the flour, for the use of the squadron, was on board the Anna pink. It
should also have been mentioned, that the Tryal sloop informed us, on
her arrival, that she had fallen in with our victualler, on the 9th
of May, not far from the coast of Chili, and had kept company with her
for four days, when they were parted in a gale of wind. This gave us
some room to hope that she was safe, and might rejoin us: But, all
June and July having passed without any news of her, we gave her over
for lost; and the commodore, at the end of July, ordered all the ships
on a short allowance of bread. Neither was it in bread alone that we
feared a deficiency: For, since our arrival at Juan Fernandez, it was
discovered that our former purser had neglected to take on board large
quantities of several kinds of provisions, which the commodore had
expressly ordered him to receive; so that the supposed loss of our
victualler was, on all accounts, a most mortifying circumstance.

About noon on Thursday the 16th of August, after we had given over all
hopes of the Anna pink, a sail was espied in the northern quarter, on
which a gun was immediately fired from the Centurion, to call off the
people from the shore, who readily obeyed the summons, by repairing
to the beach, where the boats waited to fetch them on board. Being
now prepared for the reception of the ship in view, whether friend or
enemy, we had various speculations respecting her, many supposing at
first, that it was the Tryal sloop returning from the examination of
Masefuero. As she drew nearer, this opinion was confuted, by observing
that she had three masts, when other conjectures were eagerly
canvassed; some judging the vessel in sight to be the Severn and
others the Pearl, while several affirmed that she did not belong to
our squadron. But, about three in the afternoon, all speculations were
ended by the unanimous persuasion that it was our victualler, the
Anna pink. And, though, this ship had fallen in with the island to the
northward like the Gloucester, she yet had the good fortune to come
to anchor in the bay at five in the afternoon. Her arrival gave us
all the utmost satisfaction, as the ship's companies were immediately
restored to their full allowance of bread, and we were now relieved
from the apprehensions of our provisions falling short before we could
reach some friendly port,--a calamity, in these seas, of all others
the most irretrievable. This was the last ship that joine