C H A P II.
The paffage from St. Helens to the I{land of Madera ;
with a fhort account of that Ifland, and of our
ftay there.
ON the 18th of September, 1740, the Iquadron, as we have
obferved in the preceding chapter, weighed from, St. Helens
with a contrary wind, the Commodore propofing to tide it
down the channel, as he dreaded lefs the inconveniences he Ihould
thereby have to ftruggle with, than the rilk he ihould run of ruining
the euterprize, by an uncertain, and, in all probability, a tedious
attendance for a fair wind.
The fquadron allotted to this fervice confifted o f five men of
war, a (loop o f war, and two vidtualing Ihips. They were the
Centurion o f fixty guns, four hundred men, George Anfon, Efq;
Commander ? the Gloucejler o f fifty guns, three hundred men,
Richard Norris Commander; the Severn of fifty guns, three hundred
men, the Honourable Edward Legg Commander; the Pearl
o f forty guns, two hundred and fifty men, Matthew Mitchel Commander
j the IVager o f twenty-eight guns, one hundred and fixty
men, Dandy Kidd Commander; and the Tryal Sloop o f eight guns,
one hundred men, the Honourable John Murray Commander:
the two vidtualers were Pinks, the largeft o f about four hundred,
and the other of about two hundred tons burthen; thefe were to
attend us, till the provifions we had taken on board were fo far
confirmed, as to make room for the additional quantity they carried
with them, which when we had taken into our (hips, they were to
be difcharged. Befides the complement o f men borne by the above-
mentioned Ihips as their crews, there were embarked on board the
fqXiadron about four hundred and feventy invalids and marines,
under
under the denomination of land-forces (as has been particularly
mentioned in the preceding chapter), which were commanded by
Lieutenant Gtelonel Cracherode. With this fquadron, together with
the St. M ans and the Lark, and the trade under their convoy,
Mr. Anfon, after weighing from St. Helens, tided it down the Channel
for the firft forty-eight hours ; and, on the 20th, in the morning
we difcovered off the Ram-Head, the Dragon, Wmchejler,
South-Sea Cajile, and Rye, with a. number of merchantmen under
their convoy: Thefe we joined about noon the fame day, our
Commodore having orders to fee them (together with the St.. A lbans
and Lark) as far into the fea as their, .courfe and ours lay to-
gether When we came in fight of this laft-mentioned fleet, Mr.
Anfon firft hoifted his broad pendant, and was faluted by all the
men of war in company.
When we had joined this laft Convoy, we made up eleven men
of war, and about one hundred and fifty fail of merchantmen, con-
fifting of the Pur key, the Streights, and th e American trade. Mr.
Anfon, the fame day, made a figual for all the Captains of the men
o f war to come on board him, where he delivered them their fighting
and failing inftruaions, and then with a fair wind we all flood!
towards the South-Weft; and the next day at noon, being the 21 ft„
we had run forty leagues from the Ram-Head. Being now clear o f
the land,- our Commodore, to render our view more extenfive, ordered
Captain Mitchel, in the Pearl, to make fail two leagues a-head:
o f the fleet every morning, and to repair to his.ftation every evening.
Thus we proceeded till the 25th, when the Winchejler and
she American Convoy made the concerted fignal for leave to fepa-
rate which being anfwered by the Commodore, they left u s : As
the St. Albans and the Dragon, with the Purley and Streights Convoy,
did on the 29th. After which reparation, there remained in
company only our own fquadron and our two viftualers, with which
we kept on our courfe for the Ifland of Madera.. But the winds,
were fo contrary, that we had the mortification to be forty days In
©nr paffage thither from St. Helens, though it is known to be often
dons;