Chap. I. 
Captain Betagh. 
M3 
round the Cape, when our two Privateers, Succefs arid 
Speedwel, were known to be in the South Sea, this fame 
Ship Zelerin was one of thofe Ships commiffioned by the 
Viceroy of Peru to cruife for us. Fitzgerald fold his Goods 
at Lima to great Advantage, where he continued, while 
de Grange ferved as Captain under the Admiral Bon Pedro 
Miranda , who took myfelf, and the reft of us, Pri- 
foners. The St. Malo Merchants, though great Sufferers 
by fo many Confifcadons, were not much difcouraged ; 
for, in the Year 1720. we found the Solomon of St. Malo , 
carrying forty Guns, and 3 50 Men, at Hilo , on the Coaft 
of Chili, with feveral fmall Spanijh Barks at her Stern. She 
fold her Cargo in fix Weeks time, got a frefh Supply of 
Provifion, and left the Coaft without Interruption ; for by 
this time Martinet’ s Squadron was all come away. 
The Solomon’s good Succefs gave fuch Encouragement, 
that they immediately fitted out fourteen Sail together; all 
which arrived in the South Sea in the Beginning of the Year 
1721. three of whofe Commanders, having the beft Ac- 
quaintance among the Creolians, quickly fold their Cargoes, 
and returned Home : About this time the People of Lima 
judged the Englijlo Privateers were gone off the Coaft, at 
leaft, that no more Hoftilities would be committed, be- 
caufe of the Truce made between the two Crowns ; where- 
upon the three Spanifh Men of War, fitted out to cruife 
on us, were ordered againft thofe frefh Interlopers. I was 
on board the Advice-boat, called the Flying-jijh , in Com- 
pany of the laid three Men of War, when they came up 
with the eleven Sail of St. Malo all together, on the Coaft 
of Chili ; and, inftead of firing upon them, the Spaniards 
joined them like Friends. The French , expecting to be 
attacked, kept ail together in a Line, and dared the Men 
of War to begin. This to me feemed new, that three 
fuch Ships, purpofely fitted for this Cruize, fhould, on 
their own Coaft, decline doing their Duty ; for, had they 
proved too weak, they had Ports of their own under their 
Lee. In fhort, the Men of War contented themfelves to 
watch the others Motion, keeping them always in Sight ; 
and, when any of the French Ships fleered to the Shore, 
the Spaniards fent their Pinnace, or Long-boat, with the 
Spanijh Flag hoifted ; the Sight of which effectually de- 
terred the Creoles from treating or trading with the French. 
Thus they made fliift to hinder all thefe Ships difpofing of 
their Goods, except they were met by chance at Sea, and 
fold fome eland eftinely. At length, being tired out, the 
Frenchmen got Leave to take in Provifion, and went Home 
with at leaft half their Goods unfold. Not wi thftand in g all 
this, and the fevere Ed ids againft it in France , I know 
they ftill continue the Trade, tho* privately ; nor is it pro- 
bable they will ever leave off fo lucrative a Commerce, ex- 
cept fome other Power prevent it. 
17. I fhall now return to my own Affairs, and the man- 
ner of my Return from that Part of the World : A plain 
Relation of which will be a fufficient Refutation of what 
Captain Shelvocke has been pleafed to deliver to the World 
in his Book upon this Subjeft. I have acknowledged the 
kind Reception I met with from the Admiral of the South 
Seas, and the Reafon of his treating us fo civilly. In 
eleven Months time that I continued at Lima, I think it is 
but Juftice to mention the feveral Favours I received, par- 
ticular iy from Don Juan Baptijla Palacio , a Native of 
Bijcay , and Knight of the Order of St. James , who came 
weekly to the Prifon while we were there, and gave Money 
to ail of us, according to our feveral Degrees. Captain 
Nicolas Fitzgerald procured my Inlargement by becoming 
Security, for me, gave me Money, and furnifhed me with 
N eceflaries thenceforward to the time of my Departure ; 
and gave not only me, but twenty more, a Paffage to 
Cadiz in a Spanijh Advice- boat, called the F lying- jjh ; 
Mr.. Prejfick , our Surgeon’s Mate, aded as Surgeon in her, 
receiving Vages ; and fo did all our Men, being releafed 
from I rnon to affift in navigating the Vefifel home. For my 
part, as I was well treated, I would not eat the Bread of 
Idlenefs, but kept my Watches, as other Officers : And, 
pray, where. is the Harm of all this? Though Shelvocke 
had the Stupidity to call it Treafon ; and it muft appear a 
veiy malicious Charge, as well as an ignorant one, that, 
Acer a Man has been driven amongft the Enemy, he muft 
be called a Traitor for being ufed kindly, and accepting 
Numb. .17, 
his Paffage back again ; that, becaufe I was not murdered 
there, I ought to be executed at home ! This is Shelvocke’ s 
great Chriftianity, and good Confcience ! But, to return 
to what I was faying : On my Arrival at Cadiz , Captain 
John Evers , of the Britannia , gave me his Table, and 
my Paffage to London ; where, upon my Arrival, and the 
Reprefen tation of my Hardfhips, the following Perfons of 
Honour and Diftindion were pleafed to exprefs their Con- 
cern for my Sufferings, by making me a Prefent each of 
ten Guineas ; viz. Edward Hughs , William Sloper , and 
Alexander Strahan, Efquires ; Samuel Winder, Beak Winder, 
Henry Neaf and John . Barnes, Merchants ; Humphry 
Thayer , and Thomas Stratfield , Druggifts. This afforded 
me the Satisfaction of feeing, that fuch as were the beft 
Judges, had a proper Idea of the Miferies I had fuftained, 
and approved of the Manner in which I behaved, the only 
Confoladon which I could receive in the CircumftaneeS in 
which that unfortunate Voyage left me. The fair Account 
I have given of Facts, the Detail of my Proceedings in 
the Spanijh Wejl Indies, and the Account of what I ob- 
ferved worthy of Notice during my Stay in thofe Parts, 
will, I hope, acquit me in the Opinion of every candid 
and impartial Reader, from the Afperfions thrown Upon 
me in Shelvocke’ § Book ; and acquire me, what every Man 
would wifh to have, the Approbation of him, to whom, 
of his own free Choice, he fubmits the Cenfure of his 
Actions. 
As we have already given the Reader our Remarks on 
the Voyages of Clipperton and Shelvocke, we fhall not detain 
him very long in our Remarks upon Mr. Betagh’ s Narrative, 
which contains, however, fome things of fuch Importance, 
that they cannot be flipped over without Reflection. In 
the firft: Place, let it be obferved, that he has fully fhewn 
us the Navigation round Cape Horn is no fuch dangerous* 
no fuch wonderous Voyage, as fome People would make 
it. If twenty Ships from St. Malo could perform it in one 
Year, and not a fingle Veffel either Diipo wrecked, or put 
back, what fhould hinder, not an Englijlo Ship, but an 
Englijh Fleet, from doing the fame, if the Service of the 
Nation required it ? Muft it not infpire Strangers with a 
very indifferent Opinion of the Skill and Courage of Eng- 
lijh Seamen, when they hear, that our ftouteft Ships take 
Shelter, like the Spaniards , whom we fo much defpife, in 
the River of Plate , or in the Ports of Brajil , and relin- 
quifh, as impracticable, a Voyage which a French Pri- 
vateer can make atPleafure? Will it not affeeft the Heart 
of every Englijhman, who has not loft all Jealoufy for his 
Country’s Honour, when he thinks of this ? And can he 
be blamed, either for thinking, orexpreffing his Sentiments, 
by any who have the leaft Concern for their Country’s 
Glory ? Could Drake and Candifo , in an Englijh Bark, do 
more than an Englijh Man of War can now ? What Days 
then were thofe of Elizabeth, and how juft that ignomi- 
nious Sarcafm of a French Wit ; That the Englifh of the 
prefent Age are no more comparable to their Anceftors, than 
the Italians to the old Romans ! Happy, happy, for us, 
that we have ftill a Seaman left, who has wiped off this 
Reproach, and fhewn, that the Race of Heroes is not 
extineft ; that we have a Drake and Candijh (I will not add 
more, for Fear of offending his Modefty) in Admiral 
Anson, that great, that fortunate Commander, who enjoys 
this fingular Felicity, in an Age of Sloth, Luxury, and 
Corruption, that his Ease is the Refult of his Labour, 
that his Title is the Reward of his Merit, and that his 
Wealth does Honour to his Country ! 
But to return from fo pleafing a Digreffion, to what is 
more immediately cur Subject. We fee, from Captain 
Betagh’ s Account, with how much Eafe the French carried 
on a prodigious Trade to the South Seas, at a Time when 
the Appearance of an Englifh Ship there was confidered as 
a Prodigy. Had the French any more Right than we, or 
can the Catholic King give them a better Right, if he would ? 
II the prelerving to Spain an exclufive Right to the Riches 
ol America be, as fometimes it has been, afferted to be the 
common Intereft of all the European Powers, but efpecially 
of the Englijh and Dutch , Plow come the French to invade 
it without exciting that Jealoufy, the Fear of which is 
pretended to be a Motive fufficient to hinder us from make- 
ing fuch an Attempt ? Are the Riches of the Indies, in 
3 T French 
