A Long Period of Depression 119 



Nereyda, Spain (Peru was yet a Spanish pos- 

 session) was not at war with the United States, 

 but she was an ally of Great Britain in the war 

 with Napoleon, and the captain of the corsair 

 thought that, as Britain's ally, he might lawfully 

 prey on the valuable whale ships from New Eng- 

 land. He found the Barclay almost full of oil, 

 and taking out her crew he put some of his own 

 men on her and sent her toward port. On the 

 way, however, the Barclay fell in with a British 

 whaling letter of marque, the captain of which 

 soon learned the conditions prevailing upon the 

 captured ship. The fact that the Barclay was then 

 under the Peruvian flag was a matter of no im- 

 portance to the British captain, for he promptly 

 set the Peruvians ashore and took possession of 

 the Randall. 



Unhappily for him, however, the Essex came 

 along and took both him and the Barclay. The 

 Essex had taken the Nereyda, meantime, and 

 released Captain Randall. Commodore Porter 

 now offered to give the Barclay to Randall, but 

 the crew of the Barclay had shipped on the Essex 

 and declined to return to the whaler. The whaler 



