On the 14th Cornelius Jacobson sailed with a division of the fleet, to
cruize off La Nasca, Pisco, and other towns to the south of Lima. A rich
prize was taken on the 23d, coming from Guayaquil; and that same day,
the rear-admiral was detached with two ships and two companies of
soldiers to attempt taking Guayaquil, but they found it too strongly
defended. On the 27th an attempt was made to destroy the Spanish
admiral's ship in the port of Calao, by means of a fire-ship containing
2000 pounds of gun-powder, besides fire-works and shells, confined by a
brick arch six feet thick; but after navigating her very near the
galleon, a bank was found on the outside of her which they could not
pass, and they were therefore obliged to retire.

Admiral Jaques Le Hermite, who had been in a declining state of health
from the time they left Sierra Leona, died on the 2d June, and was
buried next day in the island of Lima. The Spanish viceroy having
refused to ransom the prisoners made by the Dutch, and the ships being
straitened for provisions especially water, twenty-one Spaniards were
hung up at the mizen yard-arm of the Dutch admiral's ship on the 15th
June. That same evening, Cornelius Jacobson returned with his
detachment, having made an ineffectual attempt on Pisco, which he found
strongly fortified, and defended by 2000 men, besides a body of 200
horse which scoured the country. In this attempt he had five men killed
and sixteen wounded, and thirteen deserted to the enemy. At this time
the scurvy prevailed to a great height in the fleet, so that some of the
ships had not sufficient men in a sound state to man their boats; but
one day a Swiss, who was very ill of the scurvy, scrambled up to the top
of the highest hill in the island of Lima,[140] where he found plenty of
a kind of herb with which he had been well acquainted in his own
country, and by eating which he soon recovered his health. This becoming