o, she generally meets with a plant floating
on the sea, which, being called Porra by the Spaniards, is, I
presume, a species of sea-leek. On the sight of this plant they esteem
themselves sufficiently near the Californian shore, and immediately
stand to the southward; they rely so much on this circumstance, that
on the first discovery of the plant the whole ship's company chaunt
a solemn _Te Deum_, esteeming the difficulties and hazards of their
passage to be now at an end; and they constantly correct their
longitude thereby, without ever coming within sight of land, till they
draw near its southern extremity.

The most usual time of the arrival of the galleon at Acapulco is
towards the middle of January: But this navigation is so uncertain,
that she sometimes gets in a month sooner, and at other times has been
detained at sea above a month longer. The port of Acapulco is by
much the securest and finest in all the northern parts of the Pacific
Ocean; being, as it were, a bason surrounded by very high mountains:
But the town is a most wretched place, and extremely unhealthy, for
the air about it is so pent up by the hills, that it has scarcely any
circulation. The place is besides destitute of fresh water; except
what is brought from a considerable distance; and is in all respects
so inconvenient, that except at the time of the mart, whilst the
Manilla galleon is in the port, it is almost deserted.

When the galleon arrives in this port, she is generally moored on its
western side, and her cargo is delivered with all possible expedition.
And now the town of Acapulco, from almost a solitude, is immediately
thronged with merchants from all parts of the kingdom of Mexico. The
cargo being landed and disposed of, the silver and the goods intended
for Manilla are taken on board, together with provisions and water,
and the ship prepares to put to sea with the utmost expedition.
There is indeed no time to be lost; for it is an express order to the
captain to be out of the port of Acapulco on his return, before the
first day of April, N.S.

The principal return is made in silver, and consequently the rest of
the cargo is but of little account; the other articles, besides the
silver, being some cochineal and a few sweetmeats, the produce of the
American settlements, together with European millinery ware for the
women at Manilla, and some Spanish wines, such as tent and sherry,
which are intended for the use of their priests in