Ansons Voyage Round the World | Page 6

book. The New Style was adopted by England in 1751,
when eleven days had to be omitted, and September 3rd was reckoned
as September 14th. Ignorant people thought that they were defrauded of
eleven days wages. "Give us back our eleven days" became a popular
cry against the Minister of the time. Russia and other countries under
the Greek Church still adhere to the old Style and are now thirteen days

behind.)
(**Note. Anson's squadron was then at St. Catherine's in Brazil. See
below, Chapter 3.)
(***Note. The Spanish squadron when it sailed from Maldonado
consisted of the following ships: "Asia", 66 guns, flag ship;
"Guipuscoa", 74; "Hermiona", 54; "Esperanza", 50; "St. Estevan", 40.
The Asia was the only ship that ever returned to Spain.)
Pizarro with his squadron having, towards the latter end of February,
run the length of Cape Horn, he then stood to the westward in order to
double it; but in the night of the last day of February, OS. while, with
this view, they were turned to windward the Guipuscoa, the Hermiona,
and the Esperanza were separated from the Admiral. On the 6th of
March following the Guipuscoa was separated from the other two, and
on the 7th (being the day after we had passed straits le Maire) there
came on a most furious storm at north-west, which, in despite of all
their efforts, drove the whole squadron to the eastward, and obliged
them, after several fruitless attempts, to bear away for the River of
Plate, where Pizarro in the Asia arrived about the middle of May and a
few days after him the Esperanza and the St. Estevan. The Hermiona
was supposed to founder at sea for she was never heard of more and the
Guipuscoa was run ashore and sunk on the coast of Brazil. The
calamities of all kinds which this squadron underwentin this
unsuccessful navigation can only be paralleled by what we ourselves
experienced in the same climate when buffeted by the same storms.
There was indeed some diversity in our distresses which rendered it
difficult to decide whose situation was most worthy of commiseration;
for to all the misfortunes we had in common with each other as
shattered rigging, leaky ships, and the fatigues and despondency which
necessarily attend these disasters, there was superadded on board our
squadron the ravage of a most destructive and incurable disease* and
on board the Spanish squadron the devastation of famine.
(*Note. Scurvy.)
FAMINE.

For this squadron departed from Spain as has been already observed
with no more than four months' provision and even that, as it is said, at
short allowance only, so that, when by the storms they met with off
Cape Horn their continuance at sea was prolonged a month or more
beyond their expectation they were thereby reduced to such infinite
distress that rats, when they could be caught, were sold for four dollars
a piece and a sailor who died on board had his death concealed for
some days by his brother who during that time lay in the same
hammock with the corpse only to receive the dead man's allowance of
provisions.
By the complicated distress of fatigue, sickness, and hunger, the three
ships which escaped lost the greatest part of their men. The Asia, their
Admiral's ship, arrived at Monte Video in the River of Plate with half
her crew only; the St. Estevan had lost in like manner half her hands
when she anchored in the Bay of Barragan. The Esperanza, a 50-gun
ship, was still more unfortunate, for of 450 hands which she brought
from Spain only 55 remained alive.
By removing the masts of the Esperanza into the Asia, and making use
of what spare masts and yards they had on board, they made a shift to
refit the Asia and the St. Estevan, and in the October following Pizarro
was preparing to put to sea with these two ships in order to attempt the
passage round Cape Horn a second time, but the St. Estevan, in coming
down the River of Plate, ran on a shoal and beat off her rudder, on
which, and other damages she received, she was condemned and broke
up, and Pizarro in the Asia proceeded to sea without her. Having now
the summer before him and the winds favourable, no doubt was made
of his having a fortunate and speedy passage; but being off Cape Horn
and going right before the wind in very moderate weather, though in a
swelling sea by some misconduct of the officer of the watch the ship
rolled away her masts and was a second time obliged to put back to the
River of Plate in great distress.
The Asia having considerably suffered in this second unfortunate
expedition the Esperanza which had been left behind