232 P E R U- 



It was with much pleasure we greeted the arrival of the Falmouth, 

 Captain M'Keever, whose kindness in supplying our wants, and 

 forwarding our operations, w T e again experienced. The essential and 

 timely aid he gave me, in exchanging the launch and first cutter of 

 his ship, for materials to build one, which I had brought from Valpa- 

 raiso for that purpose, prevented our detention here. 



The Falmouth brought from Valparaiso three deserters from the 

 squadron, who had been apprehended by Lieutenant Craven, and 

 from whom I received a report, stating that two of them, Blake and 

 Lester, had been guilty not only of desertion, but that their desertions 

 had been attended with very aggravated circumstances. Just about 

 this time the stores were delivering from the Relief. Among them 

 was a quantity of whiskey for the other vessels. The marines who 

 were placed on duty over the spirit-room as guard, with six persons 

 employed in moving it, got drunk by stealing the liquor, and her whole 

 crew became riotous. The delinquents were ordered on board my 

 ship in confinement. These were court-martial offences, but the duties 

 of the squadron would not permit me to order a court for their trial, 

 without great loss of time and detriment to the service. To let such 

 offences pass with the ordinary punishment of twelve lashes, would 

 have been in the eyes of the crew, to have overlooked their crime 

 altogether. I was, therefore, compelled, in order to preserve order 

 and good discipline, to inflict what I deemed a proper punishment, and 

 ordered them each to receive twenty-four lashes, excepting Blake and 

 Lester, who received thirty-six and forty-one. This was awarding to 

 each about one-tenth of what a court-martial would have inflicted; 

 yet it was such an example as thoroughly convinced the men that they 

 could not offend with impunity. This was, I am well satisfied, consi- 

 dered at the time as little or no punishment for the crimes of which 

 they had been guilty ; but I felt satisfied that the prompt and decided 

 manner in which it was administered, would have the desired effect of 

 preserving the proper discipline, and preventing its recurrence. In 

 this I was not disappointed. I should not have made this statement, 

 had it not been that this was the sole charge, out of eleven, spread out 

 into thirty-six specifications, on which a court of thirteen members, 

 after an investigation of three weeks, could find I had transgressed the 

 laws of the navy in the smallest degree. In justification of my course 

 on this occasion, I could not but believe that the following clause o\ 

 my instructions from the Hon. J. K. Paulding, Secretary of the Navy, 

 ought to have sufficed : " In the prosecution of these long and devious 

 voyages, you will necessarily be placed in situations which cannot be 

 anticipated, and in which sometimes your own judgment and discre- 



