JyB The V O Y 
is Winter here ; but, this being Autumn, they were all 
run to Seed : So that we could not have the Benefit of any 
thing, but the Greens. The Soil is a loofe black Earth, 
the Rocks very rotten •, fo that, without great Care, it is 
dangerous to climb the Hills for Cabbages. Befides, there 
are abundance of Holes dug in feveral Places by a fort of 
Fowls, like Puffins, which fall in at once, and endanger 
the wrenching or breaking of a Man's Leg. Mr. Selkirk 
told me, he had feen Snow and Ice here in July ; but the 
Spring, which is in September , October , and November , is 
very pleafant, when there was abundance of good Herbs, 
as Parfley, Purllain, Sithes in great plenty, befides an Herb 
found by the Water-fide, which proved very ufeful to our 
Surgeons for Fomentations. It is not much unlike Fever- 
few, of a very grateful Smell, like Balm ; but of a ftronger 
and more cordial Scent. It is in great plenty near the 
Shore. We gathered many large Bundles of it, dried 
them in the Shade, and fent them on board, befides great 
Quantities that we carried in every Morning to ftrew the 
Tents ; which tended much to the fpeedy Recovery of our 
fick Men, of whom none died, but two belonging to the 
Duchefs ; viz. Edward Wilts , and ChriJlopher Williams. 
15. On February 13. we held a Confutation, in which 
we made feveral Regulations for preferving Secrecy, Difci- 
pline, and ftrift Honefty, on board both Veffels ; and, on 
the 17th, we fettled another Matter of as great Import- 
ance, which was, that two Men from on board the Duke 
fhould be put on board the Duchefs, and two Men from on 
board the Duchefs on board the Duke , in order to fee, that 
Juftice was reciprocally done by each Ship’s Company to 
the other. On the 28 th, we hoifted both Pinnaces into the 
Water, to try them under Sail, with a Gun fixed in each of 
them, and whatever elfe was requifite to render them very 
ferviceable fmall Privateers. We found the Nights very 
cold, and the Days not near fo warm as might have been 
expected in that Latitude, where there never falls any Rain, 
but fuch Dews in the Night, as are equivalent to it, tho’ 
the Air is, generally fpeaking, ferene. On May 15. in the 
Evening, we faw a Sail : Our Confort, being neareft, foon 
took her. She was a little Veffel, of fixteen Ton, from 
Payta, bound to Cheripe for Flour, with a Email Sum of 
Money to purchafe it; the Mailer’s Name Antonio Heliagos , 
st Mefizo , or one begotten between an Indian and a Spani- 
ard •, his Crew eight Men, one of them a Spaniard , one a 
Negro, and the reft Indians. We afked them for News; 
and they allured us, that all the French Ships, being feven 
in Number, failed out of thefe Seas fix Months ago ; and 
that no more were to return : Adding, that the Spaniards 
had fuch an Averfion to them, that, at Callao , the Sea- 
port for Lima, they killed fo many of the French , and quar- 
relled fo frequently with them, that none were buffered to 
come afhore there for fome time before they failed from 
thence. After we had put Men aboard the Prize, he haled 
off clofe on a Wind lor Lobos , having fhot within it ; and, 
had we not been better informed by the Crew of the Prize, 
might have endangered our Ships, by running in farther, 
becaufe there are Sholes between the Illand and the Main. 
1 here is a Paffage for Boats to Windward to come into the 
Road, which is to the Leeward of thefe Hands, in a Sound 
between them. It is not half a Mile broad ; but above a 
Mile deep ; has from ten to twelve Fathom Water, and 
good Anchor-ground. There is no coming in for Ships, 
but to Leeward of the Hands. We went in with a fmall 
Weather-tide, though I never perceived it to flow above 
three Feet whilft we lay here. The Wind commonly 
blows Southerly, veering a little to the Eaftward. On the 
Eaftermoft Hand, (which was on our Larboard Side as we 
lay at Anchor in the Sound) there is a round Hummock, 
and behind it a fmall Cove, very ftnooth, deep, and conve- 
nient enough for a Ship to careen in. There we haled up, and 
fitted our little Frigate. The higheft Part of the Hand 
appears, in the Road, not much higher than a large Ship’s 
Top-maft-head. The Soil is an hungry, white, clayiffi 
Earth, mixed with Sand and Rocks. There is no frefli 
Water, or green Thing, on the Hands. Here is abundance 
of Y ulturs alias Carrion-crows, which looked fo like Tur- 
keys, that one of our Officers, at landing, bleffed himfelf 
at the Sight, and hoped to fare delicioufly here. He was 
f© eager, that he would not ftay till the Boat could put him 
1 
AGES of Book I 
afhoi e ; but leaped into the Water with Ins Gun, and, get- 
ing near enough to a Parcel, let fly at them : But, when he 
came to take up his Game, it flunk infufferably, and made 
us merry at his Miftake. The other Birds here are, Pern 
guins, Pelicans, Boobies, Gulls, and a fort of Fowls like a 
Teal, that neftle in Holes on the Land. Our Men got 
Loads of them, which they fkinned, and praifed them for 
very good Meat. We found abundance of Bulruffies, and 
empty Jars, that the Spanifh Fiffiermen had left afhore. All 
over this Coaft they ufe Jars inftead of Cafks for Oil, Wine, 
and all other forts of Liquids. , Here is abundance of Seels* 
and fome Sea-lions. The Seels are much larger than at Juan 
Fernandez g but the Fur not fo fine. Our People killed 
feveral, with a Defign to eat their Livers ; but one of our 
Crew, a Spaniard, dying fuddenly after eating them, I for- 
bad the Ufe of them. Our Prifoners told us, they accounted 
thele old Seels very unwnolfbme. The Wind, always blow- 
ing frefh over the Land, brought an ugly noilome Smell 
aboard from the Seels afhore ; which gave me a violent 
Head-ach ; and every body elfe complained of this naufeous 
Smell. We found nothing fo offenfive at Juan Fernandez » 
Our Prifoners told us, they expefted the Widow of the 
late Viceroy of Peru would fhortly embarque for Acapulco , 
with her Family and Riches, and flop at Pay fa to refrefh, or 
fail near in Sight, as cuftomary, in one of the King’s Ships 
of thirty-fix Guns ; and that, about eight Months ago, 
there was a Ship, with 200,000 Pieces of Eight aboard, the 
reft of her Cargo Liquors and Flour, which had paffed 
Payta for Acapulco. Our Prifoners added, that they left 
Seignor Morel in a flout Ship, with dry Goods, for Lima " 
recruiting at Payta , where he expetfted in a few Days a 
French built Ship belonging to the Spaniards to come from 
P anama richly laden, with a Bifliop aboard. Payta is a 
common recruiting Place to thofe, who go to or from Lima, 
or moft Parts to Windward, in their Trade to Panama , or 
any Part of the Coaft of Mexico. Upon this Advice, we 
agreed to fpend as much Time as poffible cruifing off of 
P ayta, witnout difcovering ourfelves, for fear of hindering 
our other Defign s„ 
16, On. April 1. we took a Galleon, by which I meai} 
no more than a Ship built in that manner, commanded by 
two Brothers, whofe Names were Jofeph and John Morel. 
She was of the Burden of 500 Ton, laden with dry Goods 
and Negroes. The next Day we took another Prize ; and, 
on the 7th, Mr. Vanbrugh was removed from the Council. 
But here our Authors differ: Captain Rogers fays, that 
Captain Dover accufed him of great Infolence to him ; but 
Captain Cooke fays, that it was Captain Rogers himfelf that 
accufed him, for offering to vote with him, right or wrong, 
upon all Occafions. It was a great Pity thefe Difputes hap- 
pened at that time, when all things were preparing for 
Aflion, and a Refolution taken to attack the Town of Guia- 
quit, however provided ; in order to which, it was deter* 
mined to fend the Duke and the Beginning to Payta , the 
latter to go in and take a View of the Harbour, to fee if 
there were any Ships in it, and afterwards to cruife with 
thirty Men, in hopes of falling in with the aforefaid Bi- 
fliop. This was a Seafon of great Confultation, which was 
foon fucceeded by Adlion. And here I chufe to follow both 
Authors, in order to avoid that Air of Partiality and Vanity, 
which appears in one of them, the World defiring to know 
only Fadls, and not being at all edified with the Difputes 
amongft two or three Captains for Command, tho’ it does 
not appear, that Captain Courtney was ever affebled with 
this fort of Folly. On April 1 1. there was a grand Coun* 
cil held on board the Duke, wherein all things were fully 
confidered, the Conqueft of Guiaquil refolved on, and a 
Paper, in the Nature of Inftrudlions from the Committee 
to the Commanders in chief, was prepared ; which, how* 
ever formal it might feem, was undoubtedly a very right; 
Method, and kept, as well as taught, every Man in his Duty. 
17. On April 12. it was refolved in a Committee, not 
to fend the Beginning Prize into Payta , as had been agreed 
on, for fear of being difcovered ; but to attempt the Town 
of Guiaquil , the Enterprize to be conducted by the three. 
Captains Dover, Rogers , and Courtney ; the firft to com- 
mand a Company of Marines of feventy Men ; the fecond 
a Company of Officers and Sailors of feventy-one Men ; the 
third fuch another Company of feventy-three Men ; Captain 
Dumpier , 
