lSi ^VOYAGES of Book I. 
“ manded the Mulattoes, who took Captain Pack at the 
S£ Beginning of the War. The Perfon who told me this, 
was a Combmaker, and ‘endeavoured to efcape from La 
sc Vera Cruz \ but was taken, and font Prifonet to Mexico , 
44 where he came off to Ferity after, he had his Liberty, 
ct by pretending he went to buy Ivory to make Combs. 
u He gave me a long Account of his Ramble among ft the 
ct Indians , and fays, that he was at the Mouth of the Ri- 
54 Ver Mifjifippi, which falls into the Gulph of Mexico, but 
“ could not pafs it : He adds, that the Indians, on the Bay 
44 Pillachi , have murdered feveral of the Padres , out of 
54 an Averfion to the Spaniards, but ffiewed a great Inclina- 
44 tion to trade with the Englifh. Such of them as will not 
44 turn PapiftS, are kept in clofe Cuftody, either in the 
44 Mines, or Workhoufes, at Mexico, which City is about 
44 as long as Briftd. Thofe that are put in Workhoufes 
44 are chained, and employed in carding of Wool, rafping 
44 of Logwood, &c. They have more Manufactures of 
44 Woollen and Linen in Mexico than in Peru : Abundance 
44 of Raw Silk is brought from China ; and, of late Years, 
44 wrought up into rich Brocades, equal to any made in 
44 Europe. The Mulattoes and Indians, oh very flight 
44 Occafiohs, are put into the Workhoufes, and kept there 
44 till they pay their Debts or Tribute ; but no Spaniards, 
44 exceptfor the worft of Crimes. There are many Englifh- 
44 men, who were taken cutting Logwood in the Bay of 
44 Campeche, in feveral of thofe Workhoufes. They have 
44 abundance of Sheep in the Country, which yield excel- 
44 lent Wool, of which the Englifh Prifoners have taught 
44 them to make Cloth, which would be worth about 15 s. 
44 a Yard in England ; but there it yields eight Pieces of 
44 Eight. They have alfo taught them to make Bays, and 
44 other fort of coarfe Woollens. At Chopa in Mexico , 
44 about Latitude 12 0 North, there is a great River, which 
44 finks into the Earth at once, runs under the Mountains, 
44 and rifes with a large Stream, about fifteen Leagues from 
44 the Place where it funk. This River is twice as broad 
44 as the Thames ; it afterwards joins that of Tabafco, and 
44 falls into the North Sea, as moft of the great Rivers 
44 of this vaft Continent do. About this Place there are 
44 high Mountains, with Plains on the Top, where the 
44 Air is very temperate, and all our European Fruits grow ; 
44 whereas, at the Bottom of thofe Mountains, they have 
44 none but the Fruits of hot Climates, tho’ ’tis not above 
44 five Leagues afunder. There are alfo Woods of Pines, 
44 &V. on thofe Mountains, amongft which there are Birds, 
44 which fing together in an agreeable Concert, that refem- 
44 ble a fine Organ ; fo that Strangers are amazed to hear 
44 fuch Mufic ftrike up of a fudden in the Woods. There 
44 is alfo a ftrange Creature in thofe Woods, called by the 
44 Spaniards an Ounce, much of the Size of a Wolf-dog; 
44 but it lias Talons, and the Head is more like that of a 
44 Tyger : It kills Men and Beafts, which makes travelling 
44 thro’ the Woods dangerous ; yet this Creature is reported 
44 to eat nothing but the Heart of its Prey. I had many 
44 more Relations from this Man, who had been feven Years 
44 a Prifoner in this Country ; but they being too tedious, 
44 I fhall add nothing more concerning Mexico , but that 
44 the Worm is larger, and eats the Bottoms of the Ship 
44 more, on its Sea-coaft, than any other Place. All the 
44 Coafts, from Guiaquil in Peru , to the Northward, as 
44 far as the Latitude of 20° in Mexico, are reckoned un- 
i£ healthful, but the contrary from Guiaquil Southward.” 
The next remarkable Thing in this Voyage, is the Pru- 
dence fliewn in the Oeconomy of it, which ought to recom- 
mend it as a Precedent on all fuchOccafions for the future ; 
and this excellent Management appeared particularly in 
the Method taken of holding Councils before any Tranf- 
a&ions of Importance, to confider the proper Means for 
effecting it ; and tfyen, when the Thing was frefti in every 
body’s Head and Memory, to bring the Conduct of the 
Affair under Examination, fo as to procure another Refolu- 
tion of the Committee, either approving or difapproving 
it. By this Meafure all FaCls were fo effectually fettled, 
that they would admit of no Difputes after they came home ; 
and it is very plain, that the Debates which happened aboard, 
were hindered from growing to a dangerous Height by this 
very thing : For, as nothing could be abfolutely determined 
while they were aboard, every body was anxious and afti- 
duous in fotding properly the Papers, upon the Teftimony 
of which, the Senfe of their Owners, in regard to their 
ConduCt, was to be determined *, and thus the Hopes of 
prevailing at home, made People eafy under what they took 
to be Hardfliips abroad. In faying this, however, I differ 
in Opinion from Captain Woodes Rogers , who, tho’ he had 
experienced the Benefits refulting from this Method of 
aCting, yet is plea-fed to fay, 44 Another great InconvenF 
44 ency we laboured under, was the want of Power to 
44 try Offenders, as on board his Majefty’s Ships of War 5 
44 which obliged us to connive at many Diforders, and to 
44 be mild in our Punifhments : But which was ftill worfe, 
44 there was no fofficient Power lodged in any one Hand, 
44 to determine Differences amongft our chief Officers ; 
44 which was a great Omiffion, and might have proved 
44 of dangerous Conlequence, becaufe of the Divifions 
44 which happened amongft us.” Yet I dare fay it will be 
apparent, notwithftanding the Captain’s Obfervation, that 
if any fuch Power had been lodged, even inhimfolf, it muff 
have done more Hurt than Good ; fince nothing but the 
Incertainty of whofe ConduCt would be approved or difap- 
proved at their Return, prevented Malecontent Officers 
from endeavouring to form Parties among the Ship’s Com- 
pany, which, Reafon and Experience thews us, is the moft 
dangerous Thing that can happen in Expeditions of this 
fort ; and which, as the Reader will remember, proved the 
Ruin of Captain Dumpier’ s Defign, of which we have given 
a long Account in the preceding Section : But it is natural 
for Men in Power to believe the Extenfion of their own Au- 
thority as profitable to others, as agreeable to themfelves. 
A third Circumftance that deferves Regard, is the W eak- 
nefs of the Spaniards ; for it appears plainly, that they 
were not, at this time, in a much better Condition than 
when Drake and Candifh ravaged their Colonies ; and of this 
Captain Rogers was fo fenfible, that, in the Preface to his 
Book, he lays it down as a thing extremely practicable,, 
not only to plunder the Spanifh Settlements on the Coaft, 
but even to fix Garifons there, which, he thinks, it would 
not be in the Power of the Spaniards to expel, before they 
received a Relief from Britain. 44 Our taking of Guiaquil , 
44 fays he, with an Handful of raw undifoiplined Men, is a 
44 fofficient Proof of this ; and they may foon fortify 
44 themfelves, fo as no Power, that can be brought againffc 
44 them, would be able to diflodge them. The whole Spanifh 
44 Force iij that Sea confifts but of three fmall Ships ; and 
44 their Land Troops are fo little accuftomedto War, that 
44 they are not able to look a Body of difciplined Men in 
44 the Face, as we ourfelves and others have found by Ex- 
44 perience : Befides, the Natives of Chili, who are a brave 
44 People, have fuch an Averfion to the Spaniards, becaufe 
44 of their Cruelty and Oppreffion, that, when they find 
44 the Mildnefs of an Englifh Government, they will readily 
44 join us, in order to be freed from that intolerable Servi- 
44 tude, under which they have groaned fo long.” I will 
not take upon me to fay, that, at this time, foch a Scheme 
as he recommends would be practicable ; but this, I think, 
I may fafely fay, that nothing that has fince happened, 
down to the Time of the prefent War, has Ihewn fuch a 
Defign to be impoffible. At the time Captain Rogers 
wrote, he had before his Eyes the Example of the French 
carrying on, partly with, and pardy without the Confent 
of the Spaniards , fuch a Commerce in that Part of the 
World, as enabled them to make head againft the reft of 
all Europe : Which is a Circumftance that deferves to be 
very well confidered ; fince, if the Wealth of Spain , in the 
Hands of France, may prove the Ruin of all her Neigh- 
bours, it feems to be a natural Inference, that it is not only 
lawful, but abfolutely incumbent upon us, to profecute the 
only Method that can poffibly prevent it. The Account 
he has given of the Matter is this : 44 The French fent from 
44 Rochelle, in 1698, two Ships, under the Command of 
44 M. Bouchefne Gonin, of St. Malo, to the South Sea, 
44 with a Cargo of Goods, to try what could be done in 
44 Trade there, as appears by his Journal. They have fo 
44 improved his Difcovery, and carried on fuch a vaft 
44 Trade in thofe Seas ever fince, that there have been in 
44 the South Sea, in one Year, feventeen Ships of War 
44 and Merchantmen, with all forts of Goods ; and the 
44 Advantage they made of it was fo great, that I was in- 
r 44 formed, 
