Chap. I. Captain George Shelyogke, zi^ 
ill his Defcription of Chili ; thcfe grow up' in a Hr ait (lender 
Body, from which fprout fmall irregular Branches, from 
the Root to the Top, bearing Leaves like the Laurel, blit 
fmaller. Palm-trees are likewife found in moft Parts of the 
Ifland, growing in fmooth joints like a Cane, fome thirty, 
fome forty Feet high : The Head of them is like that of 
a Cocoa-nut-tree, except that the Leaves of them are of a 
paler Green, and bear large Bunches of red Berries, bigger 
than a Sloe •, they tafte like our Haws, and have a Stone 
as big as that of an Heart- cherry. That which we call the 
Palm-cabbage, is the very Subftance of the Head of the 
Tree •, which being cut off, and difmembered of its great 
fpreading Leaves, and all of it that is hard and tough, you 
find inclofed a white and tender young Head, with its 
Leaves and Berries perfectly formed, and ready to fupply 
the Place of the old one. W hen in Search of them, we 
were obliged to cut down a lofty Tree for every one we 
got. One good Quality belonging to the Woods which 
cover this Ifland is, that they are every-where eafy of Ac- 
cefs, there being no Undergrowth, except in fome of the 
deepeft Valleys, where the Fern grows exceeding high, and 
of which there are even large Trees* with Trunks of good 
Subftance. Some of the Englijh , that have been here for- 
merly, have fowed Turneps, which have fpread very much ; 
as have alfo two or three Plantations of fmall Pompions * 
but my Men had never Patience to let any of thefe come 
to Maturity. We likewife found Plenty of Water-creffes, 
and wild Sorrel : There are fome Hills remarkable for a 
fine red Earth, which I take to be the fame with that of 
which the Inhabitants of Chili make their Earthen-ware, 
which is almoft as beautiful as the red China . The 
Northern Part is very well watered, by a great many Streams 
which come down the narrow Valleys : This Water keeps 
well at Sea, and is, I dare fay, as good as any in the World. 
Down the Weftern Peak, contiguous to the Table-moun- 
tain, fall two Cafcades, at lead 300 Feet perpendicular, 
clofe by each other, about twelve Feet in Breadth, which 
probably fupply moft of the other Runs of Water: What 
with the rapid Defcent of thefe Waters, and the Palm-trees 
which grow up clofe by the Edges of them, adorned with 
vaft Bunches of red Berries, it yields as agreeable a Pro- 
fpeCt as can be. W e fhould have had no want of Goats in 
the Mountains, could we have conveniently followed them ; 
and Cats are alfo numerous •, they are, in Size and Colour, 
exaCtly the fame with our Houfe-cats 3 thofe who eat them 
have allured me, that they found a more fubftantial Relief 
from one Meal of them, than from four or five of Seel or 
Fhh ; and, to their great Satisfaction, we had a fmall Bitch, 
which would catch almoft any Number they wanted in an 
Hour or two. The Spaniards , before they fettled in Chili , 
left a Breed of Goats here, and have lince endeavoured to 
deftroy them, by leaving another Breed of Dogs, but 
with no great EffeCt. There are not many forts of Birds •, 
but the Sea, on the Coaft, abounds with a greater Variety 
of all forts of fine Fifh, than almoft any I know : As for 
the Seels, and Sea-lions, fo much has been laid of them by 
others, that I need not dwell upon them. The former are 
called by the Spaniards Lobos de la Mar , from their Re- 
femblance of a Wolf; but the Dutch call them Sea-dogs. 
My Opinion is, that they may very probably be called Sea- 
wolves, their Heads refembling that Creature : They have 
a fine iron-grey Fur, and are of the Bignefs, when full 
grown, of a large Maftiff: They are naturally furly, and 
lnarl on the Approach of any body : They have two Fins, 
which compofe their Tails, with which they make Shift to 
get along much fafter than the Lions, which are very lame 
unwieldy Creatures, but withal prodigioufly full of Oil. ° 
19. Ottober 6. in the Evening, we departed, with no- 
thing to fubfift at Sea with but the fmoked Congers, one 
of which was allowed to each Man for twenty-four Hours, 
one Cafk of Beef, and four live Flogs, which had fed all 
the time on the putrefied Carcafes of the Seels we had 
killed, with three or four Bufhels of Meal. We were up- 
wards of forty crouded together, lying upon the Bundles 
of Eels, in no Method ot keeping themfelves clean , fo 
that all our Senfes were as much offended as poffible. There 
was not a Drop of Water to be had, without fucking it out 
or the Cafk with the Barrel ol a Mufket, which was made 
tile of by every body promifcuouQy ; and the little unfavoury 
Mdrfels we daily eat, created perpetual Quarrels; every 
one contending for the Frying-pan. All the Conveniency 
We had for a Fire, was only a Half-tub filled with Earth, 
which made it fo tedious, that we had a continual Noife 
of frying from Morning to Night. I propofed that we 
fhould ftancl to the Soiith-eaft, toward the Bay of Concep- 
tion , that being neareft to us. Every Day, while the Sea- 
breeze continued, we were hard put to it ; for, not having 
above fixteen Inches free Board, and our Bark tumbling 
prodigioufly, the Water continually ran over us ; and, hav- 
ing only a grating Deck, and no Tarpawlin to cover it, 
except the Bark’s Top-fail, which was but thin, our Pumps 
would but juft keep us free ; notwithftanding which, I was 
uneafier by bearing away, Conception being our chief De- 
pendence. On the 10th, at four in the Morning, we fell 
in with a great Ship ; and, by the Moon-light, I could 
plainly fee the was Europe built. We were obliged to aCt in 
fuch a manner, as the Nature of our Cafe required, which 
was defperate: Therefore I flood for her ; and, we being 
rigged after the manner of the Small-craft of the Country, 
they did not regard us till Day-light ; which coming on* 
before we could get quite up with her, they difcovered the 
Brownnels of our Canvas, and immediately fufpeCted us* 
wore Ship, and haled clofe on a Wind to the Weftward ; 
then hoifted their Colours, and fired a Gun, and crouded 
away from us* and left us behind them at a great rate ; 
but, it falling calm two Hours after, we had recourfe to our 
Oars, and approached them with tolerable Speed ; and, in 
the mean time, overhaled our Arms, which we found to 
be in a very bad Condition, One-third of them being with- 
out Flints, and but three Cutlaffes ; fo that we were not at 
all prepared lor boarding, which was the only means we 
could have ot taking any Ship: We had but one fmall 
Cannon, which we could not mount, and therefore were ob- 
liged to fire it as it lay along the Deck ; and, to fupply it, 
we had no more Ammunition than two Round- fiiot, a few 
Chain-bolts, and Bolt-heads, the Clappers of the SpeedweV s 
Bell, and fome Bags of Beech-ftones to ferve for Partridge. 
In four Hours we came up with them, every one feeming 
as eafy in their Minds, as actually in the Polfeffion of her ; 
and were only forry, that fhe was not deeper laden than ftie 
feemed to be : But, as we advanced nearer, I faw ner Guns, 
and Pattereroes, and a confiderable Number of Men on 
the Deck, with their Arms glittering in the Sun. The 
Enemy defied us to come on board them ; and, at the 
fame time, gave us a Volley of great and fmall Snot, which 
killed our Gunner, and almoft brought our Fore-mall by 
the Board. This unexpected Reception ftaggered a great 
many, who before feemed to be the for warded, that they 
lay on their Oars for fome time, notwithftanding that I 
urged them to keep their Way ; but, recovering again, 
rowed clofe up with them, and engaged them, till all our 
fmall Shot was expended, which obliged us to fall a-itern 
to make fome Slugs : In this manner we made three At- 
tempts, Without any better Succefs. All the Night we 
were bu:ie making Slugs, and had provided a large Quan- 
tity the next. Morning, when we came to a final Refolu- 
tion, of either carrying her, or of fubmitting to her ; and 
accordingly, at Day-break, I ordered twency Men, in our 
Yawl, to lay her athwart the Hawfe, whilft I boarded her 
in the Bark : The People in the Boat put off, giving me 
repeated Affurances of their good Behaviour ; but the very 
Inftant we were coming to ACtion, a Gale fp ung up, 
and ifie went away from us. This Ship was called the 
Margarelta , and was the fame which had been a Privateer 
belonging to Saint Malo , and mounted forty Guns all the 
laft War. In the Skirmifhes we had with her, we had none 
killed, except Gilbert Henderfon , our Gunner ; and three 
wounded, which were Mr. Brooks , firft Lieutenant, thro* 
the Thigh, Mr. Coldfea , the Mailer, thro 5 the Groin, and 
one of the Fore-maft-men in the Small of his Back : Two 
of thefe did very well ; Mr. Coldfea , indeed, lingered in *a 
miferable manner for nine or ten Months afterwards, but 
at length recovered. Our Condition now grew wqrfe and 
worfe: The Seas being too rough for our uncomforta- 
ble Veffel, I propofed that we might get into fair Wea- 
ther, but to take Coquirnbo in our Way, to try what could 
be done there. This was agreed on * but, the very Morn- 
ing we expeCted to go into Coquimbo , there came on a very 
hard 
