48 



Porter''s Voyage 



determined to equip and arm her completely, and mounted 

 on her the ten guns of the Policy, making her whole number now 

 sixteen, to which were added two swivels, and a number of 

 heavy blunderbusses mounted on swivels, as well as all the 

 muskets, pistols, cutlasses, and other military equipments we 

 could find on board the other vessels. By these means rendering 

 lier as formidable, in point of armament, as any of the British 

 letters of marque I could hear of in this ocean. The com- 

 mand of this vessel, now completely equipped for war, I gave 

 to Lieutenant Downcs, with a crew consisting of thirty-six of our 

 own men, and five of the men who had entered from prizes, 

 making her number altogether forty-one men. We now con- 

 sidered the sloop of war Georgiana, as she was styled, no trifling 

 augmentation of our own force. But, taken in another point of 

 view, she was of the utmost importance to our safety ; for, in the 

 event of any accident liappening to the Essex, a circumstance to 

 which she was every moment liable, while cruising in a sea with 

 which we were little acquainted, we could calculate on relief 

 from the Georgiana. On the 8th she hoisted the American 

 ensign and pendant, and saluted the Essex with seventeen guns, 

 which was returned by our crew with three cheers. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Gallipagos Islands ; Fishery. 



On the 9th of May, we were, by lunar observation, in the 

 longitude of 89*^ 12' west ; and on the meridian of the same day 

 in latitude 1^ 18' 27" north. I found we were daily losing 

 ground by the violence of the northwest currents, and believed 

 that we should make more head-way by taking the dullest sailer, 

 the Montezuma, in tow. But after getting a hawser fast to her, 

 we found that the best sailers, with all the canvas they could 

 spread, could not keep way with us, and we were frequently 

 obliged to shorten sail for them to come up. 



At four o'clock on the evening of the 12th, we very unex- 

 pectedly discovered land ahead, and on the weather bow. The wind 

 continuhig light and baffling during the night, we kept plying to 

 the southward, and in our endeavours were greatly assisted by a 

 strong current. In the morning we were about four leagues 

 distant from an island of considerable height in the middle, gra- 

 dually sloping off every way to long low points, and bounded on 

 every part (within sight) by fine long sandy beaches. The 

 island appeared covered with verdure, and had a very agreeable 

 and inviting appearance. I at first supposed it to be James^ 



