were in vain; for after having, as a laft effort, fired five or fix guns
with more judgment than ufual, they yielded up the conteft ; and,
the galeon’s colours being finged off the enfign ftaff in the beginning
of the engagement, (he (truck the ftandard at her main-top-gallant
maff-head; the perfon, who was employed to perform this office,
having been in imminent peril o f being killed, had not the Commodore,
who perceived what he was about, given exprefs orders
to his people to defift from firing.
Thus was. the Centurion poffeffed of this rich prize, amountin'*
in value to near a million and a half of dollars. She was called the
Noflra Signora, de Cabadonga, and was commanded by the General
Doii' Jeronimo de Montero, a Portuguefe, who was the molt: approved
officer for fkill and courage of any employed in that fer-
vice. The galeon was much larger than the Centurion, and had five
hundred and fifty men, and thirty-fix guns mounted for adtion, betides
twenty eight pedreroes in her gunwale, quarters and tops,each
of which carried a four-pound ball. She was very well furnifhed
with fmall arms, and was particularly provided againfl boarding,
both by her clofe quarters, and by a ftrong Det work of two inch
rope, which was laced over her waift, and was defended by halfpikes.
She had fixty-feven killed in the aflion, and eighty-four
wounded, whilft the Centurion had only two killed, and a Lieutenant
.and fixteen vvounded, all of whom but one recovered: O f
fo little confequence are the moft deftruffive arms in untutored
and unpraftifed hands.
The treafure thus taken by the Centurion having beeen for an
leaf! eighteen months the great objedt o f their hopes j it is impof-
fible to defcribe the tranfport on board, when, after all their reiterated
difappointments, they at laft faw their withes accomplifhed.
But their joy was near being fuddenly damped by. a moft tremendous
incident: For no fooner had the galeon (truck, .than one of
the Lieutenants coming to Mr. Anfon to congratulate him on his
prize, whifpered him at the fame time, that the Centurion was
dangeroufly on fire near the powder-room. The Commodore re-
qeiyed.this.dreadfu] news without any apparent emotion,,and taking
care not to alarm his people, gave the neceffary orders for extin-
guifhing the fire, which was happily done in a (hort time, though
its appearance at firft was'extremely terrible. It feems fome cartridges
had been blown up by accident between decks, and the blaft
had communicated its flame to a quantity of oakum in the afterhatch
way, near the after-powder-room j where the great (mother
and fmoak of the oakum occafioned the apprehenfion of a more
extended and mifchievous conflagration : All hopes too of avoiding
its fury, by efcaping on board the prize, had inftantly vanifh-
ed; for at the fame moment, the galeon fell on board the Centurion
on the (larboard quarter, though (he was fortunately cleared
without doing or receiving any confiderable damage.
The Commodore appointed the Manila veffel to be a poll (hip
in his Majefty’s fervice, and gave the command1 of her to Mr.
Saumarez■ , bis firft Lieutenant; who, before night, fent on board
CascCenturion all the Spanijh prifoners, except fuch as were thought
the moft proper to be retained to affift in navigating the galeon.
And now the Commodore learnt, from fbme o f thefe prifoners,
that the other (hip, which he had kept in the port of Acapulco the
preceding year, inftead of returning1 in company with the prefent
prize, as was expected, had fet fail from Acapulco alone much
fooner than ufual, and had, in all probability, got into the port
o f Manila long before the Centurion arrived off cape Pfpiritu Santo ;
fo that Mr. Anfon, notwithftanding his prefent fuccefs, had great
reafon to regret his lofs of time jit Macao, which prevented him
from taking two rich prizes inftead of one.
The Commodore, when the aftion was ended, refolved to make
the belt of bis way with his prize for the river of Canton, being the
mean time fully employed in fecuring his prifoners, and in removing
the treafure from on board the galeon intothe Centurion. The
laft of thefe operations was too important to be poftponed ; for as
the navigation to Canton was- through feas but little known, and
where, from the feafon.of the year, very tempeftuous weather might
be expended, it was of great confequence that the treafore fhould
he fen t on board the'Crff/ar/cw, which fhip, by the prefence of the
i. • Commander