its but on the 28th at night, while with this CHAP. view they were turning to windward, the Gui- II. pufcoa, Hermiona, and Efperanza, were feparated from the admiral; and on the 7th of 1741. Manch, being the fame day the British squadron had paffed Streights le Maire, the whole fquadron was drove to the eastward, and difperfed by a moft furious ftorm at N. W. They were afterwards, by their long detention in fuch a turbulent fea, reduced to the moft infinite diftrefs, by fatigue, and the devaftation of famine, which occafioned a moft fhocking mortality. On their departure from Spain they were furnished with only four months provifions at fhort allowance; fo that when, by the ftorms they encountered with off Cape Horn, their continuance at fea was prolonged a month beyond their expectation, it is inconceivable what difficulties they fuffered, and the dreadful havock that ravaged amongst them, daily fweeping off numbers of their ableft and most hardy men: their calamity was even fo great, that rats, when they could be caught, were fold for four dollars a piece. This terrible fituation produced a confpiracy among the marines, on board the Afia, who propofed to maffacre the officers and crew; prompted to this bloody refolution, merely through the motive of relieving their famifhing bodies, by appropriating the whole fhip's provifions to themfelves but the confpirators were discovered, and prevented in their fatal purpofe. This feparated fquadron, after fuftaining a variety of misfortunes, and after feveral ineffectual attempts to get round Cape Horn, were obliged to bear away for the river of Plate; where Pizarro, in the Afia, arrived at Monte Vedio about the middle of May, after the loss of half her crew; VOL. I. Sf

the

.II.

PART the St Estevan was also enfeebled by the diminution of 175 men, when the anchored in the bay of Barragan; the Efperanza, a fifty gun 1741. fhip, was ftill more unfortunate, for out of 450, only 58 were left alive: while the Guipufcoa was driven afhore, and funk on the coaft of Brazil, having, out of 700, lost above 300 of her men ; the Hermiona foundered at fea, and her whole crew, confifting of 500 men, were every one drowned; and the regiment of foot was reduced to fixty men; fo that their whole lofs, in this fatal attempt, was upwards of 2,000 men. The Afia, Efperanza, and St Estevan, after their arrival, were in great want of masts, yards, rigging, and all kind of naval stores; and having no supply at Buenos Ayres, nor in any of their neighbouring fettlements, Pizarro obtained a remittance of 100,000 dollars from the Vice Roy of Peru, and a confiderable quantity of pitch, tar, and cordage, from the Portuguese at Rio Janeiro; but could procure neither mafts nor yards. The Spanish admiral was ftill very intent of putting to fea in pursuit of the British fquadron, which he did not question had been as feverely handled as his own; and to facilitate his defign, by removing the mafts of the Efperanza into the Afia, and making use of what fpare mafts and yards they had on board, they made a shift to refit the Asia, and St Eftevan: and in the October following they were preparing to put to fea, with these two fhips, to attempt the paffage round Cape Horn a fecond time; but the St Eftevan, in coming down the river Plate, ran on a fhoal, and being difabled, the admiral proceeded to fea in the Afia without her. Having the fummer before him, and favourable winds, he expected a fortunate and

speedy

II.

speedy paffage; but being off Cape Horn, and CHAP.' going right before the wind in very moderate weather, though in a fwelling fea, by fome mif conduct of the officer of the watch, the fhip roll- 1741.. ed away her mafts, and was a fecond time conftrained to return, in great diftrefs, to the river of Plate. Thus was this well appointed fquadron, compofed of the flower of the Spanish navy, defeated by the inclemency of the winds and feas; while the fhips they were pursuing, rode triumphant in the fouthern ocean, enriched with the plunder of the Spanish provinces, and waiting for that immenfe treasure they afterwards obtained in the Manila galleon, enjoying an ample compenfation for their toil and bravery.

CHAPTER III

Naval tranfactions in EUROPE,

T

in 1741.

of the naval CHAP.

O fhew the world the potency ftrength of Britain, the British miniftry III. concerted a fecond fecret expedition, under the command of Sir John Norris: a great armament was appointed to affemble for this purpose, and to facilitate the defign, on the 2d of June, a vigorous prefs was made on the river Thames, which, in thirty-fix hours, by the number taken Sf 2

and

PART and enrolled in the navy books, was 2,370 menz II. and the prefs was continued with the fame vigilance, the fooner to mann the fquadron defigned 1741. for this expedition.

On the 21ft of July, Sir John Norris hoisted his flag on board the Victory, and on the 27th failed from St Helen's with a grand fleet, confifting of fixteen fhips of the line; the Victory, Royal Sovereign, and Royal George, of 100 guns each; St George, in which was Admiral Cavendish, and Duke of 90; Cambridge of 80; Buckingham, Bedford, Naffau, Lenox, Effex, and Elizabeth, of 70; Argyle, Affistance, and Ruby, of 50; Gofport of 44 guns; and the Blaze and Lightning fire-fhips; having on board upwards of 8,000 failors. With this formidable armament the admiral failed to the coaft of Spain; and great were the expectations of the British nation, on an enterprize commenced in fo magnificent a manner.

On the 5th of Auguft the admiral, with the whole fleet, entered the bay of Biscay; and ordered Capt. Harrifon, with the Argyle, to look into Ferrol, Corunna, and Redondella, which he performed in four days, taking a Spanish brigantine, and putting four others on fhore. The captain being informed by the mafter of a Portuguese veffel, that a floop from New England had been carried into Camirina by a Spanifh privateer, on the 17th he got off this harbour and fent his boats in; on fight of them the floop run on fhore; but, after a fharp difpute, the English boarded and burnt her. The 18th, Capt. Harrison being informed by the master of another Portuguese veffel, that the Spaniards had brought into Redondella a very rich ship with bale goods from London, and three or

four

1741.

four other prizes; he immediately fent for the CHAP. Gibraltar and Grampus, and came to a refoluti- III. on, at all events, to make for this place, which is a fmall town and port of Gallicia, in the gulph of Vigo. At day-light, the next morning, he took a Spanish bark of about forty ton, and another about thirty, and fetting the largest on fire, this discovered the English to the whole country, and prevented their project of running up with French colours. About ten came in a fresh sea breeze; the captain weighed, and with English colours proceeded up the river, having given orders to take no notice of Vigo, but push on: accordingly, at four in the afternoon, they got into the harbour or bafon of Redondello, anchored within pistol shot of the ships, and took them all, being four, by twelve o'clock that night: the English got all their prizes off under their fterns, failed out of the harbour, and joined the admiral. This plainly fhews that the Spaniards had made little preparations to defend themselves; and had the English admiral been as active with the whole fleet, what noble actions might have been atchieved? The Spaniards were far from being invulnerable in Old Spain, nor had they made the leaft preparations to give the English any reception: there are very few harbours in Spain, if any, which the English might not have entered, and burnt every fhip in the port; and with regard to their extenfive fea coafts, except juft in the neighbourhood of their fortified towns or camps, the British failors might have landed wherever they pleased, and plundered and laid waste the country for feveral miles together, before the Spaniards could have brought a fuperior force to oppose them. Though the British nation could not have got any imme