m the Pacific Ocean. 



31 



port of Lima, I liberated all the Americans from on board of 

 her, sent back all the Spaniards, and directed her commander to 

 proceed to Lima with a remonstrance to the viceroy. 



At six o'clock of the 28th, we were abreast the island of 

 Sangallan, or St. Gallan, when I hauled off to the northwest, 

 with a view of crossing the track of vessels bound to Callao. On 

 the morning of the 29th, to the great joy of all on board, we 

 discovered three sail standing in for the harbour, two to windward 

 and one to leeward. I consequently made all sail for the port 

 to cut them off, and, as I approached the headmost vessel, she 

 seemed to answer the description I had received of the Barclay. 

 As I approached St. Lorenzo, I discovered that she would be 

 becalmed so soon as she doubled the point of the island, as she 

 eventually was. We were, at the moment of her turning the 

 point, at the distance of two miles and a half from her, but shot 

 in with the breeze to within one hundred yards of her, then 

 lowered the boats down, and sent on board to tow her out, which 

 was not effected without considerable labour, in consequence of 

 an indraught. As we were but a short distance from the ship- 

 ping in the harbour, and perceiving the two Spanish vessels had 

 not arrived from Valparaiso, I hoisted English colours on board 

 the Essex, and directed the officer of the captured vessel (which 

 proved to be the Barclay) to hoist English colours over the 

 American. After putting on board the Barclay Midshipman 

 Cowan and eight men, and fixing on Payta and the Gallipagos 

 as the places of rendezvous, in case of separation, also furnishing 

 him with suitable signals, and giving him instructions to steer 

 such courses as would enable us to spread over as much ground 

 as possible in our track, I shaped my course to the W. N. W., to 

 run between the rock of Pelado and the Ilormigas, which lies 

 about thirty miles from Callao. 



The town of Callao is the seaport of Lima, from which the 

 latter is distant about three leagues. Callao is an open road- 

 stead ; but as the wind here always blows from the southward, 

 and never with violence, and as it is well sheltered from this 

 quarter by the projecting capes, and by the island of St. Lo- 

 renzo, it is considered in this sea as one of the safest harbours 

 for vessels. In this place all the trade of Peru centres ; it is 

 apparently well fortified by batteries on shore, and is said to be 

 well protected, in addition to those, by a formidable flotilla of 

 gun-boats. The calms which appear to prevail in the bay seem 

 to render this mode of defence very proper ; and if this is the 

 case, it must be very dangerous for hostile vessels to venture 

 beyond the island of St. Lorenzo. 



. While we lay to here, I observed the sea filled with small red 

 specks, and supposed at first that some hog had been killed on 



