&0§ A VOYAGE TO Book Vllf- 



fáilrd of icar.'irmo- Hjcsc seas, yet by perseverance; 

 and a socoml efibit^ they mii!;lit siieeeed. 



CoMMODOKE Don Joseph Pizarro liad jilso Ijeeri 

 dísappoiiiíed in geKiiic; into these seas this year^ 

 íhouí;'h he had atleinpfed it in a sin¡2:lc sliip called 

 the Asia; but ^vas• obli.L¡:cd to put back to Buenos 

 Ayrcs Avith the losiv of one of íiis masts, and another 

 ^vas carried away jusi at the mouth oí* the Rio de hi 

 Plata. These disappointments rendered it the more 

 Necessary for tlie viceroV to provide for the defence 

 of the coast of Chili, as: all ships must pass near ii 

 iiL their course to Peru. 



CHAP. IiL 



'Tojjagc to the island of Juan Fern and cs ; icith 

 aiL Account of llic ¡Seas cind JViiuh in thtif 

 Passage. 



\ MONG oilier prec;!utions taken by the; \ igilanf 

 -^^ viceroy of Lima, for the. defence of the south- 

 sea, he fitted out, as v.'C have just mentioned, two fri- 

 iz;ates for cruizing; on the coast of Chili ; and gave the 

 command of one, called Nuestra Señora de 13elcn, to 

 Don George Juan, and appointed me for the oiher, 

 called the Rosa : they had been both merchant 

 ships employed in these seas, all the king's ships 

 being sent in the Panama squadron. Tliey were 

 between six and seven hundred tons : each carried' 

 thirty guns on one deck, and three hundred and 

 fifty men, all picked and expert sailors. The ships 

 •were also prime sailers : so that our force was in 

 all respects suíücicnt for the ser\ice oti which it 

 was employed ; and with the assistance of Provi- 

 dence, WH)uld duubtlcbs biua auswcrcd the v ¡ce- 

 ro v'l» expect at i ens. 



