| Summary |
Description: An incomplete copy of an account, possibly from around 1781, of the voyage of the frigate Nuestra Sen~ora del Rosario (alias La Princesa) from Manila, through the South Pacific, to San Blas, Mexico between Aug. 24, 1780 and October 1781, under the command of navy ensign Francisco Antonio Estaurille. The manuscript describes a portion of the voyage, from Manila to the islands of the Pacific and back to the Marianas, between Aug. 24, 1780 and May 31, 1781. After unloading money and troops in Manila, the ship is selected by the governor for a special commission to explore the eastern coast of the Mariana Islands, and Estaurille leaves Manila on Aug. 24, 1780. On Nov. 20, 1780, he receives a box of papers with orders to deliver them to a high-ranking official in Mexico, possibly to the viceroy, Marti?n de Mayorga. His new route takes him south across the equator, which he crosses on Dec. 29, 1780, past the island of New Britain (now part of Papua New Guinea), where he discovers many 'new' islands. When he learns that 25 casks of the ship's drinking water have been damaged by roaches, he tries to reach the Solomon Islands. However, without favourable winds, he is forced to take on fresh supplies in another group of islands (possibly Fiji or the Samoa Islands), which he calls the Mayorga Islands, after the viceroy of New Spain. Here, the Islanders provide him with water and gifts of fruit, especially for the crewmembers who are suffering from scurvy. On March 19, 1781, the ship sets out again, despite having lost several anchors. When Estaurille reaches some islands farther south, he discovers most of the ship's bread supply has been ravaged by cockroaches. The captain despairs, since at that point in the journey, they are 1240 leagues from the Marianas and 1760 from Peru. This portion of the manuscript ends with the decision of the captain and ship's officers to return to the Marianas for provisions. They reach Umata on the island of Guajan on May 31, where the governor, don Felipe Cerains provides new rations for the ship. |
