cargo was of little value to us, in
our present circumstances, it was the most considerable capture we
had made, in respect to the Spaniards, as it amounted to upwards of
400,000 dollars, prime cost at Panama. This ship was bound from Panama
to Callao, and had stopped at Payta on her way, to take on board a
recruit of water and provisions, and had not left that place above
twenty-four hours when she fell into our hands.

[Footnote 3: The Southern Lobos, or Lobos de la Mar, is in fact two
contiguous islands, N. and S. from each other, in lat. 6 deg. 57' S. and
long. 80 deg. 43' W. _Lobos de Tierra_, called also _Inner Lobos_, from
being nearer the land, lying in the same longitude, is in lat. 6 deg. 28'
S. There is still a third, or Northern Lobos, in lat. 5 deg. 10' S. long.
81 deg. W.]

The important intelligence received by Mr Brett, which he was so
anxious to communicate to the commodore, he had learnt from one John
Williams, an Irishman, whom he found in the prize, and which was
confirmed by examination of the other prisoners. Williams was a
papist, who had worked his passage from Cadiz, and had travelled over
the whole of the kingdom of Mexico as a pedlar. He pretended that,
by this business, he had at one time cleared four or five thousand
dollars, but at length got entangled by the priests, who knew he had
money, and was stripped of every thing. At present he was all in rags,
having just got out of Payto gaol, where he had been confined for some
misdemeanour. He expressed great joy in thus meeting his countrymen,
and immediately informed them, that a vessel had come into Payta, only
a few days before, the master of which had informed the governor, that
he had been chased in the offing by a very large ship, which he was
persuaded, from her size and the colour of her sails, must be one of
the English squadron. This we conjectured to have been the Gloucester,
as we found afterwards was the case. On examining the master, and
being fully satisfied of his account, the governor sent off an express
with all expedition to the viceroy at Lima; and the royal officer
residing at Payta, apprehensive of a visit from the English, had been
busily employed, from his first hearing of this news, in removing the
king's treasure and his own to Piura, a town in the interior, about
fourteen leagues distant.[4] We learnt farther, from our prisoners,
that there was at this time a considerable sum of money in the
custom-house of Payta,