L'LLOa's voyage to south AMERICA. ^ 65 1 



put that city in a pofture of defence ; it being natural to fuppofe, that the Englifli would 

 alfo make an attempt there, as it had always been attacked by every enemy v/ho before 

 infefted thofe feas. Accordingly the inhabitants of Guayaquil were foon in arms, and 

 the beft meafures taken with the utmoft expedition. But the force of the enemy being 

 uncertain, no other fhip having been feen at Paita than that which entered the port, the 

 corregidor and magiftrates applied for alTiftance to the prefident and audience of Quito ; 

 who, among other meafures for fecuring Guayaquil from the rage of the Englifh, 

 required us in His Majefty's name, to repair immediately to that city, and take upon us 

 the command of the troops, all the jurifdidions having received orders to fend their 

 contingencies ; and to diredt the works to be raifed, and the trenches neceffary to be 

 thrown up in the places moft advantageous and moft expofed. 



As affairs of this nature admit of no delay, we immediately prepared for the journey, 

 and leaving Quito the 1 6th of December, arrived at Guayaquil on the night of the 24th, 

 But the paflage of the mountains was inconceivably fatiguing ; the natural difficulty and 

 badnefs of the roads, it being the beginning of winter, having been greatly increafed 

 by the violent rains. 



Having gone through all the neceffary operations, and taken the moll proper mea- 

 fures to defeat the attempts of an enemy, and fuch as we had the pleafure of feeing 

 approved by the council of war held in that city, our longer flay only hindered the 

 conclufion of our grand defign, and was of no further ufe here, efpecially as it was then 

 certainly known that the enemy's fquadron had failed for Manta, the coafts of which, 

 though in the jurifdidion of Guayaquil, are nearly twenty-eight leagues north of that 

 city, and confequently to leeward of it. It was alfo known that the fleet intended to 

 proceed from Manto to Acapulco. Impatient at the lofs of time, we applied to the fame 

 council of war, who were pleafed to grant leave for one of us to return to Quito, in 

 order to complete the obfervations ftill remaining, that on any fubfequent exigency we 

 might be the more difengaged ; but at the fame time thought it neceffary that one of us 

 fliould continue on the fpot to a£t on any fudden emergency. The matter was foon 

 agreed on between Don George Juan and myfelf, namely, that he fhould remain as 

 commandant of Guayaquil, while I returned to continue the obfervations at Quito. 

 But before I proceed, it will not be amifs to give an account of the tranfadlions of the 

 enemy's fquadron in thofe feas, according to the depofitions of fome prifoners whom 

 they fet afhore at Manta. 



This fquadron, at its entrance into the South Sea, befides being difperfed, was in a 

 very Ihattered condition ; but arrived fucceffively at the ifland of Juan Femandes, to the 

 number of four fhips, from fifty to fixty guns, the Centurion and the Gloucefter, a fri. 

 gate between thirty-fix and forty guns, and a vidualler. Thefe fhips came to an 

 anchor clofe to the fhore, their crews being very much diminifhed, and thofe which 

 remained very fickly. Tents were pitched, a kind of village built with an hofpital for 

 the recovery of their men. They arrived at this ifland in the month of June, and the 

 commander was fo quick in his profecution of hollilities, that as foon as a number of 

 failors fufficient to man the frigate were recovered, fhe was fent out on a cruize ; and 

 this being in the common track of fhips bound from Callao to the coaft of Chili, they 

 had the good fortune to take two or three, all of them richly laden, particularly the 

 Aranzaza, one of the largeft employed in thofe feas. Great numbers of men died on 

 the ifland of Juan Fernandes, but on the recovery of the remainder, and the fhips being 

 careened, they funk the vi6tualler, and fome time after the frigate, putting the guns 

 and provifions on board the Aranzaza. After this the whole fquadron put to fea upon 

 frefh enterprifes, and about eight or nine veffels fell into their hands ; and between 



402 Paita 



