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PART him repeated meffages, offering to enter into a II. treaty for ranfoming the town and goods, threat

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ening too, that if the Spaniards did not conde1741. fcend to treat, he would fet fire to the town and all the ware-houfes; yet the governor arrogantly delpiled all thefe reiterated overtures, and never defigned to return the least answer to the commodore. This day feveral negroes deferted from the Spaniards on the hill, and affured the commodore that the Spaniards were increased to a formidable number, and refolved to ftorm the town and fort the fucceeding night; however the English profecuted their work with unconcern till evening, when another reinforcement was fent on fhore, and Lieutenant Brett, doubling his guards, by his marks of vigilance, de terred the Spaniards from their refolution, though they were at that time treble the number of English on fhore, and fenfible of their great fuperiority.

HAVING finifhed fending the treasure on board the Centurion, the third morning, being the 15th of November, the boats were employed in carrying off the most valuable part of the effects remaining in the town; and the commodore intending to fail in the afternoon, about ten o'clock, pursuant to his promife, fent all his prifoners, being eighty-eight, on fhore; giving orders to Lieutenant Brett, "To fecure them

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under a ftrict guard in one of the churches, "till the men were ready to embark; and alfo "to burn the whole town, except the two churches, which fortunately ftood at fome dif

tance from the houfes." Thefe orders were punctually complied with; for Lieutenant Brett, finding great quantities of pitch, tar, and other combuftibles, fet his men immediately to dif

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tribute the fame into houses, fituated in different CHAP. ftreets of the town, fo that the place being at II. once fired in many quarters, the deftruction might be the more violent and fudden, and the 1741. Spaniards, after their departure, be the lefs able to extinguish it. After making these preparations, he nailed up the cannon in the fort; and then fetting fire to the most windward of the houses, collected his men and marched towards the beach, where the boats waited to carry them off, which being an open place, he might have been eafily furrounded by the Spaniards; who perceiving his retreat, detached fixty horse to precipitate his departure; they marched down the hill with much feeming refolution, but no fooner had Lieutenant Brett ordered his men to halt and face about, than the Spaniards stopped their career, and never dared to advance a step further, permitting the English to reach the fquadron without any moleftation.

IN the mean time the fpreading flames had taken poffeffion of every part of the town, and by the proper fituation of the combustibles, with the flightness of the materials of which the houses were compofed, and their aptitude to take fire, the whole town, and all its effects, were lost in one general conflagration.

THE booty made by the English, though inconfiderable of what they deftroyed, amounted to above 30,000l. fterling, in wrought plate, dollars, and other coin only; befides rings, bracelets, and jewels of great value; which was equally divided between the whole squadron, as well thofe on board, as those who had been concerned in the action, over and above the common plunder, which was very great: though the Spaniards fuftained a much more infinite lofs Rr 2

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PART by the deftruction of their town, and the burnII. ing of profufe quantities of the richest and most expenfive fpecies, as broad cloth, filks, cam1741. bricks, velvets, and other very valuable effects; for, by a representation tranfmitted to the court of Madrid, the whole lofs was estimated at one million and a half of dollars; and this at no extravagant valuation.

THE Commodore, on his entrance into the bay, found fix Spanish veffels at anchor; one whereof, called the Solidad, was the ship, which according to their intelligence, was to have failed with the treasure to the coaft of Mexico, and being a good failor, the commodore refolved to add this veffel to the fquadron, and ordered a crew of ten men to navigate her, under the command of Lieutenant Hughes of the Tryal; the other five veffels were, two fnows, a bark, and two row-gallies, which the Spaniards, with many others, had built at different ports, to prevent any descent from the commodore in the neighbourhood of Callao, as they were fufpicious he would attack the city of Lima; but the commodore having no occafion for thefe veffels, ordered them to be fcuttled and funk.

BEING fafely joined by the detachment under Lieutenant Brett, the commodore prepared to leave the place the fame evening, and being augmented to fix fail, towards midnight weighed anchor and failed out of the bay, with the Centurion and Tryal's prize, together with the Carmelo, Terefa, Carmin, and Solidad prizes; and standing to the weftward, on the 16th of November in the morning, the commodore gave orders "For the whole fquadron to spread them"felves in queft of the Gloucefter;" whom they discovered and came up with the next morning,

morning, and found she had taken a small snow, CHAP. laden with wine, brandy, and olives, with 7,000l. II. in fpecie; and alfo a barge, with double doub-n loons and dollars on board, to the amount of 1741. 12,000l. As the commodore, on infpecting the papers found on board the Carmelo, was apprized that an unsuccessful attempt had been made against Carthagena; and finding there was no probability of facilitating his plan against Panama, as he was incapable of attacking the place himself, with fuch an inconfiderable force, he dropt all thoughts of fuch an undertaking.

THE Commodore being joined by the Gloucefter and one of her prizes, came to a determination, "To fteer as foon as poffible, to the "fouthern parts of California, or to the adja"cent coaft of Mexico, to cruise for the Ma"nila galleon; which he knew was at sea, "bound to the port of Acapulco, and would "not arrive there till towards the middle of

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January;" before which time, the commodore imagined he could be on a proper station to intercept that valuable ship: and on imparting his project, the whole crew indulged themfelves in the most unlimitted hopes of the advantages they thought infallibly to receive. But, as there was a neceffity of recruiting their water, he proceeded, for that purpose, to the island of Quibo, fituated at the mouth of the bay of Panama, in the latitude of 7 deg. 20 min. north; where, after burning the Solidad and Terefa in their paffage, as they had given great delay, all the fquadron, except the Gloucester, arrived on the 6th of December, and in two days completed their wood and water. On the 9th they put to fea, and kept hovering round the island, in hopes of feeing the Gloucester; the next day

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PART they took a fmall bark from Panama, which II. they afterwards fcuttled and funk, and on the

12th were joined by the Gloucester, who had 1741 fprung her fore-top maft, which had difabled her from working to windward, and prevented her from getting up fooner with the fquadron. The whole fquadron now stood to the weftward, and the commodore delivered fresh inftructions to the captains of the men of war and commanders of the prizes, directing them "To use all "poffible difpatch in getting to the northward

of the harbour of Acapulco; where they "were to endeavour to fall in with the land, "between the latitude of 18 and 19 deg. from "whence they were to beat up the coaft, at "eight or ten leagues distance from the fhore, "till they came abreast of cape Corientes, in "the latitude of 20 deg. 20 min. and to cruise "on that station till the 14th of February; "when they were to depart for the middle "island of the Tres Marias, in the latitude of "21 21 deg. 25 min. bearing from cape Corientes "N. W. by N. 25 leagues diftant; and if, at "this ifland, they did not meet the commodore, "after recruiting their wood and water, they "were then immediately to proceed for the "ifland of Macao, on the coaft of China." Thefe orders being distributed to the respective fhips, they had little doubt of arriving foon on their intended station; but by the unfavourable irregularity of the wind, they were protracted from obtaining so desirable an end till the 28th of January, when they found themselves near the harbour of Acapulco, in the latitude of 17 deg. 56 min.

BEING now in the track of the Manila galleon, their arrival was too late to yield them any

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