This voyage was undertaken chiefly by the merchants of Bristol,
England. Captain Woodes Rogers was appointed commander in chief, and
William Dampier first pilot of the expedition. They sailed from
Kingroad, Bristol, on the 1st of August, 1708, their force consisting
of the Duke, a ship of three hundred tons burden, thirty guns, and one
hundred and seventy men, commanded by Rogers; and the Duchess of two
hundred and seventy tons, twenty-six guns, and one hundred and
fifty-one men, under the command of captain Courtney. They entered the
harbor of Cork on the 6th of August, where they enlisted a number of
seamen in the room of about forty fellows who had run away. They set
sail on the 1st of September, with a very mixed crew, and on the
morning of the 10th discovered a sail, to which they immediately gave
chase. On coming up with her she proved to be a Swedish ship, and was
permitted to proceed unmolested on her way. During the time the ship
was in custody, a design had been privately formed on board the Duke,
by four inferior officers, to make a prize of her; and when they found
she was given up, they began to mutiny; but the boatsman, being
displaced, and, with ten others, put in irons, and a severe whipping
given to some of the leaders of the disturbance, all was quiet again.
On the 14th, however, some of the ship’s company, headed by a daring
fellow, came up to captain Rogers at the steerage-door, and demanded
the boatswain out of irons. The captain gave them good words, and
having taken the ringleader, as if to speak with him on the
quarter-deck, had him suddenly seized by the help of the officers, and
lashed by one of his own followers. On the 16th the captain released
the prisoners from irons on their acknowledging their sorrow for what
they had done.
On the 17th, gained sight of the peak of Teneriffe, and the next day
took a Spanish bark of twenty-five tons. On the 25th of September
passed the tropic, when about sixty of the crew, who had never been
this course before, were ducked three times, by hoisting them up
halfway the main-yard, with a rope to which they were made fast, and
sousing them into the water. After visiting the Cape de Verd islands,
where they took in water and provisions, the ships again set sail on
the 8th of October, in the evening. On the 14th, they came within
sight of Brazil, and soon after came to anchor before the island of
Grande, in eleven fathoms water. While they lay here another quarrel
arose on board the Duchess, and eight of the ringleaders were put in
irons. On the 25th, two men deserted and made their escape into the
woods; but, in the night, were so terrified by the noise made by the
baboons and monkeys, that they ran back, plunged into the water, and
prayed to be taken on board again.
The ships sailed out of the bay of Grande on the first of December,
steering for Juan Fernandez, and on the 5th of January, encountered a
violent storm, which drove such a quantity of water into the Duchess
that they expected she would sink every moment. As the men were going
to supper about nine o’clock at night, she shipped a sea at the poop,
which beat in the bulkhead and all the cabin windows. On deck the yawl
was staved in pieces and one or two of the men severely hurt. On the
17th, took an observation, by which they found they had got round Cape
Horn and were to the northward of Cape Victoria. About this time the
scurvy began to make great havoc among the crews. They now bore away
for the island of Juan Fernandez, which appeared in sight on the last
day of January. On going on shore here they discovered a man clothed
in goat-skins, whose name was Alexander Selkirk. They remained at this
island till the 14th of February, having fully refreshed themselves,
when they weighed anchor, with a fair gale at south-east.
After taking a number of valuable prizes, on the 23d of April, captain
Rogers with some of his men made a descent in boats and barks upon the
town of Guyaquil, which they took with but little resistance and
plundered of great quantities of money, jewels, and provisions. He
then marched out of the town, and returned on board his own ship,
where he was heartily greeted by those of his people whom he had left
behind. They afterwards obtained a considerable sum as a ransom for
the town, and bore away for the Gallapagos islands, with a strong gale
at S. S. W.; discovered land on the 17th of May, but found it barren
and destitute of water. Continuing on their voyage, they took several
rich prizes, visited Gorgona and the Gallapagos, and sailing for the
East Indies arrived at the islands of Serpana and Guam. They left the
latter place on the 21st of March, and on the 25th of May, made
Bouton. They sailed from this island on the 8th of June, and on the
23d of July, they hove down upon Horn Island to careen their vessels.
Having supplied themselves with such necessaries as they wanted, they
left Batavia on the 12th of October, and sailed for the Cape of Good
Hope.
They came to anchor in the Cape harbor, on the 28th of December. The
English saluted the Dutch fort with nine guns: which compliment was
returned with seven. At this place they waited for the convoy of
the Dutch fleet till April, on the 5th of which month the Dutch
admiral hoisted a blue flag, and loosed his fore-top-sail, as a signal
to unmoor; and the next day the whole fleet sailed with a fresh breze
at S. S. E. On the 23d of July they arrived in the Texel, and sailing
hence with seven prizes came to the moorings in the Downs on the 2d of
October, 1711.