Anson's Voyage Around the World: In the Years, 1740-1744
Anson's Voyage Around the World: In the Years, 1740-1744
Overview
Ye Gods! What were the British thinking?! When Commodore George Anson was sent out in the 1740's to proceed to Manila while harassing the last of the great Spanish Armada in South America, he commanded a fleet of eight small ships. Many of the crew had been pressed into service from Chelsea Hospital: small wonder that half of them had died by the time they reached their destination, having succumbed to scurvy and other diseases. Some of the fleet turned back, the Wager was wrecked off the coast of Chile, and Anson's ship, the sixty-gun Centurion, went on to fulfill its mission alone.The British were thinking of plunder of course, the rich cargo of the Spanish galleons that sailed to Acapulco from Manila, laden with Chinese silks, teas, and Asian spices. And they were thinking of the galleons that sailed to China filled with gold and silver from Peru. Britain, at war with Spain, was using every opportunity to pillage Spanish towns along the coasts of the Americas, as well as to take the treasure ships. Anson was to get as much booty as possible, and he succeeded brilliantly.Chaplain Richard Walter, who narrates this tale, accompanied Anson until China, and reconstructed the remainder of his account from other eyewitnesses. Here is his description of the battle of Paita, a small but crucial port in northern Peru sacked by Anson:"But about ten o'clock at night, the ships being then within five leagues of the place, Lieutenant Brett, with the boats under his command, put off, and arrived at the mouth of the bay without being discovered; but no sooner had he entered it, than some of the people, on board a vessel riding at anchor there, perceived him, who instantly put off in their boat, rowing towards the fort, shouting and crying, the English, the English dogs, etc. by which the whole town was suddenly alarmed, and our people soon observed several lights hurrying backwards and forwards in the fort, and other marks of the inhabitants being in great motion...However, before our boats could reach the shore, the people in the fort had got ready some of their cannon, and pointed them towards the landing-place; and though in the darkness of the night it might be well supposed that chance had a greater share than skill in their direction, yet the first shot passed extremely near one of the boats..."...it may not perhaps be improper to give a succinct relation of the booty we made here...our acquisition, though inconsiderable in comparison of what we destroyed, was yet in itself far from despicable; for the wrought plate dollars and other coin which fell into our hands amounted to upwards of £30,000 sterling, besides several rings, bracelets, and jewels, whose intrinsick value we could not then determine; and over and above all this, the plunder, which became the property of the immediate captors, was very great; so that upon the whole it was by much the most important booty we made upon that coast."The most important ship to be taken however was the galleon returning to Manila with Spanish gold and silver. Walter describes preparations aboard the Centurion:"About noon the Commodore was little more than a league distant from the galeon, and could fetch her wake, so that she could not now escape...Soon after the galeon hauled up her fore-sail, and brought to under top-sails, with her head to the northward, hoisting Spanish colours...Mr. Anson in the mean time, had prepared all things for an engagement on board the Centurion, and had taken all possible care, both for the most effectual exertion of his small strength, and for the avoiding the confusion and tumult, too frequent in actions of this kind."He picked out about thirty of his choicest hands and best marks-men, whom he distributed into his tops...As he had not hands enough remaining to quarter a sufficient number to each great gun in the customary manner he therefore on his lower tire, fixed only two men to each gun, who were to be solely employed in loading it, whilst the rest of his people were divided into different gangs of ten or twelve men each, which were constantly moving about the decks, to run out and fire such guns as were loaded. By this management he was enabled to make use of all his guns..."The captured Spanish ship had on board 1,313,843 pieces of eight, and 35,682 oz. of virgin silver...(All's fair!) Walter's account is full not only of daily life at sea, but of important descriptions of the lands visited on this circumnavigation of the globe. He is also excellent at providing political and historical information that allows the reader to understand this account in context. Anson is a concerned captain and it is easy to see why his career was so spectacular. Sensational reading!Description
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Overview
Ye Gods! What were the British thinking?! When Commodore George Anson was sent out in the 1740's to proceed to Manila while harassing the last of the great Spanish Armada in South America, he commanded a fleet of eight small ships. Many of the crew had been pressed into service from Chelsea Hospital: small wonder that half of them had died by the time they reached their destination, having succumbed to scurvy and other diseases. Some of the fleet turned back, the Wager was wrecked off the coast of Chile, and Anson's ship, the sixty-gun Centurion, went on to fulfill its mission alone.The British were thinking of plunder of course, the rich cargo of the Spanish galleons that sailed to Acapulco from Manila, laden with Chinese silks, teas, and Asian spices. And they were thinking of the galleons that sailed to China filled with gold and silver from Peru. Britain, at war with Spain, was using every opportunity to pillage Spanish towns along the coasts of the Americas, as well as to take the treasure ships. Anson was to get as much booty as possible, and he succeeded brilliantly.Chaplain Richard Walter, who narrates this tale, accompanied Anson until China, and reconstructed the remainder of his account from other eyewitnesses. Here is his description of the battle of Paita, a small but crucial port in northern Peru sacked by Anson:"But about ten o'clock at night, the ships being then within five leagues of the place, Lieutenant Brett, with the boats under his command, put off, and arrived at the mouth of the bay without being discovered; but no sooner had he entered it, than some of the people, on board a vessel riding at anchor there, perceived him, who instantly put off in their boat, rowing towards the fort, shouting and crying, the English, the English dogs, etc. by which the whole town was suddenly alarmed, and our people soon observed several lights hurrying backwards and forwards in the fort, and other marks of the inhabitants being in great motion...However, before our boats could reach the shore, the people in the fort had got ready some of their cannon, and pointed them towards the landing-place; and though in the darkness of the night it might be well supposed that chance had a greater share than skill in their direction, yet the first shot passed extremely near one of the boats..."...it may not perhaps be improper to give a succinct relation of the booty we made here...our acquisition, though inconsiderable in comparison of what we destroyed, was yet in itself far from despicable; for the wrought plate dollars and other coin which fell into our hands amounted to upwards of £30,000 sterling, besides several rings, bracelets, and jewels, whose intrinsick value we could not then determine; and over and above all this, the plunder, which became the property of the immediate captors, was very great; so that upon the whole it was by much the most important booty we made upon that coast."The most important ship to be taken however was the galleon returning to Manila with Spanish gold and silver. Walter describes preparations aboard the Centurion:"About noon the Commodore was little more than a league distant from the galeon, and could fetch her wake, so that she could not now escape...Soon after the galeon hauled up her fore-sail, and brought to under top-sails, with her head to the northward, hoisting Spanish colours...Mr. Anson in the mean time, had prepared all things for an engagement on board the Centurion, and had taken all possible care, both for the most effectual exertion of his small strength, and for the avoiding the confusion and tumult, too frequent in actions of this kind."He picked out about thirty of his choicest hands and best marks-men, whom he distributed into his tops...As he had not hands enough remaining to quarter a sufficient number to each great gun in the customary manner he therefore on his lower tire, fixed only two men to each gun, who were to be solely employed in loading it, whilst the rest of his people were divided into different gangs of ten or twelve men each, which were constantly moving about the decks, to run out and fire such guns as were loaded. By this management he was enabled to make use of all his guns..."The captured Spanish ship had on board 1,313,843 pieces of eight, and 35,682 oz. of virgin silver...(All's fair!) Walter's account is full not only of daily life at sea, but of important descriptions of the lands visited on this circumnavigation of the globe. He is also excellent at providing political and historical information that allows the reader to understand this account in context. Anson is a concerned captain and it is easy to see why his career was so spectacular. Sensational reading!Description
Condition Guidelines
Books - New and Used
The following guidelines apply to books:
- New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
- Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
- Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.
Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping Fees
- Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
- Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
- No additional fees and charges.
Delivery Times
The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.
Estimated delivery times:
- Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
- Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days
Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.
Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times.
Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.).
If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.
Returns & Refunds
You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.
Additional non-returnable items:
- Gift cards
- Downloadable software products
- Some health and personal care items
To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)
- Book with obvious signs of use
- CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
- Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
- Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery
Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.
Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.
If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:
- Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
- Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
- Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.
Shipping Cost
We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
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