. The rest of their forces consists of militia, who are numerous.

All European goods are very dear. English cloth of fourteen or fifteen
shillings a yard, sells there for ten or eleven dollars, and every other
article in proportion. We found many Spaniards here that had been taken by
Commodore Anson, and had been for some time prisoners on board the
Centurion.. They all spoke in the highest terms of the kind treatment they
had received; and it is natural to imagine, that it was chiefly owing to
that laudable example of humanity our reception here was so good. They had
never had any thing but privateers and buccaneers amongst them before, who
handled their prisoners very roughly, so that the Spaniards in general,
both of Peru and Chili, had the greatest dread of being taken by the
English; but some of them told us, that they were so happy on board the
Centurion, that they should not have been sorry if the commodore had taken
them with him to England.

After we had been here some time, Mr Campbell changed his religion, and of
course left us. At the end of two years, the president sent for us, and
informed us a French ship from Lima, bound to Spain, had put into
Valparaiso, and that we should embark in her. After taking leave of our
good friend Mr Gedd, and all our acquaintance at St Jago, we set out for
Valparaiso, mules and a guide being provided for us. I had forgot to say
before, that Captain Cheap had been allowed by the president six reals a
day, and we had four for our maintenance the whole time we were at St Jago,
which money we took up as we wanted it. Our journey back was much
pleasanter than we found it when we were first brought hither, as we had
now no mules to drive. The first person I met, upon our entrance into
Valparaiso, was the poor soldier whom I mentioned to have been so kind to
us when we were imprisoned in the fort. I now made him a little present,
which, as it came quite unexpected, made him very happy. We took lodgings
till the ship was ready to sail, and diverted ourselves as we pleased,
having the good fortune, at this time, to have nothing to do with the
governor or his fort. The town is but a poor little place; there are,
indeed, a good many storehouses built by the water-side for the reception
of goods from the shipping.

About the 20th of December, 1744, we embarked on board the Lys frigate,
belonging to St Malo. She was a ship of four hundred and twenty tons,
sixteen guns, and sixty men. S