FROM QUIBO TO THE COAST OF MEXICO
On the 12th of December we stood from Quibo to the westward, and the
same day the commodore delivered fresh instructions to the captains of
the men-of-war, and the commanders of our prizes, appointing them the
rendezvouses they were to make and the courses they were to steer in
case of a separation. And first, they were directed to use all
possible dispatch in getting to the northward of the harbour of
Acapulco, where they were to endeavour to fall in with the land between
the latitudes of 18 and 19 degrees; from thence they were to beat up
the coast at eight or ten leagues distance from the shore, till they
came abreast of Cape Corientes, in the latitude of 20° 20'. After they
arrived there, they were to continue cruising on that station till the
14th of February, when they were to depart for the middle island of the
Tres Marias, in the latitude of 21° 25', bearing from Cape Corientes
N.W. by N., twenty-five leagues distant. And if at this island they
did not meet the commodore, they were there to recruit their wood and
water, and then immediately to proceed for the island of Macao, on the
coast of China. These orders being distributed to all the ships, we
had little doubt of arriving soon upon our intended station, as we
expected upon the increasing our offing from Quibo to fall in with the
regular trade-wind. But, to our extreme vexation, we were baffled for
near a month, either by tempestuous weather from the western quarter,
or by dead calms and heavy rains, attended with a sultry air; so that
it was the 25th of December before we saw the island of Cocos, which
according to our reckoning was only a hundred leagues from the
continent; and even then we had the mortification to make so little way
that we did not lose sight of it again in five days.
This island we found to be in the latitude of 5° 20' N. It has a high
hummock towards the western part, which descends gradually, and at last
terminates in a low point {209} to the eastward. From the island of
Cocos we stood W. by N., and were till the 9th of January in running an
hundred leagues more. We had at first flattered ourselves that the
uncertain weather and western gales we met with were owing to the
neighbourhood of the continent, from which, as we got more distant, we
expected every day to be relieved, by falling in with the eastern
trade-wind. But as our hopes were so long baffled, and our patience
quite exhausted, we began at length to despair of succeeding in the
great purpose we had in view, that of intercepting the Manila galeon.
This produced a general dejection amongst us, as we had at first
considered the project as almost infallible, and had indulged ourselves
in the most boundless hopes of the advantages we should thence receive.
However, our despondency was at last somewhat alleviated by a
favourable change of the wind; for on the 9th of January a gale sprung
up the first time from the N.E., and on this we took the _Carmelo_ in
tow, as the _Gloucester_ did the _Carmin_, making all the sail we could
to improve the advantage, because we still suspected that it was only a
temporary gale which would not last long, though the next day we had
the satisfaction to find that the wind did not only continue in the
same quarter, but blew with so much briskness and steadiness that we no
longer doubted of its being the true trade-wind. As we now advanced
apace towards our station, our hopes began again to revive, and our
former despair by degrees gave place to more sanguine prejudices;
insomuch that though the customary season of the arrival of the galeon
at Acapulco was already elapsed, yet we were by this time unreasonable
enough to flatter ourselves that some accidental delay might, for our
advantage, lengthen out her passage beyond its usual limits.
When we got into the trade-wind, we found no alteration in it till the
17th of January, when we were advanced to the latitude of 12° 50', but
on that day it shifted to the westward of the north. This change we
imputed to our having haled up too soon, though we then esteemed
ourselves full seventy leagues from the coast; whence, and by our
former experience, we were fully satisfied that the trade-wind doth not
take place, but at a considerable distance from the continent. After
this the wind was not so favourable to us as it had been. However, we
still continued to advance, and, on the 26th of January, being then to
the northward of Acapulco, {210} we tacked and stood to the eastward,
with a view of making the land.
In the preceding fortnight we caught some turtle on the surface of the
water, and several dolphins, bonitoes, and albicores. One day, as one
of the sailmaker's mates was fishing from the end of the gib-boom, he
lost his hold and dropped into the sea, and the ship, which was then
going at the rate of six or seven knots, went directly over him; but as
we had the _Carmelo_ in tow, we instantly called out to the people on
board her, who threw him over several ends of ropes, one of which he
fortunately caught hold of, and twisting it round his arm, he was
thereby haled into the ship without having received any other injury
than a wrench in the arm, of which he soon recovered.
When, on the 26th of January, we stood to the eastward, we expected, by
our reckonings, to have fallen in with the land on the 28th, yet though
the weather was perfectly clear, we had no sight of it at sunset, and
therefore we continued our course, not doubting but we should see it by
the next morning. About ten at night we discovered a light on the
larboard bow, bearing from us N.N.E. The _Tryal's_ prize, too, who was
about a mile ahead of us, made a signal at the same time for seeing a
sail. As we had none of us any doubt but what we saw was a ship's
light, we were all extremely animated with a firm persuasion that it
was the Manila galeon, which had been so long the object of our wishes.
And what added to our alacrity was our expectation of meeting with two
of them instead of one, for we took it for granted that the light in
view was carried in the top of one ship for a direction to her consort.
We immediately cast off the _Carmelo_, and pressed forward with all our
canvas, making a signal for the _Gloucester_ to do the same. Thus we
chased the light, keeping all our hands at their respective quarters,
under an expectation of engaging within half an hour, as we sometimes
conceived the chace to be about a mile distant, and at other times to
be within reach of our guns; for some on board us positively averred
that besides the light they could plainly discern her sails. The
commodore himself was so fully persuaded that we should be soon
alongside of her that he sent for his first lieutenant, who commanded
between decks, and directed him to see all the great guns loaded with
two round shot for the first broadside, and after that with {211} one
round shot and one grape, strictly charging him, at the same time, not
to suffer a gun to be fired till he, the commodore, should give orders,
which, he informed the lieutenant, would not be till we arrived within
pistol-shot of the enemy. In this constant and eager attention we
continued all night, always presuming that another quarter of an hour
would bring us up with this Manila ship, whose wealth, and that of her
supposed consort, we now estimated by round millions. But when the
morning broke, and daylight came on, we were most strangely and
vexatiously disappointed, by finding that the light which had
occasioned all this bustle and expectancy, was only a fire on the
shore. It must be owned, the circumstances of this deception were so
extraordinary as to be scarcely credible, for, by our run during the
night, and the distance of the land in the morning, there was no doubt
to be made but this fire, when we first discovered it, was above
twenty-five leagues from us; and yet, I believe, there was no person on
board who doubted of its being a ship's light, or of its being near at
hand. It was indeed upon a very high mountain, and continued burning
for several days afterwards; however, it was not a vulcano, but rather,
as I suppose, a tract of stubble or heath, set on fire for some purpose
of agriculture.
At sun-rising, after this mortifying delusion, we found ourselves about
nine leagues off the land, which extended from the N.W. to E.½N. On
this land we observed two remarkable hummocks, such as are usually
called paps, which bore north from us: these a Spanish pilot and two
Indians, who were the only persons amongst us that pretended to have
traded in this part of the world, affirmed to be over the harbour of
Acapulco. Indeed, we very much doubted their knowledge of the coast,
for we found these paps to be in the latitude of 17° 56', whereas those
over Acapulco are said to be 17 degrees only; and we afterwards found
our suspicions of their skill to be well grounded. However, they were
very confident, and assured us that the height of the mountains was
itself an infallible mark of the harbour, the coast, as they pretended,
though falsly, being generally low to the eastward and westward of it.
Being now in the track of the Manila galeon, it was a great doubt with
us, as it was near the end of January, whether she was or was not
arrived; but examining our prisoners {212} about it, they assured us
that she was sometimes known to come in after the middle of February,
and they endeavoured to persuade us that the fire we had seen on shore
was a proof that she was yet at sea, it being customary, as they said,
to make use of these fires as signals for her direction when she
continued longer out than ordinary. On this reasoning of our
prisoners, strengthened by our propensity to believe them in a matter
which so pleasingly flattered our wishes, we resolved to cruise for her
some days, and we accordingly spread our ships at the distance of
twelve leagues from the coast in such a manner that it was impossible
she should pass us unobserved. However, not seeing her soon, we were
at intervals inclined to suspect that she had gained her port already,
and as we now began to want a harbour to refresh our people, the
uncertainty of our present situation gave us great uneasiness, and we
were very solicitous to get some positive intelligence, which might
either set us at liberty to consult our necessities, if the galeon was
arrived, or might animate us to continue our present cruise with
chearfulness, if she was not. With this view, the commodore, after
examining our prisoners very particularly, resolved to send a boat,
under colour of the night, into the harbour of Acapulco, to see if the
Manila ship was there or not, one of the Indians being very positive
that this might be done without the boat itself being discovered. To
execute this enterprize, the barge was dispatched the 6th of February,
carrying a sufficient crew and two officers, as also a Spanish pilot,
with the Indian who had insisted on the facility of this project, and
had undertaken to conduct it. Our barge did not return to us again
till the 11th, when the officers acquainted Mr. Anson that, agreeable
to our suspicions, there was nothing like a harbour in the place where
the Spanish pilots had at first asserted Acapulco to lie; that after
they had satisfied themselves in this particular, they steered to the
eastward, in hopes of discovering it, and had coasted along shore
thirty-two leagues; that in this whole range they met chiefly with
sandy beaches of a great length, over which the sea broke with so much
violence that it was impossible for a boat to land; that at the end of
their run they could just discover two paps at a very great distance to
the eastward, which from their appearance and their latitude they
concluded to be those in the neighbourhood of Acapulco; but that not
having a sufficient {213} quantity of fresh water and provision for
their passage thither and back again, they were obliged to return to
the commodore, to acquaint him with their disappointment. On this
intelligence we all made sail to the eastward, in order to get into the
neighbourhood of that port, the commodore being determined to send the
barge a second time upon the same enterprize, when we were arrived
within a moderate distance. Accordingly, the next day, which was the
12th of February, we being by that time considerably advanced, the
barge was again dispatched, and particular instructions given to the
officers to preserve themselves from being seen from the shore. On the
13th we espied a high land to the eastward, which was first imagined to
be that over the harbour of Acapulco; but we afterwards found that it
was the high land of Seguateneio, where there is a small harbour, of
which we shall have occasion to make more ample mention hereafter. We
waited six days, from the departure of our barge, without any news of
her, so that we began to be uneasy for her safety; but on the 7th day,
that is, on the 19th of February, she returned: when the officers
informed the commodore that they had discovered the harbour of
Acapulco, which they esteemed to bear from us E.S.E. at least fifty
leagues distant; that on the 17th, about two in the morning, they were
got within the island that lies at the mouth of the harbour, and yet
neither the Spanish pilot, nor the Indian, could give them any
information where they then were; but that while they were lying upon
their oars in suspence what to do, being ignorant that they were then
at the very place they sought for, they discerned a small light near
the surface of the water, on which they instantly plied their paddles,
and moving as silently as possible towards it, they found it to be in a
fishing canoe, which they surprized, with three negroes that belonged
to it. It seems the negroes at first attempted to jump overboard, and
being so near the shore they would easily have swam to land, but they
were prevented by presenting a piece at them, on which they readily
submitted, and were taken into the barge. The officers further added
that they had immediately turned the canoe adrift against the face of a
rock, where it would inevitably be dashed to pieces by the fury of the
sea. This they did to deceive those who perhaps might be sent from the
town to search after the canoe, for upon seeing several remains of a
wreck, they would {214} immediately conclude that the people on board
her had been drowned, and would have no suspicion of their having
fallen into our hands. When the crew of the barge had taken this
precaution, they exerted their utmost strength in pulling out to sea,
and by dawn of the day had gained such an offing as rendered it
impossible for them to be seen from the coast.
Having now gotten the three negroes in our possession, who were not
ignorant of the transactions at Acapulco, we were soon satisfied about
the most material points which had long kept us in suspence. On
examining them we found that we were indeed disappointed in our
expectation of intercepting the galeon before her arrival at Acapulco;
but we learnt other circumstances which still revived our hopes, and
which, we then conceived, would more than balance the opportunity we
had already lost, for though our negroe prisoners informed us that the
galeon arrived at Acapulco on our 9th of January, which was about
twenty days before we fell in with this coast, yet they at the same
time told us that the galeon had delivered her cargo, and was taking in
water and provisions in order to return, and that the Viceroy of Mexico
had by proclamation fixed her departure from Acapulco to the 14th of
March, N.S. This last news was most joyfully received by us, since we
had no doubt but she must certainly fall into our hands, and it was
much more eligible to seize her on her return than it would have been
to have taken her before her arrival, as the species for which she had
sold her cargoe, and which she would now have on board, would be
prodigiously more to be esteemed by us than the cargoe itself; great
part of which would have perished on our hands, and none of it could
have been disposed of by us at so advantageous a mart as Acapulco.
Thus we were a second time engaged in an eager expectation of meeting
with this Manila ship, which, by the fame of its wealth, we had been
taught to consider as the most desirable capture that was to be made on
any part of the ocean. But since all our future projects will be in
some sort regulated with a view to the possession of this celebrated
galeon, and since the commerce which is carried on by means of these
vessels between the city of Manila and the port of Acapulco is perhaps
the most valuable, in proportion to its quantity, {215} of any in the
known world, I shall endeavour, in the ensuing chapter, to give as
circumstantial an account as I can of all the particulars relating
thereto, both as it is a matter in which I conceive the public to be in
some degree interested, and as I flatter myself, that from the
materials which have fallen into my hands, I am enabled to describe it
with more distinctness than has hitherto been done, at least in our
language.
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