Chap. I. Captain Willi 
Provifions. After fome Consultation, it was refolved to 
quit their own Ship, and to endeavour, in this Bark, to 
continue their Voyage to the Eaft Indies. Accordingly 
they left the St. George at Anchor under this Ifland, after 
having taken out all that was valuable ; and then executed 
their Refolution of failing to the Indies , where they were 
in hopes all their Troubles would have ended. In this, 
however, they were quite miftak'en ; for, arriving in one 
of the Dutch Settlements, their Bark was feized, their 
Goods fold, and themfelves turned loofe into the World 
to Shift as well as they could : This was the End of 
Captain Dumpier ’ s unfortunate Expedition, who returned 
naked to his Owners, with a melancholy Relation of his 
and their Misfortunes, occafioned chiefly by his own odd 
Temper, which made him lb felf-fufficient and over- 
bearing, that few or none of his Officers could endure 
him ; and, when once Diflenfion begins among!! thofe 
who have Command, all Succefs may be juftly defpaired 
of. Yet, as there was a Degree of Companion due to 
fo eminent a Man, notwithftanding all his Failings, the 
Public exprefled it, in the ftrongef! manner poffible, to 
Captain Dumpier , on his coming home, even in this 
Diftrefs i and he was introduced to the Queen, had the 
Honour to kifs her Hand, and to give her fome Account 
of the Dangers he had run through. The Merchants, 
however, were fo fenfible of his Want of Conduct!, that 
they refolved never to truft him more with any Command ; 
and this, with the Poverty brought upon him by his laf! 
unlucky Voyage, obliged him to make the Tour ' of the 
World once more, in Quality of Pilot, on board the. Duke, 
commanded by Captain JVoodes Rogers : The Hiftory of 
whofe V oyage will be the Bufinefs of the next Section 5 
the prefent I fhall clofe with a very few Remarks. 
41 . It is very clear j from the feveral Particulars recorded 
in this Voyage, which I take to be as honeftly and fln- 
cerely written, as any I have ever met with, that there is 
no mighty Force requiflte to carry on a Privateering War 
in the South Seas ; fince, if Dumpier ’ s Temper would 
have fuffered him to live on fuch Terms as were requiflte 
to preferve the AffeCtions of his People, it is mol! certain^ 
that he might have railed an immenfe Fortune for himfelf, 
and his Owners, in Ipite of any thing the Spaniards did 
again!! him. It is alfo very apparent* that, with due 
Care and Attention, there was no fort of Danger of their 
ever wanting Provifions. But the thing that ruined their 
Voyage was, that Spirit of Difcord which remained among 
themfelves, and which, at laft, rendered them incapable 
of any kind of Difcipline. It is Command that makes one 
Body of Men fuperior to another equal in Number, and 
as well provided with Arms ; for, by this means, they are 
broke, exercifed, and know their Duty in all Situations, 
which others do not ; and this naturally gives them a pro- 
digious Advantage. The late Attempts that have been 
made in the Weft hidies feem to difcredit this Opinion •, 
and the Stories we have been told of the Bucanneers, have 
drawn many People to imagine, that, in fuch Attempts, 
they are fuperior to Men under regular Command. Thefe 
are dangerous Miftakes, fuch as may have fatal E flecks, if 
they Ipread ; and, therefore, every Opportunity fliould be 
taken to refute them. In order to do this, we mult firl! 
conflder, what is meant by regular Troops, and Men 
under regular Command ; which certainly implies, Men 
acquainted with the Principles of their Profefiion, com- 
manded by experienced Officers. It is not the Cloth and 
Arms that conftitute a regular Force, but the Knowledge 
the Men have acquired in military Difcipline *, and, as to 
Officers, it is certain, that an old Man, who has never feen 
Service, is by no means lit for Command, efpecially in a 
Country where he never fet his Foot before. As to the 
Bucanneers, they were, with refpeC! to their perfonal 
Qualifications, regular Troops , and, in time of Adtion, 
they were pretty much under Command ; to which all 
their Succefs was owing: But then, as their Officers had 
no Authority, but what they derived from the Choice of 
their own People, and held this only during their Pleafure, 
there was no fuch thing as forming regular Defigns, or 
conducing them, for any Length of Time, with Prudence 
and Difcretion : Whence it came to pafs, that all their Suc- 
cefles weie mere temporary Advantages, not at all bene- 
Numb. XI. 
A M F u ft N E L L. I 4_9 
facial in their Cdnfequences to themfelves, or their Country. 
To fay the Truth, the only Ufe that can be made of them, 
is to prove, that much greater Things may be done by 
Men better commanded,' There is the fame Difference 
between Bucanneers and regular Forces, as between Men 
of ftrong Parts without Education, and Men of equal 
Parts with the Advantages of Learning : The former 
fometimes produce lively and furprifing Pieces, but all 
excellent and lading Works come from the latter. I do 
not know whether this Companion will at firft Sight be well 
relifficd •, but, I am confident, that, when throughly con- 
fidered, it will be found perfectly juft, and equally agree- 
able to Reafon and Experience. The next Remark that I 
fhall make on this Voyage is, that it fully demonftrates the 
Capacity of our Seamen, to do any thing that can be ex- 
pected' from Perfons Ikilful in that Profefiion. We fee, 
by the Inftance of Captain Clipper ton ’ s failing, with twenty- 
one Men;, in a Bark of ten Ton, from the South Seas to 
China ; by Mr. Funnel ! s doing the fame thing in a Vefiel 
not much bigger, and with very few more Men ; and by 
Captain Dumpier’ % doing the like, in Circumftances very 
little better ; that this is not fuch a terrible, fuch an im- 
practicable Navigation, as fome People of late, for what 
Reafons I know not, have endeavoured to reprefent it : And 
if great Advantages may arife to the Commerce of this 
Nation, by Voyages into this Part of the World, I think 
no Man in his Senfes can be perfuaded, that there is any 
thing very difficult, much lefs impoflible, in purfuing 
them ; fince thefe Examples ffiew, that this is, in FaCt, 
the eafieft and the ffiorteft Way to the Eaft Indies , and to 
the richeft and molt valuable Parts of them. The Ufage 
Captain Dumpier met with in this* as well as in his former 
Voyage, and the Treatment of Mr. Funnell , and his 
People, at Amboyna , are Proofs fufficient of the Temper 
of the Dutch , and of their preferring the Intereft of the ir 
Commerce to any RefpeC! for their Allies. If we think 
this right in them, as one would imagine our Government 
did, from their never inquiring after thofe Subjects that 
were loft, or refenting the Ulage thofe met with that 
efcaped, Why are we not as careful of our own Trade ? W hy 
do we not profecute it with the fame Vigour ? or. Why 
are we bound to have fo much more Complailance for our 
Allies, than they have for us ? It feems to be a Matter 
quite out ot Queftion, that Commerce is not of greater 
Confeqtience to them than to us : Both fubfift by it, and 
both muft be undone without it. I do not mean to infi- 
nuate, that we ought to differ with the Dutch , much lefs 
that we fliould invade their Settlements, or endeavour to 
ruin their Trade ; all I aim at is, to ffiew how reafonable, 
and I10V practicable a thing it is, to extend our own, and 
how much therefore it ought to be our Study. To this I 
beg Leave to add, that as this was always right, fo it is 
now become abfolutely neceflary : The Nation launches 
out into much larger Expences, than in former Times ; and 
from hence it is evident, that, if fhe does not draw larger 
Advantages from Trade, ffie muft be undone: This is a 
Truth of fo great Confequence, that no Man, who loves 
hi§ Country, can prevail upon himfelf to mince the Mat- 
ter : Befides, all national Expence confiding in the Export 
of Wealth, it follows, that we ought, at this Juncture 
efpecially* to encourage fuch kind of Commerce, as may 
repair this Lofs in the quickeft and moft effe&ual Man- 
ner. This Voyage, and feveral of the preceding, fhew 
us, that here is a Ihort and fpeedy Pafiage to very rich and 
pleafant Countries ; from whence we may derive imme- 
diately large Quantities of Gold, exclufive of other valuable 
Commodities. Befides, we are now at War with Spain , 
and that Crown has very confiderable Dominions in thofe 
Parts •, where, though I believe they may be comparatively 
ftronger than they are in the American Dominions, yet 
moft certain it is, that they are every-where upon bad 
Terms. with the Natives, and have a much greater Com- 
pafs of Territory than they are able to defend. There is no 
doubt to be made, that two or three Ships, well manned, 
would be able to make a very profitable Voyage this Way. 
I would not be underftood to be a warm Advocate for 
Privateering, which, I muft confefs, I think below the 
Dignity ot tire Brittijh Nation ; but, as we were drawn 
Into this Wa r by the Depredations of the Spanijh Pri- 
2 Ok vateers^ 
