scoa was stranded and
destroyed on the coast of Brazil, the St Estevan was condemned and
broken up in the Rio Plata, and the Esperanza, being left in the South
Sea, is doubtless by this time incapable of returning to Spain:
So that the Asia alone, with less than an hundred hands, may be
considered as all that remains of the squadron with which Pizarro put
forth to sea; and whoever considers the very large proportion which
this squadron bore to the whole navy of Spain, will no doubt confess
that, even if our undertaking had been attended with no other
advantages, than that of ruining so great a part of the naval force of
so dangerous an enemy, this alone would be a sufficient equivalent
for our equipment, and an incontestable proof of the service which the
nation has thence received. Having thus given a summary of Pizarro's
adventures, I return to the narrative of our own transactions.

SECTION IV.

_Passage from Madeira to St Catharines._

I have already mentioned that we weighed from Madeira on the 3d
November, after orders being given to rendezvous at St Jago, one of
the Cape Verd islands, in case of a separation. But next day, when we
were got to sea, the commodore, considering that the season was far
advanced, and that touching at St Jago would create additional delay,
thought proper for this reason to alter the rendezvous, and appointed
the island of St Catharines, on the coast of Brazil, to be the first
place to which the ships of the squadron were to repair, in case of
separation.

In our passage to the island of St Catharines, we found the direction
of the trade winds to differ considerably from what we had reason to
expect, both from the general histories given of these winds, and the
experience of former navigators. For the learned Dr Halley, in his
account of the trade-winds which prevail in the Ethiopic and Atlantic
Oceans, tells us that, from the lat. of 28 deg. N. to 10 deg. N. there is
generally a fresh gale of N.E. wind, which, towards the African
coasts, rarely comes to the eastward of E.N.E. or passes to the
northward of N.N.E. but on the American side the wind is somewhat
more easterly; though even there it is commonly a point or two to the
northward of east; that from 10 deg. N. to 4 deg. N. the calms and tornadoes
take place; and from 4 deg. N. to 30 deg. S. the winds are generally and
perpetually between the south and east. We expected to find this
account of the matter confirmed by our ex