At sun-rise next morning, 1st March, we began to engage the French ship, which was of about 400 tons burden, and thirty guns, well manned.  We fought her very close, broadside to broadside, for seven hours; and then a small gale springing up, she sheered off.  In this action our consort only fired ten or twelve guns at the commencement, when she dropt astern, and never again came up during the whole fight, in which we had nine men slain and several wounded.  We were desirous to have had another trial with the Frenchman, knowing it would be of bad consequences to let him go, as he would discover our being in these seas to the Spaniards; but our captain opposed this, saying, he knew where he could get to the value of 500,000_l_. at any time.  So we concluded to return to Juan Fernandez, to get our anchors, long boats, and several tons of water already casked, together with a ton of sea-lion oil, which we had left there.  Captain Stradling also had left five of his men, who were gone to the west part of the island, and knew nothing of our going away after the enemy.  He had also left all his sails, besides those at the yards, and a great many other stores.

We had then the wind at S. directly off Juan Fernandez, so that it was difficult to go there; and while beating up we saw two sail, to which the Cinque-ports was very near, and they fired several shots at her, but she rowed away to us, and reported them to be two French ships of about 36 guns each; on which the two captains thought it convenient to bear away for the coast of Peru, leaving Captain Stradling’s five men, with his other stores, which he could ill spare, and now we had neither of us any boats.  We accordingly stood for the coast of Peru on the 6th March, and fell in with it on the 11th, in lat. 24 deg. 53’ S.[208] The land here was very high, having three distinct ranges of hills behind each other, that nearest the water the lowest, and the farthest off the highest.  We coasted along shore to the northward, and passed the port of Capaipo on the 14th, said to be a very good harbour, fenced from almost all winds.  The land is here inhabited by Indians, who make good wines; and it is said to abound in good meat, corn, and other provisions, and from this port they export wine, money, and other goods for Coquimbo.  We would willingly have gone ashore for refreshments, but could not for want of boats.

[Footnote 208:  There must be a material error here, as they afterwards, in sailing along the coast to the northwards, passed Copaipo, which is in lat. 27 deg. 13’ S. and they consequently must have fallen in with the coast of Chili, improperly named Peru in the text, considerably farther south.—­E.]