Sailing from the island of St Mary on the 1st June, 1615, they passed not far from the town of Aurora,[93] where the Spaniards kept a garrison of 500 men, which were continually disquieted by the unconquered natives of Chili.  On the 3d they came to the island of Quinquirina, within which is the town of Conception, inhabited by many Indians and about 200 Spaniards.  The 12th they entered the safe and commodious road of Valparaiso, in which was a Spanish ship, but which was set on fire by its own mariners, who escaped on shore.  The 13th at noon, they were in lat. 32 deg. 15’ S.[94] and in the afternoon came into the fair and secure harbour of Quintero.  Here they took in wood and water, and caught abundance of fish.  But they found the inhabitants every where aware of them, and prepared to receive them, so that nothing of any importance could be effected.  They came next to Arica in lat. 12 deg. 40’ S.[95] to which place the silver is brought from the mines of Potosi, whence it is shipped for Panama.  Finding no ships there, they proceeded along the coast, and took a small ship on the 16th, in which was some treasure, but it was mostly embezzled by the sailors.

[Footnote 93:  Arauco, a fortress on the northern frontier of the independent country of Araucania, but somewhat inland, not far to the N.E. of the island of St Mary.—­E.]

[Footnote 94:  Quintero is in lat. 32 deg. 44’ S.]

[Footnote 95:  This is a great error, as Arica is in lat 18 deg. 28’ S.]

They soon after had sight of eight ships, which the master of the prize said were the royal fleet sent out in search of the Hollanders, contrary to the opinion of the council of Peru; but Dou Rodrigo de Mendoza, the Spanish admiral, a kinsman to the viceroy, insisted on putting to sea, alleging that two even of his ships could take all England, and much more those hens of Holland, who must be spent and wasted by so long a voyage, and would assuredly yield at first sight.  On this, the viceroy gave him leave to depart, with orders to bring all the Hollanders in chains.  Mendoza then swore that he would never return till the Hollanders were all taken or slain, and set sail from Calao, the haven of Lima, on the 11th July.  The flag ship was the Jesu Maria, of twenty-four brass guns and 460 men, which was said to have cost the king 158,000 ducats.  The vice-admiral was the Santa Anna, of 300 men, commanded by Captain Alvarez de Piger, who had before taken an English ship in the South Sea, and this ship cost 150,000 ducats, being the handsomest that had ever been seen in Peru.  The other ships were the Carmelite and St Jago of eight brass cannon and 200 men each; the Rosary of four guns and 150 men; the St Francis having seventy musketeers, and twenty sailors, but no ordnance; the St Andrew of eighty musketeers, twenty-five sailors, and no cannon; and an eighth, the name and strength of which is not mentioned.