II. PART and all the inferior officers accordingly: fhe was mounted with twenty guns, twelve from the Tryal and eight that belonged to the Anna pink, 1741. and was to be called the Tryal prize. The commodore ordered Capt. Saunders, "After he had "funk the Tryal, to cruize off the high land of 66 66 Valparifa, keeping it from, him N. N. W. "at the diftance of fourteen leagues; to continue on that station twenty-four days, and then, if not joined by the commodore, to proceed down the coaft to Pifco or Nafca, "where he would be certain to meet the com modore" and Lieutenant Saumarez, who commanded the Centurion's prize, was ordered to keep company with Capt. Saunders. These orders being dispatched, the Centurion parted from the other veffels on the 27th of September at night, directing her courfe to the fouthward, with a view of cruizing for fome days to the windward of Valparifa; but having an unfuccessful cruize, on the 6th of October the commodore failed to leeward of the port to join the prizes: not finding them, though he continued three or four days where they were directed to cruize, he proceeded down the coaft to the island of Nafca, where he got on the 21ft, and never faw the prizes till the 2d of November; and, as they had the like ill fuccefs, the commodore apprehending an embargo along the coaft, and the equipment of a fquadron from Calloa, refolved to haften down to the leeward of Calloa, to join Capt. Mitchel off Paita; that, uniting his ftrength, they might be able to give the fhips from Calloa a warm reception, if they dared to put to fea. With this view he bore away the fame afternoon, and on the 5th of November, being advanced within view of the high land of Bar ranca, ranca, in the latitude of 10 deg. 36 m. fouth, CHAP. the next day he took the Santa Terefa de Jefus, II. of 300 ton, bound from Guaiaquil to Calloa, with an unprofitable cargo, and forty-feven fail- 1741. ors and ten paffengers on board. On the 10th, being near the inland of Lobos, in the latitude of 6 deg. 27 m. fouth, the commodore, drawing near to the station appointed to the Gloucefter, made an easy fail all night, and the next morning took a fhip called Nuestra Senora del Carmin, commanded by Marcos Morena, a Venetian, of 270 ton, bound from Calloa, laden with several species of merchandize, which, in their prefent circumftances was but of little value to the captors; yet, with refpect to the Spaniards, it was the most confiderable capture made in that part of the world, for it amounted to upwards of 400,000 dollars, prime cost at Panamá. The commodore received intelligence from an Irishman on board this prize, that a few days before, a veffel came into Paita, where the mafter of her informed the governor, that he had been chased in the offing by one of the English fquadron, which was the Gloucefter: the governor, fatisfied with this relation, fent away an exprefs to acquaint the Vice Roy of Lima therewith; and the royal officer refiding at Paita, apprehenfive of an English vifit, had, from the first hearing of this news, been bufily employed in removing the treasure to Puira, a town within land, about fourteen leagues diftant. The commodore further learnt from the prifoners, that a very confiderable quantity of money, belonging to fome merchants at Lima, was then lodged in the custom house at Paita, intended to be hipped on board a veffel in that port, with the ut moft expedition: therefore as they were now dif covered, Q ૧ 2 PART covered, and the coaft would be foon alarmed, II. the commodore refolved to endeavour to furprize Paita, being minutely acquainted with its ftrength 1741. and condition, and being fully fatisfied there was little danger of lofing many men in the attempt. The defign was very eligible; as, befides the treasure it promifed, they might be fupplied with great quantities of live provifions, which was much wanted; and also have an opportunity of releasing the prifoners, who were very numerous, and made a greater confumption of food than their stock was long capable of furnishing. THE town of Paita is fituated in the latitude of 5 deg. 12 m. fouth, on a moft barren foil, compofed only of fand and flate, containing about 200 houses, which are only ground floors, the walls built of fplit cane and mud, and the roofs thatched with leaves, which, though extremely flight, are abundantly fufficient for a climate where rain is confidered as a prodigy, and not seen in many years. The inhabitants are principally Indians, and black flaves, or at leaft a mixed breed, the whites being very few. The port, though in reality little more than a bay, is in the best eftimation of any on that part of the coaft; and is a very fecure and commodious anchorage, much frequented by all veffels coming from the north, being the ufual place where paffengers, from Acapulco or Panama, bound to Lima, dif-embark. The town of Paita is open, and its fole protection and defence was a fmall fort of eight guns, without either ditch or outwork; being furrounded with a plain brick wall: and the garrifon confifted only of one weak company, though the town could have armed 300 men more, THE II. THE Commodore, immediately after taking CHAP. the laft prize, refolved to attack Paita that very night; he was then about twelve leagues from the fhore, far enough to prevent a difcovery, 1741. yet not fo diftant but he could arrive in the bay before day-break. However, the commodore prudently confidered that this would be an improper method of proceeding, as the fhips might be easily feen at a distance, even in the night, and thereby alarming the inhabitants, give them an opportunity of removing their valuable effects: therefore, as the ftrength of the place did not require his whole force, he refolved to attempt it with the boats only; ordering an eighteen oared barge and two pinnaces on that fervice: and having picked out fifty-eight proper men to man them, well furnished with arms and ammunition, he entrusted the command of the expedition to Lieutenant Brett, gave him his neceffary inftructions, ordered two of the Spanish pilots to attend and conduct him to the most convenient landing place, and afterwards to be his guides on fhore, to prevent any disappointment or confufion from the ignorance of the streets and paffages of the place, which might arise from the darkness of the night; and, to have the greater fecurity for the behaviour of the guides, the commodore affured the prisoners, they should be released at Paita if the pilots acted faithfully; but, in cafe of any misconduct or treachery, he threatened that the pilots fhould be instantly shot, and the Spaniards on board carried prifoners to England. DURING their preparations they were yet at too great a distance to be feen, the fhips ftood towards the port with all the fail they could make, and about ten o'clock at night, being PART within five leagues of the place, Lieutenant Brett, II. with the boats and detachment, put off, and ar rived at the mouth of the bay without being 1741. difcovered; though no fooner had he entered it, than fome of the people on board a veffel riding at anchor there perceived him, who inftantly getting into their boats, rowed towards the fort, Thouting and crying, "The English, the Eng"lifh dogs are here;" by which the whole town was alarmed and in great agitation. The Jieutenant on this, encouraged his men to pull briskly up, that they might give the Spaniards as little time as poffible to prepare for their defence; but before the boats could reach the fhore, fome of the cannon in the fort were pointed to the landing place, and the first fhot came whistling over the boats: this made the crew redouble their efforts, fo that they had reached the shore, and were in part dif-embarked, before the fecond gun fired. fired. As foon as the men landed, they were conducted by one of the Spanish pilots to the entrance of a narrow ftreet, not a bove fifty yards from the beach, where they were covered from the fire of the fort, and forming, marched for the parade, which was a large fquare at the end of this ftreet; the fort being one fide of the fquare, and the governor's house another. The fhouts and clamours of this animated detachment, joined with the noise of their drums, and favoured by the gloom of night, which never fails to increase the confufion of fuch a furprize, had augmented their numbers in the opinion of the Spaniards to at leaft 300, by which the inhabitants were fo intimidated, that they were much more follicitous about the means of flight than of refiftance: fo that upon entering the parade, Lieutenant Brett received a |