The whole
crew, by this management, were rendered extremely skilful, quick in
loading, all of them good marksmen, and some of them most extraordinary
ones, so that I doubt not but, in the use of small arms, they were more
than a match for double their number who had not been habituated to the
same kind of exercise.
AN ILL-TIMED DISAGREEMENT.
It was the last of May, New Style, as has been already said, when the
Centurion arrived off Cape Espiritu Santo, and consequently the next day
began the month in which the galleons were to be expected. The Commodore
therefore made all necessary preparations for receiving them. All this
time, too, he was very solicitous to keep at such a distance from the
cape as not to be discovered; but it has been since learned that
notwithstanding his care, he was seen from the land, and advice of him
was sent to Manila, where it was at first disbelieved; but on reiterated
intelligence (for it seems he was seen more than once) the merchants were
alarmed, and the Governor was applied to, who undertook (the commerce
supplying the necessary sums) to fit out a force consisting of two ships
of 32 guns, one of 20 guns, and two sloops of 10 guns each, to attack the
Centurion on her station. And some of these vessels did actually weigh
with this view, but the principal ship not being ready, and the monsoon
being against them, the commerce and the Government disagreed, and the
enterprise was laid aside. This frequent discovery of the Centurion from
the shore was somewhat extraordinary, for the pitch of the cape is not
high, and she usually kept from ten to fifteen leagues distant, though
once, indeed, by an indraught of the tide, as was supposed, they found
themselves in the morning within seven leagues of the land.
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