It May
Be Objected, That He Ought To Have Returned From Holland To England, To
Give His Owners The Best Account In His Power Respecting The Events Of
The Voyage.
But, as he sent home their moiety of the profits in the
Portugueze ship, which, had it not been
Destroyed by the way, had nearly
covered the expence of fitting out the Success, taking in the money she
sold for; and if we consider the reduced state of his health when he
went to Galway, where he did not live above a week, he may well be
excused for this step.
CHAPTER XII.
VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD BY CAPTAIN GEORGE SHELVOCKE, IN 1719-1722.[248]
INTRODUCTION.
In the introduction to the former voyage, a sufficient account has been
given of the motives on which the expedition was founded, and the
original plan of acting under an imperial commission; together with
motives for changing this plan, and the reason of advancing Captain
Clipperton to the chief command. In the new scheme of the voyage,
Captain Shelvocke retained the command of the Speedwell, carrying
twenty-four guns and 106 men, Mr Simon Hately being his second captain,
an officer who has a good character given of him in the account of the
former voyage by Captain Rogers. The marines were under the command of
Captain William Betagh. Captain Shelvocke has himself written an account
of the expedition, and another was published by Captain Betagh, so that
the following narrative is composed from both. Shelvocke's narrative is,
strictly speaking, an apology for his own conduct, yet contains
abundance of curious particulars, written in an entertaining style, and
with an agreeable spirit; while the other is written with much acrimony,
and contains heavy charges against Captain Shelvocke, yet contains many
curious circumstances. - Harris.
[Footnote 248: Harris, I. 198. Callender, III. 502.]
This is one of the best written voyages we have hitherto met with, yet
extends rather to considerable length, considering its relative
importance. On the present occasion, therefore, it has been endeavoured
to lop off as many of its redundances as could be conveniently done
without injury, yet leaving every circumstance of any interest or
importance. The principal omission, or abbreviation rather, on the
present occasion, is the leaving out several controversial matters,
inserted by Harris from the account of this voyage by Betagh; which
might have sufficient interest among contemporaries, a few years after
the unfortunate issue of this misconducted enterprise, but are now of no
importance, near a century later. - Ed.
SECTION I.
Narrative of the Voyage from England to the South Sea.
Sailing from Plymouth on the 13th February, 1719, in company with the
Success, we kept company no longer than to the 19th, when, between nine
and ten at night, we had a violent storm at S.W. which increased so,
that by eleven we were under bare poles. At midnight a sea struck us on
our quarter, which stove in one of our dead lights on the quarter and
another on our stern, by which we shipped a vast quantity of water
before we could get them again fastened up, and we were a considerable
time under great apprehension of foundering.
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