I Sent Mr Hendric, The Owners Agent, To Inspect Her Cargo, And To
Order Every Thing Of Value Out Of Her Into The Speedwell, And The Ship's
Company Sent Their Agent Likewise.
They returned in the afternoon,
bringing all the bales, boxes, chests, portmanteaus, and other packages,
with a large quantity of sugar, molasses, and chocolate, and about
seventy hundred weight of good rusk, with all her other stores and
eatables.
Don Francisco Larragan, the captain of this ship, begged to be
allowed to ransom her, which I willingly consented to, and allowed him
to go in his own launch to Conception to raise the money, accompanied by
a merchant, one of the prisoners.
[Footnote 262: A small island in the entrance of the Bay of
Conception. - E.]
[Footnote 263: Callao, or the port of Lima, is perhaps here meant. - E.]
In the mean time we were very busy in searching the prize, lest any
thing might have been concealed; and every one who came at any time from
the St Fermin was strictly searched by some of our people appointed for
the purpose, that they might not appropriate any thing of value. Our
carpenter also was employed in making a slight spar-deck over the
Mercury, as she might be of great use while cruizing along the coast. On
the 30th December a boat came off to us with a flag of truce from the
governor of Conception, and an officer, who acquainted us that two of
our people, taken in the late skirmish, were still alive, but very much
wounded. He brought also a present of seven jars of very good wine, and
a letter from Don Gabriel Cano, the governor, in which he demanded to
see my commission, as also that I should send ashore Joseph de la
Fontaine, who had been servant to one of the mates belonging to Captain
La Jonquiere, and some other things that I thought unreasonable,
engaging to enter into a treaty, if I would comply with these
requisitions. At length a formal treaty was begun, in which I demanded
16,000 dollars for the ransom of the St Fermin alone, while they offered
only 12,000 for both the ships and the bark. Finding all his Spanish
puncto tended only to entrap us, I set fire to the Solidad, one of our
prizes; and, giving them time to comply with my proposals it they would,
I set the St Fermin also on fire.
We sailed from the bay of Conception on the 7th January, 1720, intending
for Juan Fernandez; and on the 8th we observed the sea to be entirely of
a red colour, occasioned, as the Spaniards say, by the spawn of the
camarones, or pracous. On the 9th, the plunder taken in the St Fermin
was sold by the ship's agent at the mart, and brought extravagant
prices. The account being taken, and the shares calculated, the people
insisted for an immediate distribution, which was made accordingly, and
each foremast-man had after the rate of ten dollars a share, in money
and goods.
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