_Conclusion of Proceedings at Juan Fernandez, from the Arrival of the
Anna Pink, to our final Departure from thence._
About a week after the arrival of the Anna pink, the Tryal sloop,
which had been sent to examine the island of Masefuero, returned to
an anchor at Juan Fernandez, having gone entirely round that island,
without seeing any one of our squadron. As, on this occasion, the
island of Masefuero was more particularly examined, I have no doubt,
than it had ever been before, or perhaps ever may be again, and as the
knowledge of it may be of great consequence hereafter, under peculiar
circumstances, I think it incumbent to insert the accounts given of it
by the officers of the Tryal.
The Spaniards have generally mentioned two islands, under the same of
Juan Fernandez, naming them the greater and the less;[1] the greater
being that island, where we anchored, and the less that we are
now about to describe; which, because it is more distant from the
continent, they call Masefuero. The Tryal found that it bore from the
greater Juan Fernandez, W. by S. about twenty-two leagues distant.
It is much larger and better than has been usually represented, being
reported by former writers as a small barren rock, destitute of wood
and water, and altogether inaccessible. Whereas our people found that
it was covered with trees, and that there were several fine falls
of water pouring down its sides into the sea. They found, also, that
there is a place on its north side, where a ship might come to an
anchor, though indeed the anchorage be inconvenient; for the bank is
steep, and extends only a little way, and has very deep water, so
that she must anchor very near the shore, and be there exposed to all
winds, except those from the southward. Besides the inconvenience
of the anchorage, there is also a reef of rocks, about two miles in
length, running off the eastern point of the island, though these are
little to be feared, because always to be seen, by the sea breaking
over them. This island has at present one advantage beyond Juan
Fernandez, as it abounds in goats; and as these are not accustomed to
be disturbed, they were no way shy till they had been frequently fired
at. These animals reside here in great tranquillity, as the Spaniards,
not thinking this island sufficiently considerable to be frequented by
their enemies, have not been solicitous to destroy the provisions
it contains, so that no dogs have hitherto been put on shore there.
Besides goats, the people of the Tryal found there vast numbers of
seals and sea lions; and upon the whole, though they did not consider
it as the most eligible place for ships to refresh at, yet, in case
of necessity, it might afford some sort of shelter, and prove of
considerable use, especially to a single ship, apprehensive of meeting
an enemy at Juan Fernandez.
[Footnote 1: They also distinguish the greater by the name of Isla de
Tierra, as being nearer the main land of Chili. There is yet a third
and smallest island, a little way from the S.W. extremity of the
largest, called J. de Cabras or Conejos, Goat or Rabbit island.--E.]
The latter end of the month of December was spent in unloading the
provisions from the Anna pink; when we had the mortification to find,
that great quantities of our provisions, as bread, rice, groats, &c.
were decayed and unfit for use. This had been occasioned by the Anna
taking in water, by her working and straining in bad weather; owing
to which several of her casks had rotted, and many of her bags were
soaked through. Having now no farther occasion for her services, the
commodore, pursuant to his orders from the admiralty, sent notice
to her master, Mr Gerard, that he now discharged the Anna pink from
attending the squadron, and gave him a certificate at the same time,
specifying how long she had been employed. In consequence of this
dismission, her master was left at liberty, either to return directly
to England, or to make the best of his way to any port where he
thought he could take in such a cargo as might serve the interest of
his owners. But, sensible of the bad condition of his ship, and
her unfitness for any such voyage, the master wrote next day to the
commodore, stating, that he had reason to apprehend the bottom of the
Anna to be very much decayed, from the great quantity of water she
had let in on her passage round Cape Horn, and ever since, in the
tempestuous weather she had experienced on the coast of Patagonia;
that her upper decks were rotten abaft; that she was extremely leaky;
that her fore-beam was broken; and, in short, that, in his opinion, it
was impossible to proceed with her to sea, unless she were thoroughly
repaired. He therefore requested of the commodore, that the carpenters
of the squadron might be directed to survey her, so that their
judgment of her condition might be known. In compliance with this
request, the carpenters were ordered to make a careful and accurate
survey of the Anna, and to give in a faithful report to the commodore
of her condition; directing them to proceed with such circumspection,
that they might be able, if hereafter called upon, to confirm the
veracity of their report upon oath. Pursuant to these orders, the
carpenters immediately set about the examination, and made their
report next day. This was in substance, That the Anna had no less than
fourteen knees and twelve beams broken, and decayed; one breast-hook
broken, and another decayed; her water-ways open and decayed; two
standards and several clamps broken, besides others much rotten; all
her iron-work greatly decayed; her spirkiting and timbers very rotten;
that, having ripped off part of her sheathing, her wales and outside
planks were extremely defective; and her bows and decks were very
leaky. From all these defects and decays, they certified that, in
their opinion, the vessel could not depart from Juan Fernandez,
without great hazard, unless previously thoroughly repaired.
In our present situation, this thorough repair was impracticable,
all the plank and iron in the squadron being insufficient for that
purpose. Wherefore, the opinion of the master being confirmed by this
report, he presented a petition to the commodore, in behalf of his
owners, praying, as his vessel was incapable of leaving the island,
that her hull, materials, and furniture, might be purchased for the
use of the squadron. The commodore, therefore, ordered an inventory
to be taken of every thing belonging to the pink, with its just value;
and as many of her stores might become useful in repairing the other
ship, these articles having become very scarce, in consequence of
the great quantities already expended, he agreed with Mr Gerard to
purchase the whole for £300. The pink was now broken up, Mr Gerard and
her hands being sent on board the Gloucester, as that ship had buried
the greatest number of men in proportion to her complement. Two or
three of them were afterwards received into the Centurion on their
petition, as they were averse from sailing in the same ship with
their old master, on account of some ill usage they alledged to have
suffered from him.
This transaction brought us down to the beginning of September, by
which time our people were so far recovered from the scurvy, that
there was little danger of burying any more for the present. I shall
therefore now sum up the whole of our loss since our departure from
England, the better to convey some idea of our past sufferings and our
then remaining strength. In the Centurion, since leaving St Helens, we
had buried 292 men, and had 214 remaining. This will doubtless appear
a most extraordinary mortality, yet that in the Gloucester had been
much greater; as, out of a much smaller crew than ours, she had lost
the same number, and had only 82 remaining alive. It might have been
expected that the mortality would have been the most terrible in the
Tryal, as her decks were almost constantly knee deep in water: But
it happened otherwise, for she escaped more favourably than the other
two, having only buried 42, and had 39 remaining alive. The havoc of
this cruel disease had fallen still more severely on the invalids
and marines, than on the sailors. For, in the Centurion, out of 50
invalids and 79 marines, there only remained four invalids, including
officers, and 11 marines. In the Gloucester every invalid perished;
and of 48 marines, only two escaped. It appears from this account,
that the three ships departed from England with 961 men on board, of
whom 626 were dead, and 335 men and boys only remained alive; a number
greatly insufficient for manning the Centurion alone, and barely
capable of navigating all the three with the utmost exertion of their
strength and vigour.
This prodigious reduction of our men was the more alarming, as we were
hitherto unacquainted with the fate of the squadron under Pizarro, and
had reason to suppose that some part of it, at least, had got round
into the South Seas. We were, indeed, much of opinion, from our own
sad experience, that they must have suffered greatly in the passage:
but then every port in the South Sea was open to them, and the whole
power of Peru and Chili would be exerted for their refreshment and
repair, and for recruiting their loss of men. We had, also, some
obscure information of a force to be fitted out against us from Paluo;
and, however contemptible the ships and sailors of this part of the
world may have been generally esteemed, it was hardly possible for
any thing bearing the name of a ship of war, to be feebler or less
considerable than ourselves. Even if there had been nothing to
apprehend from the naval power of the Spaniards in these seas, yet our
enfeebled situation necessarily gave us great uneasiness, as we were
incapable of making an attempt against any of their considerable
places; for, in our state of weakness, the risking even of twenty
men, would have put the safety of the whole in hazard. We conceived,
therefore, that we should be forced to content ourselves with what
prizes we might be able to fall in with at sea, before we were
discovered, and then to depart precipitately, and esteem ourselves
fortunate to regain our native country; leaving our enemies to triumph
on the inconsiderable mischief they had suffered from a squadron which
had filled them with such dreadful apprehensions. We had reason to
imagine the Spanish ostentation would remarkably exert itself on
this subject, though our disappointment and their security neither
originated in their valour nor our misconduct. Such were the
desponding reflections which at this time arose, on the review and
comparison of our remaining weakness with our original strength: And,
indeed, our fears were far from being groundless, or disproportionate
to our feeble and almost desperate condition: For, though the final
event proved more honourable than we foreboded, yet the intermediate
calamities did likewise surpass our most gloomy apprehensions; and,
could these have been predicted to us while at Juan Fernandez, they
would doubtless have appeared insurmountable.
In the beginning of September, as already mentioned, our men being
tolerably well recovered, and the season of navigation in these seas
drawing nigh, we exerted ourselves in getting our ships ready for sea.
We converted the foremast of the Anna into a new main-mast for the
Tryal; and, still flattering ourselves with the possible hope of
some other ships of our squadron arriving, we intended to leave the
main-mast of the Anna, to make a new mizen-mast for the Wager. All
hands being thus employed in preparing for our departure, we espied
a sail to the N.E. about eleven a.m. of the 18th September, which
continued to approach us till her courses appeared even with the
horizon. While advancing, we had great hopes that this might prove
one of our squadron; but she at length steered away to the eastward,
without hauling in for the island, on which we concluded that she must
be Spanish. Great differences of opinion now took place, as to the
possibility of her people having discovered our tents on shore; some
of us strongly insisting, that she certainly had been near enough to
have seen something that had given them a jealousy to an enemy, which
had occasioned her standing away to the eastwards. Leaving these
contests to be settled afterwards, it was resolved to pursue her; and,
as the Centurion was in the greatest forwardness, all her hands were
got immediately on board, her rigging set up, and her sails bent with
all possible expedition, and we got under sail by five in the evening.
At this time we had so very little wind, that all the boats were
employed to tow us out of the bay, and what wind there was lasted only
long enough to give us an offing of two or three leagues, when it
fell dead calm. As night came on we lost sight of the chase, and were
extremely impatient for the return of light, in hopes to find that she
had been becalmed, as well as we; yet her great distance from the land
was 3 reasonable ground for suspecting the contrary, as we actually
found in the morning, to our great mortification; for, though the
weather was then quite clear, we had no sight of the chase from the
mast-head. But, being now quite satisfied that she was an enemy, and
the first we had seen in these seas, we resolved not to give over the
chase lightly; and, on a small breeze springing up from the W.N.W. we
got up our top-gallant masts and yards, set all the sails, and steered
S.E. in hopes of retrieving the chase, which we imagined might be
bound for Valparaiso. We continued on this course all that day and the
next; and then, seeing nothing of the chase, gave over the pursuit,
believing that she had, in all probability, reached her port.
Resolving to return to Juan Fernandez, we hauled up to the S.W. having
very little wind till the 12th, at three a.m. when a gale sprung up at
W.S.W. which obliged us to tack and stand to the N.W. At day-break,
we were agreeably surprised by the appearance of a sail on our
weather-bow, between four and five leagues distant, on which we
crowded all sail and stood towards her, soon perceiving she was a
different vessel from that we had chased before. She at first bore
down towards us, shewing Spanish colours, and making a signal as to
a consort; but, seeing we did not answer her signal, she instantly
loofed close to the wind and stood to the southward. Our people were
now all in high spirits, and put about ship with great briskness;
and, as the chase appeared a large ship, and had mistaken us for
her consort, we imagined that she must be a man of war, and probably
belonged to the squadron of Pizarro. This induced the commodore to
order all the officers cabins to be knocked down and thrown overboard,
along with several casks of water and provisions, that stood between
the guns; so that we had a clear ship, ready for action. About nine
a.m. it came on thick hazy weather, with a shower of rain, during
which we lost sight of the chase, and were apprehensive, if this
weather should continue, she might escape us, by going on the other
tack, or some other device. The weather cleared up, however, in
less than an hour, when we found that we had both weathered and
fore-reached upon her considerably, and were then near enough to
perceive that she was only a merchant ship, without a single tire of
guns. About half an hour after twelve noon, being within reasonable
distance, we fired four shot among her rigging; on which they lowered
their top-sails and bore down to us, but in very great confusion,
their top-gallant-sails and stay-sails all fluttering in the wind.
This was owing to their having let run their sheets and halyards, just
as we fired at them; after which not a man among them would venture
aloft to take them in, as our shot had passed there just before.
As soon as the vessel came within hail of us, the commodore ordered
her to bring to under his lee quarter; and having the boat hoisted
out, sent our first lieutenant, Mr Saumarez, to take possession of the
prize, with orders to send all the prisoners on board the Centurion,
the officers and passengers first. When Mr Saumarez boarded the prize,
he was received by her people at the side with the most abject tokens
of submission; as they were all, especially the passengers, who were
twenty-five in number, extremely terrified, and under the greatest
apprehensions of meeting with very severe and cruel usage. But the
lieutenant endeavoured, with great courtesy, to dissipate their
terror, assuring them that their fears were altogether groundless,
and that they would find a generous enemy in the commodore, who was
no less remarkable for his lenity and humanity, than for courage and
resolution. The prisoners who were first sent on board the Centurion,
informed us, that the prize was called _Neustra Lenora del Monte
Carmelo_, and her commander Don Manuel Zamorra. Her cargo consisted
chiefly of sugar, and a great quantity of blue cloth, made in the
province of Quito, somewhat resembling our coarse English broad cloth,
but inferior. They had also several bales of a coarser cloth, of
different colours, somewhat like Colchester baize, called by them
_Panniada Tierra_; with a few bales of cotton, and some tolerably
well-flavoured tobacco, though strong. These were her principal goods;
but we found besides, what was much more valuable than the rest of
her cargo, some trunks full of wrought silver plate, and twenty-three
serons of dollars, each weighing upwards of two hundred pounds.[2]
This ship was of about 450 tons burden, having on board 53 sailors,
including whites and blacks. She came from Calao, bound for
Valparaiso, and had been twenty-seven days at sea. Her return cargo
from Chili was to have been corn and Chili wine, with some gold, dried
beef, and small cordage, which is afterwards converted at Calao into
larger rope. This vessel had been built thirty years before; yet,
as they lie in harbour all winter, and the climate is remarkably
favourable, she was not considered as very old. Her rigging and sails
were very indifferent, the latter being of cotton. She had only three
four-pounders, which were quite unserviceable, as their carriages
could scarcely support them; and they had no small arms on board,
except a few pistols belonging to the passengers. They had sailed from
Callao in company with two other ships, which they had parted from
a few days before, and had at first taken our ship for one of their
consorts; and, by the description we gave of the ship we had chased
from Juan Fernandez, they assured us that she was one of their number;
although the coming in sight of that island is directly contrary to
the merchant's instructions, as knowing, if any English ships should
be in these seas, that this island is most likely to be their place of
rendezvous.
[Footnote 2: A seron is a species of package made and used in Spanish
America, consisting of a piece of raw bullock's hide with the hair on,
formed while wet into the shape of a small trunk, and sewed together.
The quantity of dollars taken on this occasion may have been between
seventy and eighty thousand.--E.]
We met with very important intelligence in this prize, partly from
the prisoners, and partly from letters and papers that fell into
our hands. By these we first learnt with certainty the force and
destination of that squadron which cruised off Madeira at our arrival
there, and had afterwards chased the Pearl in our passage to Port St
Julian. This squadron we now knew to be composed of five large Spanish
ships, commanded by Admiral Pizarro, and purposely fitted out to
traverse our designs, as has been already more amply related in our
third section. We had now the satisfaction to find, that Pizarro,
after his utmost endeavours to get round into these seas, had been
forced back to the Rio Plata, after losing two of his largest
ships; which, considering our great weakness, was no unacceptable
intelligence. We also learnt, that, though an embargo had been laid on
all shipping in the ports of South America, by the viceroy of Peru,
in the preceding month of May, on the supposition that we might then
arrive on the coast, yet it now no longer subsisted: For, on receiving
the account overland of the distresses of Pizarro, part of which they
knew we must also have suffered; and, on hearing nothing of us for
eight months after we were known to have left St Catharines, they were
fully satisfied we must either have been shipwrecked, have perished
at sea, or have been obliged to put back again; as they conceived
it impossible for any ships to have continued at sea for so long an
interval, and therefore, on the application of the merchants, and the
persuasion that we had miscarried, the embargo had been lately taken
off.
This intelligence made us flatter ourselves, as the enemy was still
ignorant of our having got round Cape Horn, and as navigation was
restored, that we might meet with some valuable captures, and might
indemnify ourselves in that way, of our incapacity to attempt any of
their considerable settlements on shore. This much at least we were
certain of, from the information of our prisoners, that, whatever
might be our success in regard to prizes, we had nothing to fear, weak
even as we were, from the Spanish force in that part of the world,
though we discovered that we had been in most imminent peril, when we
least apprehended any, when our other distresses were at the greatest
height. As we found, by letters in the prize, that Pizarro, in the
dispatch he sent by express to the viceroy of Peru overland, after
his own return to the Rio Plata, had intimated the possibility of some
part of our squadron getting round; and as, from his own experience,
he was certain any of our ships that might arrive in the South Seas
must be in a very weak and defenceless condition, he advised the
viceroy to send what ships of war he had to the southwards, in order
to be secure at all events, where, in all probability, they would
intercept us singly, before we had an opportunity of touching any
where for refreshment; in which case he had no doubt of our proving an
easy conquest. The viceroy approved this advice, and as he had already
fitted out four ships of force at Callao, one of 50 guns, two of 40
each, and one of 24, which were intended to have joined Pizarro, three
of these were stationed off the port of Conception, and one at the
island of Juan Fernandez, where they continued cruising for us till
the 6th of June; and then, conceiving it impossible that we could
have kept the sea so long, they quitted this station and returned to
Callao, fully persuaded we must either have perished, or been driven
back.
Now, as the time when they left Juan Fernandez was only a few days
before our arrival at that island, it is evident, if we had made it
on our first search, without hauling in for the main to secure our
easting, a circumstance we then considered as very unfortunate, on
account of the many men we lost by our long continuance at sea; had
we made the island 28th of May, when we first expected to see it, and
were in reality very near to have so done, we had inevitably fallen in
with some part of the squadron from Callao; and in our then distressed
condition, the encounter of a healthy and well-provided enemy might
have proved fatal, not only to us in the Centurion, but also to the
Tryal, Gloucester, and Anna pink, which separately joined us, and were
each less capable to have resisted than we. I may also add, that these
Spanish ships, sent out to intercept us, had been greatly shattered by
a storm during their cruise, and had been laid up after their
return to Callao; and we were assured by our prisoners, that, when
intelligence might be received at Lima of our being in the South Seas,
it would require two months at least, before this armament could
be refitted for going to sea. The whole of this intelligence was as
favourable as we, in our reduced circumstances, could wish for; and
we were now at no loss to account for the broken jars, ashes, and fish
bones, which we had observed at Juan Fernandez on our first landing;
these things having been doubtless the relics of the cruisers
stationed at that island. Having thus satisfied ourselves in the most
material articles of our enquiry, got all the silver on board the
Centurion, and most of the prisoners, we made sail to the northward
at eight that same evening, in company with our prize. We got sight of
Juan Fernandez at six next morning, and the day following both we and
our prize got safe there to anchor. When the prize and her crew came
into the bay, in which the rest of our squadron lay, the Spaniards,
who had been sufficiently informed of the distresses we had gone
through, and were astonished we had been able to surmount them, were
still more surprised when they saw the Tryal sloop, that, after all
our fatigues, we should have had the industry to complete such a
vessel in so short a time, besides refitting our other ships, as they
concluded we had certainly built her there; nor was it without great
difficulty they could be brought to believe that she came from England
with the rest of the squadron; for they long insisted, that it was
impossible for such a bauble as she was to have passed round Cape
Horn, when the best ships of Spain were forced to put back.
By the time of our arrival at Juan Fernandez, the letters found on
board our prize were more minutely examined, and it appeared from
them, and from the examination of our prisoners, that several other
merchant-ships were bound from Callao to Valparaiso. Whereupon, the
commodore dispatched the Tryal sloop, the very next morning, to cruise
off the port of Valparaiso, reinforcing her crew with ten men from the
Centurion. The commodore resolved also, on the above intelligence,
to employ the ships under his command in separate cruises, as by this
means he might increase the chance of taking prizes, and should run
less risk of being discovered, and alarming the coast. The spirits of
our people were now greatly raised, and their despondency dissipated,
by this earnest of success, so that they forgot all their past
distresses, resumed their wonted alacrity, and laboured incessantly in
completing our water, receiving our lumber, and preparing to leave the
island.
These necessary occupations took us up four or five days, with all our
industry and exertions; and in this interval, the commodore
directed the guns of the Anna pink, being four six-pounders and four
four-pounders, with two swivels, to be mounted in the Carmelo, our
prize. He sent also on board the Gloucester, six Spanish passengers
and twenty-three captured seamen, to assist in navigating that ship,
and directed Captain Mitchell to leave the island as soon as possible,
the service demanding the utmost despatch, giving him orders to
proceed to the latitude of 5° S. and there to cruise off the high-land
of Payta, at such distance from shore as should prevent his being
discovered. He was to continue on this station till joined by the
Centurion; which was to be whenever it should be known that the
viceroy had fitted out the ships of war at Callao, or on the commodore
receiving any other intelligence that should make it necessary to
divide our strength. These orders being delivered to Captain Mitchell
of the Gloucester, and all our business completed, we weighed anchor
in the Centurion, on Saturday the 19th of September, in company with
our prize the Carmelo, and got out of the bay, taking our last leave
of Juan Fernandez, and steering to the eastward, with the intention
of joining the Tryal sloop, on her station off Valparaiso, leaving the
Gloucester still at anchor.