Chapter XXIII: Section II

_Transactions in the South Sea, along the Western Coast of America_.

They were welcomed into the great South Sea by a terrible storm, and were fearful of being cast away on certain islands a little without the straits, which, from their likeness to the islands of Scilly, they named the _Sorlings_. On the 21st they had sight of the coast of Chili and the isle of Mocha. This island is low and broad on the north, and is full of rocks on the south. The 26th endeavours were made to enter into traffic with the natives of this island. The chief and his son dined on board the admiral, seemingly rejoiced to see such large and well-armed ships sent against the Spaniards, and all the native Chilese were delighted to see the soldiers mustered and exercised. The Dutch here procured great plenty of sheep, in exchange for hatchets and ornaments of coral and such like toys, getting two sheep for one hatchet. But the natives brought every thing to the boats, and would not suffer any of the Dutch to go near their houses, being very jealous of their wives, even more so than Spaniards. These sheep resembled camels, having long legs and necks, hare lips, hunches on their backs, and are used as beasts of draught and burden.

They left Mocha on the 27th of May, and next day came to the coast not far from the island of St Mary, where the land was much broken and very rocky. The 29th they cast anchor at the island of St Mary, whence a Spaniard came on board, having a pledge left for him ashore. This man invited the admiral and others to dine on shore; but one of the boats observed a body of soldiers marching to the place at which they were to have dined; on which appearance of treachery, the Spanish messenger was made prisoner. The Dutch landed next day in force, on which the Spaniards set their church on fire and fled; having four of their men slain, while two of the Dutch were wounded. They here found much poultry, and took 500 sheep, with other spoil. Learning at this place of three Spanish ships fitted out in April expressly against them, the admiral of which carried forty brass guns, and the whole manned by 1000 Spaniards, Spilbergen resolved to go in search of them at Conception and Valparaiso, and afterwards on the coast of Arica. A farther squadron, of similar force, was also said to be in preparation at _Calao de Lima_. In consequence of this intelligence, the Dutch gunners were ordered to have every thing in readiness for battle, rules of military discipline were established, and each ship and every person received distinct orders for conducting the expected battle, in which it was resolved to conquer or die.

Sailing from the island of St Mary on the 1st June, 1615, they passed not far from the town of _Aurora_,[93] where the Spaniards kept a garrison of 500 men, which were continually disquieted by the unconquered natives of Chili. On the 3d they came to the island of _Quinquirina_, within which is the town of Conception, inhabited by many Indians and about 200 Spaniards. The 12th they entered the safe and commodious road of Valparaiso, in which was a Spanish ship, but which was set on fire by its own mariners, who escaped on shore. The 13th at noon, they were in lat. 32° 15' S.[94] and in the afternoon came into the fair and secure harbour of Quintero. Here they took in wood and water, and caught abundance of fish. But they found the inhabitants every where aware of them, and prepared to receive them, so that nothing of any importance could be effected. They came next to _Arica_ in lat. 12° 40' S.[95] to which place the silver is brought from the mines of Potosi, whence it is shipped for Panama. Finding no ships there, they proceeded along the coast, and took a small ship on the 16th, in which was some treasure, but it was mostly embezzled by the sailors.

[Footnote 93: Arauco, a fortress on the northern frontier of the independent country of Araucania, but somewhat inland, not far to the N.E. of the island of St Mary.--E.]

[Footnote 94: Quintero is in lat. 32° 44' S.]

[Footnote 95: This is a great error, as Arica is in lat 18° 28' S.]

They soon after had sight of eight ships, which the master of the prize said were the royal fleet sent out in search of the Hollanders, contrary to the opinion of the council of Peru; but Dou Rodrigo de Mendoza, the Spanish admiral, a kinsman to the viceroy, insisted on putting to sea, alleging that two even of his ships could take all England, and much more those _hens_ of Holland, who must be spent and wasted by so long a voyage, and would assuredly yield at first sight. On this, the viceroy gave him leave to depart, with orders to bring all the Hollanders in chains. Mendoza then swore that he would never return till the Hollanders were all taken or slain, and set sail from Calao, the haven of Lima, on the 11th July. The flag ship was the Jesu Maria, of twenty-four brass guns and 460 men, which was said to have cost the king 158,000 ducats. The vice-admiral was the Santa Anna, of 300 men, commanded by Captain Alvarez de Piger, who had before taken an English ship in the South Sea, and this ship cost 150,000 ducats, being the handsomest that had ever been seen in Peru. The other ships were the Carmelite and St Jago of eight brass cannon and 200 men each; the Rosary of four guns and 150 men; the St Francis having seventy musketeers, and twenty sailors, but no ordnance; the St Andrew of eighty musketeers, twenty-five sailors, and no cannon; and an eighth, the name and strength of which is not mentioned.

The adverse fleets drew near on the evening of the 17th July, when the Spanish vice-admiral sent a message to his admiral, advising to postpone battle till next morning. Mendoza was, however, too impatient to follow this advice, and set upon the Great Sun, in which was Admiral Spilbergen, about ten that night, when they exchanged broadsides. The St Francis being next to the Jesu Maria, attacked the Dutch admiral; but being beaten off, fell upon the yacht, and by her was sent to the bottom. At this instant, the yacht was attacked by the Spanish admiral, and had soon shared the fate of her former antagonist, but was succoured by two boats full of men, one from the Dutch admiral, and the other from the vice-admiral; on this occasion, the Dutch admiral's boat was unfortunately mistaken by the Huntsman, and sent to the bottom by a cannon-shot, and all her men drowned except one.

Next morning, five of the Spanish ships sent word to their admiral that they meant to do their best to escape: But the Dutch admiral and vice-admiral set upon the Spanish admiral and vice-admiral, and an obstinate engagement ensued, in which the Eolus, another of the Dutch ships, also partook. The two Spanish ships were lashed together, for mutual support. At length, all the men forsook the vice-admiral, going on board the admiral's ship, in which they afterwards confessed they found only fifty men alive. Being reduced to great distress, the Spanish seamen several times hung out a white flag, in token of surrender, which was as often hauled down by the officers and other gentlemen, who chose rather to die than yield.

After some time, being sore pressed by the Hollanders, the men belonging to the Spanish vice-admiral returned to their own ship, and renewed the fight; on which occasion the Dutch vice-admiral was in imminent danger of being taken, as the Spaniards boarded her, but were all repelled or slain. Being no longer able to continue the fight, the Spanish admiral fled under cover of the night, and escaped the pursuit of Spilbergen; but her leaks were so many and great that she went to the bottom, as did likewise another of the Spanish ships called the Santa Maria.[96] The Dutch vice-admiral and the Eolus bestirred themselves so briskly, that the Spanish vice-admiral hung out a white flag, on which the Dutch vice-admiral sent two boats to bring the Spanish commander on board, but he refused going that night, unless the Dutch vice-admiral came to fetch him, or sent a captain to remain in pledge for him. At this time ten or twelve of the men belonging to the Eolus remained on board, contrary to orders, wishing to have a first hand in the plunder. These men assisted the Spaniards in their efforts to prevent the ship from sinking: But all their labour being in vain, they shewed many lights, and cried out aloud for help, which was too late of being sent, and they went to the bottom. Next morning the Dutch sent out four boats, which found thirty Spaniards floating on pieces of the wreck, and crying out for mercy; which was shewn by the Dutch to some of the chiefs, but the rest were left to the mercy of the sea, several of them being even knocked on the head by the Dutch, contrary to orders from their officers. Before this ship went down her commander expired of his wounds. In this engagement forty Dutchmen were wounded and sixteen slain, on board the admiral, vice-admiral, and Eolus; and in the rest eighteen were wounded and four slain.

[Footnote 96: There is no such name in the list of the Spanish fleet, so that we may suppose this to have been the one formerly mentioned without a name.--E.]

The Dutch now made sail for Calao de Lima, but were becalmed. The 20th they passed by the island [St Lorenzo], and saw fourteen ships in the haven, but could not get near for shoals. They went, therefore, to the road of Calao in search of the Spanish admiral, but learned afterwards at Payta that his ship had sunk. The Spaniards fired upon them from the shore, and a ball of thirty-six pounds weight had nearly sunk the Huntsman. They saw also on shore a considerable army, commanded by the viceroy in person, consisting of eight troops of horse and 4000 foot. Going beyond reach of shot from the shore, the Dutch cast anchor off the mouth of the haven, where they remained till the 25th of July, expecting to capture some Spanish ships, but all that appeared made their escape by superior sailing, except one bark laden with salt and eighty jars of molasses.

In regard that they were now on an enemy's coast, where they had no opportunity of repairing their losses, orders were issued by Spilbergen to act with great caution, in case of falling in with the fleet of Panama, and especially to take care not to separate from each other, which had much endangered them in the late fight. It was also ordered, if any Spanish ship should yield, that the Dutch captains and chief officers should on no account leave their own ships, but should order the enemy to come aboard them in their own boats. They sailed from Calao on the 27th of July, and came to the road of _Huarmey_ in lat. 10° S. on the 28th. This is a pleasant place, with a large port, near which is a lake. The Dutch landed here, but the inhabitants fled, leaving little plunder, except poultry, hogs, oranges, and meal, which they brought on board. They dismissed some of their Spanish prisoners on the 3d August, on which day they passed between the main and the island of _Lobos_, so called from being frequented by seals, or sea wolves.[97] The 8th they cast anchor near Payta, in about the latitude of 5° S. The 9th they landed 300 men, but re-embarked after some skirmishing, as they found the city too strongly defended. On this occasion they took a Peruvian bark, strangely rigged, having six stout natives on board, who had been out fishing for two months, and had a cargo of excellent dried fish, which was distributed through the fleet.

[Footnote 97: There are three islands or groups of that name off the coast of Peru. The southern Lobos is in lat. 7° S. near fifty miles from the nearest land; the middle, or inner Lobos, in lat. 6° 22' S. is only about nine miles from the coast of Peru; and the northern Lobos is in lat. 5° 8' S. almost close to the shore. It is probably the middle or inner Lobos that is meant in the text.--E.]

The 10th of August three of the Dutch ships battered the town of Payta, and afterwards sent a party of armed men on shore, who found the inhabitants had fled to the mountains with all their valuables. The Dutch sent five of the Peruvian captives on shore to endeavour to procure fruit, and to learn with more certainty what had become of the Spanish admiral. On their return they brought word that the Spanish admiral had gone to the bottom, six only of her crew escaping. They brought letters also from the lady of Don Gasper Calderon, the commandant of Payta, who had fled to the town of St Michael, thirty miles from Payta; who, in commiseration of the captives, sent many citrons and other provisions to the Dutch ships. Towards the sea the town of Payta is strongly fortified, and almost impregnable. It is a place of some importance, having two churches, a monastery, and many good buildings; and has an excellent harbour, to which many ships resort from Panama, whence their cargoes are transmitted by land to Lima, to avoid the dangers of the wind and the seas at that place. While at the island of Lobos, the Dutch took two birds of enormous size, not unlike an eagle in beak, wings, and talons; their necks being covered with down resembling wool, and their heads having combs like those of a cock. They were two ells in height, and their wings, when displayed, measured three ells in breadth.[98]

[Footnote 98: Probably the Condour, or Vultur Gryphus of naturalists, which is of vast size, sometimes measuring sixteen feet between the tips of the wings when extended.

At this place we have omitted a vague rambling account of the kingdoms of Peru and Chili, as in 1616, which could have conveyed no useful information, farther than that Don Juan de Mendoza, Marquis des Montes Claros, was then viceroy of Peru.--E.]

The Dutch set sail from Payta on the 21st of August, and anchored on the 23d in the road off the mouth of the Rio Tumbez, in lat. 3° 20' S. They here agreed to return to the isle of Coques, in lat. 5° S.[99] that they might endeavour to procure refreshments. But they were so distressed by storms of wind, with rain and excessive thunder, that they in vain endeavoured to get to that island till the 13th September, and in the mean time became very sickly. Proceeding therefore towards the north they came in sight of New Spain on the 20th September, in lat. 13° 30' N. when the weather became again very tempestuous. After much bad weather they came in sight of a pleasant land on the 1st October, but were unable to land. Beating off and on till the 11th of that month, they then entered the harbour of Accapulco, within shot of the castle, and hung out a flag of truce. Two Spaniards came on board, with whom they agreed to exchange their prisoners for sheep, fruits, and other provisions, which was accordingly performed. On the 15th Melchior Hernando, nephew to the viceroy of New Spain, came on board, to take a view of the fleet which had vanquished that of his king, and was kindly entertained by the Dutch admiral. The castle of Accapulco was found to be well fortified, and had seventy pieces of brass cannon mounted on its ramparts; and the Dutch were here informed that their intended arrival had been known eight months before.

[Footnote 99: This is probably the northern Lobos, in lat 5° 8' S. formerly mentioned in a note.--E.]

They set sail from Accapulco on the 18th of October, and soon afterwards took a bark bound for the pearl fishery, which they manned and took into their service as a tender. On the 1st November they anchored before the port of _Selagua_, in lat. 19° 8' N. At this place they were informed of a river abounding in a variety of excellent fish, and having extensive meadows on its banks well stocked with cattle, together with citrons and other fruits in great plenty, all of which they much wanted; but the company they sent to endeavour to procure these conveniences returned empty handed, after a smart engagement with the Spaniards. They sailed thence on the 11th November for the port of Nativity, in lat. 20° 40' N. where they furnished themselves with necessaries, and from whence they set sail on the 20th.