invented as an 
 excuse for the cowardice of those who had formerly 
 engaged them ; but he hoped there were none present
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 283 
 
 weak enough to believe these absurd stories ; and, 
 for his own part, he assured them, upon his word, 
 that whenever he fell in with them, he. would fight 
 them so near, that his bullets, instead of being stopped 
 by one of their sides, should go through them both. 
 
 The speech of the Commodore was received with 
 great joy, and the answer was given with three 
 hearty cheers, after the manner of British sailors. 
 All the perils and mishaps of the past were forgotten. 
 The enthusiasm spread through the whole of the 
 ship's crew. Much amusement was caused one day 
 when the Commodore asked the butcher why he had 
 lately seen no mutton at his table, and the butcher 
 replied that he had only two sheep left, and, with the 
 Commodore's leave, he proposed to keep them for the 
 entertainment of the Spanish general. 
 
 After leaving Macao the ' Centurion ' stood for 
 some days to the westward, and on the ist of 
 May saw part of the island of Formosa. Then 
 steering to the southward, they were on the 4th of 
 May in the latitude of the Bashee Islands, as laid 
 down by Dampier ; but it was found that he had been 
 considerably mistaken in their position, being laid 
 down twenty-five leagues too much to the west. 
 After getting a sight of the Bashee Islands, they stood 
 between S. and S.W. for Cape Espirito Santo ; and 
 on the 2Oth of May at noon discovered that Cape 
 about eleven leagues distant. As it was known that 
 sentinels were stationed on the heights to make
 
 284 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 signals to the Acapulco ship, the Commodore imme- 
 diately tacked, and ordered the top-gallant sails to be 
 taken in, to prevent being discovered. This being 
 the station where it was resolved to cruise for the 
 galleons, they sought to keep the Cape between the 
 S. and W., and to confine themselves between latitude 
 12 50' and I3S., the Cape itself lying by their 
 observation in 1 2 40' north, and in 4 east longtitude 
 for Botel Tobago Xima Island. 
 
 It was the last day of May when they arrived off 
 the Cape, and the time of the expected appearance 
 of the galleon was approaching. An idea of the 
 eagerness with which the expectation was kept up 
 may be seen in the following extracts from the 
 journal of one of the officers : 
 
 ' May 3 1 . Exercising our men at their quarters, 
 in great hope of meeting with the galleon soon, this 
 being the nth of June, their style. 
 
 ' June 3. Keeping in our stations, and looking out 
 for the galleon. 
 
 'June 5. In great expectation, this being the 
 middle of June, their style. 
 
 ' June 1 1. Began to grow impatient at not seeing 
 the galleons. 
 
 ' June 15. Cruising on and off, and looking out 
 strictly. 
 
 'June 19. This being the last day of June, new 
 style, the galleons, if they arrive at all, must appear 
 soon.'
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 285 
 
 These samples of entries in the journal show how 
 thoroughly they were absorbed with this one affair, 
 and every day's delay increased their anxiety. 
 However, on the 2Oth of June, old style, just a 
 month after their gaining their station, they were 
 relieved out of this state of uncertainty ; for at sun- 
 rise they discovered a sail from the masthead in the 
 S.E. quarter. On this a general joy spread through 
 the whole ship, for they had no doubt that this was 
 one of the galleons, and they expected soon to descry 
 the other. The Commodore instantly stood towards 
 her, and at half-an-hour after seven they were near 
 enough to see her from the ' Centurion's ' deck, at 
 which time the galleon fired a gun and took in her 
 top-gallant sails. This was supposed to be a signal 
 to her consort to hasten her up, and therefore the 
 ' Centurion ' fired a gun to leeward to amuse her. 
 The Commodore was surprised to find that during 
 all this interval the galleon did not change her 
 course, but continued to bear down upon him ; for 
 he hardly believed, what afterwards appeared to be 
 the case, that she knew his ship to be the ' Centurion,' 
 and resolved to fight him. 
 
 About noon the Commodore was little more than 
 a league distant from the galleon, and could fetch 
 her wake, so that she could not now escape ; and no 
 second ship appearing it was concluded that she 
 had been separated from her consort. Soon after the 
 galleon haled up her foresail and brought to under
 
 286 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 topsails, with her head to the northward, hoisting 
 Spanish colours and having the standard of Spain 
 flying at the top-gallant mast-head. Mr. Anson in 
 the meantime had prepared all things for an engage- 
 ment on board the ' Centurion,' and had taken every 
 possible measure, both for the most effectual exertion 
 of his small strength and for the avoiding the con- 
 fusion and tumult too frequent in actions of this 
 kind. He picked out about thirty of his choicest 
 hands and best marksmen, whom he distributed into 
 his tops, and who fully answered his expectation by 
 the signal services they performed. As he had not 
 hands enough remaining to quarter a sufficient num- 
 ber to each great gun in the customary manner, he 
 therefore on his lower tier fixed only two men to 
 each gun, who were to be solely employed in loading 
 it, whilst the rest of his people were divided into 
 different gangs of ten or twelve men each, who were 
 continually moving about the decks to run out and 
 fire such guns as were loaded. By this manage- 
 ment he was enabled to make use of all his guns, 
 and instead of whole broadsides with intervals 
 between them he kept up a constant fire without 
 intermission, whence he doubted not to procure 
 very signal advantages. For it is common with the 
 Spaniards to fall down upon the decks when they 
 see a broadside preparing, and to continue in that 
 posture till it is given ; after which they rise again 
 and, presuming the danger to be for some time over,
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 287 
 
 work their guns and fire with great briskness till 
 another broadside is ready ; but the firing gun by 
 gun in the manner directed by the Commodore 
 rendered this practice of theirs impossible. 
 
 The ' Centurion ' being thus prepared, and nearing 
 the galleon apace, there happened a little after noon 
 several squalls of wind and rain, which often obscured 
 the galleon from their sight ; but whenever it cleared 
 up they observed her resolutely lying to. Towards 
 one o'clock the ' Centurion ' hoisted her broad pen- 
 dant and colours, she being then within gunshot 
 of the enemy, and the Commodore perceiving the 
 Spaniards to have neglected clearing their ship till 
 that time, as he saw them throwing overboard cattle 
 and lumber, he gave orders to fire upon them with the 
 chase- guns to disturb them in their work and prevent 
 them from completing it, though his general directions 
 had been not to engage before they were within 
 pistol-shot. The galleon returned the fire with two of 
 her stern-chasers ; and the ' Centurion ' getting her 
 spritsail-yard fore and aft, that if necessary she might 
 be ready for boarding, the Spaniards in a bravado 
 rigged their spritsail-yard fore and aft likewise. Soon 
 after the ' Centurion ' came abreast of the enemy 
 within pistol-shot, keeping to the leeward of them with 
 a view of preventing their putting before the wind 
 and gaining the port of Jalapay, from which they 
 were about seven leagues distant. 
 
 And now the engagement began in earnest, and
 
 288 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 for the first half-hour Mr. Anson over-reached the 
 galleon and lay on her bow, where by the great wide- 
 ness of his ports he could traverse almost all his 
 guns upon the enemy, whilst the galleon could only 
 bring a part of hers to bear. Immediately on the 
 commencement of the action the mats with which 
 the galleon had stuffed her netting took fire and 
 burnt violently, blazing up half as high as the mizzen- 
 top. This accident, supposed to be caused by the 
 'Centurion's' wads, threw the enemy into the utmost 
 terror, and also alarmed the Commodore, for he 
 feared lest the galleon should be burnt, and lest he 
 himself too might suffer by her driving on board 
 him. However, the Spaniards at last freed them- 
 selves from the fire by cutting away the netting and 
 tumbling the whole mass which was in flames into 
 the sea. All this interval the ' Centurion ' kept her 
 first advantageous position, firing her cannon with 
 great regularity and briskness ; whilst at the same 
 time the galleon's decks lay open to her top-men, 
 who, having at their first volley driven the Spaniards 
 from their tops, made prodigious havoc with their 
 small arms, killing or wounding every officer but one 
 that appeared on the quarter-deck, and wounding in 
 particular the general of the galleon himself. 
 
 Thus the action proceeded for at least half-an- 
 hour ; but then the ' Centurion ' lost the superiority 
 arising from her original situation, and was close 
 alongside the galleon, and the enemy continued to
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 289 
 
 fire briskly for near an hour longer ; yet even in this 
 posture the Commodore's grape-shot swept their 
 decks so effectually, and the number of their slain 
 and wounded became so considerable, that they 
 began to fall into great disorder, especially as the 
 general, who was the life of the action, was no longer 
 capable of exerting himself. Their confusion was 
 visible from on board the Commodore's ship, for 
 they were so near that some of the Spanish officers 
 were seen running about with much assiduity to 
 prevent the desertion of their men from their quarters. 
 But all their endeavours were in vain, for after having 
 as a last effort fired five or six guns with more judg- 
 ment than usual, they yielded up the contest, and 
 the galleon's colours being singed off the ensign staff 
 in the beginning of the engagement, she struck the 
 standard at her maintop-gallant mast-head, the person 
 who was employed to perform this office having been 
 in imminent peril of being killed, had not the Com- 
 modore, who perceived what he was about, given 
 express orders to his people to desist from firing. 
 
 Thus was the ' Centurion ' possessed of this rich 
 prize, amounting in value to near a million and a 
 half of dollars. She was called the ' Nuestra Seiiora 
 del Caba Donga,' and was commanded by Admiral 
 Don Geronimo Montero, a Portuguese, who was the 
 most approved officer for skill and courage of any 
 employed in that service. The galleon was much 
 larger than the ' Centurion/ and had five hundred 
 
 19
 
 290 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and fifty men, and thirty-six guns mounted for 
 action, besides twenty-eight pedereros in her gun- 
 wale, quarters, and tops, each of which carried a 
 four- pound ball. She was very well furnished with 
 small arms, and was particularly provided against 
 boarding, both by her close quarters and by a strong 
 network of two-inch rope, which was laced over her 
 waist and was defended by half-pikes. She had 
 sixty-seven killed in the action, and eighty-four 
 wounded, whilst the ' Centurion ' had only two 
 killed and a lieutenant and sixteen wounded, all of 
 whom but one recovered, of so little consequence 
 are the most destructive arms in untutored and 
 unpractised hands. 
 
 The Commodore appointed the Manilla vessel 
 to be a post ship in His Majesty's service, and gave 
 the command of her to Mr. Saumarez, his first 
 lieutenant, who before night sent on board the 
 ' Centurion ' all the Spanish prisoners except such 
 as were thought the most proper to be retained 
 to assist in navigating the galleon. And now the 
 Commodore learnt from some of these prisoners that 
 the other ship, which he had kept in the port of 
 Acapulco the preceding year, instead of returning 
 in company with the present prize, as was expected, 
 had set sail from Acapulco alone much sooner than 
 usual, and had, in all probability, got into the port 
 of Manilla long before the ' Centurion ' arrived off 
 Cape Espirito Santo ; so that Mr. Anson, notwith-
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 291 
 
 standing his present success, had great reason to 
 regret his loss of time at Macao, which prevented him 
 from taking two rich prizes instead of one. 
 
 The joy on taking the ship was very nearly 
 being destroyed by an alarming occurrence. No 
 sooner had the galleon struck than one of the 
 lieutenants hastened to the Commodore, apparently 
 to congratulate him on the prize, but really to 
 whisper in his ear that the ' Centurion ' was 
 dangerously on fire near the powder-room ! The 
 Commodore repressed every semblance of emotion, 
 and, taking care not to alarm his people, gave the 
 necessary orders for extinguishing the fire ; which 
 happily was effected in a short time, though at first 
 the affair seemed terrible. Some cartridges had 
 been accidentally blown up between decks, and the 
 blast had set light to a quantity of oakum in the 
 after hatchway, near the powder-room, when the 
 great smoke of the oakum gave apprehension of a 
 most extensive conflagration. The position was the 
 more critical that there was no hope of escaping 
 on board the prize, for the galleon at the same 
 moment fell on board the ' Centurion ' on the 
 star-board quarter, though she was fortunately 
 cleared without doing or receiving any serious 
 damage. But the incident altogether was alarming, 
 and the narrow escape from fire afterwards in- 
 creased the joy and the thankfulness for success in 
 the engagement.
 
 292 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Having got possession of the long-coveted prize, 
 the Commodore had now most important matters 
 to settle. He was at once resolved to make his 
 way with the prize to the river of Canton, but first 
 he had to be employed in securing his numerous 
 prisoners, and removing the treasure from the galleon 
 to his own ship. This last was a necessary pro- 
 ceeding, for the navigation to Canton at this season 
 was but little known, and if tempestuous weather 
 came the ' Centurion ' was better provided against 
 casualties of winds and seas than the disabled 
 galleon. Then also the securing of the prisoners was 
 a matter of immediate necessity, for on this depended 
 not only the possession of the treasure but the lives 
 of the captors. The prisoners were double the num- 
 ber of his own people, and some of them, when 
 first brought on board the ' Centurion,' observing 
 how slenderly she was manned, and the large pro- 
 portion of striplings in the crew, expressed them- 
 selves with no slight indignation at being thus beaten 
 by a handful of boys. 
 
 The Commodore thus managed the securing of 
 the prisoners. He placed all but the officers and 
 the wounded in the ' Centurion ' hold, leaving open 
 two hatchways for ventilation, and he erected over 
 each hatchway a boarded funnel-like planking, seven 
 or eight feet high, which it would be difficult for 
 any of the prisoners to clamber up. Then he placed 
 at the mouth of each of these funnels, or ventilating
 
 TAKING OF THE MANILLA GALLEON. 293 
 
 shafts, four swivel guns, loaded with musket-bullets, 
 with a sentinel posted at each, having a lighted 
 match ready to fire into the hold in case of any 
 disturbance or attempt to get out The officers, 
 seventeen or eighteen in number, were all lodged 
 in the first lieutenant's cabin under a guard of six 
 armed men ; and the general, as he was wounded, 
 lay in the Commodore's cabin, always with a sentry 
 beside him. Every prisoner was sufficiently warned 
 that any disturbance or violence would be punished 
 with instant death. The small arms of the ship 
 were kept in a proper place, all loaded, in case of 
 any attempted rising ; while every man went about 
 armed with pistol and cutlass ; and no officer ever 
 took off his clothes when he slept, and, when he lay 
 down to rest, had always his weapon within reach. 
 These precautions were absolutely necessary under 
 the circumstances, although the Commodore com- 
 miserated the condition of so many prisoners, in 
 the hot noisome hold, and with water and food 
 allowed only enough to keep them alive, the crew 
 themselves being on short allowance. All things 
 considered, it was wonderful that not a man died 
 during the long confinement of nearly a month, 
 except three who had been dangerously wounded. 
 They were certainly in a pitiable condition when 
 they did get released from their confinement, almost 
 all having been in robust health when taken, whereas 
 they looked like a band of spectres and skeletons
 
 294 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 when they were discharged in the river of Canton, 
 when the ' Centurion ' got there. 
 
 The Commodore's course back to China was by 
 Cape Delangano, the Bashee Islands, and Supata, 
 the westernmost of the Lima Islands. On .the 
 iith, having taken on board two Chinese pilots, 
 one for the ' Centurion ' and the other for the prize, 
 they came to anchor off the city of Macao. During 
 the voyage the particulars of the cargo of the galleon 
 were accurately ascertained, and it was found that 
 she had on board 1,313,843 pieces of eight, and 
 35,682 ozs. of virgin silver, besides some cochineal 
 and other commodities, of trifling value compared 
 with the specie. This being the last prize taken, 
 it is estimated that the total treasure taken by the 
 ' Centurion ' was not short of 400,000 sterling, 
 independent of the ships and merchandise burnt or 
 destroyed, which could not be less than the value 
 of 600,000, so that the direct damage to Spain 
 done by the squadron was doubtless above a million 
 sterling. If we add to this the great cost incurred 
 in fitting out the squadron of Admiral Pizarro, and 
 the expenses and losses in America, as well as of 
 the ships of war, the expedition of Anson, notwith- 
 standing its many disasters, did much to lessen 
 the power of Spain and to enlarge the power of 
 England.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 
 
 ~"*HE Commodore proceeded with his prizes for 
 - the river of Canton, and on the I4th of July 
 cast anchor short of the Bocca Tigris, a narrow 
 passage forming the mouth of the river, intending 
 on the following day to run up as far as Tiger 
 Island, a safe road, secured from all winds. While 
 thus at anchor at the Bocca Tigris, a boat, with an 
 officer, was sent off by the Mandarin in command 
 of the forts at Bocca Tigris, to ascertain what the 
 ships were and whence they came. The Commo- 
 dore informed the officer that his own ship was a 
 man-of-war belonging to the King of Great Britain, 
 and that the other was a prize he had taken ; that 
 he was going into Canton River to shelter himself 
 against the hurricanes then expected ; and that as 
 soon as the monsoon shifted he should set sail for 
 England. The officer then desired an account of 
 what men, guns, and ammunition were on board, a 
 list of all which, he said, was to be sent to the 
 Governor of Canton. When he was told that 
 there were on board the ' Centurion ' four hundred
 
 296 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 fire-locks, and between three and four hundred 
 barrels of gunpowder, he shrugged his shoulders, as 
 if terrified by the bare recital ; and then said that 
 no ships ever came into Canton river armed in that 
 manner, and that he dared not put all this in his 
 list, lest it should too much alarm the Government. 
 Having finished his inquiries, and about to depart, 
 he desired to leave two custom-house officers behind 
 him. The Commodore told him that though as a 
 man-of-war they were not trading, and had nothing 
 to do with port duties or customs of any kind, yet, 
 for the satisfaction of the Chinese, he would permit 
 two of their people to be left on board, who might 
 themselves be witnesses how punctually he should 
 comply with instructions. The officer seemed 
 amazed at the claim of being exempt from all 
 duties, and said that the Emperor's dues must be 
 paid by every ship that comes into his ports. 
 
 It was supposed that private directions were given 
 by the officer to the pilot not to carry the Com- 
 modore through the Bocca Tigris without express 
 orders. This narrow passage is little more than a 
 musket-shot across, and is defended by forts mount- 
 ing cannon, which, although sufficient for barring 
 the passage to ordinary merchant-ships, could not 
 have hindered a man-of-war, if disposed to force its 
 way, as the Commodore was on this occasion. As 
 it was necessary to get through without delay, when 
 the pilot said he could not act without leave from
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 297 
 
 the Governor, the Commodore ordered him to carry 
 the ship at once by the forts, threatening that if the 
 ship ran aground he would instantly hang him up 
 at the yard-arm. The pilot, under this threat, took 
 the ship through safely, the forts not daring to 
 dispute the passage. Anson's anxiety was lest the 
 bad weather might come on while he was in an 
 exposed position. The poor pilot, they afterwards 
 learned, did not escape punishment from his country- 
 men, for he was seized when he got on shore, put in 
 prison, and rigorously disciplined with the bamboo. 
 On this being told to the Commodore, and the pilot 
 appearing with the scars of his thrashing still 
 visible, he received from the kind English captain 
 such a sum of money as would have enticed him to 
 risk a dozen bastinadings. 
 
 Nor was the pilot the only person who suffered, 
 for the Commodore, seeing some Imperial junks 
 pass towards Canton, learned that the Mandarin in 
 command of the forts was on board, being carried 
 to Canton as a prisoner, and would no doubt be 
 severely punished for allowing the ships to pass. 
 The Commodore did all he could to urge the 
 unreasonableness of the Mandarin being punished, 
 when he could not help himself, from the great 
 superiority of the ships' guns to those of the forts, 
 but he never learned whether his representation had 
 any influence in saving the poor Mandarin from 
 disgrace or punishment.
 
 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 On the 1 6th of July the Commodore sent his 
 second lieutenant to Canton, with a letter to the 
 Viceroy, explaining the reasons for the ' Centurion ' 
 having put into the port, and proposing to repair to 
 Canton to pay a visit to the Viceroy. The lieu- 
 tenant was very civilly received, and a promise 
 given that an answer should be sent next day. In 
 the meantime Anson gave leave to some of the 
 officers of the galleon to go to Canton, on their 
 engaging their parole to return in two days. When 
 these prisoners got to Canton the Regency sent for 
 them, and inquired how it was they got into the 
 English Commodore's power. They had the honesty 
 to declare that as the Kings of Spain and of England 
 were at war they had themselves proposed to take 
 the ' Centurion,' and bore down upon her with that 
 intention, but that the event had been contrary to 
 their expectations. And being questioned as to 
 their treatment on board the English Commodore's 
 ship, they also honestly confessed they had been 
 treated far better than he would have been treated 
 had he fallen into their hands. This confession 
 from an enemy had great weight with the Chinese, 
 who till then, while respecting the power of the 
 Commodore considered him as something little 
 better than a pirate and freebooter, rather than as 
 one commissioned by the State for avenging public 
 wrongs. He was greatly raised in their estimation 
 by the report of the Spanish prisoners, and doubtless
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 299 
 
 the greatness of the treasure he had obtained served 
 to exalt him the more in the eyes of the money- 
 loving Chinese. 
 
 Two things still puzzled the Chinese in their 
 questioning the Spaniards. They could not under- 
 stand how so much larger and stronger a ship could 
 have been captured by one with fewer men and of 
 smaller size ; and then, they could not understand 
 why, when the two nations were at war, they, as 
 prisoners, had not been put to death. To the first 
 of their difficulties the Spaniards answered that, 
 though their ship was largest, it was not so powerful 
 as one which was expressly built for fighting and 
 not for trading; and as to the second question, 
 it was not customary among European nations to 
 kill those who submitted themselves and became 
 prisoners of war ; adding that besides this general 
 usage, the Commodore from his natural disposition 
 treated them, and also others of their countrymen 
 who had previously fallen into his power, with a 
 courtesy and kindness beyond what was always 
 shown according to the usages of European nations. 
 The replies completely satisfied the Chinese, and 
 at the same time wrought very strongly in the 
 Commodore's favour. 
 
 On the 2Oth of July, in the morning, three Man- 
 darins, with a great number of boats and a vast 
 retinue, came on board the ' Centurion,' and delivered 
 to the Commodore the Viceroy of Canton's reply to
 
 300 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 his letter, and also permission to carry the ship up 
 the river as far as the second bar ; orders being at 
 the same time given for a daily supply of provisions. 
 The substance of the letter was that the Viceroy 
 desired to be excused from receiving the Commo- 
 dore's visit during the present excessively hot weather, 
 because the assembling of the Mandarins, soldiers, 
 and attendants, necessary to that ceremony, would 
 prove extremely inconvenient and fatiguing ; but in 
 September, when the weather was more temperate, 
 he should be glad to see the Commodore, and the 
 captain of the other ship that was with him. The 
 Commodore knew that an express had been de- 
 spatched to the court at Pekin, with an account of 
 the arrival at Canton of the ' Centurion ' and her 
 prize ; and he therefore had no doubt that the 
 politely expressed delay was the chief motive for 
 postponing the reception of the visit, so that the 
 Regency at Canton might gain time to get instruc- 
 tions from the Emperor's council about their beha- 
 viour in this unusual affair. 
 
 When the Mandarins had delivered this message 
 they began to talk about the duties to be paid by 
 the ships ; but the Commodore at once told them 
 firmly that he would submit to no demand of that 
 kind ; that he had brought no merchandise thither, 
 and intended to carry none away ; that the imposts 
 only applied to trading vessels ; and that it was 
 against the usages of his nation, and against the
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 301 
 
 express orders of his master the King of England, 
 to pay any acknowledgment for his ships anchoring 
 in any port whatever. 
 
 The Mandarins, being thus cut short on the subject 
 of the duties, said they had another matter to men- 
 tion ; this was a request to the Commodore to release 
 the prisoners he had taken on board the Spanish 
 galleon ; for the Viceroy of Canton apprehended 
 that his master, the Emperor, might be displeased if 
 informed that persons who belonged to a nation 
 friendly with China, and carrying on a great com- 
 merce with his subjects, should be confined as 
 prisoners in his dominions. 
 
 The Commodore heard this request with much 
 satisfaction, though he was politic enough not to 
 show it. He had already been troubled as to how 
 to get rid of his prisoners, who on many accounts 
 were a burden and encumbrance to him. He had 
 sent a hundred of them to Macao, and he was glad 
 that the remaining four hundred could be set at 
 liberty. However, to appear to be enhancing the 
 favour he was asked to perform, he raised some 
 difficulties at first ; and then said that in his wish to 
 oblige the Viceroy he would set them all free, and 
 would release them unconditionally as soon as the 
 Chinese sent boats to fetch them off. This matter 
 adjusted the Mandarins departed, and on the 28th 
 of July two large junks were sent to take on board 
 the prisoners and carry them to Macao. The
 
 302 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Commodore, according to his promise, set them all 
 free, and directed his purser to allow them eight 
 days' provisions for their subsistence during their 
 sailing down the river ; for, before they were des- 
 patched, the ' Centurion ' had arrived at her moor- 
 ings above the second bar, where she and her p'rize 
 proposed to continue till the monsoon shifted. 
 
 Though the ships, in consequence of the Viceroy's 
 permit, found no difficulty in purchasing provisions 
 for their daily consumption, yet it was impossible 
 for the Commodore to proceed to England without 
 laying in a large quantity both of provisions and 
 naval stores for his use during the voyage. The 
 procuring this supply was attended with much 
 perplexity ; for there were people at Canton who had 
 undertaken to furnish him with biscuit and what- 
 ever else he wanted ; and his interpreter, toward the 
 middle of September, had assured him from day to 
 day that all was ready and would be sent on board 
 immediately. But a fortnight having elapsed and 
 nothing brought, the Commodore sent to Canton to 
 inquire more particularly about this disappointment ; 
 and he soon had the vexation of learning that the 
 whole was a sham and illusion ; that no order had 
 been procured from the Viceroy to furnish him with 
 sea stores, as was pretended ; that no biscuit had 
 been baked, nor any one of the articles in readiness 
 that had been promised ; nor did it appear that the 
 contractors had taken the least step towards com-
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 303 
 
 plying with their engagement. This was most 
 disagreeable news, and made it suspected that the 
 furnishing the ' Centurion ' for her return to England 
 might form a more troublesome matter than had 
 been hitherto imagined ; especially as the month of 
 September was nearly ended without any message 
 coming from the Viceroy of Canton. 
 
 Finding thatthose who had promised and contracted 
 to supply him with sea provisions had deceived 
 him, the Commodore, towards the end of September, 
 resolved to make another attempt to visit the Viceroy. 
 He therefore, on the 2/th of September, sent a mes- 
 sage to the Mandarins who attended the ' Centurion ' 
 that he intended, on the ist of October, to proceed in 
 his boat to Canton ; adding that the day after his 
 arrival he should notify the same to the Viceroy, 
 and desire him to fix a time for his audience. The 
 Mandarin merely said that he would acquaint the 
 Viceroy with the Commodore's intentions. In the 
 meantime all things were prepared for this expedi- 
 tion, and the boat's crew which the Commodore 
 proposed to take with him were clothed in an uni- 
 form dress, resembling that of Thames watermen. 
 They were in number eighteen, and a coxswain ; 
 they had scarlet jackets and blue silk waistcoats, 
 the whole trimmed with silver buttons, besides silver 
 badges on their jackets and caps. 
 
 As it was apprehended, and even asserted, that the 
 payment of the customary duties for the ' Centurion '
 
 304 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and her prize would be demanded and insisted on pre- 
 vious to a permission being granted to victual the 
 ship for her future voyage, the Commodore, being 
 determined not to establish so dishonourable a pre- 
 cedent, took all possible precaution to prevent the 
 Chinese from facilitating their pretensions by having 
 him in their power at Canton. Therefore, in order 
 the better to secure his ship and the great treasure 
 on board her against their projects, he appointed 
 his first lieutenant, Mr. Brett, to be captain of the 
 ' Centurion ' under him ; and he instructed him that 
 if he, the Commodore, should be detained at Canton 
 on account of the duties in dispute he was to take 
 the men out of the prize and destroy her, and then 
 to proceed down the river through the Bocca Tigris 
 with the ' Centurion ' alone, and to remain outside 
 that entrance till he received further orders. 
 
 These necessary steps being taken and made 
 known, it seemed as if the schemes of the Chinese 
 were thrown into confusion. They were not willing 
 to forego the claims on which they had so often and 
 firmly insisted, yet they were unwilling to resort to 
 violence, without which they could not effect their 
 object. There was risk of their violence being met 
 with force, and so risk of the whole navigation of their 
 port being destroyed without the certainty of gaining 
 the point at issue. They continued their system of 
 evasion and procrastination. A letter came from 
 the Mandarin, purporting to say that the Viceroy
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE RIVER OF CANTON. 305 
 
 requested a few days' delay in the proposed visit. 
 It turned out that this letter was a forgery or pre- 
 tence ; and it further appeared that the Chinese 
 merchants of Canton were involved in the treacher- 
 ous proceeding. Three days afterwards a letter 
 came, signed by all the captains and supercargoes of 
 the European ships, expressing fear that insult and 
 violence might be offered to the Commodore's boat 
 and men. To this the Commodore replied that he 
 would certainly come up to Canton on the 1 3th of 
 October, confident that if the Chinese offered any 
 insult he should not want the power or the inclination 
 to make them a proper return. 
 
 Accordingly, on the I3th of October, Anson, 
 continuing firm in his purpose, proceeded towards 
 Canton, all the supercargoes of the English, Danish, 
 and Swedish ships coming on board the ' Centurion,' 
 and thence in their own boats attending the Commo- 
 dore's barge. As he passed by Wampo, where the 
 European vessels lay, he was saluted by all the 
 ships except the French, and in the evening he 
 arrived safely at Canton. 
 
 20
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT CANTON AND DEPARTURE 
 FOR ENGLAND. 
 
 arriving at Canton the Commodore was visited 
 by the principal Chinese merchants, who 
 affected to appear very much pleased that he had 
 met with no obstruction in getting thither. They 
 said that as soon as the Viceroy should be informed 
 of his arrival, which they promised should be the 
 next morning, they were persuaded a time would 
 be immediately appointed for the visit, which was 
 the chief business for which the Commodore had 
 come. 
 
 Next day the merchants returned to the Com- 
 modore, and told him that the Viceroy was then 
 so fully employed in preparing his despatches for 
 Pekin that there was no getting admittance to him 
 at present, but they had engaged one of the officers 
 of his court to inform them when the Viceroy would 
 be at leisure for this affair. The Commodore was 
 pretty certain that all this was false, and if he had 
 acted on his own judgment he would at once 
 have sought some other way of applying to the
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 30; 
 
 Viceroy. But the crafty Chinese merchants had 
 contrived to fill the minds of the European super- 
 cargoes and captains of vessels, that they might 
 get embroiled with the government if steps were 
 taken towards seeking access to the Viceroy other- 
 wise than through them. 
 
 The Commodore therefore, in case of any sinister 
 incident occurring, which might in malice be after- 
 wards ascribed to his action, was content to remain 
 passive ; and he engaged to the Chinese merchants 
 that he would not take any step for the present to 
 get access to the Viceroy, provided the Chinese who 
 had contracted to furnish his provisions would let 
 him see that biscuit was baked, meat salted, and 
 stores prepared with the utmost dispatch. This 
 might possibly occupy forty days, and if at the end 
 of that time all was not ready for being shipped off, 
 then the Commodore was determined to apply to 
 the Viceroy himself. This was the way in which he 
 sought to quiet the uneasiness of the supercargoes 
 and notwithstanding the equity and reasonableness 
 of the arrangement, the Chinese merchants urged 
 various objections, nor would they agree to the pro- 
 posal till they obtained promise of payment for 
 every article before being put in hand. However, 
 there was some satisfaction in knowing that at last 
 preparations were commenced, and his presence in 
 the city would hasten them as far as possible. 
 
 During this interval of forty days the merchants
 
 3 o3 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 continually entertained the Commodore with ac- 
 counts of their various endeavours to procure the 
 Viceroy's license, and their disappointments hitherto ; 
 but the Commodore knew them too well to suppose 
 anything but that these were mere falsehoods. When 
 all was complete, and ready to be shipped, about the 
 24th of November, the Commodore determined to 
 demand an audience with the Viceroy, knowing that 
 without this ceremony the grant of a permit to take 
 his sea stores on board would be attended with 
 delay and difficulty. On that day, therefore, he sent 
 one of his officers to the Mandarin commanding the 
 guard of the principal gate of the city of Canton 
 with a letter directed to the Viceroy. This letter 
 was delivered to the Mandarin, who received the 
 officer very civilly, and took down the contents of 
 it in Chinese, and promised that the Viceroy should 
 be immediately acquainted with it, but told the 
 officer it was not necessary for him to wait for a 
 reply, which would be sent to the Commodore him- 
 self. In preparing this letter the Commodore, not 
 trusting the professional interpreters or linguists, had 
 obtained the good services of an English gentleman, 
 Mr. Flint, belonging to the factory, who spoke and 
 wrote Chinese with perfect skill, having been in 
 Canton since his early boyhood. He went to the 
 Mandarin along with the officer carrying the letter. 
 
 Two days after this a fire broke out in the suburbs 
 of the city. On the first alarm the Commodore went
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 309 
 
 with his officers and boat's crew to aid the Chinese. 
 He speedily saw that by pulling down some sheds 
 and small tenements the progress of the flames, 
 which were rapidly spreading, might be arrested. 
 He was told, however, on commencing this obviously 
 effective operation, that he was acting on his own 
 peril, and as there was no Mandarin on the spot 
 who alone could give orders on such occasions, he 
 would be held responsible for whatever was pulled 
 down by his command. The Commodore thought 
 it prudent to desist, and ordered his men to go to 
 the English factory, and there assist in securing the 
 East India Company's treasure and effects, as it was 
 easy to see that no distance was protection against 
 the rage of such a fire when so little was done to 
 stay its progress. 
 
 At length a Mandarin came out of the city, 
 attended by four or five hundred firemen. They 
 made some feeble attempts to pull down neighbour- 
 ing houses, but by this time the fire had greatly 
 extended, and had got among the merchants' stores 
 and warehouses. The Chinese firemen showed no 
 skill or spirit, and there was every prospect of the 
 whole city being burned down if the conflagration 
 could not be checked. 
 
 In the general excitement the Viceroy himself 
 came, and having heard of the exertions of the 
 English sailors, he sent to the Commodore, entreat- 
 ing him to render assistance, and authorising
 
 3 io FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 him to take any steps he thought expedient in the 
 emergency. Upon this the Commodore, at the head 
 of about forty Englishmen, in the sight of the 
 Viceroy and the chief people of the city, exerted 
 themselves after so extraordinary a manner as was 
 in that country without example. The agility and 
 boldness of the sailors produced amazement. By 
 their resolution and activity the fire was soon got 
 under command, and the spread of the conflagration 
 prevented. The buildings being mostly low and 
 of very slight materials, the sailors escaped with no 
 other injuries than burns and bruises. 
 
 The fire, though thus happily extinguished, had 
 done great damage during the time it raged, for 
 it consumed a hundred shops and eleven streets full 
 of warehouses, the damage amounting to an im- 
 mense sum. One of the warehouses had a large 
 stock of camphor, the white flames of which blazed 
 up into the air to so prodigious a height that the 
 light was seen on board the ' Centurion,' though she 
 was at least thirty miles distant. 
 
 While the Commodore and his people were still 
 labouring at the fire, and the terror of it possessed 
 the whole city, some of the most considerable 
 merchants came with a request that they might 
 each have one of the Commodore's soldiers (for 
 so they styled the boat's crew, from the uniformity 
 of their dress), to guard their houses and ware- 
 houses, fearing that the rascal mob would begin
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 311 
 
 to pillage in the tumult. This request was granted, 
 and the men thus furnished behaved with so much 
 attention that the merchants afterward expressed 
 their gratitude for their diligence and fidelity. 
 
 The resolute conduct of the English in mastering 
 the fire, and their trusty and prudent behaviour 
 when acting as protectors of the houses, became 
 the general subject of conversation among the 
 Chinese. Next morning many of the chief inhabit- 
 ants waited on the Commodore to thank him for 
 his aid, and owned frankly that but for his help 
 the fire never would have been extinguished. Soon 
 after, a message came from the Viceroy, appointing 
 the 3Oth of November for his audience, which 
 sudden resolution by the Viceroy in a matter that 
 had so long been in vain agitated was now due 
 to the signal services performed by Anson and his 
 people at the fire, of which the Viceroy himself had 
 been to some extent an eye-witness. 
 
 The fixing this business of the audience gave 
 great satisfaction to the Commodore, for he felt 
 persuaded that the Chinese Government would not 
 have made this appointment without being first 
 prepared to give up their pretensions in the matter 
 of the duties claimed, and being ready to grant 
 all reasonable requests. The Commodore made 
 the necessary preparations, and engaged Mr. Flint 
 to act as interpreter in this affair as in all others, 
 being certain that he would act with boldness and
 
 312 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 fidelity, such as could not be depended on in any 
 Chinese linguist. 
 
 At ten in the morning of the 3Oth of November 
 the Commodore and his retinue set out. As he 
 entered the outer gate of the city he found a guard 
 of two hundred soldiers ready to receive him ; these 
 attended him to the great parade before the Em- 
 peror's palace, where the Viceroy resided. In this 
 parade a body of ten thousand troops, drawn up 
 under arms, made an imposing appearance, their 
 clothing seeming to be new for this occasion. The 
 Commodore passing through their midst was con- 
 ducted to the great hall of audience, where the 
 Viceroy was seated under a rich canopy, in the 
 Emperor's chair of state, with all his council of 
 mandarins attending. A vacant seat was ready for 
 the Commodore, to which he was conducted on his 
 entrance. He was ranked the third in order from 
 the Viceroy, there being above him the Chief of the 
 Law and the Chief of the Treasury, who in the 
 Chinese Empire have precedence over all military 
 officers. The Commodore being seated, he addressed 
 himself to the Viceroy through his interpreter, and 
 began by reciting the various methods formerly 
 taken to obtain an audience, adding that he im- 
 puted the delays to the insincerity of those whom 
 he employed, and that therefore he had no other 
 course left than to send a letter by his own officer 
 to the Viceroy's gate. At this point the Viceroy
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 313 
 
 interrupted the interpreter, and bade him assure the 
 Commodore that the first knowledge he had of his 
 being at Canton was through that letter. The in- 
 terpreter then proceeded, and said that the subjects 
 of the King of Great Britain trading to China com- 
 plained of the vexatious impositions both of the 
 merchants and of the custom-house officers, to which 
 they often had to submit owing to the difficulty of 
 getting access to the Mandarins, who alone could 
 grant them redress ; that it was the duty of the 
 Commodore, as an officer of the King of Great 
 Britain, to lay before the Viceroy these grievances of 
 British subjects, which he hoped the Viceroy would 
 take into consideration, and give orders that here- 
 after there should be no just reason for complaint. 
 
 Here the interpreter paused, as the Commodore 
 ceased to prompt him, and waited some time as if 
 for an answer from the Viceroy. Nothing being 
 said, the interpreter was asked if he thought the 
 Viceroy understood what had been urged, while the 
 interpreter said to the Commodore he was certain 
 he was understood, but he believed that no answer 
 would be given. 
 
 The Commodore then took the opportunity to 
 mention to the Viceroy the case of the ship ' Hasting- 
 field,' arrived a few days before in the Canton River, 
 having been dismasted on the Chinese coast ; that 
 the people on board had been great sufferers by the 
 late fire, especially the captain, who had all his goods
 
 3 H FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 burnt, and who had lost a chest of treasure of four 
 thousand five hundred tael, which he supposed were 
 stolen by the Chinese boatmen. The assistance ot 
 the Government was invoked, as it was apprehended 
 the money would not be recovered without the 
 interposition of the Mandarins. To this the Viceroy 
 made answer that in settling the Emperor's customs 
 for that ship an abatement would be made in 
 consideration of her losses. 
 
 Then the Commodore, having despatched this 
 business entrusted to him by the officers of the East 
 India Company, entered on his own affairs. He 
 told the Viceroy that the time was come for his 
 returning to Europe, and that he wanted a 
 license to ship his provisions and stores, which were 
 all ready ; and that as soon as this license was 
 obtained he intended to leave the river of Canton 
 and to make the best of his way to England. The 
 Viceroy to this replied that the license should be 
 immediately issued, and that everything should be 
 ordered on board on the following day. 
 
 The Commodore having nothing further to ask, 
 the Viceroy took up the conversation, acknowledging 
 in very civil terms the obligation under which the 
 Chinese were for the signal assistance rendered at 
 the time of the fire, and concluding by saying that 
 as the ' Centurion ' had been detained long on their 
 coast he wished the Commodore a prosperous 
 voyage to Europe. After which the Commodore,
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 315 
 
 thanking His Excellency for his civility and assist- 
 ance, took his leave. 
 
 As soon as the Commodore left the hall of 
 audience he was invited to go into a neighbouring 
 apartment, where an entertainment was provided ; but 
 on inquiry finding that the Viceroy would not be 
 present he politely declined, and took his departure, 
 attended in the same manner as on his arrival ; only 
 on leaving the city he was saluted with three guns, 
 as many as in that country were then fired upon 
 any ceremony. 
 
 Thus the Commodore, to his great joy, finished 
 this troublesome affair ; and what gave him most 
 satisfaction was that he had gained his purpose of 
 not submitting to the exaction of duty from His 
 Majesty's ships of war in Chinese ports. 
 
 In pursuance of the orders of the Viceroy the 
 provisions began to be sent on board the day after 
 the audience, and in four days the Commodore 
 embarked at Canton to return to his ship. All 
 preparations for sailing were pushed on with so 
 much vigour that on the /th of December the 
 ' Centurion ' and her prize stood down the river, 
 passing through the Bocca Tigris on the loth. 
 There was evidently on this occasion a studious 
 display of force in the forts on either side, to give 
 the most favourable idea of Chinese military power. 
 On the parapet of one of the forts a big Goliath of 
 a soldier stalked to and fro with a battle-axe in his
 
 3 i6 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 hand, and with as important and martial an air as 
 he could assume. He was clad in steel armour, as it 
 appeared, but the sailors of the ' Centurion ' laughed 
 heartily at the exhibition, and shrewdly suspected 
 that instead of steel the coat of armour was com- 
 posed only of a kind of glittering paper. 
 
 On bidding farewell to Chinese jurisdiction on 
 leaving the river, the writer of the journal of Anson's 
 voyage indulges in a variety of comments on Chinese 
 character and customs. Of the national character 
 he forms a very low estimate, and recalls various 
 incidents in which they had experience of their 
 vanity, trickiness, and insincerity. Of their institu- 
 tions, literature, and government he also speaks 
 slightingly, affirming that the Jesuit missionaries 
 had sent very false reports to Europe, giving more 
 favourable ideas of the national character than was 
 merited. These statements it is needless further to 
 refer to, as more is now known with accuracy of 
 China and the Chinese. 
 
 It only remains to say that on the I2th of 
 December the Commodore anchored before the 
 town of Macao. Here the merchants of the place 
 purchased the Spanish galleon for the sum of six 
 thousand dollars, a small price for so good a ship, 
 but as they refused to give more Anson gladly 
 accepted the offer, from his anxiety to depart. On 
 the i 5th of December the ship was delivered up to 
 the merchants, and on the same day the 'Centurion'
 
 DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. 317 
 
 got under sail on her return to England. On the 
 3rd of January, 1744, she came to anchor in the 
 Straits of Sunda ; remained there for wooding and 
 watering till the 8th, when she weighed and stood 
 for the Cape of Good Hope, where she anchored, in 
 Table Bay, on the iith of March. Here they 
 remained till the beginning of April, greatly pleased 
 with the salubrity of the place and the beauty of 
 the country, which they said was not disgraced by 
 comparison with the valleys of Juan Fernandez and 
 the lawns of Tinian. About forty Dutchmen were 
 entered here, and on the 3rd of April they weighed 
 and put to sea. On the iQth of April they sighted 
 St. Helena, but did not touch there ; on the loth 
 of June they spoke with an English ship bound for 
 Philadelphia, from whom they received the first in- 
 telligence of a French war. On the I2th of June 
 they got sight of the Lizard; and on the I5th, 
 in the evening, to their infinite joy, they came to 
 anchor at Spithead. There Anson learned that a 
 French fleet of considerable force was cruising in 
 the chops of the Channel, and they found, from the 
 account of their position, that the ' Centurion ' had 
 run safely through this fleet through being concealed 
 by a fog. This last escape added to the thankful 
 joy felt on reaching old England, after an absence 
 of three years and nine months.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION IN ENGLAND. 
 
 the day following his arrival at St. Helens 
 the Commodore wrote the following letter, 
 or despatch, to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, the 
 commission for the voyage having been received 
 from him, as Secretary of State, as well as from the 
 Admiralty. It is dated June i/j-th, 1744, from on 
 board His Majesty's ship 'Centurion' : 
 
 ' The south-west monsoon being set in on the 
 coast of China, before I had refitted His Majesty's 
 ship, made it impossible for me to proceed to 
 Europe till the month of October. I therefore 
 determined, although I had not half my complement 
 of men, to cruise for the King of Spain's galleon, 
 which was expected from Acapulco with treasure 
 to Manilla. After having finished the necessary 
 repairs of my ship, on the i8th of April, I made 
 the best of my way for Cape Espirito Santo, being 
 the land to the southward of the Straits of Manilla, 
 which shore ships generally fall in with ; where 
 having cruised thirty-one days, on the 2Oth of June
 
 A RRIVA L A ND RECEPTION IN ENGLA ND. 3 1 9 
 
 I got sight of her, and gave chase, she bearing down 
 upon me before the wind. When she came within 
 two miles she brought-to to fight me, and after 
 an engagement of an hour and a half, within less 
 than pistol shot, the Admiral struck his flag at the 
 maintop mast-head. She was called the " Nuestra 
 Senora del Caba Donga," Don Geronimo Montero 
 Admiral ; had 42 guns, 17 of which were brass, 
 and 2 8 brass pedereros ; 550 men, 58 of which 
 were slain, and 83 wounded ; her masts and 
 rigging were shot to pieces, and 150 shot passed 
 through her hull, many of which were between 
 wind and water, which occasioned her to be very 
 leaky. The greatest damage I received was by 
 my fore-mast, main-mast, and bowsprit being 
 wounded, and my rigging shot to pieces, having 
 received only 1 5 shot through my hull, which 
 killed me 2 men, and 15 wounded. I was under 
 great difficulty in navigating two such large ships 
 in a dangerous and unknown sea, and in guarding 
 492 prisoners ; and being apprehensive of losing 
 company, I thought proper, for the security of the 
 galleon and the great treasure in her, which could 
 not be removed (the weather being very tempes- 
 tuous), to give my first lieutenant a commission 
 to command her, with other proper officers under 
 him. 
 
 ' I got into the River Canton on the 1 4th day 
 pf July, and sent an officer with a letter to the
 
 320 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Vice-King, acquainting him with the reason of my 
 putting into his port, that I intended to pay him a 
 visit, and desired a supply of provisions and stores. 
 A Mandarin was sent on board some days after- 
 wards, to acquaint me that the Vice-King would 
 be glad to see me, with the captain of the dther 
 ship, and brought me a license for supplying me 
 with provisions from day to day. He mentioned 
 to me the payment of the duties and measurage 
 which he informed me, by the Emperor's orders, 
 were to be demanded from all ships, without 
 excepting those of war : I told him, that the King 
 of Great Britain's ships were never treated upon the 
 footing of trading vessels, and that my instructions 
 from the king my master forbid me to pay any 
 acknowledgment for his ships harbouring in any 
 port whatsoever. 
 
 ' Finding I could not obtain the provisions and 
 stores to enable me to proceed to Europe, I was 
 under a necessity of visiting the Vice-King, not- 
 withstanding the Europeans were of opinion that 
 the Emperor's duties would be insisted upon. Not 
 knowing, therefore, what means they might make 
 use of when they had me in their power, I gave 
 orders to Captain Brett, who, upon this occasion, 
 I had appointed captain under me, if he found me 
 detained, to destroy the galleon (out of which 
 I had removed all the treasure, amounting to 
 1,313,843 pieces of eight, and 35,682 ounces of
 
 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION IN ENGLAND. 321 
 
 virgin silver and plate) and to proceed with the 
 " Centurion " without the river's mouth, out of 
 gunshot of the two forts. 
 
 ' The Vice-King received me with great civility 
 and politeness, having io,coo soldiers drawn up, 
 and his council of Mandarins attending the audi- 
 ence, and granted me everything I desired ; so that 
 I had great reason to be satisfied with the success 
 of my visit. 
 
 'GEORGE ANSON.' 
 
 On Sunday, the i7th of June, Commodore 
 Anson arrived in London from Portsmouth, along 
 with Admiral Lestock. On Tuesday the iQth a 
 waggon laden with silver was brought from the ship 
 up to London, under a strong guard, and taken to 
 the Bank of England. This was but the precursor 
 of the great treasure, which was reported to amount 
 in all to 2,600,000 pieces of eight, 150 ounces of 
 plate, 10 bars of gold, and a large quantity of 
 gold and silver ; the estimated value being about 
 ; 1, 2 5 0,000 sterling. 
 
 Short notices appear in the Gazette, and in 
 various magazines of subsequent dates, which have 
 interest as showing the public excitement caused by 
 the return of the ' Centurion ' with its treasure. For 
 instance, in the Gentleman's Magazine, under the 
 'Historical Chronicle' for July 1744, we read that 
 ' On Wednesday the 4th, passed through St. James's 
 
 21
 
 322 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Street, the Strand, Cheapside, etc., on their way to 
 the Tower, thirty-two waggons from Portsmouth, 
 with the treasure brought home by Admiral Anson. 
 They were guarded by the ship's crew, which was 
 composed of men of many nations, and preceded by 
 the officers, with swords drawn, music playing, and 
 colours flying, particularly that of the Acapulco 
 prize.' 
 
 On the 5th of the same month it is recorded that 
 ' sixty Dutch sailors who entered on board the 
 " Centurion " at the Cape were paid fifty dollars 
 each, besides their common wages.' 
 
 While Anson was the popular hero of the day to 
 the nation, he was not regarded with corresponding 
 favour at the Admiralty. From St. Helens, on his 
 arrival in England, he had written a letter announc- 
 ing his return, and transmitting an acccunt of his 
 proceedings at Canton, and of the capture of the 
 Acapulco ship. He received from the Secretary to 
 the Admiralty a cool official note, acknowledging 
 receipt of his letter, which he said ' he had commu- 
 nicated to their lordships.' Being a personal friend 
 of Anson, he added on his own account, ' I take the 
 opportunity of wishing you joy on your arrival in 
 England.' For a man who had done so much noble 
 service to his country, and had, for nearly four years, 
 suffered more hardships than fall to the lot of almost 
 any human being, this was a rather chilling recep- 
 tion ; but Anson was not over-sensitive, and he
 
 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION IN ENGLAND. 323 
 
 quietly wrote a second letter, stating the circum- 
 stances under which he had made his first lieutenant, 
 Picrcy Brett, captain of the ' Centurion,' in his own 
 absence to wait upon and arrange important matters 
 with the Chinese Viceroy, and requesting that his 
 commission might be confirmed. 
 
 The first shot sent into the hull of a Spanish ship 
 could not have caused such commotion as this letter 
 of Anson's did at the Admiralty Board. The sur- 
 prise and indignation of their lordships can hardly 
 be imagined. What ! give a commission on his own 
 authority, and expect it to be confirmed by the 
 Board ! The thing was unprecedented, preposterous, 
 and not to be tolerated. So the Secretary was 
 instructed to reply to Commodore Anson that he 
 had no power to make such an appointment, and of 
 course it could not be confirmed. 
 
 Just at that time, the iSth of June, a promotion 
 of three rear admirals was made, of whom Captain 
 Anson was one ; and in the letter which accompanied 
 the commission he was informed that the king had 
 been pleased to raise him to the rank of Rear 
 Admiral of the Blue. Notwithstanding the reception 
 of this rank and honour, as no further notice had 
 been taken of his friend Lieutenant Brett, Anson at 
 once returned the commission of Rear Admiral of the 
 Blue, expressing his regret that he found himself 
 under the necessity of declining that mark of royal 
 favour, which he could not accept with honour.
 
 324 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 This display of high and chivalrous spirit must 
 have made some impression at the Admiralty, and 
 must have caused considerable talk and consultation, 
 for no answer was sent for more than a week. Then 
 came an official despatch from the Board, to the 
 effect that as Captain Anson had returned his com- 
 mission the said commission was cancelled. In the 
 Minute-book of the Admiralty the resolution of the 
 Board accepting Anson's resignation of his Admiral's 
 commission has been preserved, and is given by 
 Sir John Barrow in his biography. It runs thus : 
 'Saturday, the 3Oth of June, 1744. The Right 
 Honourable the Earl of Winchilsea, Mr. Cockburn, 
 Dr. Lee, Sir Charles Hardy, Mr. Phillipson, present 
 A letter from Admiral Anson, dated the 22nd 
 instant, was read, enclosing his commission of Rear 
 Admiral of the Blue, and representing his concern to 
 find himself under the necessity of resigning the 
 same because a commission he had given to Captain 
 Brett to command the " Centurion "' under him was 
 not confirmed. Resolved, that the said commission 
 be cancelled.' 
 
 Lord Winchilsea had the reputation of being an 
 upright and houourable man, but at that meeting of 
 the Board he was guided by the advice of the 
 majority, only one of whom, Hardy, was a naval 
 officer, and the others ' lay lords,' mere nobodies, yet 
 who presumed to carry such a resolution. It was 
 certainly a bold and unprecedented proceeding to
 
 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION IN ENGLAND. 325 
 
 ' cancel ' a commission which the king had been 
 pleased to order. It is all very well to say that 
 they were desirous of upholding the authority of the 
 Admiralty against what they might describe as a 
 stretch of the royal prerogative ; and there was also 
 a certain amount of force in their arguing that 
 the confirmation of Anson's appointment might be 
 quoted as a troublesome precedent. If Anson could 
 give Brett a commission, any commodore out upon 
 a long cruise might appoint his lieutenants and other 
 officers to the command of every prize that was taken, 
 and expect their commission as commanders to be 
 confirmed. They were right as a general principle, 
 but what they ought to have done was to confirm 
 Anson's appointment of Brett, 'under the circum- 
 stances,' but put on record as part of their resolution 
 that this was not to be taken as a precedent. This 
 would have quietly settled the question, only common 
 sense is a rare commodity at Admiralty Boards, as 
 in all other departments of life. The treatment of 
 Anson, who by the cancelling of his appointment 
 was actually placed on half-pay as a captain, seemed 
 the more strange, because the same day that he 
 was thus sacrificed, Brett received his commission 
 as captain, dated June 3<Dth, 1744. 
 
 A more proper feeling had been shown to Anson 
 by the Chief Secretary of State, and head of the 
 Ministry, the Duke of Newcastle ; to whom also, as 
 having through him received his instructions from
 
 326 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the king on setting out on his expedition, he had 
 reported his proceedings. The Duke wrote a very 
 courteous and complimentary letter, in which he 
 stated that he had laid Captain Anson's report 
 before the king, who was pleased to express . his 
 great approbation of his conduct. He also said that 
 he mentioned to His Majesty his recommendation 
 of Lieutenant Dennis, and would forward the re- 
 commendation to the Lord Commissioner of the 
 Admiralty.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 
 
 ~^HUS stood matters at the close of 1744. In 
 -*- December of that year there was a change 
 of administration, and the Earl of Winchilsea was 
 removed from the Admiralty and his place taken 
 by the Duke of Bedford. Anson was at once invited 
 to become a member of the Board. A few months 
 later, as if to make amends for the injustice done by 
 the former Board, Anson obtained two steps of rank 
 at once, being appointed Rear Admiral of the White. 
 The Duke of Bedford appointed Lord Sandwich as 
 Second Lord, an intimate friend of his own, and a 
 clear-headed, intelligent man. There were two other 
 naval lords, Admiral Lord Vere Beauclerc and Lord 
 Archibald Hamilton. The two lay members, Legge 
 and Grenville, were both able men, capable of 
 managing the civil department, and transacting the 
 business of the Board in the House of Commons. 
 Anson's capacity and experience proved of the utmost 
 service, and he soon was permitted to assume the 
 principal and active management of affairs, the heads
 
 328 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 of the Board and all the members placing implicit 
 confidence in him. 
 
 Horace Walpole, in his ' Memoirs of the Last 
 Years of George II.,' gives an amusing, and on the 
 whole tolerably correct account of the new Board, 
 with personal sketches of the history and character 
 of the members, in his own clear but impudent and 
 sarcastic style. Of the honesty and patriotism of 
 the Duke of Bedford he could not but speak highly, 
 but described him as being of no great ability, and 
 easily led, generally by the Duchess, or by any 
 others with whom he was brought into public rela- 
 tions. He said that ' the Duke appointed Lord 
 Sandwich chiefly because he had worked himself 
 into favour by bringing young people of fashion to 
 Huntingdon races, and to cricket matches at Woburn, 
 and his success in getting up private theatricals and 
 amateur concerts, at which the best artistes of the 
 time were engaged to assist.' As to Anson, Horace 
 Walpole speaks in rather a sneering manner, but 
 for reasons that more show the excellence of his 
 character. The bon mot of Sir Charles Hanbury 
 Williams, court wit of the period, is quoted, who said 
 that ' Anson had been round the world but never in 
 it ; ' that he was proud and reserved, which means 
 that he did not join in the follies and frivolities of 
 ' society ; ' and that he took to himself for wife the 
 daughter of Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, when he 
 was expected to marry one of the Duke of Bedford's
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 329 
 
 daughters. The cynical libeller could not help 
 admitting afterwards, that ' Lord Anson was atten- 
 tive to, and generally expert in, maritime affairs, and 
 that he selected with great care the best officers.' 
 This testimony, although but ' faint praise ' from 
 Walpole's lips, was amply confirmed by the conduct 
 of his naval administration as we shall presently 
 see when the state of public affairs grew serious, 
 and all the ability and energy available had to be 
 displayed in the wars which England had to wage 
 against the combined powers of France and of 
 Spain. 
 
 At the very time that the new Board of Admiralty 
 was being formed, important events in the history 
 of England and of Europe were on the eve of 
 occurring. France was busily engaged in negoti- 
 ating a new compact and alliance, offensive and 
 defensive, with Spain. One of the articles of the 
 treaty, as yet secret, was that war was to be 
 vigorously carried on against England, and that no 
 peace should be concluded till Gibraltar was restored 
 to the Spanish crown. This treaty was in due 
 course signed at Fontainebleau, and the allied powers 
 were actively employed in equipping such a navy 
 as would give them the uncontrolled and undisputed 
 command of the Mediterranean, and in fact of the 
 ocean throughout the world. Powerful fleets were 
 being prepared in the ports of Brest and Rochefort, 
 and the two powers were determined to make a
 
 330 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 supreme effort to wrest from England ' the sove- 
 reignty of the seas.' 
 
 Part of this design was to be the invasion of 
 England and the reinstatement of the exiled Stuart 
 family on the throne of Great Britain. This, it was 
 hoped, would secure the co-operation of the Scottish 
 as well as the English Jacobites, and all the enemies 
 of the House of Hanover and of the Protestant 
 Succession ; and also of the Irish, who could be 
 counted on as zealous allies. This was indeed a 
 well-planned and dangerous state of affairs for 
 England, but there were fortunately at the helm of 
 the State men equal to the occasion, in whose hands 
 the destinies of the nation were safe. So far as 
 naval affairs were concerned, and by sea chiefly this 
 great contest seemed likely to be at first carried on, 
 it was well that a man like Anson was now the 
 directing spirit at the Admiralty. What he then 
 did during a long and glorious administration will 
 in future pages be narrated, but events happened 
 which for a time recalled him to active service afloat, 
 before he began that course of administration which 
 made him distinguished, as he will always be in 
 history, as the ' organiser of victory ' (to use Napo- 
 leon's phrase about his minister Carnot) and the 
 establisher on firm foundations of the naval supre- 
 macy of England. 
 
 When the war commenced, the most pressing 
 anxiety was caused by the threatened invasion by
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 331 
 
 a French army, carried across the Channel by the 
 fleets stationed at Brest and Rochefort. It was 
 supposed that, from the number of squadrons in the 
 Mediterranean, the West Indies, and other foreign 
 stations, there was no naval force at home capable 
 of obstructing the passage of the French fleet across 
 the Channel, or of opposing the landing of an army. 
 It was reported that about twenty thousand men 
 were encamped at Dunkirk, under the command of 
 Marshal Saxe, and towards this camp the English 
 people looked with as much alarm as they did in 
 aftertimes at the camp at Boulogne under Napoleon 
 Buonaparte. The French fleet, of about twenty sail 
 of the line, with many smaller vessels, was under 
 the command of M. de Roquefeuille, a veteran and 
 experienced officer. The English Channel fleet, 
 amounting to nearly the same number of ships, but 
 not so well built or strongly armed, was commanded 
 by Admiral Sir John Norris. In the early part of 
 February the French fleet was seen off Plymouth, 
 standing up Channel, and great preparation was 
 made along the southern coasts, especially in Kent 
 and Essex, to oppose any attempt at landing. The 
 national enthusiasm and patriotic spirit burst forth 
 as brightly as in the old days when preparations 
 were made for the Spanish Armada. M. de Roque- 
 feuille had many swift cruisers, and these he sent to 
 reconnoitre. Finding no ships of war either at St. 
 Helens or Spithead, he stood boldly up the Channel,
 
 332 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 and came to anchor off Dungeness. This being 
 reported to Sir John Norris, he got his fleet under 
 weigh and worked down Channel, against a westerly 
 wind, till within two leagues of the French fleet, 
 when, the tide being strong against him, he was 
 obliged to anchor. The French showed no dis- 
 position to engage; on the contrary, they seemed to 
 have been seized with a panic, for having made every 
 preparation to take advantage of the turn of the 
 tide, a signal was suddenly given for every ship to 
 make the best of her way to Brest ; and they 
 actually cut or slipped their cables to lose no time 
 in getting under sail. A gale sprang up soon after, 
 increasing to a storm, by which the ships were dis- 
 persed, and many reached Brest in a very shattered 
 condition. Sir John Norris, who was greatly 
 surprised by this rapid retreat, gave chase promptly, 
 but it was impossible to come up with any of the 
 French ships, which invariably outsailed the British ; 
 and as he considered it useless if not perilous to 
 expose his fleet to the storm, he returned to the 
 Downs. Thus, not only was the attempt by the 
 fleet frustrated, but much damage was done by 
 the storm to the transports and other vessels at 
 Dunkirk, so much that the camp was soon after 
 broken up. The young Pretender, Charles Edward 
 Stuart, was at that moment in the camp, and he 
 returned to Paris grievously disappointed. It was 
 by his father, now old, who had resided on the
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 333 
 
 Continent, latterly at Rome, since the rebellion of 
 1715, that his son was sent to try his fortune in this 
 new enterprise, when the scattering of the French 
 fleet removed all fears of the invasion of England. 
 
 The design of making an attempt by landing in 
 Scotland, and putting himself at the head of the 
 Highland clans and of his Jacobite adherents in 
 that county, was next entertained. It is said that 
 an Irish papist, a merchant settled at Nantes, named 
 Walsh, furnished for this object a small armed vessel, 
 and raised for the Pretender's use about ,2,000, 
 besides arms for two thousand men. The aged 
 Marquis of Tullibardine, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and a 
 few others, embarked with the Pretender. They set 
 sail on the 4th of July, 1745. Off Belleisle they 
 were joined by the ' Elizabeth,' a French ship of 
 war of sixty-four guns, the captain of which had 
 orders to escort them to the Western Islands of 
 Scotland. 
 
 Anson, at the Admiralty, believing that rebellion 
 in the north might give rise to much trouble, and 
 might cost much loss in men and money to put it 
 down, thought it best to try to prevent the landing 
 of the Pretender. He got his old comrade, Captain 
 Brett, appointed to the ' Lion,' of fifty-eight guns, 
 and four hundred and forty men. Captain Brett soon 
 put himself in the path of the ' Elizabeth,' and run- 
 ning his ship alongside commenced the attack within 
 pistol-shot. For over five hours a fine engagement
 
 334 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 lasted, by which time the ' Lion's ' rigging was cut 
 to pieces, her mizzen-mast shot away, and all her 
 lower and top masts wounded, so that she lay little 
 better than a log on the water. The ' Elizabeth ' 
 did not venture to board her enemy, but having 
 suffered less damage to her rigging was able to set 
 sail enough to carry her off; but her hull was so 
 shattered that it was with great difficulty she man- 
 agged to get into Brest harbour. The small vessel 
 that carried the Pretender attempted at first to 
 show fight, but was soon beaten off by the ' Lion's ' 
 stern-chasers ; and while the big ships were engaged 
 she continued to escape with all the sail she could carry. 
 The encounter cost the ' Lion ' fifty-five men killed 
 and above a hundred wounded, some of whom died 
 after the action. Captain Brett and almost all his 
 officers were wounded. It was afterwards ascertained 
 that the ' Elizabeth ' lost her captain and sixty-four 
 men killed, and one hundred and forty wounded. 
 Prince Charles Edward reached the coast of Scotland, 
 and at Lochaber he and his attendants landed. 
 
 The Pretender raised his standard on the I2th of 
 August, which event, and the mustering of the clans, 
 we all know from the history of that time. The 
 defeat of the English troops at Prestonpans, the 
 advance of the Scottish rebels into England, their 
 retreat after reaching as far south as Derby, and 
 their final overthrow and the crushing of the 
 rebellion at Culloden, are also events familiarly
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 335 
 
 known. What we have here to mention refers only 
 to matters in which Anson and the directors of 
 naval affairs took part. By the Government and 
 the Admiralty a powerful squadron was stationed in 
 the Downs to watch the French at Dunkirk and 
 Calais, in case of any renewed attempt at crossing the 
 Channel ; and detachments were also sent into the 
 North Sea to intercept any supplies that might be 
 sent for the use of the rebels. The frigates and small 
 vessels detached for this service were successful 
 in capturing and destroying several transports and 
 store ships. It was in this service that the name of 
 Howe, afterwards so distinguished in naval annals, 
 first appears. He was in command of the ' Balti- 
 more ' sloop, and was severely wounded in an action 
 with two French frigates, which he attacked in com- 
 pany with the ' Greyhound,' English frigate. As 
 often happened in these actions, the English ships 
 were so much injured in their sails and rigging as to 
 be unable to follow the enemy, who almost invariably 
 took advantage of the crippled state of the English 
 ships to make off. Anson heard of Howe's gallant 
 conduct, and it was in consequence of this that he 
 afterwards recommended him for high command. 
 
 Some curious letters to Admiral Anson from his 
 brother Thomas Anson are printed in Sir John 
 Barrow's biographical volume. Mr. T. Anson seems 
 amused to hear of the great panic in London as to 
 the approach of the rebels, and gives a more correct
 
 536 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 account of their position and prospects when in the 
 midland counties. Their number did not seem to 
 exceed ' seven thousand, three or four thousand 
 good troops, the rest rabble and boys.' They were 
 greatly disappointed and exasperated at their cool 
 reception at Derby, ' from which their whole body 
 marched out with visible dejection and despair.' 
 ' From that time their behaviour was much fiercer,' 
 plundering and ravaging, and sometimes wantonly 
 wounding and murdering the people. Mr. Anson's 
 letters show no sign of anxiety, but confidence that 
 the irruption of ' this gang of rapparees, by no 
 means formidable in themselves, but from the panic 
 they have spread,' will soon be over, as the troops 
 of the Duke (Cumberland) and of Wade are at their 
 heels, pursuing them back to their own country. 
 
 At this time Admiral Anson was left almost in 
 sole charge of the business of the Admiralty. The 
 Duke of Bedford was laid up with gout, and Lord 
 Sandwich had a long and dangerous illness. Of 
 the other lords none had energy or ability equal to 
 Anson, who, although he was one of the youngest 
 members, was understood to be acting by the 
 instructions of the Duke of Bedford, as well as 
 by his own authority, which was seldom called in 
 question. On one occasion he had to make a 
 decided stand for the privileges of his Board 
 against the undue interference of the Court of 
 Common Pleas. It was on account of the pro-
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 337 
 
 ceedings of a court-martial, the verdict of which 
 was declared by the Lord Chief Justice Willes to 
 be illegal and unconstitutional. So far did this 
 imperious judge go that he ordered the members 
 of the court-martial to be taken into custody, 
 issuing warrants to that effect. Terrified by the 
 judge's menaces, the members of the court-martial 
 submitted, with humble apology. But Admiral 
 Anson was not to be thus easily subdued. The 
 affair was referred to the Chief Minister of State, 
 who in reply sent a notification that ' His Majesty 
 expressed great displeasure at the insult offered 
 to the court-martial, by which the military discipline 
 of the Navy is so much affected ; and His Majesty 
 will consider what steps it may be advisable to take 
 on the occasion.' 
 
 The affair was not pushed by the Lord Chief 
 Justice to extremes, and an Act of Parliament not 
 long afterward confirmed the authority of courts- 
 martial as independent tribunals in their own sphere. 
 The attempt to encroach on the privileges of other 
 courts, with well-defined and independent juris- 
 diction, received by statute and by usage, has led 
 to many lamentable events in matters both civil 
 and ecclesiastical. In the case of courts-martial 
 Anson maintained their independence, and no one 
 since his time has claimed to override their pro- 
 ceedings. Very recently a clear decision to this 
 effect was given by Mr. Justice Day (in June 
 
 22
 
 338 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 1890). A naval officer who was cashiered brought 
 an action for the value of goods which had on his 
 conviction become the property of the crown. Mr. 
 Justice Day in his decision said that he had no 
 authority to interfere with the judgments of a 
 court-martial. To Anson is due this assertion 
 of the independent jurisdiction and the privileges of 
 these courts. 
 
 In 1745, when the land-forces of Great Britain 
 were employed in putting down the Rebellion, the 
 navy was active on every sea in maintaining the 
 prestige and power of the kingdom. If no great 
 battles were fought and victories gained, it was 
 because the enemy's fleets did not venture to show 
 themselves out of their fortified ports. Many lesser 
 engagements took place, and the English privateers 
 and His Majesty's cruisers took prizes, which lessened 
 the resources of the hostile powers and brought 
 large accession of wealth to the nation. A single 
 ship captured, the ' Notre Dame de Delivrance,' 
 yielded a cargo amounting in value to about 
 ;6oo,ooo. There were successes of other kinds 
 besides the taking of prizes. Commodore Warren, 
 for instance, attacked Fort Louisbourg, at the 
 mouth of the St. Laurence, the garrison capitulating 
 after a very short resistance. Canada, it must be 
 remembered, was at that time still a French colony. 
 It was in connection with the capture of Fort 
 Louisbourg that the story is told of the Duke of
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 339 
 
 Newcastle hastening to the king, in great elation, 
 to announce the fall of the fortress, and also to 
 tell His Majesty of the discovery he had made, that 
 Cape Breton was an island. 
 
 In 1746 a very unpleasant affair connected 
 with Admiral Vernon, occupied Anson's attention. 
 This gallant sailor, who had recently been promoted 
 to the rank of Admiral of the White, was ordered 
 to repair to the Downs and take command of that 
 part of the Channel and of the North Sea. Vernon 
 was a brave and dashing officer, but with a very 
 unhappy temper, sometimes violent, and usually 
 querulous, and not gifted with the cool judgment 
 and well-balanced mind of his contemporary Anson. 
 He had not been long at his post in the Downs 
 when he wrote to the First Lord of the Admiralty 
 desiring to be relieved of his command. The 
 Board, on the very next day, sent down by express 
 an order to strike his flag and come on shore. 
 Vice Admiral Martin was at the same time appointed 
 his successor. For some time before this Vernon's 
 irritability, and his intemperate language about 
 the naval administration, had made him almost 
 unbearable, and the moment he offered his resig- 
 nation it was gladly accepted. This gave fresh 
 cause for angry and abusive attacks on the 
 Admiralty, and it was discovered that he had 
 written, or caused to be written and published, two 
 very violent anonymous pamphlets, a most heinous
 
 340 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 offence in the view of all official persons. Being 
 summoned to attend the Board, he did not show 
 a submissive spirit, or express any regret for his 
 imprudent violence, and accordingly on the follow- 
 ing day, by a resolution of the Board, he was 
 struck off the list of flag-officers. This made a 
 great fuss at the time, for Vernon had been a 
 great favourite with the nation, on account of his 
 having taken Porto Bello, and bombarded Cartha- 
 gena, and performed a few other brilliant exploits 
 when in the West Indies. His vanity and ostenta- 
 tion, his harsh treatment of his officers and men, 
 and his insolence to his superiors had gradually 
 alienated men's minds. He made no attempt to 
 be restored to the service, and, retiring to his seat 
 in Suffolk, died there in 1/57. 
 
 This affair of Admiral Vernon being disposed of, 
 Anson was next busily occupied with some matters 
 of permanent importance to the naval service. 
 There were great abuses in the dock-yards, and it 
 was through his representations that an Order in 
 Council was issued for improving the building of 
 ships, a reform much needed, and only partially 
 carried out, owing to inveterate abuses and scandalous 
 jobbery. Long afterwards Nelson had to complain 
 of those abuses, and the patriotic zeal of Cochrane, 
 Lord Dundonald, failed to compel public attention 
 to the matter. Anson did what he could in his 
 time, but there always has been need, and there is
 
 A NSON A T THE A DMIRA L TY. 34 1 
 
 still need, of light being thrown on the dark places 
 of naval ' construction ' and administration. 
 
 Another subject in which Anson inaugurated re- 
 form, was the mode of promotion and of retirement 
 of flag-officers. There were long lists of aged 
 captains left to subsist on the pittance of half-pay, 
 and with no hope of advancement, and no prospect 
 of living in retirement with some comfort after long 
 service. Admiral Anson arranged this difficult 
 question in a satisfactory way. He strongly felt 
 that it was not for the advantage of the nation to 
 appoint men to high command on important duties 
 by mere seniority, and he always urged the appoint- 
 ment of the best and fittest men, however young and 
 low on the lists, for promotion ; but be obtained an 
 Order in Council for the promotion of all old captains 
 thus passed over to attain the present rank and 
 the pay of rear admirals, without implying active 
 service. 
 
 Another curious reform, now first introduced, was 
 the regulation of the dress of naval officers. It will 
 be scarcely credited that, up to the middle of last 
 century, there was no special dress or costume in the 
 Royal Navy. On the Mediterranean station it was 
 a common thing for lieutenants of the navy to 
 purchase the soldiers' old coats at Mahon and 
 Gibraltar, and trimming them with Hack wore them 
 as a uniform. The colour of the breeches on every 
 station was quite immaterial, and left to the fancy
 
 342 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 of each officer, and was generally black or scarlet. 
 Major Rennell, in a letter, says, ' Sixty-two years 
 ago, in 1759, I saw a Master of a man-of-war, who 
 wore a red coat trimmed with black, and thought 
 himself very smart. Perhaps it was one of the 
 lieutenant's old coats, as they then wore blue 
 uniforms.' 
 
 The introduction of ' navy blue ' was then very 
 recent, and was a novelty in the middle of the 
 century. In a letter from Captain Keppel to Captain 
 P. Saumarez, dated London, 25th August, 1747, he 
 says : ' My Lord Anson is desirous that many of us 
 should make coats after our own tastes, and then that 
 a choice should be made of one to be general, and if 
 you will appear in it here, he says he will be answer- 
 able your taste will not be among the worst.' What 
 the uniforn then selected was does not appear, nor 
 can any Order in Council be found either in the 
 Council Office, nor in the Admiralty, where Sir 
 John Barrow caused careful search to be made. 
 What share Captain Saumarez had in the selection or 
 other specimens of individual taste remains hidden 
 in past history. The gossiping wits of the town 
 said that the Duke of Bedford, the First Lord of the 
 Admiralty, took the idea of ' blue, with white collars, 
 cuffs, and facings,' from the Duchess of Bedford's 
 riding habit ! Be this as it may, the adoption of 
 blue as the naval colour dates from that time. If 
 any modifications in the details of uniform were
 
 ANSON AT THE ADMIRALTY. 343 
 
 gradually introduced, the record of these must be 
 found in portraits of naval officers in picture- 
 galleries, or in costumes preserved in family ward- 
 robes and old oak chests, or in historical relics, such 
 as the famous one of Nelson's coat in the show-case 
 at Greenwich Hospital. The regulation dress for all 
 ranks is now an affair of fixed and official exactness, 
 as may be seen in the catalogues of equipment 
 tailors, or in the price lists of the Army and Navy 
 Stores.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 ANSON'S ENGAGEMENT OFF FINISTERRE. 
 
 ~\l\ ORE serious concerns had soon to occupy 
 ^*-*- the thoughts and time of Admiral Anson. 
 There had been a succession of unfortunate and 
 sometimes disgraceful failures at sea. An English 
 commodore, with four sail of the line and a large 
 frigate, had fled from the French commander M. de 
 Conflans, with only two ships of war convoying a 
 large fleet of merchantmen. Equally disgraceful 
 was the conduct of another commodore in the East 
 Indies, who declined meeting M. la Bourdonnais, 
 and suffered him to blockade Madras, and exact 
 a ransom from the inhabitants of half a million 
 sterling. Other disasters had occurred, and on the 
 strength of these successes the French and Spanish 
 fleets again assumed a threatening position, and 
 were preparing a new descent on England. If the 
 Brest and Rochefort squadrons, along with that at 
 Ferrol, got command of the Channel there would 
 be a dark look-out. Anson determined to assume 
 command of the Home Fleet, and on the 9th of
 
 ANSON'S ENGA GEMENT OFF FINISTERRE. 345 
 
 April, 1 747, he sailed from Plymouth with a powerful 
 squadron, hoisting his flag in the ' Prince George, 
 ninety guns, seven hundred and seventy men, with 
 Rear Admiral Warren second in command in the 
 ' Devonshire.' Twelve ships of the line, ranging 
 from seventy-four to sixty guns, nearly nine hundred 
 guns in all, and manned by about six thousand five 
 hundred seamen and marines, with several smaller 
 vessels, formed this formidable force. Several of the 
 old officers of the ' Centurion,' Brett, Saumarez, 
 Dennis, and others, were now in command of ships 
 of the line under their old Commodore, now Vice 
 Admiral of the Fleet. The ' Centurion,' fifty, was 
 commanded by Captain Dennis. 
 
 On the 3rd of May Anson fell in with and 
 engaged the combined squadrons from the French 
 ports off Cape Finisterre. The French had only ten 
 ships of the line, while the English had fourteen, 
 so that it was rather an unequal contest, but there 
 was a good fair fight all the same. Anson's 
 despatch describing the affair, sent home in charge 
 of Captain Dennis of the ' Centurion,' arrived at the 
 Admiralty on the i6th of May. It is a thoroughly 
 characteristic document, giving a plain narrative of 
 proceeding, and of his own success, without any 
 vaunting spirit, and paying generous tribute to the 
 conduct of the enemy. After describing the sight- 
 ing of the French fleet, the chase, and the prepara- 
 tions for engagement, he says : ' By noon I plainly
 
 346 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 discerned the chase to be a French fleet. Nine of 
 the ships had shortened sail, and were drawing into 
 a line of battle ahead. The rest of the fleet whom 
 I judged to be under their convoy were stretching 
 to the westward with all the sail they could set. 
 
 ' At one o'clock I made the signal for the line of 
 battle abreast, and in half-an-hour afterwards for 
 the line ahead. About three I made the signal for 
 the ship in the van to lead more large, in order to 
 come to a close engagement with the enemy ; who 
 getting their fore-tacks on board, and loosing their 
 top-gallant sails, convinced me that their sole aim 
 was to gain time, and endeavour to make their 
 escape under favour of the night, rinding themselves 
 deceived in our strength ; upon which I made a 
 signal for the whole fleet to pursue the enemy and 
 attack them, without having any regard to the line 
 of battle.' 
 
 Our old friend the ' Centurion ' had the honour 
 of leading off. ' The ' Centurion/ says Anson, 
 ' having got up with the sternmost ship of the 
 enemy about four o'clock, began to engage her, upon 
 which two of the largest of the enemy's ships bore 
 down to her assistance. The ' Namur,' ' Defiance/ 
 and ' Windsor/ being the headmost ships, soon 
 entered into the action, and after having disabled 
 these ships in such a manner that the ships astern 
 must come up with them, they made sail ahead to 
 prevent the van of the enemy making an escape.'
 
 ANSON'S ENGA GEMENT OFF FINISTERRE. 347 
 
 Some details of the fight having been given, the 
 Admiral's despatch tells that ' all the ships in the 
 enemy's rear struck their colours between six and 
 seven o'clock, and all those that were in the line 
 before night.' He adds, ' To do justice to the 
 French officers, they did their duty well, and lost 
 their ships with honour, scarcely any of them 
 striking their colours till their ships were dismasted.' 
 The issue of the engagement was never doubtful, 
 the English having superiority both in guns and men, 
 but Anson's management of the affair is not the less 
 creditable. As soon as he saw the enemy making 
 sail, he at once annulled the previous signal regarding 
 forming line of battle, and ordered each ship to ' go 
 at ' a Frenchman, as Nelson did afterwards in his 
 most famous fights. Every ship of the enemy was 
 captured, and also a good many of the merchant 
 vessels. The French general, or clief-d'escadrc, was 
 M. de Jonquicre. M. St. George, commander of 
 the ' Invincible,' kept his colours flying some time 
 after the general had struck. M. St. George struck to 
 Anson's ship ' Prince George,' and when he came on 
 board to deliver up his sword to the Admiral all 
 were struck by the courtesy and coolness of this 
 French officer of the old chivalrous type. He went 
 frankly up to Anson, presenting his sword with the 
 words, ' Monsieur, vous avez vaincu " L'Invincible," 
 et " La Gloire" vous suit,' referring to the companion 
 French ship. This neat epigrammatic compliment
 
 348 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 was delivered in charming manner, and the scene 
 proved the beginning of a personal friendship which 
 became very intimate, and ceased only with the 
 Admiral's death. 
 
 The news of the victory caused great satisfaction 
 in England. The Duke of Bedford wrote to Anson : 
 ' You will easily believe no one in this town did with 
 greater joy receive the news of your great success 
 than myself; and universal I may say it is, as I am 
 just come home through illuminated streets and bon- 
 fires. The King told me this morning at his levee 
 that I had given him the best breakfast he has had 
 for a long time, and I think I never saw him more 
 pleased in my life. He has ordered Captain Dennis 
 a reward of ^500 for bringing this welcome news.' 
 
 The rejoicings were renewed when the ships 
 returned to Portsmouth with the prizes captured ; 
 and when the treasure taken in the merchantmen 
 was conveyed to London, and carried, with grand 
 military escort, through the streets of the City, to 
 the Bank, all the population again witnessed the 
 scene, as had been the case when the treasure 
 from the Spanish Acapulco ship arrived, with 
 similar rejoicing and triumph. This permanent 
 benefit came out of the affair, that the national pride 
 and public confidence in Anson brought him addi- 
 tional authority as well as fame ; and the country 
 had the advantage in his now more than ever being 
 trusted as the chief administrator of naval affairs.
 
 ANSON' S ENGA GEM EXT OFF FINISTERRE. 349 
 
 This was the first victory gained in the war, and like 
 the glorious ' ist of June' in after years, Anson's 
 success off Finisterre inspirited the navy and 
 animated the nation. 
 
 When the Admiral waited on the King, he met 
 with a most cordial reception, the King thanking 
 him most warmly, and through him all the officers 
 and men for their bravery and conduct. On the 
 1 3th of June His Majesty was further pleased to 
 create Vice Admiral Anson a Peer of Great Britain, 
 by the title of Baron Anson, of Soberton in the 
 county of Hants ; and Rear Admiral Warren was 
 honoured with the military Order of the Bath. 
 
 Resuming his duties as member of the Admiralty 
 Board, Anson took watchful and energetic superin- 
 tendence of affairs. By his recommendation Rear 
 Admiral Hawke was appointed to the command of 
 a squadron sent to intercept a large French fleet 
 about to sail from Basque Road for the \Vest Indies, 
 under a strong force of ships of the line. The 
 French fleet left Rochelle Road on the 8th of 
 October, and on the i/th Hawke, who had left 
 Plymouth on the gth, came up with the enemy, 
 took six of their finest ships, four of them of 74 
 guns, and gained a complete victory. The English 
 had superiority in number of ships and of guns, but 
 in men they were nearly equal, the French Admiral's 
 ship, 'Le Tonnant,' having 822 men and 80 guns, 
 and four other ships having 686 men each and 64
 
 350 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 guns ; whereas the English commander's ship, the 
 'Devonshire,' had only 550 men and 66 guns, and 
 most of the large ships having only 400 men and 
 60 guns. The loss of the French amounted to nearly 
 800 killed and wounded, of the English about 150 
 killed, among them being Captain Saumarez of the 
 ' Nottingham,' 60 guns, 400 men, who was deeply 
 lamented by Anson, whose lieutenant he had been 
 in the ' Centurion ' in their famous voyage. 
 
 Hawke received high honours on his return home. 
 Some English captains, whose conduct on various 
 occasions seemed blameworthy, were tried by court- 
 martial, and Anson showed himself as severe in 
 punishing the evildoers as he was generous in 
 approving those who did well in the service. By 
 the vigorous administration of affairs the glory of 
 the British flag was renewed on every sea, and the 
 colonies were now free from menace and insult. 
 The East India Company's settlements were the 
 only exception, for the French maintained an over- 
 whelming force in the eastern seas, and they also 
 managed to keep from capture their settlements on 
 land, some of which, as Pondicherry, remain in their 
 possession to the present day. 
 
 We must not further refer to the incidents of 
 the war which closed with the Treaty of Peace of 
 Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. In 1749 Lord Sandwich 
 became First Lord of the Admiralty ; being appointed 
 in the previous year, when the Duke of Bedford
 
 ANSON'S ENGA GEMENT OFF FINISTERRE. 351 
 
 was advanced to the head of the Government. In 
 writing to Lord Anson from the Continent, where 
 Lord Sandwich was attending the King, he said : 
 ' I hope soon to have the happiness of being with 
 you in England, when we will take care to settle 
 things at the Board upon such a footing as to leave 
 no room there for anything to be done contrary to 
 our inclination.' One of the first measures carried 
 by them was the visitation of all the dockyards 
 and other naval establishments, which were to be 
 inspected once in every two years by the Board. 
 There does not seem to have been previously any 
 inspection or control ; and the number and variety of 
 abuses now brought to light can hardly be credited. 
 Much good resulted from these visitations, and a 
 vast expenditure of money and stores was saved to 
 the nation. In our day the inspection is once a year, 
 which is seldom enough, for much irregularity, waste, 
 and abuse may still be found in these as in other 
 public establishments. 
 
 The next important measure carried was ' An Act 
 for amending and consolidating the Laws relating 
 to the Navy,' a comprehensive and useful measure, 
 which in the main is in force to the present time. 
 One of the chief modifications subsequently made 
 was the removal of the right of courts-martial to 
 inflict the penalty of death, a change which was 
 occasioned by the excitement attending the trial 
 and execution of the unfortunate Admiral Byng,
 
 352 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 about the justice and policy of which public opinion 
 was much divided. Anson incurred some censure 
 for assenting to the death of Byng, but the stern 
 strictness of the law at the time prevented any 
 interference with the sentence. It was afterwards 
 modified to the effect of providing for ' such punish- 
 ment as the court shall deem the offence to deserve,' 
 that of death being abolished as the judgment of 
 courts-martial. Measures were also carried regarding 
 the manning of the navy. To provide seamen for 
 the navy, without distressing trade, was to be 
 brought about chiefly by raising the pay and in- 
 creasing the comfort of seamen in the service ; 
 but the exigences of war at a late period left the 
 expedient of 'pressing' still necessary, and it is only 
 in recent times that the wealth and liberality of the 
 nation has provided annually for a certain number 
 of men for the navy, and a vote of money in supply 
 for their adequate payment. Much has been done, 
 by voluntary beneficence as well as by official 
 attention, to improve the position and welfare of 
 the navy.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 ANSON FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY 
 THE SEVEN YEARS 1 WAR. 
 
 TN 1751, on some changes being made in the 
 * Government, Lord Anson was chosen to succeed 
 Lord Sandwich as First Lord of the Admiralty, for 
 which no one could be better qualified, as he had for 
 five years previously carried on most of the duties 
 of the First Lord. No one was superior to him in 
 professional knowledge and sound judgment in all 
 naval affairs. There was need for such a man in 
 the critical times soon coming on the nation, for 
 within four years Europe was convulsed with what 
 in history is known as ' The Seven Years' War.' 
 The peace of Aix-la-Chapelle was far from being 
 a satisfactory settlement to any of the great powers 
 concerned in it, and those who were most hostile to 
 England, and jealous of her power, especially at sea, 
 during the short period of enforced peace busily 
 prepared for the renewal of war. 
 
 One of Anson's first steps of preparation for 
 the new war was the permanent establishment of a 
 
 23
 
 354 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 corps of marines, under the immediate command of 
 the Admiralty. In this proposal he was carrying 
 out the suggestions made by the Duke of Cumber- 
 land, Commander-in-Chief of the army, and of Lord 
 Sandwich, who had advised it some years previously. 
 The new corps was to take the place of those marine 
 regiments which had been 'broken' or disbanded 
 at the close of the last war. The fault of the old 
 system was that when a ship was paid off, or a fleet 
 dismantled, the men who had been serving as marines 
 were turned adrift, as being, according to the Duke 
 of Cumberland's saying, 'neither sea nor land forces.' 
 The new system established by Anson gave a 
 separate and permanent organisation to the force 
 of marines, and the plan, which was from the first 
 successful, remains the same in principle to the 
 present. The Sailor-King, William IV., who was 
 also a good soldier, always was a zealous supporter 
 of the corps of Royal Marines, the headquarters of 
 which are at Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Chatham. 
 
 As the French were preparing powerful fleets at 
 several ports, it was necessary to have separate 
 squadrons to watch and to meet them. Anson 
 went down, with the Duke of Cumberland, to inspect 
 that under the command of Sir Edward Hawke, 
 which put to sea in July, before war actually broke 
 out. In fact, there was no formal declaration 
 of war, but both sides commenced hostilities by 
 attacking trading vessels and by reprisals. Hawke
 
 LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY. 355 
 
 went out to intercept a French fleet intended for 
 the West Indies, but as it put into Cadiz on hearing 
 that the English fleet was looking for it, Hawke 
 returned to Spithead. It was part of Hawke's fleet 
 that was sent under Admiral Byng for the relief 
 of Minorca, then threatened by a French fleet from 
 Toulon. Byng's expedition was not successful, and 
 the failure caused great clamour in England. The 
 trial of the Admiral, and his condemnation to death 
 by sentence of a court-martial, is a sad piece of 
 history, which it is not necessary to enlarge upon 
 here. The general opinion now is that the inscrip- 
 tion on the tomb of Byng, in the burying-place 
 of the Torrington family at Southill, Bedfordshire, 
 spoke the truth in calling him ' a martyr to political 
 persecution, March I4th, 1757 ; at a time when 
 bravery and loyalty were insufficient securities for 
 the life and honour of a naval officer.' 
 
 The real cause of the temporary retirement of 
 Anson at this time was the agitation produced by 
 the loss of Minorca. The friends of Admiral Byng 
 had attributed his want of success to the inadequate 
 preparation for his expedition, and the storm of 
 popular indignation grew strong enough to upset 
 the Ministry. The Duke of Newcastle's resignation 
 was followed by that of the Lord Chancellor Hard- 
 wicke (Anson's father-in-law), after having held the 
 Great Seal for nearly twenty years. There was 
 much negotiation as to the formation of a new
 
 356 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Ministry. It was found that the Duke of Newcastle 
 was indispensable, and that Fox was to be in 
 the Cabinet as Paymaster of the Forces, while Pitt 
 was to be Secretary of State. All with one voice 
 recommended that Anson should again be at the 
 head of the Admiralty. The King was especially 
 pleased with that part of the arrangement, and in July, 
 1757, Anson resumed his active duties at the Board, 
 which had been for a short time under the manage- 
 ment ' of Earl Temple and of Lord Winchilsea. 
 The utmost exertions were made by Pitt for vigorous 
 prosecution of the war in the following year, 1758. 
 The number of seamen voted for the year was 
 60,000, including nearly 15,000 marines. For the 
 greater encouraging of men to enter the service, a 
 Bill was passed for a more regular and frequent pay- 
 ment of their wages, and for enabling them when at 
 sea in foreign parts to make remittances for their 
 wives and families or relatives. This was the 
 beginning of a very useful reform, which has been 
 since extended by allowing sailors to assign a portion 
 of their pay for the use of their families, or for others 
 designated in proper form. It was to An son's care 
 that this and other arrangements for the benefit of 
 the men were mainly due. Services of this kind, 
 although useful, are not so conspicuously popular 
 as preparations for war. Two squadrons were sent 
 out, under Boscawen and Hawke, the two flag-officers 
 in whom Anson, and the nation generally, placed
 
 ANSON FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY. 357 
 
 the greatest confidence. Boscawen was ordered, with 
 a powerful fleet of twenty-three sail of the line, six 
 frigates, and other smaller vessels, to North America ; 
 the object being to recover Cape Breton, Louisbourg, 
 and other stations which had been ceded to France. 
 According to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle the 
 hostile powers were to resume possession of all 
 places, as they were at the outbreak of the war. 
 Boscawen only partially succeeded in his mission for 
 the present, though he inflicted considerable loss on 
 the enemy, and received the thanks of Parliament 
 on his return in the winter. Another powerful 
 squadron, under Sir Edward Hawke, was sent to 
 watch the French fleets in their ports, and by attack- 
 ing and destroying the defences, magazines, and 
 shipping, as well as buildings of a public nature, to 
 harass the French, and keep their troops employed 
 at home instead ot reinforcing the continental armies. 
 Hawke carried out his instructions with energy, and 
 one benefit of this raid was the protection of Jersey 
 and Guernsey, for the invasion of which great pre- 
 parations had been made at St. Malo. 
 
 It was thought advisable to retain a powerful 
 fleet on the English coast, and by the end of May 
 a splendid squadron, or rather two squadrons, had 
 assembled at Spithead. The command of one of 
 the squadrons, composed of twenty-two sail of the 
 line and nine frigates, was, by the particular desire 
 of Mr. Pitt, taken by Lord Anson himself, who
 
 358 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 hoisted his flag in the ' Royal George ' of one hun- 
 dred guns. The other squadron, of five ships, ten 
 frigates, and many smaller vessels, was commanded 
 by the Hon. Captain Howe, of whose ability both 
 Pitt and Anson had formed the highest opinion. 
 Howe, at this early time, fully justified the expecta- 
 tions raised. Standing across the Channel he harassed 
 the French coasts, and in conjunction with land forces, 
 whose disembarkation he had covered, Cherbourg 
 was taken, and all the magazines, batteries, and 
 stores there destroyed, as well as all the shipping in 
 the harbour. The cannon taken in the expedition were 
 exhibited for a time in Hyde Park, and then drawn 
 in procession, amidst the acclamations of the people, 
 to the Tower. All the dray-horses in London were 
 gladly lent for this triumphal service. 
 
 Anson's fleet, which had been partly employed 
 in covering the movements of Commodore Howe's 
 squadron, remained to block up the harbour of 
 Brest, where the chief French fleet was stationed. 
 He continued for some months in command, and 
 in the end of summer returned to England, leaving 
 Admiral Saunders to keep up the blockade of Brest, 
 and to look out for the French fleet expected to 
 return from the North American station. All this 
 time separate ships of Anson's squadron were 
 cruising in the Channel, and beyond having the 
 good fortune to make many prizes, mostly rich 
 merchant ships, Captain Dennis, Anson's old lieu-
 
 ANSON FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRAL TY. 350 
 
 tenant, made a more famous stroke in the capture 
 of the ' Raisonable,' a French war-ship of 64 guns 
 and 630 men of whom 61 were killed and 100 
 wounded during the two hours' action ; while the 
 ' Dorsetshire,' Dennis's ship, lost only I 5 killed and 
 20 wounded. 
 
 During the next year, 1759, the war with France 
 was continued with equal vigour by the navy, both 
 at home and abroad. Anson was indefatigable in 
 getting the fleet and squadrons well equipped, well 
 manned, and well officered as the names of the 
 commanders suffice to show. Among these were 
 Boscawen, Saunders, Rodney, Brodrick, and others 
 of established reputation, while Anson had special 
 satisfaction in giving commands to his old associ- 
 ates in the South Sea, those who were then young 
 officers under him, Brett, Dennis, Howe, Keppel, and 
 Byron. Very gratifying it was to their honoured 
 Commodore, as well as to themselves, that these 
 officers of Anson were selected by Sir Edward 
 Hawke, to serve under his immediate eye in the 
 centre division of the Channel Fleet, consisting of 
 twenty-seven sail of the line and thirteen frigates. 
 
 France was still powerful and rich enough to 
 make preparations for encountering the English 
 fleets at sea, and for resuming her former policy of 
 threatening the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland 
 with invasion. At Havre, at Brest, and at Dun- 
 kirk squadrons were stationed, with great fleets of
 
 360 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 transports, ready to carry troops on this service. 
 At Dunkirk a squadron was ready for sailing to 
 Ireland, under the command of Thurot, a notable 
 privateer, whose adventures were as daring as those 
 of the American Paul Jones in after times. Anson 
 had to prepare for meeting all these threatened 
 attacks. Rodney was given the command of the 
 squadron for protection of the coasts of England. 
 Commodore Boys was sent to watch Thurot, who con- 
 trived, however, to give him the slip, and managed to 
 arrive at Carrickfergus, where he levied a contribu- 
 tion on the inhabitants and destroyed the fortifica- 
 tions. Captain Elliot, of the ' ^olus,' with two other 
 frigates put to sea in quest of him, and falling in 
 with the French squadron, also of three frigates, off 
 the Isle of Man, after a sharp action took all the 
 French ships, Thurot being killed in the engage- 
 ment. Rodney in the meanwhile had destroyed the 
 French fleet at Havre, and Boscawen had taken 
 several of the enemy's finest ships on the west coast 
 of France and in the Bay of Biscay. The greatest 
 blow of all was dealt by Sir Edward Hawke, who 
 defeated the great French fleet under M. de Con- 
 flans, and took their best ships. On his return to 
 England he attended in his place in the House of 
 Commons, and to the address of the Speaker, 
 conveying the thanks of the House and of the 
 nation 'for his late signal victory,' Hawke replied 
 in a speech which is a model of pithy and pointed
 
 A NSON FIRST L ORD OF THE A DMIRA LTY. 361 
 
 language, very much like what Wellington uttered 
 on a similar occasion. The Speaker had delivered 
 a detailed and eloquent account of the Admiral's 
 services, which he said 'could not but bring to 
 remembrance the design and the fate of another 
 Armada, in a former age of glory, whose defeat was 
 at that time the safety of England, and the lasting 
 renown of the English Navy.' Sir Edward, with 
 characteristic modesty and brevity, thus replied : ' I 
 own myself greatly at a loss as to the proper 
 manner of acknowledging the great honour con- 
 ferred on me by this august House, in their distin- 
 guished approbation of my conduct on the 2Oth of 
 November last In doing my utmost I only did 
 the duty I owed to my King and country, which 
 ever has been, and shall be, my greatest ambition, 
 to perform faithfully and honestly to the best of 
 my ability.' When he waited on His Majesty he 
 was received with marked favour, and a pension of 
 2,000 a year was bestowed for his own life and 
 that of his sons for his great services to the 
 country.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 LAST SERVICES OF ANSON HONOURS AND 
 TITLES. 
 
 next great event and success of the war 
 was the conquest of Canada in the summer of 
 I 759- The fleet on this service was under the 
 command of Sir Charles Saunders, and the land- 
 forces were under Major General Wolfe, whose 
 appointment over the head of other senior officers 
 was one of the many patriotic and happy actions of 
 Pitt, and which caused as much displeasure in the 
 army as that of Hawke by Lord Anson had raised 
 in the navy. But the result proved the wisdom of 
 the appointments in either case. In the expedition 
 under Sir Charles Saunders there were not a few men 
 employed, some of them in very subordinate positions 
 at that time, but who afterwards became famous in 
 history. Among them was Lieutenant Jervis, after- 
 wards Earl St. Vincent, and Captain Cook in com- 
 mand of a transport vessel, who was afterwards the 
 renowned navigator and explorer. These, and others 
 of like historical fame, first received distinction in the
 
 LAST SERVICES OF ANSON. 363 
 
 operations that led to the taking of Quebec and the 
 conquest of Canada. 
 
 The spirit and energy displayed by Pitt in 
 directing the operations by land, and Anson in 
 those by sea, had now secured for England complete 
 security from attack, and so disheartened the French 
 that they only continued the war in the way of de- 
 sultory warfare, with small squadrons and stealthy 
 detachment of troops to distant enterprises. The 
 English armies and fleets did not, however, relax 
 their vigilance, and powerful fleets kept watch on 
 the coasts and made daring attacks on those of the 
 enemy. While Hawke and Boscawen were on the 
 home station no French fleet ventured out to sea, al- 
 though they had many ships at Brest, Ouiberon Bay, 
 Basque Roads, and other secure places. When any 
 vessels were despatched to carry supplies or reinforce- 
 ments to their colonies, they seldom escaped the 
 vigilance of the British cruisers, and every month 
 increased the record of successful engagements and 
 valuable prizes. 
 
 In 1760 Anson had to bear the heaviest affliction 
 which could befall him personally,. in the death of 
 Lady Anson, a woman in every way worthy of her 
 illustrious husband. She was universally respected 
 as an accomplished and amiable woman, and of her 
 high spirit and pride in her husband a single anecdote 
 may be quoted in illustration. When the great 
 excitement was raised in London on the arrival of
 
 364 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 the guns taken at Cherbourg, and their public exhi- 
 bition in Hyde Park, Lady Anson quietly remarked 
 that they were ' keeping Hyde Park for some days 
 like a fair, and making a fuss about twenty guns 
 to be taken to the Tower. I had a great mind to 
 send them to Woolwich, where there lie near two 
 hundred which my lord took and never showed to 
 anybody.' 
 
 Lady Anson died on the 1st of June, 1760. On 
 the 2 yth of October of the same year the King, 
 George II., died at Kensington. His death Anson 
 sincerely mourned, for he had ever been to him a 
 good master, and extended to him the utmost friend- 
 ship and confidence. Tne accession of George III. 
 was not immediately followed by any change in the 
 Administration, nor in the policy and action of those 
 in charge of national affairs. The British fleets were 
 active at all their stations, and with such successes 
 that France sent overtures of peace in the following 
 year. The proposals made by the Due de Choiseul 
 on behalf of the French king were favourably 
 received by Pitt and approved by George III., but 
 the negotiations were for the time interrupted by the 
 treachery of M. Bussy, the French Ambassador, who 
 was found to have been plotting a new alliance 
 with Spain against England. Pitt declared that 
 active and decided steps should be taken to resent 
 this underhand dealing, and was in favour of at once 
 declaring war against Spain, threatening his resig-
 
 LAST SERVICES OF ANSON. 365 
 
 nation if this were not done. Most of the King's 
 advisers opposed him, and it was said that some 
 of them were not sorry to hear of Pitt's resolution, 
 feeling themselves to be eclipsed by his superior 
 splendour. The King taking their side, and the 
 nation being wearied of war, Pitt's resignation was 
 accepted ; but soon afterwards war was declared with 
 Spain, and that against France was continued with 
 renewed energy. Lord Bute was now at the head 
 of the Ministry, but Anson still remained at the 
 Admiralty, with the complete direction of naval 
 affairs. 
 
 The last time that Anson had his flag flying was 
 in a peaceful, not a warlike, expedition. On the 
 8th of July, 1761, the King had made known to the 
 Privy Council his intention of asking in marriage 
 the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenberg Strelitz. By 
 His Majesty's command Lord Anson was ordered to 
 prepare a squadron of ships of war, and to pro- 
 ceed with them under his official flag to escort the 
 Princess to England. The royal yacht, 'Caroline,' 
 was prepared and newly decorated, and the command 
 of her was given to Anson's old friend, Captain Peter 
 Dennis. Lord Anson, having the month previously 
 been made Admiral of the Fleet, hoisted the Union 
 flag on board the ' Royal Charlotte.' The squadron, 
 consisting of all the other royal yachts of the 
 ' Winchester,' fifty-gun ship, the ' Nottingham,' sixty, 
 ' Minerva,' thirty-two, ' Tartar,' twenty-eight, and two
 
 366 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 sloops of fourteen guns each, sailed from Harwich 
 on the 8th of August. On the 24th, on the embark- 
 ation of thePrincess, the 'Royal Charlotte' was 
 dressed in the several colours of all nations, which 
 as soon as she stepped on board were instantly 
 struck, and the Royal Standard of England hoisted 
 at the maintop-gallant mast-head, the Admiralty 
 flag at the fore, and the Union at the mizzen. After 
 a very rough passage, which the Princess, according 
 to Anson's Journal, bore remarkably well, they 
 arrived at Harwich on the 6th of September. The 
 future Queen set off for London, Lord Anson struck 
 his flag, and the squadron dispersed. 
 
 The King in his Speech from the Throne declared 
 his purpose, with the concurrence and support of the 
 Commons, to carry on the war with France and 
 Spain with the utmost vigour. Seventy thousand 
 seamen were voted, as in the previous year. Anson 
 diligently attended to the affairs of the service, and 
 the fleet was known to be in the highest state of 
 efficiency. In the appointments to command he 
 took special care, never allowing any private solicita- 
 tion to affect his choice of the best men, all of whom 
 he now knew. A nobleman high in the Government 
 recommended an officer, and was told by Anson that 
 he considered himself responsible for the officers 
 employed on every station, and he never allowed 
 any dictation in the course of his high duty. 
 
 Of the incidents and events of the closing years
 
 LAST SERVICES OF ANSON. 367 
 
 of the war we do not think it necessary to give any 
 detailed account Everywhere the English flag was 
 successful, and all regions of the globe bore witness 
 of its triumphs, both against France and Spain. 
 The French found that the new alliance had not 
 redeemed, but had rather augmented, her troubles 
 and disasters. The two powers, being humbled by 
 the loss of their possessions and the destruction of 
 their navies and their commerce, were glad to sue 
 for peace. The preliminaries were arranged and 
 signed at Fontainebleau in November, 1762, and 
 ratified on the loth ; and peace was proclaimed in 
 London on the 22nd of February, 1763, to the great 
 joy of the nation. Lord Anson did not live to see 
 quite the close of the famous ' Seven Years' War,' 
 to the successful issue of which his naval adminis- 
 tration had to no inconsiderable extent contributed. 
 Never had the British Navy attained to such a high 
 pitch of discipline and of strength, never performed 
 deeds of loftier renown, or displayed greater ex- 
 cellence in seamanship, than during the time when 
 Anson was at the head of the naval department. 
 He did not survive to witness all the beneficial 
 results of the victories and of the peace that 
 followed. 
 
 In February, 1762, he went to Portsmouth with 
 the Queen's brother, Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh, 
 to show him the arsenal, and the fleet then on the 
 point of sailing, under command of Sir George
 
 368 FROM MIDDY TO ADMIRAL. 
 
 Pocock, for the West Indies. In attending the 
 Prince he caught a severe cold, and being already 
 enfeebled by gout, which was temporarily relieved 
 by a visit to Bath, he died, after languishing two or 
 three months, on the 6th of June, 1762, at his seat 
 at Moor Park, Hertfordshire, and was buried in the 
 family vault at Colwich. 
 
 Besides being Admiral of the Fleet, Lord An son 
 was a Privy Councillor, one of the Elder Brethren of 
 the Trinity House, and a Governor of the Charter 
 House. He was very hospitable and loved to have 
 people at his table ; and was a true friend and 
 patron to men of real wortH and true capacity in 
 the service. 
 
 He left his whole fortune to his brother Thomas 
 Anson, who was Member of Parliament for Lichfield ; 
 and upon his decease the united fortunes devolved to 
 his nephew by his eldest sister, George Adams, Esq., 
 who assumed the name of Anson.* 
 
 As an officer Anson was cool and steady in the 
 execution of his duty, daring and enterprising, yet 
 
 * The present representative of the Anson family is Thomas 
 George Anson, Earl of Lichfield ; Viscount Anson, of Shug- 
 borough, Co. Stafford; and Baron Soberton,of Soberton, Hants. 
 His father, Thomas William, was second Viscount and first Earl. 
 In Peerage books will be seen how many noble and distinguished 
 families are allied to the heirs and representatives of the famous 
 " Commodore Anson," who, when Vice-Admiral, was created, by 
 George II., in 1747, a peer of Great Britain, by the title of Lord 
 Anson, Baron of Soberton, Co. Hants.
 
 LAST SERVICES OF AN SON. 369 
 
 patient under difficulties, and endowed with a 
 courage that no dangers could daunt. He was an 
 ardent patriot, and served his country with the 
 utmost zeal and devotion. He showed his inde- 
 pendence and judgment in selecting always the 
 best men known to him, and his old lieutenants in 
 the ' Centurion ' almost all rose to high distinction 
 Sir Charles Saunders, Captain Philip Saumarez, Sir 
 Piercy Brett, Sir Peter Dennis, and Lord Keppel. 
 
 In disposition he was gentle and unassuming, 
 courteous and kind. In all professional matters 
 his judgment was sound and comprehensive ; and 
 Mr. Pitt always said he was one of his ablest 
 colleagues. Of what is called ' good fortune ' no 
 man had a larger share in his time ; but then no 
 man deserved it more, for his successes were not 
 the result of chance or of patronage, but of personal 
 merit, and of well-concerted and well-executed 
 designs. On the whole, we may say of Lord 
 Anson that he was one of the most illustrious 
 characters that the British Navy has produced, 
 and one whose name will be honoured to the latest 
 time. 
 
 24
 
 I 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE A. 
 Entering tfie Navy in Old Times. 
 
 N the first chapter reference is made to unusual 
 ways of getting into the Royal Navy in former 
 times. Many other curious facts might have been 
 added. 
 
 The famous Thomas Cochrane, afterwards tenth 
 Earl of Dundonald, at the early age of five was 
 entered in 1780 on the books of the ' Vesuvius ' 
 bomb, then under command of the Hon. Alexander 
 Cochrane, his uncle, who distinguished himself in 
 some of Lord Rodney's actions. Of course Lord 
 Cochrane was not quite old enough to go to sea 
 in any capacity ; but the family council determined 
 that the boy's name should, as soon as possible, be 
 entered on the books of a man-of-war, and, the uncle 
 being willing, the future hero of Basque Roads 
 became nominally, though not actually, captain's 
 servant to the gallant commander of the ' Vesuvius.' 
 The child's name afterwards appeared, alongside the 
 same humble rating, on the books of the ' Carolina '
 
 372 APPENDIX. 
 
 and the ' Sophie.' It was not until June 27th, 1793, 
 that Lord Cochrane actually embarked. In the 
 meantime he had been gazetted to a captaincy in 
 the 79th Foot ; but preferring the navy to the 
 army, he joined his uncle in the 'Hind,' 28, and 
 at the age of 17^ went to sea for the first time with 
 the rating of boy, at a wage originally of 7, and 
 later of 9 a-year. 
 
 Lord Nelson himself owed his entrance to the 
 navy to somewhat similar influence. His patron 
 was his maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, of 
 the ' Raisonnable,' 64. Horatio Nelson, at the age 
 of twelve, went to sea for the first time in a very 
 subordinate capacity, and even in 1773, when he 
 was fifteen, he was rated only as coxswain to Captain 
 Skeffington Lutwidge, of the ' Carcase,' bomb. 
 
 Other parallel instances might be quoted to almost 
 any extent. Admiral Sir Charles Ogle went to sea 
 in 1788, at the age of thirteen, as servant to Captain 
 J. N. Inglefield, of the 'Adventure,' 44. The name 
 of George, afterwards Admiral Sir G. Cockburn, was 
 borne on the books of at least two ships, during 
 about five years, before the boy actually embarked 
 in 1786, his rating being that of captain's servant. 
 Sir William Hotham, between 1779 and 1785, while 
 still at Westminster School, nominally formed one 
 of the complement of several sea-going ships in suc- 
 cession ; and Admiral Sir Willoughby Thomas Lake 
 went to sea in 1780, when he was little more than
 
 APPENDIX. 373 
 
 seven years of age, as servant to Captain Hammond, 
 of the ' Roebuck,' 24. 
 
 These cases were recalled in a memoir of Admiral 
 of the Fleet Sir Provo Wallis, K.C.B., who is now in 
 his hundredth year, and who entered the navy nearly 
 ninety years ago in a similar manner. Sir Provo's 
 father, Captain Wallis, in 1765 discovered several 
 islands in the Pacific, and especially Otaheite, re- 
 visited by Captain Cook in his famous voyage a few 
 years later. A transit of the planet Venus over the 
 sun's disc being expected in 1769, the Royal Society 
 persuaded the Government to send a ship to the 
 South Seas for obtaining favourable observations. 
 The ' Endeavour,' 370 tons, was fitted out, and 
 Cook appointed to command her, with the rank of 
 lieutenant. 
 
 The same number of the Times containing the 
 memoir of Sir Provo Wallis mentioned the fact that 
 the present Sultan's son, aged five, is already rated 
 as a captain in the Turkish navy. There are still 
 some curious appointments made in the British army 
 and navy, but we have got a century beyond making 
 a child of five years old captain of a man-of-war ! 
 
 NOTE B. 
 Captain Cook's Report on the HealtJi of his Crew. 
 
 In Chapter XVI. we have noted the wonderful con- 
 trast between the loss in Anson's ship, the 'Centurion,'
 
 374 APPENDIX. 
 
 and Cook's ship, the ' Resolution,' during his second 
 voyage to the South Seas, from sickness. A portion 
 of Cook's report to the President of the Royal 
 Society will be read with interest He says : ' Sour- 
 krout, of which we had a large provision, is not only 
 a wholesome vegetable food, but in my judgment 
 highly anti-scorbutic, and spoils not by keeping. A 
 pound of it was served to each man, when at sea, 
 twice a week, or oftener when it was thought 
 necessary. 
 
 'Portable soup or broth was another essential 
 article, of which we had likewise a liberal supply. 
 An ounce of this to each man, or such a proportion 
 as was thought necessary, was boiled with their 
 peas three times a week ; and when we were in 
 places where fresh vegetables could be procured it 
 was boiled with them ; and also with dried peas 
 and fresh vegetables for dinner. It enabled us to 
 make several nourishing and wholesome messes, and 
 was the means of making the people eat a greater 
 quantity of greens than they would have done 
 otherwise. 
 
 ' Further, we were provided with rob of lemons and 
 oranges, which the surgeon found useful in several 
 cases. 
 
 'Among other articles of victualling we were 
 furnished with sugar in the room of oil ; and with 
 wheat instead of much oatmeal, and were certainly 
 gainers by the exchange. Sugar is, I imagine, a
 
 APPENDIX. 375 
 
 very good anti-scorbutic ; whereas oil, such at least 
 as is usually given to the navy, I apprehend has the 
 contrary effect. But the introduction of the most 
 salutary articles, either as provisions or medicines, 
 will generally prove unsuccessful unless supported 
 by certain rules of living.' 
 
 Of these rules Captain Cook goes on to speak. 
 ' The crew were at three watches, except upon some 
 extraordinary occasions. By this means they were 
 not so exposed to the weather as if they had been 
 at watch and watch ; and they generally had dry 
 clothes to shift themselves when they happened to 
 get wet Care was also taken to expose them as 
 little as possible. Proper methods were employed 
 to keep their persons, hammocks, bedding, clothes, 
 etc., constantly clean and dry. Equal pains were 
 taken to keep the ship clean and dry between 
 decks. Once or twice a week she was aired with fires ; 
 and when this could not be done she was smoked 
 with gunpowder moistened with vinegar or water. 
 I had also frequently a fire made in an iron pot at 
 the bottom of the well, which greatly purified the 
 air in the lower parts of the ship. To this, and 
 cleanliness, as well in the ship as among the people, 
 too great attention cannot be paid ; the least neglect 
 occasions a putrid, offensive smell below, which 
 nothing but fires will remove ; and if these be not 
 used in time those smells will be attended with bad 
 consequences. Proper care was taken of the ship's
 
 376 APPENDIX. 
 
 coppers, so that they were kept constantly clean. 
 The fat which boiled out of the salt beef and pork 
 I never suffered to be given to the people, as is 
 customary ; being of opinion that it promotes the 
 scurvy. 
 
 ' I never failed to take in water wherever it was 
 to be procured, even when we did not seem to want 
 it ; because I look upon fresh water from the shore 
 to be much more wholesome than that which has 
 been kept some time on board. Of this essential 
 article we were never at an allowance, but had always 
 abundance for every necessary purpose. I am 
 convinced that, with plenty of fresh water and 
 a close attention to cleanliness, a ship's company 
 will seldom be much afflicted with the scurvy, though 
 they should not be provided with any of the anti- 
 scorbutics before mentioned. 
 
 ' We came to few places where either the art of 
 man or nature did not afford some sort of refresh- 
 ment or other, either of the animal or vegetable 
 kind. It was my first care to procure what could 
 be met with of either by every means in my power, 
 and to oblige our people to make use thereof, both 
 by my example and authority ; but the benefits 
 arising from such refreshments soon became so obvious 
 that I had little occasion to employ either the one 
 or the other influence on the men. 
 
 ' These, sir, were the methods, under the care of 
 Providence, by which the " Resolution " performed
 
 APPENDIX. 377 
 
 a voyage of three years and eighteen days, through 
 all the climates, from 52 North to 71 South, with 
 the loss of one man only from disease, and who died 
 of a complicated and lingering illness, without any 
 mixture of scurvy.' 
 
 The letter, addressed to Sir John Pringle, one of 
 the most famous physicians of his time, is dated 
 5th April, 1776, and was published in the Transac- 
 tions of the Royal Society for that year. 
 
 The ' Resolution's ' companion ship, the ' Adven- 
 ture,' got separated during the voyage, so that 
 Captain Cook could give no report of the condition 
 of her crew. 
 
 NOTE C. 
 
 Captain Woodes Rogers' Encounter with Manilla 
 Ships in 1709. 
 
 An encounter with two Manilla galleons, one of 
 which was captured, forms an exciting episode in 
 the journal of the Bristol privateer-captain, Woods 
 or Woodes Rogers, who also preceded Anson in 
 his voyage round the world, and whose account of 
 finding Alexander Selkirk at Juan Fernandez has 
 been quoted in Chapter XII. 
 
 Captain Rogers' account of his encounter with 
 the Spanish Manilla ships, on the 23rd December, 
 1709, is well worth quoting. These Spanish 
 galleons had been sighted on the 2 1st, but Rogers,
 
 378 APPENDIX. 
 
 with his privateer the ' Duke,' did not get up with 
 them till the 23rd. 
 
 ' A little before daybreak/ says Rogers, ' we got 
 out eight of our ship's oars, and rowed above an 
 hour, when there sprang up a small breeze, upon 
 which I ordered a large kettle of chocolate to be 
 made for our ship's company (having no spirituous 
 liquor to give them), and then went to prayers ; but 
 before we had concluded were disturbed by the 
 enemy firing at us. She had barrels hanging at 
 each yardarm, which looked like powder-barrels 
 to deter us from boarding. The " Duchess " being 
 to leeward, with little wind, did not come up. And 
 the enemy firing her stern-chase several times, we 
 returned with our fore-chase, till, getting close aboard, 
 we gave her several broadsides, plying our small 
 arms briskly, which they returned as thick for a 
 while, but they did not ply their guns so fast as we 
 did. After a little while, shooting ahead of them, 
 we lay athwart their hawse close aboard, and plied 
 them so warmly that she soon struck her colours 
 two-thirds down; and the "Duchess" coming up fired 
 five guns and a volley of small shot, to which she 
 made no reply, having submitted. 
 
 ' This galleon,' says Rogers, ' was called by the 
 long name of " Nostra Segniora de la Incarnation 
 Desengano." She had twenty guns and one hundred 
 and ninety-three men, whereof nine were killed, ten 
 wounded, and several scorched with gunpowder.
 
 APPENDIX. 379 
 
 We engaged them about three glasses ' (the usual 
 time-marker in those days being a sand-glass running 
 half-an-hour) ; 'in which time we had only myself 
 and another wounded.' Captain Rogers' wound 
 was a severe one, being shot through the left cheek, 
 the bullet striking away a great part of the upper 
 jaw. 
 
 On examining the officers on board the prize 
 it was ascertained that she left Manilla in company 
 with a much larger vessel, but having lost sight of 
 her about three months ago, they ' thought she must 
 be got to Acapulco before now.' This statement 
 was not to be relied on, so Captain Rogers gave 
 orders that their prize should be taken to Port 
 Segura, and left there with the prisoners, while the 
 ' Duchess ' was sent on an eight days' cruise to look 
 for the other large galleon. On the 26th December 
 the sentinels posted on a hill above the port of 
 Segura signalled that a sail was in sight in the 
 distance. Rogers was so excited that, in spite of 
 the condition of his broken jaw, which caused great 
 pain and weakness from his being unable to swallow, 
 he resolved to go out with his ship, leaving the 
 prize and the prisoners in charge of the second in 
 command, Captain Dover. ' Curiously enough,' as 
 Rogers says, ' the Spaniard kept making signals to 
 the " Duke " as she edged toward her, under the 
 notion that this was her lost consort.' On getting 
 nearer Rogers found that this was indeed a far larger
 
 380 APPENDIX. 
 
 and stronger ship, for she had a numerous crew, 
 was of 900 tons, with 60 guns, and in every way 
 protected against boarding, having barriers and 
 netting well provided. The barriers are known 
 by the name of ' close-quarters,' strong planks .of 
 wood set across the ship to serve as a retreat when 
 boarded, with spaces or loopholes for firing. The 
 nettings are set all round a ship to such a height 
 up the rigging as to prevent an enemy jumping on 
 board. 
 
 Captain Rogers found that the ' Duchess ' had 
 been severely handled, having twenty men killed 
 and wounded, and a good deal of damage done to 
 the rigging. This did not prevent his having a 
 go at the monster galleon. This he gallantly 
 attempted, and for several hours there was brisk 
 firing on both sides. But the ' Duke's ' guns made 
 not the least impression on the more powerful 
 armament of the Spaniard, ' all our battering,' says 
 Rogers, ' signifying little beyond killing two men 
 in her tops and damaging her rigging.' As to 
 trying to board, it was not practicable, for the 
 Spaniards were no doubt four or five times more 
 numerous. The superior fire of the galleon settled 
 the matter, for the ' Duke ' got two shots through 
 her mainmast, which now threatened to fall by 
 the board and bring other spars down with it. 
 Then came a fireball from the enemy's round-top, 
 which lighted on the ' Duke's ' quarter-deck, blowing
 
 APPENDIX. 381 
 
 up an ammunition chest, and causing several men 
 to be disabled. The captain himself got a fearful 
 wound from a splinter, which shattered his left foot 
 and ankle, and he had to lie in great pain on the 
 deck, having lost also much blood, and too weak 
 for further exertion. Round the captain the officers 
 gathered, and held a brief ' council of war,' when 
 it was determined that although ' the Spaniard 
 lay with his mainyard aback, expecting another 
 brush,' it was better not to renew the fight. They 
 would not sheer off, and would rather perish to a 
 man than surrender ; but they would keep the galleon 
 company till night, and then lose her, and return to 
 harbour to look after the prize already taken. 
 
 On arriving at Port Segura, the prisoners, under 
 their captain and officers, with a padre, were sent 
 in a small barque, well provisioned, to Acapulco, the 
 captain having signed a statement that they had 
 been very civilly treated by the English during their 
 detention. 
 
 All this, and much more, recorded in the journal 
 of Captain Woodes Rogers, Commodore Anson had 
 opportunity to read, and to digest the information 
 gleaned from this and other accounts of the Manilla 
 ships, with the prospect of a prize that might make 
 up for all the cost and labour, the trials and dis- 
 asters, which the squadron had encountered. It was 
 plain that the Commodore, with his reduced force, 
 had no simple and easy enterprise before him.
 
 382 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTE D. 
 
 Dollars, and ' Pieces of Eight.' 
 
 In Anson's ' Voyage,' and in many histories of 
 those times, also in Defoe's ' Robinson Crusoe,' 
 frequent mention is made of ' pieces of eight.' 
 This was the common name then given to the 
 Spanish ' pillar-dollars,' of the value of eight reals. 
 The pillar-dollar was so called from the coin having 
 upon it two pillars, supposed to represent the Pillars 
 of Hercules, as the rocky points at the extreme west 
 of the Great Sea, or Mediterranean, were called. In 
 Anson's time the Mexican dollars and Spanish 
 dollars were used indifferently ; but the Spanish 
 pillar-dollar, though minted in Mexico, was carried 
 everywhere, especially throughout eastern countries, 
 and was familiar and well trusted. The value in 
 Anson's time of the dollar, or ' piece of eight,' was 
 a little more than four shillings and fourpence. 
 
 NOTE E. 
 Letter from one of Anson's Lieutenants. 
 
 In the 'Gentleman's Magazine' for June 1743 
 is published a letter from a lieutenant on board the 
 ' Centurion ' to his brother in London, dated Macao, 
 December ist, 1742. It says : ' I take this oppor- 
 utnity by Captain Saunders, who goes home in a
 
 APPENDIX. . 383 
 
 Swedish ship, a passenger, to inform you that there is 
 still a small remainder of that once glorious squadron, 
 which would have swept the South Seas, but that 
 the great God thought otherwise, and dashed our 
 designs by storms and tempests, which occasioned 
 diseases and separations, insomuch that it was with 
 the greatest mercy that those few of us which got 
 round Cape Horn ever reached a place to shelter in. 
 Yet the same God which showed us these perils 
 assisted us in our greatest distress, by offering us 
 a hospitable island, after beating the seas for five 
 months, with plenty of fish, water, greens, and some 
 goats. On our arrival on this island we had buried 
 about half of our ship's company, and brought in 
 sick above a hundred and fifty more. We soon 
 found the benefit of the land by our people recover- 
 ing their health ; yet many of those who went on 
 shore were too far gone ever to recover. Here we 
 passed our time recovering our healths, and fitting 
 our ships, in order to do some matters in those 
 seas, hoping the rest of our squadron would drop 
 in by degrees ; but we were disappointed. After 
 staying three months our squadron consisted only of 
 the " Centurion," the " Gloucester," and " Tryal " 
 sloop ; the two latter having buried more men in 
 proportion than we had. 
 
 'On September 3rd, 1741, as we were all at 
 anchor at this island, called Juan Fernandez, we 
 saw a ship at sea. We immediately got on board
 
 384 APPENDIX. 
 
 our ship and sailed after her, but night rescued her 
 from us. However, at our return Providence threw 
 her consort in our way. She was about four hun- 
 dred tons, with sixty-seven men, worth .18,000 
 sterling in dollars, with some wrought plate, and a 
 rich cargo. We carried her to our island to show 
 our friends there that there were some pickings up 
 to be had. 
 
 'September i5th, 1741, we despatched the" Tryal " 
 to cruise off Valparaiso, and the " Gloucester " as soon 
 as she could be got ready, to sail and cruise off Paita, 
 in lat. 5 S. On the 2Oth we sailed to join the 
 " Tryal " off Valparaiso, and fell in with her on the 
 25th. She had taken a ship of 500 tons. The 
 next day the Commodore ordered the captain and 
 ship's company then belonging to the " Tryal " to go 
 on board the prize she had taken, and to sink the 
 " Tryal," for she had carried away both her masts. 
 We coasted along the coasts of Chili and Peru, 
 cruising off several principal ports, but met nothing 
 till we came into 10 of south latitude. On Novem- 
 ber 6th, 1741, we took a ship of 300 tons, with 
 a good cargo but little money. I was ordered to 
 command this prize.' 
 
 Then follows an account of other proceedings at 
 sea till the arrival at Paita, the capture of which is 
 described, with a full account of subsequent opera- 
 tions, and of the terrible trials and sufferings during 
 the voyage till reaching Tinian, where the survivors
 
 APPENDIX. 385 
 
 of the crews recovered their health. Then he tells 
 of sailing for the coast of China. 
 
 'We arrived on the loth November, 1742, at 
 Macao. We are now waiting to know whether the 
 Chinamen will assist us with necessaries to clean our 
 ship and to stop a leak which is very troublesome 
 to us. What will be the consequence I can't tell, 
 and what will be our next expedition I am as yet 
 in the dark. 
 
 ' You'll be desirous to know how my Commodore 
 and I agree. To give you a character of him would 
 require a more masterly pen ; but his favours to me, 
 as all the other officers, are sufficient proof of his 
 inclinations to serve us all.' 
 
 This letter was written before the final cruise in 
 search of the Manilla ship, and to many in England 
 it brought the earliest tidings of the ' Centurion,' 
 which was almost given up for lost. 
 
 NOTE F. 
 Anson's Trouble with tJie Chinese Merchants. 
 
 When the ' Centurion ' went to Macao and the 
 Canton river, he had much trouble in dealing with 
 people whom he calls ' the Chinese merchants.' 
 These personages interfered with the Commodore 
 in all his proceedings, and did all in their power to 
 hinder Anson getting access to the Viceroy at Canton. 
 The conduct of these merchants is spoken of with 
 
 25
 
 386 APPENDIX. 
 
 much indignation in the journal of the ' Centurion's ' 
 prolonged stay in Chinese waters. Anson himself 
 believed that the action of these Canton merchants 
 was due merely to their own meddlesome and crafty 
 spirit. He was not aware that he was dealing with 
 an official and recognized body, and that this board 
 of Canton merchants acted towards the ' Centurion ' 
 as they had long been authorized to act towards 
 all foreign vessels. 
 
 Prior to the treaty of Nanking, in 1842, after the 
 war with China, Canton was the only port in the 
 empire where foreign trade was permitted ; and 
 there for a long period the East India Company had 
 the monopoly of English trade. On the Chinese 
 side there was also a monopoly, the whole being in 
 the hands of a unique corporation, called the Co- 
 Hong, composed of only a small number of Canton 
 merchants, usually eight. They were held respon- 
 sible by the Chinese Government for the conduct of 
 the Europeans in the factory, and with them alone 
 in Anson's time could foreigners deal. 
 
 This system had prevailed for nearly a hundred 
 and fifty years, till abolished by the Treaty of 
 Nanking, when other ports were opened to commerce. 
 One of the most famous of the ' Canton merchants,' 
 and the leading man in the Co-Hong at the time 
 of its abolition, was Howqua, whose tea was known 
 to the tea-brokers in London. He was reputed to 
 be the richest man in China. In 1834 he owned to
 
 APPENDIX. 387 
 
 over 26,000,000 dollars. When Sir Hugh Gough 
 levied a ransom of 6,000,000 dollars on the city of 
 Canton in 1841, Howqua advanced above 1,000,000 
 to the Governor. 
 
 Anson seems to have known nothing of these 
 arrangements at the time of his arrival in the river 
 of Canton, and thought that the ' Chinese merchants ' 
 were acting only in a crafty way to evade his 
 demands. It was really the law and custom for 
 all transactions with foreigners to be in their hands ; 
 but Anson was not a man to be thwarted, and he 
 resolved to deal with the Governor of Canton 
 himself. 
 
 NOTE G. 
 Anson 's Portraits and Dress. 
 
 Our portrait of Anson is engraved from that 
 which was taken in 1745, when his popularity was 
 greatest, after returning from his famous voyage. 
 A later portrait was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 after Anson was peer and admiral. We have re- 
 ferred to the influence of Anson, when at the head 
 of the Admiralty, in introducing proper and official 
 naval uniforms, which before his time had been very 
 varying and irregular. In the books of naval cos- 
 tume, and in the price-lists of outfitters (as in the 
 catalogue of the 'Army and Navy Co-operative 
 Stores '), the various uniforms of all ranks and depart-
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ments of the service are mentioned. At what time 
 the official costume of ' Admiral of the Fleet ' 
 attained its present splendour we do not know, but 
 it was certainly not introduced by Anson ! The 
 ' gorgeous array ' may be imagined from the follow- 
 ing account of the appearance of H.R.H. the Prince 
 of Wales, when he went as ' Admiral of the Fleet ' 
 to inspect the ' Warspite ' in the Medway in the 
 summer of 1890. 
 
 ' This uniform is very seldom seen in public, only 
 nine individuals having the right to wear it, and 
 five of these being veterans of seventy years of age 
 and upwards, the senior of all being Admiral Sir 
 Provo Wallis. The full dress coat, which has a 
 white collar edged with three-quarter-inch gold lace, 
 has cuffs trimmed in one place with lace an inch 
 and three-quarters and in another place with lace 
 one inch wide, while above each cuff there are four 
 rows of lace, each five-eighths of an inch broad. 
 The skirts and flaps of the coat are lavishly em- 
 broidered. There are numerous buttons, and the 
 blue foundation is lined with white kerseymere. 
 On the shoulders are epaulettes with heavily-em- 
 broidered straps. The trousers have gold lace one 
 inch and three-quarters wide down the seams. The 
 cocked hat is covered with lace, and has tassels of 
 bullion. The sword-knot, a " symphony " in gold 
 and blue, is twenty-three inches long. Finally, the 
 sword-belt is covered with oak leaves and acorns
 
 APPENDIX. 389 
 
 embroidered in gold.' ' Solomon in all his glory was 
 scarcely arrayed like this ! ' was the comment of the 
 newspaper reporter present on the occasion. 
 
 NOTE H. 
 
 The Figure-head of the ' Centurion' 
 
 The ' Centurion ' was a good ship, having been 
 already more than thirty years on commission, 
 almost constantly at sea, when she began her famous 
 voyage under Anson. She took part in many a fight 
 in the wars with France. When finally broken up, 
 her figure-head, a carved lion, rampant, was sent to 
 George III., who presented it to Charles, Duke of 
 Richmond, then Master-General of the Ordnance. 
 The Duke placed it on a pedestal at Waterbeech, 
 near Goodwood, where it served as a sign to a 
 public-house. The Sailor-King, William IV., here 
 saw and admired the venerable relic, and begged 
 it of the then Duke of Richmond. It was sent to 
 Windsor, where the king had it placed at the head 
 of the grand staircase. It was felt to be rather out 
 of place there, so the king sent it to Greenwich Hos- 
 pital, with directions to place it in one of the wards, 
 which he desired should be called ' The Anson 
 Ward.' Here it remained till as recently as 1870. 
 It was then removed to the playground of the 
 Hospital School, but its decay was more rapid in 
 the open air, and it fell to pieces in 1873.
 
 390 APPENDIX. 
 
 The ' Anson,' one of the finest iron-clad war- 
 ships of the British fleet, which carried the Admiral's 
 flag during the naval manoeuvres of 1 890, is named 
 in honour of Commodore Anson. The name of 
 his ship, the ' Centurion/ was borne by more than 
 one man-of-war in old times, but seems to have 
 long disappeared from the navy list of vessels. We 
 should like to see again the name of the once 
 favourite ' Centurion ' in the British Navy. 
 
 Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viuey, Ld., London and Aylesbury.
 
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