12 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
January, from what it had in the latter end of September, when it
left the Channel; and how much its numbers, its ftrength, and the
probability of its lucceft, were diminilhed, by the various incidents
which took place in that interval. For inftead of having all our.
old and ordinary feamen exchanged for fuch as were young and
able (which the Commodore was at firft promifed), and having
our numbers compleated to their full complement, we were obliged'
to retain our firft crews, which were very indifferent; and a defi-'
ciency o f three hundred men in our numbers was no otherwife
made up to us, than by fending us on board a hundred and feventy
men, the greateft part compofed of fuch as were difcharged from
nolpitals, or new-raifed marines who had never been at fea before.
And in the land-forces allotted us, the change was ftill more difad-
vantageous; for there, inftead o f three independent companies of
a hundred men each, and Bland's regiment o f foot, which was an
old one, we had only four hundred and feventy invalids and marines,
one part of them incapable o f aftion by their age and infirmities,
and the other part ufelefs by their ignorance o f their duty. But
the diminifhing the ftrength o f the fquadron was’ not the greateft
incónveniency which attended thefe alterations; for the contefts,
reprefentations, and difficulties, which they continually produced
(as we have above feen that in thefe cafes the authority o f the
Admiralty was not always fubmitted to), occafioned a delay and
wafte of time, which in its confequences was the fource o f all
the difafters to which this enterprize was afterwards expofed; For
by this means we were obliged to make our paflage round Cape
Horn in the moft tempeftuous feafon o f the year; whence proceeded
the feparation o f our fquadron, thé lofs o f numbers of our
men, and the imminent hazard o f our total deftruftion. By this
delays too, the enemy had been fo well informed of our defigns,
that a perfon who had been employed in the South-Sea Company’s
fervice, and arrived from Panama three or four days before we
left: Portsmouth, was able to relate to Mr. Anjon moft o f the particulars
ticulars o f the deftination and ftrength o f our fquadron, from
what he had learned amongft the Spaniards before he left them.
And this was afterwards confirmed by a more extraordinary cir-
cumftance: For we Ihall find, that when the Spaniards (fully fa-
tisfied that our expedition was intended for the South-Seas) had fitted
out a fquadron to oppofe us, which had fo far got the ftart of
us as to arrive before us off the ifland o f Madera, the Commander
of this fquadron was fo well inftrutled in the form and
make of Mr. Anfon's broad pendant, and had imitated it fo exactly,
that he thereby decoyed the Pearl, one o f our Iquadron,
within gun-lhot o f him, before the Captain o f the Pearl was ablet
to difcover his miftake.
C H A P .