so 



Porter's Voyage 



object was the capture of American vessels ; that he had been 

 out four months, and had only met the aforesaid vessels ; and 

 that the crew of the Barclay, and the captain and part of the 

 crew of the Walker, were now detained as prisoners on board 

 the Nereyda. I informed him that I wished to see the captain 

 of the Walker, and one of the prisoners from the Barclay ; and 

 informed him, that if his captain was too unwell to come on 

 board, it would be necessary for the first lieutenant to repair on 

 board, and make the apology required. On this he dispatched 

 his boat to the Nereyda, which returned with Captain West, 

 of the Walker, and one of the crew of the Barclay, as well as 

 the first lieutenant of the Nereyda. On taking Captain West into 

 the cabin, and assuring him that he was on board an American 

 frigate, he informed me, that he, as well as the rest of the Ame- 

 ricans on board the Nereyda, amounting to twenty- three, had 

 been plundered of every thing ; that the Spaniards had not as- 

 signed any other motives for the capture of the vessels, than that 

 they were Americans ; that both his ship and the Barclay were 

 employed solely in the whale-fishery, and not concerned in any 

 mercantile pursuit whatever ; that both ships had full cargoes of 

 oil, were about returning to America, and had put into Coquim- 

 bo for refreshments ; and that the first intelligence they had re- 

 ceived of the war was at the time of their capture. 



The Nereyda was now under the muzzle of our guns, and I 

 directed the American flag to be hoisted, and fired two shot over 

 her, when she struck her colours. I then sent Lieutenant Downes 

 to take possession of her, with directions to send all the Spaniards 

 on board the Essex ; and as I had reason to expect that the Nim- 

 rod and the other ship were somewhere in our neighbourhood, I 

 stood in shore, with a view of looking into Tongue Bay and 

 Coquimbo, sending Lieutenant M'Knight to take charge of the 

 Nereyda for the night. Next morning had all her guns, ammu- 

 nition and small arms thrown overboard, as well as all her hght 

 sails. What surprised us very much was, that all the shot of 

 this vessel, round, bar, and star-shot, were made of copper ; and 

 I have since been informed that this metal is in such abundance, 

 and so cheap in Peru and Chili, as to be held in very little esti- 

 mation, there being no comparison between the value of that and 

 iron. Wanting a few nails while at Valparaiso, I found they 

 could not be procured for less than one dollar per pound. But 

 it seemed equally curious that, although copper was in such 

 abundance, and brass guns are so far preferable to iron, yet all the 

 guns of this vessel, except one, were cast of the latter metal, dif- 

 fering in this respect from the customs of every other part of the 

 world. After T had completely dismantled her, leaving her only 

 her topsails and courses to take her back to Callao, which is the 



