force confiding of two fhips of thirty-two guns, one of twenty
guns, and two Hoops of ten guns each, to attack the Centurion on
her ftation. With this view fome of thefe veffels actually weighed,
but the principal ftiip not being ready, and (he monfoon being
againft them, the Commerce and the Governor difagreed, fo
that the enterprize was laid afide. This frequent difcovery of the
Centurion from the fhore was fomewhat extraordinary j fince the
pitch of the Cape is not high, and the ufually kept from ten to
fifteen leagues diftant; though once indeed, by an indraught of
the tide, as was fuppofed, they found themfelves in the morning
within feven leagues of the land.
As the month of June advanced^ the expectancy and impatience
o f the Commodore’s people each day increafed. And I think no
better idea can be given o f their great eagernefs on this occafion,
than by copying a few paragraphs from the journal of an officer
who was then on board j as it will, I prefume, be a more natural
picture of the full attachment o f their thoughts to the bufinefs of
their cruife, than can be given by any other means. The paragraphs
I have feleCted, as they occur in order of time, are as
follows:
“ May 31, Exercifing our men at their quarters, in great ex-
“ peCtation o f meeting with the galeons very foon; this being the
“ eleventh of June, their ftile.'’
“ June 3, Keeping our ftations, and looking out for the ga-
“ leons.”
“ June 5, Begin now to be in great expectation, this being the
“ middle of June, their ftile.”
“ June 1 1 , Begin to grow impatient at not feeing the galeons.”
“ June 13, The wind having blown frefh eafterly for the forty-
“ eight hours paft, gives us great expectations of feeing the ga-
“ leons foon.”
“ June 15, Cruifing on and off, and looking out ftriCtly.”
“ June 19, This being the laft day o f June, N . S. the galeons,
,c i f they arrive at all, muft appear foon.”
From
From thefe fatinples it is fufficiently evident, how compleatiy the
tfeafure o f the galeons had engroffed their imagination, and how
anxiolifly they paffed the latter part of their cruife ; when the certainty
o f the arrival of thofe veffels was dwindled down to probability
only, and that probability became each hour more and more
doubtful. However, on the zoth o f June, O. S. being juft a
month after their gaining their ftation, they were relieved out of
this ftate of uncertainty; for, at fun-rife they difcovered a fail
from the mafWhead, in the S. E. quarter. On this, a general joy
fpread through the whole ftiip; for they had no doubt but this'
was ofte of the galeons, and they expected foon to defcry the other.
The Commodore inftantly flood towards her, and at half an hour
after feven they were near enough to fee her from the Centurion’ s
deck ; at which time the galeoii fired a gun, and took in her topgallant
fail's i This was fuppofed to be a ftgnal to her cónfert, to
haften hér up ; and therefore the Centurion fired a gun to leeward,
to atnufe her. 1 he Commodore was iurprifed to find, that during
all this interval the galeon did not change her courfe, but continued
to bear down Upon him ; for he hardly believed, what afterwards
appeared to be the cafe, that fhe knew his :fhip to be the
Centurim, and refolved to fight him.
About noon the Commodore ‘Was little more than a league diftant
from the galeon, and could fetch her wake, fo that fhe could
not now efcape ; and, no fecond fhip appearing, it was concluded
that fhe had been feparated from her confort. Soon after, the
galeon hauled up her fore-fail, and brought to under top-fails, with
her head to the northward, hoifting Spanijh colou rê, and having thé
ftandard of Spain flying at the top-gallant maft-head. Mr. Anfon,
in the mean time, had prepared ail things for an engagement on
board the Centurion, and had taken every poftible meafure, both
for the moft effectual exertion of his fmall ftrength, and for the
avoiding the confuflon and tumult, too frequent in aöions of this
kind. 'He picked out about thirty of his choiceft hands and beft
markfmen, whom he diftributed into his tops, and who fully an«
■ C c c fwered