drive in thofe mules that ftrayed from the reft, upon thofe large plains we paffed over; and this I thought was the leaft I could do towards making fome returns for the obligations we were under to him. When we got into St. Jago, the carrier delivered us to the captain of the guard at the palace gate; and he foon after introduced us to the prefident, Don Jofeph Manfo, who received us very civilly, and then fent us to the house where Captain Cheap and Mr. Hamilton were. We found them extremely well lodged, at the house of a Scotch phyfician, whofe name was Don Patrico Gedd. This gentleman had been a long time in this city, and was greatly efteemed by the Spaniards, as well for his abilities in his profeflion as his humane difpofition. He no fooner heard that there were four English prifoners arrived in that country, than he waited upon the prefident, and begged they might be lodged at his houfe. This was granted, and had we been his own brothers, we could not have met with a more friendly reception; and, during two years that we were with him, his conftant ftudy was to make every thing as agreeable to us as poflible. We were greatly diftreffed to think of the expence he was at upon our account; but it was in vain for us to argue with him about it. In fhort, to fum up his character in a few words, there never was a man of more extenfive humanity. Two or three days after our arrival, the prefident fent Mr. Campbell and me an invitation to dine with him, where we were to meet Admiral Pizarro and all his officers. This was a cruel ftroke upon us, as we had not any clothes fit to appear in, and dared not refuse the invitation. The next day a Spanish officer, belonging belonging to Admiral Pizarro's fquadron, whofe name was Don Manuel de Guirro, came and made us an offer of two thousand dollars. This generous Spaniard made this offer without any view of ever being repaid, but purely out of a compaflionate motive of relieving us in our prefent diftrefs. We returned him all the acknowledgments his uncommon generous behaviour merited, and accepted of fix hundred dollars only, upon his receiving our draught upon the English conful at Lisbon. We now got ourselves decently clothed, after the Spanish fashion; and, as we were upon our parole, we went out where we pleafed to divert ourselves. This city is fituated in about 33 deg. and 30 min. fouth latitude, at the weft foot of the immenfe chain of mountains called the Cordilleras. It ftands on a moft beautiful plain of above thirty leagues extent. It was founded by Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror of Chili. The plan of it was marked out by him in fquares, like Lima; and almost every house, belonging to people af any fashion, has a large court before it, with great gates, and a garden behind. There is a little rivulet, neatly faced with stones, runs through every ftreet, by which they can cool the ftreets, or water their gardens, when they please. The whole town is extremely well paved. Their gardens are full of noble orange-trees, and all forts of flowers, which perfume the houses, and even the whole city. The churches are rich in gilding, as well as in plate. The cathedral and bifhop's palace are on the weft fide of the city. The houfes have, in general, only a ground floor, on account of the frequent earthquakes, but they make a handfome appearance. Thus Thus a few of us at last made our way, in a new and unheard-of manner, over a large and defert tract of land, between the western mouth of the Magellanic Straight and the capital of Chili, a country fcarce to be paralleled in any part of the globe, in that it affords neither fruits, grain, nor even roots proper for the fuftenance of man. And what is ftill more rare, the very sea, which yields a plentiful fupport to many a barren coaft, on the tempeftuous and inhospitable fhore we had left behind us, is found to be almost as barren as the land. After two years refidence at St. Jago, we embarked on board the Lys frigate, belonging to St. Malo, leaving Mr. Campbell behind, by his own choice. She was a ship of four hundred and twenty tons, fixteen guns, and fixty men. Among other paffengers on board, were the celebrated Don George Juan and Don Antonio Ulloa, who had been several years in Peru on scientific purfuits. We were now bound to Conception, in order to join three other French thips that were likewise bound home. As this was a time when the foutherly winds prevail upon this coaft, we ftood off a long way to the weftward, making the ifland of Juan Fernandez. We did not get into the Bay of Conception till the 6th of January, 1745. In the homeward paffage, fome of the French fhips were captured by the English, but the Lys efcaped; and on the 31st of October we came to an anchor in Breft Road. The Lys, having a valuable cargo on board, was towed into the harbour next morning, and lathed along fide one of their men of war. The money was foon landed, and the officers and men, who had been fo many years abfent from their native country, were glad to get QA on fhore. Nobody remained on board but a man or two to look after the ship, and we three English prifoners, who had no leave to go on fhore. The weather was extremely cold, and felt particularly fo to us, who had been fo long used to hot climates; and, what made it ftill worse, we were very thinly clad. We had neither fire nor candle; for they were allowed on board of no fhip in the harbour, for fear of accidents, being clofe to their magazines in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging to the fhip were fo kind as to fend us victuals every day, or we might have ftarved; for Monfieur l'Intendant never fent us even a meffage; and though there was a very large fquadron of men of war fitting out at that time, not one officer belonging to them ever came near Captain Cheap. From five in the evening we were obliged to fit in the dark; and, if we chose to have any fupper, it was neceffary to place it very near us before that time, otherwife we never could have found it. We had paffed feven or eight days in this melancholy manner, when one morning a kind of row-galley came along-fide with a number of English prifoners, belonging to large privateers the French had taken. We were ordered into the fame boat with them, and were carried four leagues up the river, to Landernaw. At this town we were upon our parole. We took the beft lodgings we could get, and lived very well for three months, when an order came from the court of Spain to allow us to return home by the firft ship that offered. Upon this, hearing there was a Dutch fhip at Morlaix ready to fail, we took horfes and travelled to that town, where we were obliged to reVOL. X. K main main fix weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting away. At last we agreed with the mafter of a Dutch dogger to land us at Dover, and paid him before hand. When we had got down the river into the road, a French privateer, that was ready to fail upon a cruife, hailed the Dutchman, and told him to come to an anchor; and that, if he offered to fail before him, he would fink him. This he was forced to comply with, and lay three days in the road, curfing the Frenchman, who at the end of that time put to fea, and then we were at liberty to do the fame. We had a long uncomfortable paffage. About the ninth day, before fun-fct, we faw Dover, and reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to land us there. He faid he would; but instead of that, in the morning we were off the coaft of France. We complained loudly of this piece of villainy, and infifted upon his returning to land us, when an English man of war appeared to windward, and prefently bore down to us. She fent her boat on board with an officer, who informed us the thip he came from was the Squirrel, commanded by Captain Mafterfon. We went on board of her, and Captain Mafterfon immediately sent one of the cutters he had with him to land us at Dover, where we arrived that afternoon, and directly fet off for Canterbury upon post-horfes; but Captain Cheap was fo tired by the time he got there, that he could proceed no farther that night. The next morning he ftill found himself so much fatigued, that he could ride no longer; therefore it was agreed that he and Mr. Hamilton thould take a poftchaife, and that I should ride: but here an unlucky difficulty was started; for, upon fharing the little money we had, it was found to be not fuf ficient |
