_The Passage from St Helens to the Island of Madeira, with a short
Account of that Island, and of our Stay there._
As observed in the preceding section, the squadron weighed from
St Helens with a contrary wind on the 18th of September, 1740, our
commodore proposing to tide down the channel, as he less dreaded the
inconveniences we might have thereby to struggle with, than the risk
he should run of ruining the enterprize by an uncertain, and, in
all probability, a tedious attendance for a fair wind. The squadron
allotted for this expedition consisted of five men-of-war, a sloop of
war, and two victuallers. These were, the Centurion of 60 guns, and
400 men, George Anson, Esq. commander; the Gloucester, of 50 guns, and
300 men, Richard Norris, commander; the Severn, of 50 guns, and 300
men, the Honourable Edward Legg, commander; the Pearl, of 40 guns, and
250 men, Matthew Mitchell, commander; the Wager, of 28 guns, and 160
men, Dandy Kidd, commander; the Tryal sloop, of 8 guns, and 100 men,
the Honourable John Murray, commander. The two victuallers were pinks,
the largest of about four hundred tons burden; and these were to
attend us till the provisions we had on board were so far consumed as
to make room for the additional quantity they carried, which was then
to be taken into our ships, and they were to be discharged. Besides
the before-mentioned complements of men borne by the ships as their
crews, there were embarked in our squadron about 470 invalids
and marines, as particularly mentioned in last section, under
the denomination of land-forces, which were commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Cracherode.
With this squadron, together with the St Albans and Lark, and the
Turkey trade under their convoy, we tided down channel for the first
forty-eight hours. In the morning of the 20th, we discovered the
Dragon, Winchester, South-Sea Castle, and Rye, with a number of
merchantmen under their convoy, waiting for us off the Ram-head. We
joined there the same day about noon, the commodore having orders to
see them, together with the convoy of the St Albans and Lark, as far
as their course and ours lay together. When we came in sight of this
last-mentioned ship, Mr Anson first hoisted his broad pendant, and
was saluted by all the men-of-war in company. After joining this last
convoy, we made up eleven men-of-war, and about 150 sail of merchant
ships, consisting of the Turkey, the Straits, and the American trades.
The same day Mr Anson made a signal for all captains of men-of-war
to come on board, when he delivered them their fighting and sailing
instructions, and then we all stood to the S.W. with a fair wind; so
that next day at noon, being the 21st, we had run forty leagues beyond
the Ram-head. Being now clear of the land, our commodore, to render
our view more extensive, ordered Captain Mitchell, in the Pearl, to
make sail two leagues a-head of the fleet every morning, and to repair
to his station every evening. Thus we proceeded till the 25th, when
the Winchester, with the American convoy, made the concerted signal
for leave to separate, and this being answered by the commodore, they
left us, which, was done by the St Albans and the Dragon on the 24th,
with the Turkey and Straits convoys.
There now remained only our own squadron and the two victuallers, with
which we stood on our course for the island of Madeira. But the winds
were so contrary, that we had the mortification to be forty days on
our passage to that island from St Helens, though it is often known
to be done in ten or twelve. This delay was most unpleasant, and was
productive of much discontent and ill humour among our people, of
which these only can have an adequate idea who have experienced a
similar situation: For, besides the peevishness and despondency, which
foul and contrary winds, and a lingering voyage, never fail to produce
on all occasions, we in particular had substantial reasons for being
greatly alarmed at this unexpected impediment; since, as we departed
from England much later than we ought to have done, we had placed
almost all our hope of success on the chance of retrieving in some
measure at sea, the time we had so unhappily wasted at Spithead and St
Helens. At last, on Monday the 25th October, at five in the morning,
we made the land to our great joy, and came to anchor in the afternoon
in Madeira road, in forty fathoms, the Brazen Head bearing from us E.
by S. the Loo N.N.W. and the Great Church N.N.E. We had hardly let go
our anchor when an English privateer sloop ran under our stern, and
saluted the commodore with nine guns, which we returned with five.
Next day the English consul visited the commodore, and was saluted
with nine guns on coming on board.
The island of Madeira, where we now arrived, is famous through all our
American settlements for its excellent wines, which seem designed by
Providence for the refreshment of the inhabitants of the torrid zone.
It is situated in a fine climate, in lat. 32° 27' N. and long. from
London 18° 30' to 19° 30' W. by our different reckonings, though laid
down in the charts in 47°.[1] The whole island is composed of one
continued hill of considerable height, extending from east to
west; the declivity of which, on the south side, is cultivated and
interspersed with vineyards. In the middle of this slope the merchants
have their country seats, which contribute to form a very agreeable
prospect. There is but one considerable town, named Fonchiale, on
the south part of the island, situated at the bottom of a large
bay. Towards the sea it is defended by a high wall with a battery of
cannon, besides a castle on the Loo, which is a rock standing in the
water at a small distance from the shore. Tonchiale is the only place
of trade, and indeed the only place where it is possible for a boat to
land; and even there the beach is so covered with great stones, and so
violent a surf beats continually upon it, that the commodore did not
care to venture the long-boats of our ships in fetching off water,
and therefore ordered the captains to employ Portuguese boats on that
service.
[Footnote 1: The charts are however the most accurate, as that is the
long. of the centre of Madeira, in our best modern maps.--E.]
We continued about a week at this island, watering our ships, and
providing the squadron with wine and other refreshments. While here,
on the 3d November, Captain Richard Norris signified to the commodore,
by letter, his desire to quit the command of the Gloucester, in order
to return to England for the recovery of his health. The commodore
complied with this request, and was pleased to appoint Captain Matthew
Mitchell to command the Gloucester in his room, to remove Captain Kidd
from the Wager to the Pearl, and Captain Murray from the Tryal sloop
to the Wager, giving the command of the Tryal to Lieutenant
Cheap. These promotions being settled, with other changes in the
lieutenancies, the commodore, on the 4th November, gave to the
captains their orders, appointing St Jago, one of the Cape Verd
islands, to be the first place of rendezvous in case of separation;
and, if they did not meet the Centurion there, directing them to make
the best of their way to the island of St Catharine on the coast of
Brazil. The water for the squadron being that day completed, and each
ship supplied with as much wine and other refreshments as they
could take in, we weighed anchor in the afternoon, and took leave of
Madeira. But, before continuing the narrative of our transactions,
I think it necessary to give some account of the proceedings of the
enemy, and of the measures they had taken to render all our designs
abortive.
On visiting the governor of Madeira, Mr Anson was informed by him,
that for three or four days in the latter end of October, there had
appeared to the westward of the island seven or eight ships of the
line and a _patache_, which last was sent close in with the land every
day. The governor assured our commodore, upon his honour, that no
person on the island had either given them intelligence, or had any
sort of communication with them. He believed them to be either French
or Spanish, but was rather inclined to suppose the latter. On this
intelligence, Mr Anson sent an officer in a clean sloop eight leagues
to the westwards, to reconnoitre them, and, if possible, to discover
what they were: But the officer returned without having seen them, so
that we still remained in uncertainty; yet we could not but conjecture
that this fleet was intended to put a stop, if possible, to our
expedition; and, had they cruized to the eastward of the island,
instead of the westward, they could not have failed in doing so: for,
as in that case they must infallibly have fallen in with us, we should
have been under the necessity of throwing overboard vast quantities of
provisions, to clear our ships for action; and this alone, independent
of the event of the action, would have effectually prevented our
progress. This was so obvious a measure, that we could not help
imagining reasons which might have prevented them from pursuing it.
We supposed, therefore, that this French or Spanish squadron, having
advice that we were to sail in company with Admiral Balchen and Lord
Cathcart's expedition, might not think it adviseable to meet with us
till we had parted company, from apprehension of being over-matched,
and supposed we might not separate before our arrival at this island.
These were our speculations at the time, from which we had reason to
suppose we might still fall in with them, in our way to the Cape
de Verd islands. We were afterwards persuaded, in the course of our
expedition, that this was the Spanish squadron commanded by Don Joseph
Pizarro, sent out purposely to traverse the views and enterprizes of
our squadron, to which they were greatly superior in strength. As this
Spanish armament was so nearly connected with our expedition, and as
the catastrophe, if underwent, though not effected by our force, was
yet a considerable advantage to this nation produced in consequence
of our equipment; I have, in the following section, given a summary
account of their proceedings, from their first setting out from Spain
in 1740, till the Asia, the only ship of the whole squadron that
returned to Europe, got back to Corunna in the beginning of the year
1746.