To the Right Honorable GEORGE Vicount TORRINGTON, Admiral and Commander in Chief of his Majesty’s Fleet, and Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath . Lords Commissioners for executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain, &c. My Lords, Your Lordships are intrusted by the greatest and best of Kings, with the important Office of directing the whole Navy of Great-Britain ; the strongest safe-guard to all we possess and injoy. Since therefore all maritime affairs are under you

Page 80. line 7. read marine . p. 145. l. 17. r. coco-nuts . p. 149. l. 12. for twenty four r. two of our . p. 160. l. 24. r. made a sail . p. 286. l. 21. r. after taking off . p. 311. l. 3. r. Glocester ....

Voyages have been always well receiv’d, and especially by Englishmen . They seem to sute the genius of the British nation, whose people are particularly distinguish’d for the curiosity of their temper, and the many great exploits of their shipping in all parts of the world. ’Tis true, this sort of history is often writ by unskilful hands; and a fact sometimes loses credit for want of method in telling it: but if the reader meets with something new and authentic, he is generally satisfied: the gr

Success Oct. 20, 1719. “This day a paper was fixt upon the main-mast, declaring what should and should not be deemed plunder. “The man who first spys a sail, proving a prize, to have five dollars for every hundred ton the prize measures. “Every man aboard a prize found drunk, or in any indecent act with a white or black woman, to be punished according to the nature of his offense. “Every man, of whatsoever degree, concealing any money, or other thing above the value of half a dollar, shall forfe

Here I resume the history of my captain, whom I left cruising off Payta ; while Hatley , I, and the rest of us were taken by admiral Midranda , otherwise call’d general of the South-Sea . Shelvocke having hitherto failed of making his fortune, begins now to think it too late, at least for this season. The scheme of our voyage is at an end; the enemy is alarm’d; their ships all laid up, except the two Spanish men of war which are in quest of the English privatiers: and Shelvocke probably would no

Containing observations on the Spanish America in general, and the remarks I made while I was confined in Peru ....

About the middle of March 1720 , when Shelvocke sent Hatley and the rest of us to seek our fortunes in the lighter, calld the Mercury , he himself in the Speedwel went to plunder the village of Payta , which was just under our lee, and where we might easily have joind him, had he imparted his design to us: however we had not cruised long in sight of Cape Blanco , when we took a small bark with a good parcel of chocolate and flower. There was an elderly gentlewoman aboard, and a thin old fryer, w

Issue of sambo mulatta , and sambo indian are calld giveros . These are lookt on as having the worst inclinations and principles; and if the cast is known, they are banisht the kingdom. Hence procede endless denominations according to the variety of mixture: and some people make a science of it, to know the multiplicity of casts and give them a name: but the forementiond are the chief and most particular. It is counted creditable to mend the breed by ascending or growing whiter; but a descent or

Of the mines of Chili and Peru ; and the method of working out the gold and silver from the mass. Chili being the southermost division of the continent of America , is therefore cooler than Peru ; and perhaps would sute an English constitution better. It is divided from Peru at the tropic of Capricorn ; and is remarkable for that vast chain of mountains known by the name of Cordileer , which coast along from Magellan streights up to the istmus of Darien , being about 4000 mile. It is governd by

Some account cf the origin of Metals, with various opinions concerning their formation in the earth. The old Creolian Spaniards , and some others imagine that this plenty of gold in Chili was occasiond by Noah ’s flood, which threw down the mountains, and broke up the mines, and washd away the gold into the lower grounds where it now continues. But, besides the great probability that that deluge was only upon the land of Palestine , Moses ’s history on which this fancy is founded, rather contrad

Thus have I led my reader through the voyage.—When I first thought of this work, I intended only to clear my self from the infamous reflexions of captain Shelvocke ; but being authorised by men of worth and distinction, I determined not only to justify my self and fellow-sufferers, but to give this full account of the whole expedition: for Shelvocke ’s is no account of the voyage at all, but a libel invented to give a gloss to all his evil actions, and blind those who knew nothing of the story.