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“Captains Shelvocke and Clipperton led a privately financed expedition for attacking Spanish shipping. Shelvocke gave his superior officer the slip in a storm and proceeded to Brazil and thence to the west coast of South America, where in two months he sacked Payta, Peru, and captured several small prizes. His vessel was wrecked at Juan Fernández Island, but a ship was built out of the wreck[a]ge and he sailed up the coast to Baja California. After crossing the Pacific via Guam and Macao, Shelvocke returned to England and was acquitted of piracy charges. He soon left for the Continent a wealthy man. Shelvocke mentioned the gold of California and the guano of Peru, one hundred and thirty years before their modern discovery. An incident in the narrative, describing the passage around Cape Horn, is said to have inspired Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. There are two histories published of this voyage—this one and another by Betagh, an officer on the voyage. Betagh was roughly treated in Shelvocke’s account and Betagh wrote his own with exposing Shelvocke in mind. The account by Shelvocke was intended by him to be a vindication of his conduct, having been

accused of piracy and embezzlement” (Hill). Cowan, pp. 581-582. Hill 1558. Sabin 80159.