water. Their tick men, amounting to near feventy, were conveyed
into the boats with as much care as the circumftances of that time
would permit; but three or four of them expired as- they we're
hoifting them into the Centurion.
It was the 15th of Auguft, in the evening, before the Gloucefter
was cleared o f every thing that was propofed to be removed ; and
though the hold was now almoft full of water, yet as the Carpenters
were of opinion that fhe might ftill fwim for fome time, i f the
calm fhould continue and the water become fmooth, it was refolved
fhe fhould be burnt; as we knew not how little diftant we might
be at prefent from the Ifland of Guam, which was in the poflèflion
of our enemies, to whom the wreck of fuch a (hip would have been
no contemptible acquifition. When fhe was fet on fire, Captain
Mitchel and his officers left her, and came on board thé Centurion :
And we immediately flood from the wreck, not without fome ap-
prehenfions (as we had only a light breeze) that if fhe blew up foon,.
the concuffion of the air might damage our rigging; but fhe fortunately
continued burning the whole night, fo that tho’ her guns fired
fucceffively, as the flames reached them ; yet it was fix in the morning,
when we were about four leagues diftant, before fhe blew up.
The report fhe made upon this occafion was but fmall ; although
the blaft produced an exceeding black pillar of fmoke, which fhcrt
up in the air to a very confiderable height.
Thus perifhed his Majefty’s fhip the Gloucefter. And now it
might have been expeéted, that being freed from the embarraf-
ments which her frequent difafters had involved us in, we fhould
have proceeded on our way much brifker than we had hitherto
done, efpecially as we had received fome fmall addition to our
flrength, by the taking on board the Gloucefter's crew. However
we were foon taught, that our anxieties were not yet to be relieved
j and that notwithftanding- all we had already fuffered,
there remained much greater diftrelfes, which we were ftill to
flruggle with. For the late ftorm, which had proved fo fatal to
the Gloucefter, had driven us to the northward of our intended
courfej
courfe j and the current fetting the fame way, after the weather
abated, had forced us yet a degree or two farther, fo that we
were now in iy ° JK of North latitude, inftead of being in 130
which was the parallel we propofed to keep in order to reach the
Iilarid of Guam.' As it had been a perfeft calm for feme days
fince the ceftation of the ftorm, and we were ignorant how near
we were to the meridian of the Ladrones, though we fuppofed our-
felves not to be far from i t5 we apprehended that we might be
driven to the leeward of them by the current, without difcovering
them. On this fuppofition, the only land we could make would
be fome of the eaftern parts of Afia, where, i f we could arrive, 'we
fhould find the wefterfi monfoon in its full force, fo that it would
be impoffible for the ftouteft beft-manned fhip to get in. Befides,
this coaft being between four and- five hundred leagues diftant from
us, we, in our languifhing circumftances, could expedt no other
than to be deftroyed by the fcurvy, long before the moft favourable
gale could enable us to compleat fo extenfive a navigation. For
our deaths were by this time extremely alarming; no day pafiing
in which we did not bury eight'or ten, and fbmetimes twelve of
our men j and thofe, who had as yet continued healthy, began
to fall down apace. Indeed we made the beft ufe we could o f
the prefent calm, by employing our Carpenters in fearching after
the leak, which, notwithftanding the little wind we had, was now
confiderable. The Carpenters-at length difcovered'it to be in the
Gunner’s fore ftore-room, where the water rufhed in under the
breaft-hook, on each fide of the Item; but though they found
where it was, they agreed it was impoffible to flop it, till they
could come at it on the outfide; which was evidently a matter not
to be attempted till we fhould arrive in port. However, they did
the beft they could within board, and were fortunate enough to
reduce it, which was-a confiderable relief to us.
We hitherto confidered the calm which fucceeded the ftorm, and
which had now continued for fome days, as a very great misfortune;
fince the currents were all-the time driving us to the northward'of