Captain George Shelvocke, 
to find EngUfh Ships, on board which we might fecure our 
Pafiao'e home. Our Ship was in a very bad Condition, the 
Length of our Voyage confidered, fince our Sails and Rig- 
ging were fo thin and rotten, that if, in this very long Paf- 
fage, any Accident had befallen us, either in our Mails or 
Sails, it would have gone very hard with us, having no 
Change of either, and being at fuch a dreadful Diftance 
from any Place, where we might hope for Relief ; but, as 
this was a Cafe of Neceffity, we were obliged to run all Ha- 
zards, and to endeavour, by Care and Induftry, to fupply 
thofe Deficiencies, which were not to be remedied any other 
Way : And, as we had already happily got over many Dif- 
ficulties, that feemed unfurmountable in their ProfpeCt, it 
filled us with Hopes, that we fhould likewife get over thefe ; 
which, with the pleafing Expectation of reaching our na- 
tive Shore, gave us Spirits enough to undertake fo tedious 
a Navigation in fo weak and comfortlefs a Condition ; for, 
befides the bad State of our Ship, we were now fo thinly 
manned, that, without the Afliftance of our Negroes, it 
would fcarce have been poffible for us to have managed the 
Veffel, there not being now thirty white Faces amongftus: 
So much had untoward Accidents reduced our Crew ! 
On the 2 1 ft, we difcovered an Ifland, bearing Weft 
South- weft, no Leagues diftant from Cape St. Lubas : I 
endeavoured to get in with it, but could not approach it 
nearer than the Diftance of two Leagues ; and, the Night 
coming on, and it blowing very frefh, I did not think it 
proper to lofe fo much Way, as we might in the Night, 
by lying-by, or plying in, for it. I judged it to be feven 
or eight Leagues in Circumference •, on the South-weft of 
it there appeared a large Bay, with an high Rock in the 
Middle of it. This Ille my People called Shelvocke' s Eland, 
after my Name. From hence we fleered down gradually, 
into the Parallel of 13 0 North, but had our Way flopped 
for two or three Days by Wefterly Winds, which none 
could ever have expected in fuch Latitudes, and at a Di- 
ftance of 5 or 600 Leagues from any Land. We grew 
impatient at fuch an uncommon Delay, and began to dread 
meeting with many fuch contrary Winds in this Paflage ; 
we made feveral Conjectures on what might be the Caufe 
of it, but none that were very probable ; but the Trade- 
wind prevailing again, we kept in the TraCl of 13 0 North, 
except when we judged ourfelves to be near the Sholes of 
St. Bartholomew , and then haled a Degree more North- 
wardly, and fo continued for a Run of about fixty or feventy 
Leagues. A Fortnight after we had left California , my 
People, who had hitherto enjoyed an uninterrupted State 
of Health, began to be afflicted with a Sicknefs which 
particularly affeCted their Stomachs, which was, undoubt- 
edly, owing to the Quantities of Sweetmeats they were 
continually devouring •, and alfo to our common Food, 
Puddings made of verycoarfe Flour, and Sweetmeats, and 
fait Water inftead of frefh to moiften them ; and dried Beef, 
the beft Part of which was deftroyed by Ants, Cock- 
roches, and other Vermin. We could not afford frefh 
Water to boil the Kettle once in the whole Paffage ; fo 
that this way of living brought the Scurvy and other Dif- 
tempers upon us, which was a very melancholy State. 
This Sicknefs increafed upon us every Day, infomuch that, 
out of our final! Number, we buried two in one Day, 
which were John Popplefione , the Armourer, and the Car- 
penter’s Mate ; befides whom, the Carpenter, Gunner, 
and feveral others, together with fome of our beft Negroes, 
died. 
We now laboured under the greateft Misfortunes that 
could happen to us, the greateft Part of my People being 
difabled, and my Ship being very leaky ; and we had juft 
at this time the ill Luck to have one of our Pumps fplit, 
and rendered ufelefs : Under thefe unhappy Circumftances 
were we pufhed forward by favourable Gales, till we came 
within eighty Leagues of Guam, one of the Ladrone Elands, 
v/here we met with difmal Weather, tempeftuous Winds, 
varying round the Compafs: This was the more frightful to 
us, as we were not in a Condition of helping ourfelves, 
there not being above fix or feven that were able to do any 
Work, though Neceffity obliged even thofe that were ex- 
tremely low and weak to lend what Help they could. Thefe 
boifterous Gales had raifed a Sea, wherein our Ship laboured 
fo much, that the Knee of her Head, and the whole Beak- 
head, became loofe • fo that the Bowlprit fetched away,* 
and played with the Motion of the Ship, continued fo to 
do all the reft of the Time we were at Sea : Our Main* 
mail flood for fome time without Shrouds on theLarboard- 
fide, till we could unlay our beft Cable to make more, 
having knotted and fpliced the old ones, till our Labour 
was in vain. In the midft of this I was taken violently 
ill, and had no Expectation of living much longer, till the 
Gout, feizing me, gave me fome painful Hopes of the Con- 
tinuance of my Life. In the Beginning of Odlober , we made 
the Ifland of Guam , 100 Leagues fhort of Captain Rogers's 
Account, who makes 105° Difference of Longitude be- 
tween this and Cape St. Lucas , and we did not make quite 
ioo°. We paired between the forementioned Ifleand Serpa - 
via , and faw feveral flying Proes, but none came near us that 
Day : We had heavy fqually Weather, which obliged me 
to keep the Deck, where, in the Rain, I caught a Cold, 
which threw me into a worfe Condition than before, ill 
which I continued all the Time I was in China . The Ifland 
of Guam appears very green, and is of a moderate Height i 
the Profpett of Land was very agreeable to us, after have- 
ing run fo great a Length j and we could, with the greateft 
Pleafure, have flopped to have purchafed fome Refrefh- 
ments of Fruits, fuch as Lemons, Seville Oranges, &c. 
which would have been very good for fuch of us as had 
the Scurvy : But tho* we were upon the Point of perifh- 
ing, we dared not venture in, for fear the Inhabitants fhould 
take the Advantage of our Weaknefs, to make fome At- 
tempt upon us. The Night after we had feen the Eland 
of Guam, we had our Main-top-fail fplit, which, as it hap- 
pened, proved no Lofs of Way •, for, during feveral Days 
afterwards, we had fuch Weather, that we could bear no 
more than our lower Canvas, which fufficiently tried the 
Strength of our Ship, which was now very much impaired* 
I lhaped my Courfe from Guam for the Ifland of Formofa y 
to which we had a very long Voyage, and of courfe a 
very melancholy one, fince the Sicknefs increafed daily j 
fo that, by November 3. when we had Sight of that Ifland* 
the Ship and Ship’s Company were both in a manner worn 
out. The next Day, we doubled the South Cape of that 
Eland, and paflfed within a League of the Rocks of Vele 
Rete , and by them were fenfible of a very ftrong Current. 
The Inhabitants of the Ifland of Formofa , from the Time 
they had Sight of our Veffel, made Fires continually 
along the Coaft •, but we were fo weak, that we did not 
think it prudent to put into any of their Harbours. We 
directed our Courfe from thence for the neighbouring Coaft 
of China ; and, on the 6th, found ourfelves at the Mouth 
of the River Loma , where we had twelve Fathom Water. 
Here we faw abundance of Fifhing-boats, but, the Wea- 
ther proving hazy, we could not plainly difeover where- 
abouts we were •, and therefore ufed all the Methods we 
could devife, to get fome of the Fifhermen on board, who 
might pilot us to Macao \ but, as we neither uhderftood 
them, nor they us, we foon found that was impracticable % 
and therefore were forced to keep the Land clofe aboard 
all Day, and come to an Anchor every Evening ‘ which 
was a mighty Fatigue to our Ship’s Company, who were 
fo univerfally down with the Diftemper reigning amongft 
us, that it was as much as we could do to find any body 
to fleer the Ship : Thus we were four Days loft in the Mill, 
and furprifed at the Sight of a great many Elands, which 
were omitted in our Charts, on fome of which we faw large 
Fortifications : This made us believe, that the Current had 
carried us to the Southward of our Port, and fuggefted to 
us every thing that might call us down 5 for, though the 
Sea was covered with Fifliing-barks* we could not find any 
of them that could fet us right, or give us any Directions 
we could underftand. On the 10th, towards the Evening, 
as we were palling thro’ a very narrow Chanel, between a 
Couple of Elands, a Fifherman that was near us, obferving, 
by our manner of working, that we were afraid to venture 
thro’, made Signs to us with his Cap to bring to, till he 
came up with us : When he came, he feemed to underftand, 
in general, that we inquired of him about the Situation of 
Macao ; and therefore made Signs to us, that he would 
conduCl us thither, if we would give him as many Pieces 
of Silver, as he counted little Fifh out of his Bafket, which 
amounted to forty: We accordingly counted out forty 
5 Dollars 
