anson took his prize back to macao, sold her cargo to the chinese, kept the specie, and sailed for england via the cape of good hope. passing by means of a thick fog a french fleet then patrolling the channel, he reached england on 15 june 1744. the prize money earned from the capture of the galleon made anson a rich man for life and bought him considerable political influence. he initially refused promotion to rear-admiral of the blue however, out of anger that the admiralty refused to sanction a captain's commission he had given one of his officers.