THE CAPTURE OF THE GALLEON.
As the month of June advanced, the expectancy and impatience of the
Commodore's people each day increased, and I think no better idea can be
given of their great eagerness on this occasion than by copying a few
paragraphs from the journal of an officer who was then on board, as it
will, I presume, be a more natural picture of the full attachment of
their thoughts to the business of their cruise than can be given by any
other means. The paragraphs I have selected, as they occur in order of
time are as follows:
May 31. Exercising our men at their quarters, in great expectation of
meeting with the galleons very soon, this being the 11th of June, their
style.
June 3. Keeping in our stations and looking out for the galleons.
June 5. Begin now to be in great expectations, this being the middle of
June, their style.
June 11. Begin to grow impatient at not seeing the galleons.
June 13. The wind having blown fresh easterly for the forty-eight hours
past, gives us great expectations of seeing the galleons soon.
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.
...
From these samples it is sufficiently evident how completely the treasure
of the galleons had engrossed their imagination, and how anxiously they
passed the latter part of their cruise, when the certainty of the arrival
of these vessels was dwindled down to probability only, and that
probability became each hour more and more doubtful.
THE GALLEON SIGHTED.
However, on the 20th of June, Old Style, being just a month from their
arrival on their station, they were relieved from this state of
uncertainty when, at sunrise, they discovered a sail from the masthead in
the south-east quarter. On this a general joy spread through the whole
ship, for they had no doubt but this was one of the galleons, and they
expected soon to see 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, which 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 in all
this time 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.
(*Note. Probably as a pretended signal to a consort. The two ships were
endeavouring to deceive each other.)
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 hauled up her foresail and
brought to under topsails, with her head to the northward, hoisting
Spanish colours and having the standard of Spain flying at the topgallant
masthead. Mr. Anson in the meantime had prepared all things for an
engagement on board the Centurion, and had taken all possible care both
for the most effectual exertion of his small strength, and for avoiding
the confusion 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 number 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
constantly moving about the decks to run out and fire such guns as were
loaded. By this management he was enabled to make use of all his guns,
and, instead of firing broad sides 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, 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.
A GALLANT FIGHT.
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, and towards one o'clock the
Centurion hoisted her broad pendant and colours, she being then within
gun shot of the enemy; and the Commodore, observing the Spaniards to have
neglected clearing their ship till that time, as he then saw them
throwing over board cattle and lumber, he gave orders to fire upon them
with the chase guns to embarrass them in their work, and prevent them
from completing it, though his general directions had been not to engage
till they were within pistol-shot. The galleon returned the fire with two
of her stern-chasers, and the Centurion getting her sprit sail-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 with a view of preventing them from 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 for the
first half-hour Mr. Anson overreached the galleon and lay on her bow,
where by the great wideness 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 burned 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 great confusion, and
at the same time alarmed the Commodore, for he feared lest the galleon
should be burned, and lest he himself too might suffer by her driving on
board him. But the Spaniards at last freed themselves from the fire by
cutting away the netting, and tumbling the whole mass which was in flames
into the sea. But still 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 topmen, 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 ever appeared on the quarter-deck, and wounding in
particular the General of the galleon himself; and though the Centurion,
after the first half-hour, lost her original situation and was close
alongside the galleon, and the enemy continued to fire briskly for near
an hour longer, yet at last the Commodore's grape-shot swept their decks
so effectually, and the number of their slain and wounded was 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 embarrassment was visible from on board the
Commodore, for the ships were so near that some of the Spanish officers
were seen running about with great 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 judgment
than usual, they gave 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 main top-gallant masthead, the person who was
employed to do it having been in imminent peril of being killed, had not
the Commodore, 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
Senora de Cabadonga", and was commanded by the General Don Jeronimo de
Montero, a Portuguese by birth, and 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 and fifty men and thirty-six
guns mounted for action, besides twenty-eight pidreroes in her gunwale,
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 2-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 treasure thus taken by the Centurion having been for at least
eighteen months the great object of their hopes, it is impossible to
describe the transport on board when, after all their reiterated
disappointments, they at last saw their wishes accomplished. But their
joy was near being suddenly damped by a most tremendous incident, for no
sooner had the galleon struck than one of the lieutenants, coming to Mr.
Anson to congratulate him on his prize, whispered him at the same time
that the Centurion was dangerously on fire near the powder-room. The
Commodore received this dreadful news without any apparent emotion, and
taking care not to alarm his people, gave the necessary orders for
extinguishing it, which was happily done in a short time, though its
appearance at first was extremely terrible. It seems some cartridges had
been blown up by accident between decks, whereby a quantity of oakum in
the after hatchway near the after powder-room was set on fire, and the
great smother and smoke of the oakum occasioned the apprehension of a
more extended and mischievous fire. At the same instant, too, the galleon
fell on board the Centurion on the starboard quarter, but she was cleared
without doing or receiving any considerable damage.
The Commodore made his first lieutenant, Mr. Suamarez, captain of this
prize, appointing her a post-ship in His Majesty's service. Captain
Suamarez, before night, sent on board the Centurion all the Spanish
prisoners but such as were thought the most proper to be retained to
assist in navigating the galleon.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
And now the Commodore learned 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 Manila long before the Centurion
arrived off Cape Espiritu Santo, so that Mr. Anson, notwithstanding 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.