The Commodore himfelf, though he declared not his opinion,
was yet in his own thoughts apprehenlive that we were difcovered,
and that the departure of the galeon was put off ; and he had, in
eonfequence o f this opinion, formed a plan for poffeffing himfelf o f
Acapulco -, becaufe he had no doubtbut the treafure as yet remained
in the town, even though the orders fordiipatching o f the galeon
were countermanded. Indeed'the place was too well defended to
be carried by an open attempt ; fince'befides the garrifon and the
crew of the galeon, there were in it at leaft a thoufand men well
armed, who had marched thither as guards to the treafure, when
it was brought down-from the city of Mexico : -For the toads thereabouts
are fo much infefted either by independant Indians or fugitives,
that the Spaniards never>truft their filver without an armed
force to proteét it. Befides, had the ftrength of the place been lefs
confiderable, and fuch as might not have appeared fuperior to the
efforts of our fquadron, yet a declared attack would have prevented
us receiving any advantages from its fuccefs ; for upon the firft dif-
eovery o f our fquadron, all the treafure would have been ordered
into the country, and in a few hours would have been out of our
reach -, fo that our conqueft would have been only a defolate town,
where we Ihould have found nothing that could in the leaft have
. ountervailed the fatigue and hazard o f the undertaking.
For thefe reafons, the furprifal of the place was the only method
that could at all anfwer our purpofe ; and therefore the manner in
which Mr. Anfon propofed to condud this enterprise was, by fet-
ting fail with the fquadron in the evening, time.enough to arrive at
the port.in the night. Asthere is no danger on -that coaft, he would
have flood boldly for the harbour’s mouth, where he expeded
to arrive, and perhaps might have entered, before the Spaniards
were acquainted with his defigns : As foon as he had run into
the harbour, he intended to have pufhed two hundred of his men
on ffiore in his boats, who were immediately to attempt the hart
mark’d (Ç) in the plan mentioned in the preceding chapter, and
infer ted to wards the .beginning o f the third bookj .whilft he, the
Com-
Commodore, with his Ihips, was employed in firing upon the town
and the other batteries. And thefe different operations, which would
have been executed with great regularity, could hardly have failed of
fucceeding againft an enemy, who would have been prevented by
the fuddennefs of the attack, and by the want of day-light, from
concerting any meafures for their defence ■ So that it was extremely
probable that we Ihould have carried the fort by ftormj and then
the other batteries, being open behind, mull have been foon abandoned
: after which the town, and its inhabitants, and all the treafure,
muft neceffarily have fallen into our hands. For the place is
fo cooped up with mountains, that it is fcarcely. poffible to efcape
out of it, but by the great road,,mark’d-(H. Hi) in the plan, which
paffes under the fort. This was the projeft which the Commodore
had thus far fettled generally.in his thoughts j but when he began to
inquire into fuch circumftances as were neceffary to be confidered
in. order to regulate the particulars of its execution, he found there
was a difficulty, which, being infuperable, occafioned the enterprize.
to be. laid afide: As on examining the prifoners about the winds.,
which prevail near the ffiore, he learnt (and it was afterwards confirmed
by the officers o f our Cutters) that nearer in ffiore there was^s
always a dead calm for thegreateft part of the night, and that towards
morning, when a gale fprung up, it conftantly.blew off the-t
land; fo that the fetting fail from our pxefent ftation intheevening,,
and arriving at Acapulco before daylight, was imppffible,-
This fcneme, as hath been faid, was formed by the Commodore,
upon a fuppofition that the galeon was. detained till, the next-year:
But as this was a matter of opinion only, and not founded on intelligence,
and there was a ppffibility that ffie might ftill put to fea in a -
ffiort time, the Commodore thought it prudent to .continue cruizing,
on his prefent ftation, as long as the neceffary attention to his ftores
of wood and water, and to the convenient feafon for -his. future-
paffage to China, would giv.e him leave. And therefore, as the
Cutters had been ordered to remain before Acapulco till the 23d of
March the fqqadron didmot change its pofition till that dayj when
2 the