captain to alter his courfe, and bear 

 away, for the greater furety, to the weft- 

 ward, he perfifted in making dire&ly, as 

 he thought, for the iiland of Socoro ; and 

 to fuch as dared from time to time to 

 deliver their doubts of being entangled 

 with the land ilretching to the weftward, 

 he replied, that he thought himfelf in 

 BO cafe at liberty to deviate from his 

 orders ; and that the abfence of his fhip 

 from the firft place of rendezvous, 

 would entirely fruftrate the whole fqua- 

 dron in the firft objeft of their attack, 

 and poffibly decide upon the fortune of 

 the whole expedition. For the better 

 understanding the force of his reafon- 

 ing, it is neceflary to explain, that the 

 ifland of Socoro is in the neighbourhood 

 of Baldivia ; the capture of which place 

 could not be effected without the junc- 

 tion of that (hip which carried the ord-* 

 paace and military ilores a 



The 



