^5 BETAGH*S ACCOUNT OF PERU. 



to the AfSento treaty between Spain and Great Britain, memorials were frequently 

 prefented at Madrid ; and the king of Spain, wiUing to keep his engagements with 

 England, refolved to gratify the Britifh court, by deftroying the French trade to the 

 South Sea. His Catholic Majefty knew there was no way to do this, but by a fquadron 

 of men of war ; he knew alfo, that few of his own fubje6ls were acquainted with the 

 navigation of Cape Horn, or could bear the extreme rigour of the climate ; therefore 

 was obliged to make ufe of foreigners for this expedition ; and three of the four fhips 

 that he fent, were not only manned with, but commanded by Frenchmen, The firft 

 was the Gloucefter, of fifty guns and 400 men, formerly an Englifh man of war ; the 

 fecond was the Ruby, fifty guns, . 350 men, another Englifh fhip; the third was a 

 frigate of forty guns, and 200 men ; the fourth was the Leon Franco, a Spanifh man 

 of war, of fixty guns, and 450 men, all Spaniards. Monfieur Martinet, a French 

 gentleman, was commodore of this fquadron, and commanded the Pembroke ; M. le 

 Jonquiere had the Ruby ; the reft I do not recolleft. The French performed their 

 navigation well enough, and got round the Cape, though it was in the middle of winter; 

 but the laft of the four, manned by the Spaniards, after feveral attempts, could not 

 weather Cape Horn, but was forced back to the river of Plate, where, at laft, the fliip 

 was unfortunately caft away. It looks as if, by this expedition, an experiment was 

 made to fee if the Spaniards were hardy enough to go through this terrible navigation ;. 

 but, as they have little or no trade into any cold climates, and unufed to hard work, 

 it is no wonder they failed in that point. The Bifcaneers, indeed, are robuft fellows 

 enough ; and, if the Leon Franco had been manned \vith them, ftie had certainly 

 doubled the Cape with the other three ftiips ; but the Spaniards in general, ever fince 

 acquiring their poffeffions in America, are grown fo delicate and indolent, that it would 

 be hard to find an intire ftiip's company able to perform that navigation. 



The prodigious advantage of the trade of Chili this way is fo manifeft, that his 

 Catholic Majefty is obliged by treaties to (hut out all nations, as well as the Englifh, 

 though he makes nothing of it himfelf ; and it is very rare that a Spanifh fhip has gone 

 by Cape Horn : from hence arifes the extraordinary price all European goods fetch at 

 Chili and Peru. 1 have been told at Lima, that they are often fold at 400 per cent, 

 profit ; and, I may fay, the goods that are carried from France by Cape Horn, are in 

 themfelves 50 per cent, better than thofe that go in the flota of Cales to Carthagena or 

 La Vera Cruz ; becaufe the former are delivered frelh and undamaged in fix months, 

 whereas the other are generally eighteen months before they can come to Chili ; fo that 

 the French, during the importing time, made their markets, furnifhed themfelves with 

 provifion, and got home again in twelve or fourteen months time. When Martinet 

 arrived at Chili in the year 1717, with the king of Spain's commiflion to take ordeftroy. 

 all his countrymen that were trading clandeftinely, he foon found employment for his 

 three fhips, the fourth being loft, <as I have obferved ; and of fourteen fail of St. Malo 

 men, there was but one efcaped him, flic being land-locked in a little creek, where fhe 

 lay hid, till fire was got to leeward ; after which fhe weighed, and came away with 

 half her cargo unfold. Though all this was to execute the orders of his Catholic 

 Majefty, and doing a f<fnfible pleafure. to the Britifh South Sea Company, yet the Creole 

 Spaniards, efpecially the trading part of them, found themfelves almoft ruined by it, 

 becaufe it hindered the circulation of money, and fpoiled bufmefs, fo that they could 

 not bear the fight of the French men of war, though they liked the French merchant- 

 men well enough. On the other hand, the French, imagining they had done the 

 Spaniards effedual fervice, expelled, no doubt, civil treatment in return, while they 

 ftaid among them. But, as loon as Martinet brought his prizes into Calao, and the 



Frenchmea 



