After several consultations, the vice-admiral made an attempt to land at Calao with the soldiers on the morning of the 10th May, but finding it impossible with any chance of success, was obliged to return to the fleet.  On the 12th about midnight, three of the Dutch captains, with twelve armed boats, each provided with a small cannon and a considerable quantity of fire-works, made an attack on the port, while a false attack was made at the same time in another part, to draw off the attention of the Spaniards.  The twelve boats entered the port, and distributed their fire-works plentifully among the Spanish merchant ships, by which thirty or forty of them were set on fire and consumed, some of them very large.  In this hardy enterprise, the Dutch had seven men killed, and fifteen wounded, mostly in the vice-admiral’s boat, which had attempted to board one of the pataches and was beaten off.  About the dawn of day, nine of the flaming ships drifted towards the Dutch fleet, which was therefore obliged to weigh and take shelter behind the island of Lima.  On the 13th this island was taken possession of, and a strong intrenchment thrown up for its defence, under cover of which the Dutch laid their shallops on shore to careen them.

On the 14th Cornelius Jacobson sailed with a division of the fleet, to cruize off La Nasca, Pisco, and other towns to the south of Lima.  A rich prize was taken on the 23d, coming from Guayaquil; and that same day, the rear-admiral was detached with two ships and two companies of soldiers to attempt taking Guayaquil, but they found it too strongly defended.  On the 27th an attempt was made to destroy the Spanish admiral’s ship in the port of Calao, by means of a fire-ship containing 2000 pounds of gun-powder, besides fire-works and shells, confined by a brick arch six feet thick; but after navigating her very near the galleon, a bank was found on the outside of her which they could not pass, and they were therefore obliged to retire.

Admiral Jaques Le Hermite, who had been in a declining state of health from the time they left Sierra Leona, died on the 2d June, and was buried next day in the island of Lima.  The Spanish viceroy having refused to ransom the prisoners made by the Dutch, and the ships being straitened for provisions especially water, twenty-one Spaniards were hung up at the mizen yard-arm of the Dutch admiral’s ship on the 15th June.  That same evening, Cornelius Jacobson returned with his detachment, having made an ineffectual attempt on Pisco, which he found strongly fortified, and defended by 2000 men, besides a body of 200 horse which scoured the country.  In this attempt he had five men killed and sixteen wounded, and thirteen deserted to the enemy.  At this time the scurvy prevailed to a great height in the fleet, so that some of the ships had not sufficient men in a sound state to man their boats; but one day a Swiss, who was very ill of the scurvy, scrambled up to the top of the highest hill in the island of