II. PART to be fatisfied whether any of the miffing ships were there or not; but this floop returned without bringing the leaft intelligence of any of 1741. them. In the mean time the commodore caufed to be erected a copper oven on shore, to bake bread for the fick; but it happened, that the greatest part of the flour for the use of the fquadron was embarked on board the victualler, the Anna pink; and all June and July being paft without any news of her, fhe was given over for loft, and the commodore ordered all the fhips to a short allowance of bread. But they were foon after relieved from this mortification, by the arrival of the Anna pink, which came to anchor in the bay on the 16th of Auguft; though not without encountering her fhare of the difficulties, to which the whole fquadron was exposed. This veffel was the laft that joined the commodore; the remaining fhips of the fquadron were the Severn, Pearl, and Wager ftore fhip; the other victualler having delivered her provisions, and being discharged before the paffage round Cape Horn. These ships all underwent very fignal difafters; the Severn and Pearl parted company with the squadron off Cape Noir, and put back to the Brazils. WHILST Capt. Cheap, in the Wager, feemed to have all the complicated extremities fuffered by the rest of the fquadron, difcharged on his own head; for having on board a few field pieces mounted for land fervice, some coehorn mortars, and several kinds of artillery, ftores, and pioneers tools, intended for the operations on fhore; and as the enterprize on Baldivia had been refolved on for the first undertaking of the fquadron, the captain was extremely folicitous that thefe materials might be ready, if the fqua dron II. dron fhould rendezvous there and whilft the CHAP. Wager, with thefe views, was making the best of her way to the first rendezvous, off the inland of Socoro, whence. fhe proposed to fteer directly 1741. for Baldivia, fhe made the land on the 14th of May, about the latitude of 47 deg. fouth; and the crazy condition of the fhip, being little better than a wreck, prevented her from getting off to fea, and entangled her more and more with the land, infomuch that the next morning, at day-break, fhe ftruck on a funken rock, and foon after, bildging, grounded between two small islands, at about a mufquet fhot from the fhore, and was entirely loft; but not before the crew had fufficient time to make their efcape to land in the boats, with great part of the provifions. They were now on a defolate coaft, and had every dreadful fcene of horror presented to their imaginations; and this, their deplorable ftate, was greatly aggravated by the ungovernable anarchy and diforder of the crew; who, fond of acting at their liberty without control, refufed obedience to their officers, imagining that their commiffions expired with the loss of the fhip. Hence followed thofe fatal feuds, and malevolent diffentions, which nearly terminated in their utter ruin, and total deftruction; for the captain, anxious for the prefervation of them all, determined, if poffible, to fit up the boats in the best manner he could, and proceed to the northward; fince having with him above 100 healthy men, and having gotten fome fire arms and ammunition from the wreck, he thought he could not fail of meeting a Spanish vessel in the neighbourhood of Chiloe or Baldivia, and doubted not but they should mafter any they encountered with in thofe feas; in which, if they VOL. I. PP had PART had fucceeded, the captain intended to proceed II. to the rendezvous at Juan Fernandes: and if they fhould light on no prize in the way, yet he 1741. thought the boats alone would carry them thither. BUT however prudently this fcheme was defigned, it was difrelished by the generality of the people; for being quite jaded with the diftreffes and dangers they had already run through, and allured by the delufive hopes of returning to their native country, they could not think of continuing an enterprize, which had been already attended with fo many difaftrous incidents: therefore their common refolution was, to lengthen the long-boat, and with that, and the reft of the boats, to fteer to the fouthward, (diametrically oppofite to the fcheme proposed by their captain) to pass through the ftreights of Magellan, and to range along the caft fide of South America, till they fhould arrive at Brazil, where they expected to procure a paffage to Great Britain and though this project seemed to be more hazardous and tedious than the other, yet they perfifted in it with inflexible obftinacy, notwithstanding all the remonftrances of the captain against so improper a proceedure, who, by his fteady oppofition to this favourite project, incur red their dislike, and fo far leffened himself in their efteem as to be infulted with the most contemptible and brutal fcurrility. Towards the middle of October the long-boat was nearly com pleted, and every preparatory measure ufed for putting to fea but the crew, ftill apprehenfive that the captain might influence a party to overturn their defign, laid hold of a plaufible pretext, to fecure him from any fuch attempt; this was the death of one of their midshipmen, fatally II. fatally and inadvertently committed by the cap- CHAP. tain, on a suspicion of mutiny: on this pretence they confined their commander under a guard, threatening to carry him a prifoner to England 1741. to be tried for the murder; but when they were juft ready to put to fea they released him; leaving him, and the few that chofe to fhare his fortunes, no other embarkation but the yawl and barge. During their stay upon this place, which they called Wager ifland, thirty of them died, and fourscore went off in the long-boat converted into a schooner, and cutter, to the fouthward on the 13th of October; leaving nineteen with the captain, among whom were Mr Hamilton, lieutenant of marines; the Honourable Mr Byron and Mr Campbell, midshipmen; and Mr Elliot, the furgeon; who honourably and voluntarily chofe to accompany their commander in a country of danger and defolation. It was the 29th of January before the schooner arrived at Rio Grande on the coaft of Brazil, when by various accidents their whole number was diminifhed to no more than thirty. CAPT. CHEAP, and his few faithful affociates, after the departure of their ungenerous fhipmates, proposed to pass to the northward in the barge and yawl, though they were not able to embark till the 14th of December: but after many difficulties, and the lofs of fix of their company, they were compelled to return to Wager island; where they got back about the middle of February, quite difheartened, and dejected, with their reiterated disappointments, and almoft perifhing with hunger and fatigue. Soon after two canoes of Indians arrived at the ifland, having among them a native of Chilae who spoke a little Spanish, and Mr Elliot the Pp 2 furgeon PART furgeon, being capable of converfing with him II. in that language, bargained with the Indian, that if he would carry the captain and his peo1741. ple to the island of Chiloe, in the barge, he fhould have her and all that belonged to her for his trouble accordingly, on the 6th of March, the company, which was now reduced to eleven, embarked in the barge on this new expedition; but, after having proceeded for a few days, the Captain, Mr Hamilton, Mr Byron, Mr Campbell, and Mr Elliot, being on fhore, the fix, who together with an Indian remained in the barge, put off with her to fea, and did not return again; while the captain, and the rest on fhore, were ftruck with the most difmaying reflections; without provifions, arms, or ammuniti on, to procure the leaft comfortable fubfiftence, to chear their despairing minds in this defolate fituation but when they were revolving the various circumftances of this unexpected calamity, they happily perceived another canoe, at a distance, which belonged to one of the Indians they had before feen; and who, after being convinced of the fafety of his companion, carried them to Chiloe, where they arrived after a very compli cated paffage by land and water, in the beginning of June, having buried Mr Elliot by the way, and were received and entertained by the Spaniards with great humanity; and from thence were conducted to Valpairafo, and afterwards to St Jago, the capital of Chili; where they continued above a year, when the Spaniards receiving advice of a cartel being fettled between Great Britain and Spain, the Captain, Mr Byron, and Mr Hamilton, were permitted to return to Europe on board a French ship, the other midshipman having changed his religion |