60 



Porter'' $ Voyage 



He informed me that he had captured near James' Island, 

 - three British ships, to wit : 



The Hector of 11 guns, 25 men, S70 tons 

 Catharine 8 270 

 Hose 8 21 220 



The Georgiana and her prizes anchored near us, and our fleet 

 now amounted to nine sail of ships. As the Atlantic was far 

 superior to the Georgiana, in size, appearance, sailing, and 

 every other qualification necessary for a cruiser, I immediately 

 gave orders for twenty guns to be mounted on her, and removed 

 Lieutenant Downes and crew to that ship, placing Mr. Adams in 

 charge of the Georgiana. To the Atlantic I gave the name of 

 the Essex Junior ; and as I had received some additions to my 

 crew by volunteers from prizes, I was enabled to increase her 

 crew to sixty men, and appointed Midshipman Dashiel sailing- 

 master of her. I also removed from the Greenwich to the other 

 prizes all cumbrous articles, and converted that vessel into a store- 

 ship, putting on board her, from the rest, all provisions, cordage, 

 and other articles of value to us, and mounted on her twenty 

 guns. 



It now became necessary to think of disposing of all my 

 prisoners, as, independent of the inconvenience they were likely 

 ' to occasion by their great consumption of provisions, they were a 

 great encumbrance to us. As repeated applications had been 

 made to me by them to put them on shore at this place, I at 

 length consented, furnishing them with provisions, and giving 

 to them three boats, for the purpose of transporting them and 

 their baggage from the river's mouth to Tumbez, which, with a 

 large canoe and a launch which they hired for the purpose, were 

 found fully sufficient. Previous to putting them on shore, I 

 carefully restored to each prisoner (even to that renegado Wier 

 and Captain Shuttleworth) every article which had been taken 

 from them, and all entered into an obligation not to serve against 

 the United States until regularly exchanged. 



And now having no occasion to remain longer in Tumbez, I 

 on the morning of the 30th made the signal for getting under 

 weigh. On the 1st, got clear of the Gulph of Guayaquil, and 

 stretched away to the westward, to fall in with the easterly trade- 

 winds, which are seldom met with until you get from one hun^ 

 dred to one hundred and fifty leagues from the land. 



As the Essex Junior was very imperfectly equipped for a cruise, 

 I continued in company with her, keeping my carpenters and 

 others constantly at work on board her, building up breastworks, 

 ^and making the necessary alterations on board her. On the 4th 

 , of July a salute of seventeen guns was fired from the Essex? 



