KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 57. N:0 4. 127 



combat was incapacitated from giving orders: the loss of the British was limited to 2 

 dead and 17 wounded., of whom only one afterwards expired. 



The vessel thus captured was not, as Anson says, a galleon, but only a patache — 

 and accordingly of a smaller type than a galleon, though much larger than the "Centurion". 

 It was armed with 36 large and 28 smaller guns, and carried a crew of 550 men. The booty 

 that fell into the hands of the British consisted of 1,313,843 piastres and 35,682 ounces of 

 virgin silver, and some cochineal and other merchandise of minor value. The prize was 

 taken to Macao and there sold for 6,000 piastres. 



Concerning the galleon-traffic during the thirty-five years that elapsed from the 

 time when Anson performed his exploit till the time when Cook made his f amous discovery, 

 I liave been able to find only very scanty information. 1 This deficiency, however, has 

 practically no bearing on our present subject. No one, so far as I am avare, has tried to 

 make out that during these years the Spanish obtained any knowledge of the Hawaiian 

 Islands. Nor it is reasonable to suppose that a new discovery could have been made at 

 so late a date without attracting general attention. It must be borne in mind that it 

 was during this same period that the civilized world was taking more interest than ever 

 before in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean, and that Byron, Wallis, Carteret, Bougain- 

 ville, and Cook himself made their celebrated voyages. 



1 The most important information is that given by M. Le Gentii, in connection with his account of his 

 stay in Manila, 1766 — 68. What he tells us about the construction, equipment etc. of the galleons gives us 

 an adequate explanation of the accidents to which they were so often exposed. (Yoyage dans les mers de VInde, 

 II, pp. 217 et sequ.) Shortly after his departure there arrived at Manila another Frenchman, M. de Pagés, 

 who left Acapulco on 2 April 1768, presumably on the frigate "San Carlos". Concerning his voyage över the 

 ocean his narrative contains nötning except some notes on the life on board and the customary call at the 

 Mariannes. (Yoyagcs autour du Monde et vers les deux Poles, T. I, Paris 1782, pp. 131 et sequ.) 



