A Voyage round the World in the Years MDCCXL I II III IV

Compiled by the naval chaplain Richard Walter (1717–85), though the extent of his editorial contribution is not certain, this 1748 publication documents the extraordinary circumnavigation accomplished by the British naval officer George Anson (1697–1762) between 1740 and 1744. During the Anglo-Spanish conflict which Thomas Carlyle later described as the War of Jenkins' Ear, Anson was chosen to command a squadron to raid and plunder the Pacific coast of South America. After a delayed departure, the expedition struggled with terrible weather, rough seas and outbreaks of scurvy as it rounded Cape Horn. Hundreds of men were lost and eventually only the warship Centurion remained, badly battered and undermanned. Despite the disaster, the expedition became famous for its capture in 1743 of a Spanish treasure galleon laden with silver. Anson won much acclaim for this feat, and he entered into politics. This account, meanwhile, became a bestseller.