anama or Acapulco, and travelling thence
for Portobello or Vera Cruz, where they must have had their coffers
visited, to see if the _indulto_ of his majesty were fairly accounted
for. They therefore saved every shilling of that _indulto_, as the
Ruby touched first in France, where no cognizance whatever was taken
of this affair. They also got clear of the other moiety payable in
Spain, as they landed all their money in France.

Besides these rich passengers and their money, the Ruby had also on
board a considerable sum arising to his catholic majesty from the
confiscation of the thirteen captured interlopers, all of which, as I
was informed, amounted to four millions of dollars in that ship. What
a fine booty we missed therefore by the obstinacy of Shelvocke! For,
when this ship, the Ruby, found us at the island of St Catharine, her
company was so sickly that she had not above sixty sound men out of
four hundred; so that La Jonquiere was actually afraid of us, and
would not send his boat to the watering-place, where we kept guard,
and our coopers and sail-makers were at work, till he had first
obtained leave of our captain; neither is this strange, for he knew we
had a consort, and was in Spain all the time he staid there, lest the
Success should have joined us.

After Commodore Martinet had cleared the coast of Chili and Peru
of his countrymen, he sent his brother-in-law, Monsieur de Grange,
express with the news to Madrid, who went by way of Panama,
Portobello, Jamaica, and London. On delivering his message, the king
of Spain asked what he could do for him, when he humbly requested his
majesty would give him the command of a ship, and send him again round
Cape Horn into the South Sea. He accordingly got the Zelerin, of fifty
guns. He came first to _Calais_,[2] where the ship was getting ready,
and was surprised to meet with a cold reception from the French
merchants and other gentlemen of his acquaintance residing there; for,
as there were merchants of various nations interested in the ships
taken and confiscated in the South Sea, they universally considered
him and all the French in that squadron as false brethren, for serving
the crown of Spain to the prejudice of their own countrymen. Thus,
while he expected to have had a valuable cargo consigned to his care,
no man would ship the value of a dollar with him. Captain Fitzgerald,
who was then at _Cales_, made him a considerable offer for the
privilege of going out