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.
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