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A NEW VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD,
BY A Course never sailed before.
BEING
A VOYAGE undertaken by some MERCHANTS, who afterwards proposed
the Setting up an _East-India_ Company in FLANDERS.
_LONDON:_
Printed for A. BETTESWORTH, at the _Red-Lyon_,
in _Pater-Noster-Row_; and W. MEARS, at the
_Lamb_, without _Temple-Bar_. M.DCC.XXV.
NEW VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
It has for some ages been thought so wonderful a thing to sail the tour
or circle of the globe, that when a man has done this mighty feat, he
presently thinks it deserves to be recorded like Sir Francis Drake's. So
soon as men have acted the sailor, they come ashore and write books of
their voyage, not only to make a great noise of what they have done
themselves, but pretending to show the way to others to come after them,
they set up for teachers and chart makers to posterity. Though most of
them have had this misfortune, that whatever success they have had in
the voyage, they have had very little in the relation; except it be to
tell us, that a seaman when he comes to the press, is pretty much out of
his element, and a very good sailor may make but a very indifferent
author.
I do not in this, lessen the merit of those gentlemen who have made such
a long voyage as that round the globe; but I must be allowed to say, as
the way is now a common road, the reason of it thoroughly known, and the
occasion of it more frequent than in former times, so the world has done
wondering at it; we no more look upon it as a mighty thing, a strange
and never heard of undertaking; this cannot be now expected of us, the
thing is made familiar, every ordinary sailor is able to do it, if his
merchants are but qualified to furnish him for so long a voyage; and he
that can carry a ship to Lisbon, may with the same ease carry it round
the world.
Some tell us, it is enough to wonder at a thing nine days, one would
reasonably then conclude, that it is enough that sailing round the world
has been wondered at above a hundred years. I shall therefore let the
reader know, that it is not the rarity of going round the world that has
occasioned this publication, but if some incidents have happened in
such a voyage, as either have not happened to others, or as no other
people, though performing the same voyage have taken notice of, then
this account may be worth publishing, though the thing, viz. The Voyage
round the World, be in itself of no value.
It is to be observed, of the several navigators whose Voyages round the
World have been published, that few, if any of them, have diverted us
with that variety which a circle of that length must needs offer. We
have a very little account of their landings, their diversions, the
accidents which happened to them, or to others by their means; the
stories of their engagements, when they have had any scuffle either with
natives, or European enemies, are told superficially and by halves; the
storms and difficulties at sea or on shore, have nowhere a full
relation; and all the rest of their accounts are generally filled up
with directions for sailors coming that way, the bearings of the land,
the depth of the channels, entrances, and bars, at the several ports,
anchorage in the bays, and creeks, and the like things, useful indeed
for seamen going thither again, and how few are they? but not at all to
the purpose when we come expecting to find the history of the voyage.
Another sort of these writers have just given us their long journals,
tedious accounts of their log-work, how many leagues they sailed every
day; where they had the winds, when it blew hard, and when softly; what
latitude in every observation, what meridian distance, and what
variation of the compass. Such is the account of Sir John Narborough's
Voyage to the South Seas, adorned with I know not how many charts of the
famous Strait of Magellan, a place only now famous for showing the
ignorance of Sir John Narborough, and a great many wise gentlemen before
him, and for being a passage they had no need to have troubled
themselves with, and which nobody will ever go through anymore.
Such also are the Voyages of Captain John Wood, to Nova Zemla, at the
charge of the public, in King Charles the Second's time, and Martin
Frobisher to the North-West Passages, in Queen Elizabeth's time; all
which, are indeed full of their own journals, and the incidents of
sailing, but have little or nothing of story in them, for the use of
such readers who never intend to go to sea, and yet such readers may
desire to hear how it has fared with those that have, and how affairs
stand in those remote parts of the world.
For these reasons, when first I set out upon a cruising and trading
voyage to the East, and resolved to go anywhere, and everywhere that the
advantage of trade or the hopes of purchase should guide us, I also
resolved to take such exact notice of everything that past within my
reach, that I would be able, if I lived to come home, to give an account
of my voyage, differing from all that I had ever seen before, in the
nature of the observations, as well as the manner of relating them. And
as this is perfectly new in its form, so I cannot doubt but it will be
agreeable in the particulars, seeing either no voyage ever made before,
had such variety of incidents happening in it, so useful and so
diverting, or no person that sailed on those voyages, has thought fit to
publish them after this manner.
Having been fitted out in the river of Thames so lately as the year
1713, and on a design perhaps not very consistent with the measures
taking at that time for the putting an end to the war, I must be allowed
to own I was at first obliged to act not in my own name, but to put in a
French commander into the ship, for the reasons which follow, and which
those, who understand the manner of trade upon closing the late war, I
mean the trade with Spain, will easily allow to be just and well
grounded.
During the late war between Great Britain and her confederates on one
side, and the united crowns of France and Spain on the other, we all
know the French had a free trade into the South Seas; a trade carried on
with the greatest advantage, and to the greatest degree, that any
particular commerce has been carried on in the world for many ages past;
insomuch, that we found the return of silver that came back to France by
those ships, was not only the enriching of the merchants of St. Malo,
Rochelle, and other ports in France, some of whom we saw get immense
estates in a few years, even to a million sterling a man; but it was
evident, the King of France himself was enabled, by the circulation of
so much bullion through his mints, to carry on that war with very great
advantage.
It was just at the close of this war, when some merchants of London,
looking with envy on the success of that trade, and how the French,
notwithstanding the peace, would apparently carry it on, for some years
at least, to infinite advantage, began to consider whether it might not
be possible to come in for a portion of it with France, as they were
allied to Spain, and yet go abroad in the nature of a private cruiser.
To bring this to pass, it was thought proper, in the first place, to get
a share if possible, in a new design of an East India trade in Flanders,
just then intended to be set up by some British merchants, by the
assistance of an imperial charter, or at least under colour of it: and
so we might go to sea in a threefold capacity, to be made use of as
occasion might present, viz., when on the coast of New Spain we sought
to trade, we were Frenchmen, had a French captain, and a sufficient
number of French seamen, and Flemish or Walloon seamen, who spoke
French, so to appear on all proper occasions. When at sea we met with
any Spanish ship worth our while, we were English cruisers, had letters
of mart from England, had no account of the peace, and were fitted for
the attack. And when in the East Indies we had occasion to trade, either
at the English or Dutch settlements, we should have imperial colours,
and two Flemish merchants, at least in appearance, to transact
everything as we found occasion. However, this last part of our project
failed us, that affair not being fully ripe.
As this mysterious equipment may be liable to some exceptions, and
perhaps to some inquiries, I shall for the present conceal my name, and
that of the ship also. By inquiries, I mean inquiries of private persons
concerned; for, as to public inquiries, we have no uneasiness, having
acted nothing in contradiction to the rules and laws of our country; but
I say, as to private persons, it is thought fit to prevent their
inquiries, to which end, the captain, in whose name I write this, gives
me leave to make use of his name, and conceal my own.
The ship sailed from the river the 20th of December, 1713, and went
directly over to the coast of Flanders, lying at an anchor in Newport
Pitts, as they are called, where we took in our French Captain Jean
Michael Merlotte, who, with thirty-two French seamen, came on board us
in a large snow from Dunkirk, bringing with them one hundred and
twenty-two small ankers or rundlets of brandy, and some hampers and
casks of French wine in wickered bottles. While we were here, we lay
under English colours, with pendants flying, our ship being upwards of
five hundred ton, and had forty-six guns mounted, manned with three
hundred and fifty-six men; we took the more men on board, because we
resolved, as occasion should present, to fit ourselves with another
ship, which we did not question we should meet with in the South Seas.
We had also a third design in our voyage, though it may be esteemed an
accident to the rest, viz., we were resolved to make some attempts for
new discoveries, as opportunity offered; and we had two persons on board
who were exceeding well qualified for our direction in this part, all
which was derived from the following occasion.
The person who was principally concerned in the adventure was a man not
only of great wealth, but of great importance; he was particularly
addicted to what we call new discoveries, and it was indeed upon his
genius to such things, that the first thought of the voyage was founded.
This gentleman told me, that he had already sent one ship fully equipped
and furnished for a new attempt upon the North-West or North-East
passages, which had been so often in vain tried by former navigators;
and that he did not question the success, because he had directed them
by new measures, and to steer a course that was never attempted yet; and
his design in our voyage was to make like discoveries towards the South
pole; where, as he said, and gave us very good reasons for it, he did
not doubt but we might discover, even to the pole itself, and find out
new worlds and new seas, which had never been heard of before.
With these designs, this gentleman came into the other part of our
project, and contributed the more largely, and with the more freedom, to
the whole, upon that account; in particular, all the needful
preparations for such discoveries were made wholly at his expense, which
I take notice of here, as being most proper in the beginning of our
story, and that the reader may the less wonder at the particular way we
took to perform a voyage which might with much more ease have been done
by the usual and ordinary way.
We sailed from the coast of Flanders the 2nd of January, and, without
any extraordinary incident, made the coast of Galway, in Ireland, the
10th, where we stayed, and took in a very extraordinary store of
provisions, three times as much as usual, the beef being also well
pickled or double packed, that we might have a sufficient reserve for
the length of our voyage, resolving also to spare it as much as
possible.
We had a very rich cargo on board, consisting of all sorts of British
manufactures suitable for the Spanish trade in their West Indies; and,
as we aimed at nothing of trade till we came to the Spanish coast, we
sailed directly for the Canary Islands: having not fully resolved
whether we would make our voyage to the South Seas first, and so round
the globe by the East Indies, as has been the usual way, or whether we
would go first by the East Indies, and upon the discoveries we were
directed to, and then cross the great Pacific Ocean to the west coast of
America, as was at last resolved.
We made the Canaries, the 11th of February; and, coming to an anchor
there to take in some fresh water, we put out French colours, and sent
our boat on shore, with a French boatswain and all French seamen, to buy
what we wanted: they brought us on board five butts or pipes of wine,
and some provisions, and having filled our water, we set sail again the
13th. In this time we called a council among ourselves, by which way we
should go.
I confess I was for going by the Cape of Good Hope first, and so to the
East Indies: then, keeping to the south of Java, go away to the
Moluccas, where I made no doubt to make some purchase among the Dutch
Spice Islands, and so away to the Philippines; but the whole ship's
company, I mean of officers, were against me in this scheme, although I
told them plainly, that the discoveries which would be made in such a
voyage as that, were the principal reasons why our chief owner embarked
in the adventure, and that we ought to regard the end and design of our
voyage; that it would certainly in the conclusion amount to the same, as
to trade, as if we went the usual way, seeing the places we were to go
to were the same one way as the other, and it was only putting the
question which we should go to first; that all the navigators, on such
voyages as these, went by the South Seas first, which would be no honour
to us at all: but, if we went by the East Indies first, we should be the
first that ever went such a voyage, and that we might make many useful
discoveries and experiments in trying that course; that it would be
worth our while, not only to go that way, but to have all the world take
notice of it, and of us for it.
I used a great many arguments of the like nature, but they answered me
most effectually, with laying before me the difficulties of the voyage,
and the contrary methods of trade, which, in a word, made the going that
way impracticable: First, the difficulty of the voyage, over the vast
ocean called the Pacific Sea, or South Sea, which, if we kept a southern
latitude, and took the variable winds, as we should find them, as I
proposed to do, might very well be a voyage of six or eight months,
without any sight of land, or supply of provisions or water, which was
intolerable; that, as to trade, it was preposterous, and just setting
the voyage with the bottom upward; for as we were loaden with goods, and
had no money, our first business, they said, was to go to the South
Seas, where our goods were wanted, and would sell for money, and then to
the East Indies, where our money would be wanting, to buy other goods to
carry home, and not to go to the East Indies first, where our goods
would not sell, and where we could buy no other for want of money.
This was seemingly so strong a way of reasoning, that they were all
against me, as well French as English, and even the two agents for
discoveries submitted to it; and so we resolved to stand away from the
Canaries to the coast o Brazil, thence upon the eastern coast of South
America to Cape Horn, and then into the South Seas; and, if we met with
anything that was Spanish by the way, we resolved to make prize of it,
as in a time of war.
Accordingly, we made the coast of Brazil in twenty-six days, from the
Canary Islands, and went on shore at Cape St. Augustine, for fresh
water; afterwards we put into the bay of All Saints, got some fresh
provisions there, and about an hundred very good hogs, some of which we
killed and pickled, and carried the rest on board alive, having taken on
board a great quantity of roots and maize, or Indian corn, for their
food, which they thrived on very well.
It was the last of March when we came to the bay, and having stayed
there fourteen days, to furnish ourselves with all things we wanted, we
got intelligence there, that there were three ships at Buenos Ayres, in
the river Rio de la Plata, which were preparing to go for Europe, and
that they expected two Spanish men of war to be their convoy, because
of the Portuguese men of war which were in Brazil, to convoy the Brazil
fleet.
Their having two Spanish men of war with them for their convoy, took
away a great deal from the joy we had entertained at the news of their
being there, and we began to think we should make little or nothing of
it; however, we resolved to see the utmost of it, and, particularly, if
our double appearance would not now stand us in some stead.
Accordingly, we went away for the river of Plata, and, as usual,
spreading French colours, we went boldly up to Buenos Ayres, and sent in
our boat, manned with Frenchmen, pretending to be homeward bound from
the South Seas, and in want of provisions.
The Spaniards received us with civility, and granted us such provisions
as we wanted; and here we found, to our great satisfaction, that there
was no such thing as any Spanish man of war there; but they said they
expected one, and the governor there for the King of Spain asked our
French officer if we would take one of their ships under our convoy?
Monsieur Merlotte answered him warily, that his ship was deep loaden,
and foul, and he could not undertake anything; but, if they would keep
him company, he would do them what service he could; but that also, as
they were a rich ship, they did not design to go directly to France, but
to Martinico, where they expected to meet with some French men of war to
convoy them home.
This answer was so well managed; though there was not one word of truth
in it, that one of the three ships, for the other two were not ready,
resolved to come away with us, and, in an evil hour for them, they did
so.
To be brief, we took the innocent Spaniard into our convoy, and sailed
away to the northward with them, but were not far at sea before we let
them know what circumstances they were in, by the following method. We
were about half a league a head of them, when our captain bringing to,
and hauling up our courses, made a signal to the Spaniards for the
captain to come on board, which he very readily did; as soon as he was
on board, our captain let him know that he was our prisoner, and all his
men, and immediately manning their boat with thirty of our men, we sent
them on board their ship, to take possession of her, but ordered them
that they should behave civilly to the men on board, and plunder
nothing. For we made a promise to the Spanish captain, that his ship
should not be plundered, upon condition he would give us a just account
of his loading, and deliver peaceably to us what riches he had on board;
then we also agreed, that we would restore him his ship, which by the
way, we found was chiefly loaden with hides, things of no value to us,
and that the ship also was an old vessel, strong, but often doubled, and
therefore a very heavy sailer, and consequently not at all fit for our
purpose, though we greatly wanted a ship to take along with us, we
having, as I have said, both too many men, and being too full of goods.
The Spanish captain, though surprised with the stratagem that had
brought him thus into the hands of his enemies, and greatly enraged in
his mind at being circumvented, and trepanned out of his ship, yet
showed a great presence of mind under his misfortune; and, as I verily
believe, he would have fought us very bravely, if we had let him know
fairly what we were, so he did not at all appear dejected at his
disaster, but capitulated with us as if he had been taken sword in hand.
And one time, when Captain Merlotte and he could not agree, and the
Spanish captain was a little threatened, he grew warm; told the captain
that he might be ill used, being in his hands, but that he was not
afraid to suffer whatever his ill fortune had prepared for him, and he
would not, for fear of ill usage, yield to base conditions; that he was
a man of honour, and if he was so too, he demanded to be put on board
his own ship again, and he should see he knew how to behave himself.
Captain Merlotte smiled at that, and told him, he was not afraid to put
him on board his own ship, and fight for her again, and that, if he did
so, he was sure he could not escape him; the Spanish captain smiled too,
and told him he should see, if he did, that he knew the way to heaven
from the bottom of the sea as well as any other road, and that men of
courage were never at a loss to conquer their enemy one way or other;
intimating, that he would sink by his side rather than be taken, and
that he would take care to be but a very indifferent prize to him, if he
was conquered.
However, we came to better terms with him afterwards. In short, having
taken on board all the silver, which was about two hundred thousand
pieces of eight, and whatever else we met with that was valuable, among
the rest his ammunition, and six brass guns, we performed conditions,
and sent him into the Rio de la Plata again with his ship, to let the
other Spanish captains know what scouring they had escaped.
Though we got a good booty, we were disappointed of a ship; however, we
were not so sensible of that disappointment now, as we were afterwards:
for, as we depended upon going to the South Seas, we made no doubt of
meeting with vessels enough for our purpose. Of what followed, the
reader will soon be informed.
We had done our work here, and had neither any occasion or any desire to
lie any longer on this coast, where the climate was bad, and the weather
exceeding hot, and where our men began to be very uneasy, being crowded
together so close all in one ship; so we made the best of our way south.
We met with some stormy weather in these seas, and particularly a
north-west blast, which carried us for eleven days a great way off to
sea; but, as we had sea-room enough, and a stout strong-built ship under
us, perfectly well prepared, tight and firm, we made light of the storms
we met with, and soon came into our right way again; so that, about the
4th of May, we made land in the latitude of 45 deg. 12', south.
We put in here for fresh water; and, finding nothing of the land marked
in our charts, we had no knowledge of the place, but, coming to an
anchor at about a league from the shore, our boat went in quest of a
good watering-place; in pursuit of this, they went up a creek about two
leagues more, where they found good water, and filled some casks, and so
came on board to make their report.
The next day we came into the creek's mouth, where we found six to eight
fathom water within a cable's length of the shore, and found fresh water
enough, but no people or cattle, though an excellent country for both.
Of this country I made many observations, suitable to the design and
desire of our ingenious employer and owner; and those observations are
one end of publishing this voyage. I shall mention only one observation
here, because I shall have occasion to speak of them hereafter more
largely. My observation here is as follows:--
_An observation concerning the soil and climate of the continent
of America, south of the river De la Plata; and how suitable to the
genius, the constitution, and the manner of living of Englishmen,
and consequently for an English colony._
The particular spot which I observe upon, is that part of the
continent of America which lies on the shore of the North Seas, as
they are called, though erroneously, for they are more properly the
East Seas, being extended along the east shores of South America.
The land lies on the same east side of America, extended north and
south from Coasta Deserta, in 42 deg., to Port St. Julian, in 491/2 deg.,
being almost five hundred miles in length, full of very good
harbours, and some navigable rivers. The land is a plain for several
scores of miles within the shore, with several little rising hills,
but nowhere mountainous or stony; well adapted for enclosing,
feeding, and grazing of cattle; also for corn, all sorts of which
would certainly not only grow, but thrive very well here, especially
wheat, rye, pease, and barley, things which would soon be improved
by Englishmen, to the making the country rich and populous, the
raising great quantities of grain of all sorts, and cattle in
proportion. The trade which I propose for the consumption of all the
produce, and the place whither to be carried, I refer to speak of by
itself, in the farther progress of this work.
I return now to the pursuit of our voyage. We put to sea again the 10th
of May, with fair weather and a fair wind; though a season of the year,
it is true, when we might have reason to expect some storms, being what
we might call the depth of their winter. However, the winds held
northerly, which, there, are to be esteemed the warm winds, and bringing
mild weather; and so they did, till we came into the latitude of 50 deg.,
when we had strong winds and squally weather, with much snow and cold,
from the south-west and south-west by west, which, blowing very hard, we
put back to Port St. Julian, where we were not able to stir for some
time.
We weighed again the 29th, and stood south again past the mouth of the
Straits of Magellan, a strait famous for many years, for being thought
to be the only passage out of the North Seas into the South Seas, and
therefore I say famous some ages; not only in the discovery of it by
Magellan, a Spanish captain, but of such significance, that, for many
years, it was counted a great exploit to pass this strait, and few have
ever done it of our nation, but that they have thought fit to tell the
world of it as an extraordinary business, fit to be made public as an
honour to their names. Nay, King Charles the Second thought it worth
while to send Sir John Narborough, on purpose to pass and take an exact
survey of this strait; and the map or plan of it has been published by
Sir John himself, at the public expense, as a useful thing.
Such a mighty and valuable thing also was the passing this strait, that
Sir Francis Drake's going through it gave birth to that famous old
wives' saying, viz., that Sir Francis Drake shot the gulf; a saying that
was current in England for many years after Sir Francis Drake was gone
his long journey of all; as if there had been but one gulf in the world,
and that passing it had been a wonder next to that of Hercules cleansing
the Augean stable.
Of this famous place I could not but observe, on this occasion, that, as
ignorance gave it its first fame and made it for so many ages the most
eminent part of the globe, as it was the only passage by which the whole
world could be surrounded, and that it was to every man's honour that
had passed it; so now it is come to the full end or period of its fame,
and will in all probability never have the honour to have any ship,
vessel, or boat, go through it more, while the world remains, unless,
which is very improbable, that part of the world should come to be fully
inhabited.
I know some are of opinion, that, before the full period of the earth's
existence, all the remotest and most barren parts of it shall be
peopled; but I see no ground for such a notion, but many reasons which
would make it appear to be impracticable, and indeed impossible; unless
it should please God to alter the situation of the globe as it respects
the sun, and place it in a direct, as it now moves in an oblique
position; or that a new species of mankind should be produced, who might
be as well qualified to live in the frozen zone as we are in the
temperate, and upon whom the extremity of cold could have no power. I
say, as there are several parts of the globe where this would be
impracticable, I shall say no more than this, that I think it is a
groundless suggestion.
But to return to our voyage; we passed by the mouth of this famous
Strait of Magellan, and those others which were passed through by Le
Maire the Dutch sailor afterwards; and keeping an offing of six or seven
leagues, went away south, till we came into the latitude of 58 deg., when we
would, as we had tried three days before, have stretched away
south-west, to have got into the South Seas, but a strong gale of wind
took us at west-north-west, and though we could, lying near to it,
stretch away to the southward, yet, as it over-blowed, we could make no
westward way; and though we had under us an excellent strong-built
vessel, that, we may say, valued not the waves, and made very good work
of it, yet we went away to leeward in spite of all we could do, and lost
ground apace. We held it out, however, the weather being clear, but
excessive cold, till we found ourselves in the latitude of 64 deg..
We called our council several times, to consider what we should do, for
we did but drive to leeward the longer we strove with it; the gale held
still on, and, to our apprehensions, it was set in; blowing like a kind
of monsoon, or trade-wind, though in those latitudes I know there is no
such thing properly called, as a trade-wind.
We tried, the wind abating, to beat up again to the north, and we did
so; but it was by running a great way to the east; and once, I believe,
we were in the longitude of St. Helena, though so far south, but it cost
us infinite labour, and near six weeks' time. At length we made the
coast, and arrived again at the Port of St. Julian the 20th of June,
which, by the way, is the depth of their winter.
Here we resolved to lay up for the winter, and not attempt to go so far
south again at that time of the year, but our eager desire of pursuing
our voyage prevailed, and we put out to sea again, having taken in fresh
provisions, such as are to be had there; that is to say, seals,
penguins, and such like, and with this recruit we put to sea, I say, a
second time.
We had this time worse luck than we had before; for, the wind setting in
at south-west, blew a storm, and drove us with such force away to sea
eastward, that we were never able to make any way to the southward at
all, but were carried away with a continued storm of wind, from the same
corner, or near it. Our pilot, or master, as we called him, finding
himself often obliged to go away before it, which kept us out long at
sea, and drove us far to the north-east, eastward, that he advised us to
stand away for the Cape of Good Hope; and accordingly we did so, and
arrived there the last day of July.
We were now disheartened indeed, and I began to revive my proposal of
going to the East Indies, as I at first proposed; and to answer the
objection which they then made against it, as being against the nature
of trade, and that we had nothing on board but European goods, which
were not fitted for the East Indies, where money only was suitable to
the market we were to make; I say, to answer this objection, I told them
I would engage that I would sell our whole cargo at the Philippine
Islands as well as on the coast of America; for that those islands being
Spanish, our disguise of being French would serve us as well at the
Philippines, as it would in New Spain; and with this particular
advantage, that we should sell here for four times the value we should
on the coast of Chili, or Peru; and that, when we had done, we could
load our ship again there, or in other places in the Indies, with such
goods as would come to a good market again in New Spain.
This I told them was indeed what had not been practised, nor at any
other time would it be practicable: for as it was not usual for any
ships to go from the East Indies to the Philippines, so neither was it
usual for any European ships to trade with freedom in the South Seas,
till, since the late war, when the French had the privilege; and I could
not but be amazed that the French had never gone this way, where they
might have made three or four voyages in one, and with much less hazard
of meeting with the English or Dutch cruisers; and have made twice the
profits which they made the other way, where they were frequently out
three or four years upon one return; whereas here they might make no
less than three returns, or perhaps four, in the same voyage and in much
less time.
They were now a little surprised, for in all our first debates we had
nothing of this matter brought in question; only they entertained a
notion that I was going upon strange projects to make discoveries,
search for the South pole, plant new colonies, and I know not how many
whims of their own, which were neither in my design, or in my
instructions. The person, therefore, who was our supercargo, and the
other captain, whose name I have not mentioned, together with the French
Captain, Merlotte, and the rest, who had all opposed me before, came
cheerfully into my proposal; only the supercargo told me, in the name of
the rest, that he began to be more sensible of the advantages of the
voyage I had proposed, than he was before; but that, as he was equally
intrusted with me in the government of the trading part, he begged I
would not take it ill, that he desired I would let him farther into that
particular, and explain myself, at least as far as I thought proper.
This was so just a request, and so easy for me to do, and, above all,
was made with so much good manners and courtesy, that I told him, if I
had been otherwise determined, the courteous and good-humoured way with
which he required it, would constrain me to it; but that, however, I was
very ready to do it, as he was intrusted with the cargo jointly with me,
and that it was a piece of justice to the owners, that whom they thought
fit to trust I should trust also; upon this I told him my scheme, which
was as follows:
First, I said, that, as the Philippine Islands received all their
European goods from Acapulco, in America, by the king of Spain's ships,
they were obliged to give what price was imposed upon them by the
merchants, who brought those goods by so many stages to Acapulco. For
example, the European goods, or suppose English goods in particular,
with which they were loaden, went first from England to Cadiz, from
Cadiz by the galleons to Porto Bello, from Porto Bello, to Panama, from
Panama to Acapulco; in all which places the merchants had their several
commissions and other profits upon the sale; besides the extravagant
charges of so many several ways of carriage, some by water, some by
land, and besides the king's customs in all those places; and that,
after all this, they were brought by sea from Acapulco to the Philippine
Islands, which was a prodigious voyage, and were then generally sold in
the Philippine Islands at three hundred per cent. advance.
That, in the room of all this, our cargo being well bought and well
sorted, would come to the Philippine Islands at once, without any
landing or re-landing, and without any of all the additions of charge to
the first cost, as those by the way of New Spain had upon them; so that,
if we were to sell them at the Philippine Islands a hundred per cent.
cheaper than the Spaniards usually sold, yet we should get abundantly
more than we could on the coast of Peru, though we had been allowed a
free trade there.
That there were but two objections to this advantage, and these were,
our liberty of trading, and whether the place would consume the quantity
of goods we had; and to this I had much to answer. First, that it was
well known at the Philippine Isles, that the kings of France and Spain
were united firmly together; that the king of Spain had allowed the king
of France's subjects a free trade in his American dominions, and
consequently, that it would not be denied there; but, on the other hand,
that, if it was denied by the governor, yet there would be room to find
out a trade with the inhabitants, and especially with the Chinese and
Japan merchants, who were always there, which trade the governor could
not prevent; and thus we could not fear a market for all our cargo, if
it was much greater than it was.
That as to the returns, we had the advantage either way: for, first, we
should be sure to receive a great part of the price of our goods in
Chinese or Japan gold and silver, or in pieces of eight; or, if we
thought fit to trade another way, we might take on board such a quantity
of China damasks, and other wrought silks, muslins and chintz, China
ware, and Japan ware; all which, would be immediately sold in America;
that we should carry a cargo of these goods to New Spain, infinitely to
our advantage, being the same cargo which the four great Acapulco ships
carry back with them every year: That when we had gone to the South Seas
with this cargo, of which we knew we should make a good market, we had
nothing to do but to come back, if we thought fit, to the East Indies
again, where we might load for England or Flanders such goods as we
thought proper; or, if we did not think fit to take so great a run, we
might go away to the south, and round by Cape Horn into the Atlantic
Ocean, and perfect those discoveries, which we made part of in the
beginning of our voyage.
This was so clear a scheme of trade, that he seemed surprised with it,
and fully satisfied in every part of it. But the captain then objected
against the length of the voyage to the South Seas from the Philippines,
and raised several scruples about the latitude which we should keep in
such a voyage; that we should not be able to carry any provisions which
we could take on board in those hot countries, that would keep for so
long a run, and several other difficulties; to all which I made answer,
that when we had sold our cargo at the Philippines, and found our
advantages there to answer our desires, I would not oppose our returning
from thence directly to England if they found it needful; or, if they
thought a farther adventure would not answer the risks we were to expect
in it, we would never have any dispute about that.
This satisfied them fully, and they went immediately with the news to
the men, as what they thought would please them wonderfully, seeing they
were mighty uneasy but two or three days before, about their being to go
back again to the south of America, and the latitude of 64 deg., where we
had not only been twice driven back, as if heaven had forbidden us to
pass that way, but had been driven so far to the south, that we had met
with a most severe cold, and which pinched our men exceedingly, who
being come, as we might say, a hot-weather voyage, were but ill
furnished for the state of the air usual in the latitudes of 64 deg..
But we had a harder task to go through than we expected, upon this
occasion; and it may stand here upon record, as a buoy or beacon to warn
officers and commanders of ships, supercargoes, and such as are trusted
in the conduct of the voyage, never to have any disputes among
themselves, (I say not among themselves), about the course they shall
take, or whither they shall go; for it never fails to come among the men
after them, and if the debate is but named on the outside of the great
cabin door, it becomes immediately a dispute among the officers upon the
quarter-deck, the lieutenants, mates, purser, &c.; from thence it gets
afore the mast, and into the cook room, and the whole ship is
immediately divided into factions and parties; every foremast man is a
captain, or a director to the captain; every boatswain, gunner,
carpenter, cockswain, nay, and even the cook, sets up for a leader of
the men; and if two of them join parties, it is ten to one but it comes
to a mutiny, and perhaps to one of the two last extremities of all
mutinies, viz., running away from the ship, or, what is worse, running
away with the ship.
Our case was exactly thus, and had issued accordingly, for aught I know,
if we had not been in a port where, we got immediate assistance, and
that by a more than ordinary vigour in the management too.
I have mentioned the first time when we called a council about our
voyage at the Canaries, and how it was carried against my opinion not to
go to the East Indies, but to go to the South Seas, about by Cape Horn.
As the debate of this was not at all concealed, the officers of the
ship, viz., the two lieutenants and two mates, the purser, and others,
came in, and went out, and not only heard all we said, but talked of it
at liberty on the quarter-deck, and where they pleased, till it went
among the whole ship's crew. It is true, there came nothing of all this
at that time, because almost all the votes being against my opinion, as
I have said already, the ship's company seemed to join in naturally with
it, and the men were so talked into the great prospects of gain to
themselves, by a voyage to the South Seas, that they looked upon me, who
ought to have had the chief direction in the business, to be nobody, and
to have only made a ridiculous proposal, tending to hurt them; and I
perceived clearly after this, that they looked upon me with an evil eye,
as one that was against their interest; nay, and treated me with a sort
of contempt too, as one that had no power to hurt them, but as one, that
if things were left to me, would carry them on a wildgoosechase they
knew not whither.
I took no notice of this at first, knowing that, in the process of
things, I should have opportunity enough to let them know I had power to
oblige them many ways; as also, that I had authority sufficient to
command the whole ship, and that the direction of the voyage was
principally in me, though I being willing to do everything in a friendly
way, had too easily, and, I may say, too weakly, put that to the vote,
which I had a right to have commanded their compliance with. The ill
consequences of which appeared not for some time, but broke out upon the
occasion of our new measures, as will presently appear.
As soon as we had determined our voyage among ourselves in the great
cabin, the supercargo and Captain Merlotte went out upon the
quarter-deck, and began to talk of it among the officers, midshipmen,
&c.; and, to give them their due, they talked of it very honestly; not
with any complaint of being over-ruled, or over-persuaded, but as a
measure that was fully agreed to among us in the great cabin.
The boatswain, a blunt, surly, bold fellow, as soon as he heard of it,
Very well, says he, so we are all come back into Captain Positive's
blind proposal (for so he called me); why this is the same that
everybody rejected at the Canaries; and now, because we are driven
hither by contrary winds, those winds must be a reason why we must
undertake a preposterous, ridiculous voyage, that never any sailor would
have proposed, and that man never went before. What, does the captain
think that we cannot find our way to the coast of America again, and
because we have met with cross winds, we must never meet with fair ones?
I warrant him, let us but go up the height of St. Helena, we will soon
reach the Rio de la Plata and Port St. Julian again, and get into the
South Seas too, as others have done before us.
The gunner took it from the boatswain, and he talks with one of the
midshipmen in the same dialect. For my part, says he, I shipped myself
for the South Seas when I first came aboard the ship, and in hopes of
good booty; and if we go thither, I know nothing can hinder us, wind and
weather permitting: but this is such a voyage as no man ever attempted
before; and whatever the captain proposes, can have nothing in it for
the men, but horrid fatigue, violent heats, sickness, and starving.
One of the mates takes it from him, and he says as openly, I wonder what
a plague the rest of the gentlemen mean; they were all against the
captain when he started this whimsical voyage before, and now they come
all into it of a sudden, without any consideration; and so the project
of one man must ruin the most promising voyage ever yet undertaken, and
be the death of above two hundred as stout fellows as ever were together
in one ship in this part of the world.
One of the midshipmen followed the mate, and said, We were all promised
that another ship should be gotten, either purchased or taken, and that
the first ship we took, should be manned and victualled out of this
ship, where we were double manned, and crowded together enough to bring
an infection among us, in such hot climates as we are going into; and
if we were in the South Seas, we should easily buy a ship, or take a
ship for our purpose, almost where we would; but in all this part of the
world there is no such thing as a ship fit for an Englishman to set his
foot in. We were promised, too, that when we got into such a ship, we
that entered as midshipmen should be preferred to offices, as we were
qualified, and as our merit should recommend us. What they are going to
do with us now, I cannot imagine, unless it be to turn us afore the
mast, when half the foremast men are dead, and thrown overboard.
The master, or pilot of the ship, heard all these things, and sent us
word into the great cabin of all that passed, and, in short, assured us,
that, if these things went a little farther, he was afraid they would
come up to a mutiny; that there was great danger of it already, and that
we ought to apply some immediate remedy to it, or else he thought it
would be too late. He told me the particulars also, and how the whole
weight of their resentment seemed to tend to quarrelling at my command,
as believing that this project of going to the East Indies was wholly
mine; and that the rest of the officers being a little influenced by the
accident of our being driven so far out of our way, were only biassed in
the rest by my opinion; and, as they were all against it before, would
have been so still, if it had not been for me; and he feared, if they
went on, they might enter into some fatal measures about me, and perhaps
resolve to set me on shore in some barren uninhabited land or other, to
give me my bellyful of new discoveries, as it seems some of them had
hinted, and the second mate in particular.
I was far from being insensible of the danger I was in, and indeed of
the danger the whole voyage, ship and all, was in; for I made no
question, but that, if their brutish rage led them to one villanous
action, they would soon go on to another; and the devil would take hold
of that handle to represent the danger of their being punished for it
when they came home; and so, as has been often the case, prompt them to
mutiny against all command, and run away with the ship.
However, I had presence of mind enough to enter into prompt measures for
our general safety, and to prevent the worse, in case of any attempt
upon me. First, I represented the case to the rest of the gentlemen and
asked if they would stand by me, and by the resolutions which we had
taken for the voyage; then I called into our assistance the chief mate,
who was a kinsman of one of our owners, a bold resolute gentleman, and a
purser, who we knew was faithful to us; as also the surgeon and the
carpenter. I engaged them all to give me first their opinions whether
they were convinced of the reasonableness of my scheme for the voyage I
had proposed; and that they might judge for themselves, laid it all
before them again, arguing every part of it so clearly to them, that
they were convinced entirely of its being the most rational prospect of
the voyage for us, of any we could go about.
When I had done this, I recommended it to them to expostulate with the
men, and if possible, to keep them in temper, and keep them to their
duty; but at the same time, to stand all ready, and upon a signal which
I gave them, to come all to the steerage, and defend the great cabin
door with all the other hands, whom they could be sure of; and in the
mean time to be very watchful over the motions of the men, and see what
they drove at.
At the same time I fortified myself with the French captain, and the
supercargo, and the other captain; and by the way, all the French
captain's men were true to him, and he true to us, to a man. We then
brought a sufficient store of ammunition and small arms into the great
cabin, and secured the steerage, as also the roundhouse, so that we
could not possibly be surprised.
There was nothing done that night, but the next morning I was informed,
that the gunner and second mate were in a close cabal together, and one
or two of the midshipmen, and that they had sworn to one another, not
that they would not go the voyage as was proposed, for that might have
ended in their running away, which I should not have been sorry for;
but, in short, their oath was, that the ship should not go the voyage;
by which I was presently to understand, that they had some measures to
take to prevent my design of the voyage to the Philippines, and that,
perhaps, this was to run away with the ship to Madagascar, which was not
far off.