oast, well mounted and armed, and
seemingly well disciplined. To try their courage, I ordered the Mercury
and launch to draw near the shore, as if we had really intended to land,
though the landing-place here is altogether impracticable for European
boats; and I also cannonaded the town briskly. Our balls made no
execution, yet ploughed up the sand in front of the Spanish horse,
throwing it all over them: But neither this, nor the approach of my
small craft, made any impression, for they stood firm, and at least
shewed the countenance of as good troops as could be wished. This much
disappointed me, as it shewed my men that the Spaniards were far from
being cowards, as they had been represented. As soon as it was dark,
Gonzales came off to me, and I agreed to let him have back his ship and
six negroes on receiving 1500 dollars, reserving right to take any thing
out of her that might be useful to us; and at ten next night he brought
me the agreed sum, being the weight of 1300 dollars in ingots of virgin
silver, called _pinnas_ by the Spaniards, and the rest in coined
dollars. He also made great enquiry for English commodities, for which
he offered high prices, complaining that the French only supplied them
with paltry goods and mere trifles, for which they carried off vast
sums. He added, that he supposed the English merchants were all asleep,
or too rich, as they did not come near them: And, although their ports
were not so open as in other parts of the world, they yet know how to
manage matters tolerably well; and that their governors, being generally
Europeans, who seldom remained above three years in the country, used
any means to improve their time, and could easily be gained so as to act
very obligingly. He said much more as to the blindness of the English,
in suffering the French pedlars to carry on, uninterruptedly, the most
considerable branch of traffic in the world. Before leaving me, he
desired me to carry his ship two or three leagues out to sea, and then
to turn her adrift, on purpose to deceive the governor and the king's
officers; and, if I would meet him at _Hilo_ (_Ilo_,) about twenty-five
leagues to the north-westwards, he would purchase from me any coarse
goods I had to dispose of, which might be done there with all imaginable
secrecy. At this time also, the master of the small bark came off in a
_balsa_. This is an odd sort of an embarkation, consisting of two large
seal skins, separately blown up, like