in the Pacific Ocean. 



29 



Peruvians. Yet they have done what nearly amounts to the 

 same thing ; they have formed for themselves a constitution, one 

 article of which punishes with death any person, residing in Chili, 

 who shall keep up any secret intelligence with, or execute any 

 order from, any power not resident within the state. 



I shall now take my leave of Valparaiso, and continue my 

 cruise. 



CHAPTER V. 



Run down the Coast of Chili and Peru; arrive at the 

 Gallipagos Islands. 



On the morning of the SSth, at eight o'clock, descried a sail 

 to the northward, to which I gave chase, and at meridian we were 

 near enough to discover her to be a ship of war, disguised as a 

 •whaler, with whale-boats on her quarters. She shortly afterwards 

 hoisted the Spanish flag, when we showed English colours, and 

 fired a gun to leeward, which she shortly returned, and run down 

 for us. The Spaniard, when at the distance of a mile, fired a shot 

 at us, which passed our bow, I immediately, from her appear- 

 ance and the description I had received of her, knew her to be 

 one of the picaroons that had been for a long time harassing our 

 commerce, and felt so exasperated at his firing a shot, that I 

 was almost tempted to pour a broadside into him ; but reflecting 

 that we were under British colours, and that the insult was not 

 intended for the American flag, I contented myself with firing 

 a few shot over him to bring him down. Shortly afterwards, a 

 boat was lowered down from her, and sent to the Essex ; but 

 perceiving her crew to be armed, I directed her to return im- 

 mediately to the ship, with orders for her to run down under our 

 lee, and for her commander to repair on board with his papers, 

 and to apologize for firing a shot at us. She proved to be the 

 Peruvian privateer Nereyda, of fifteen guns. The lieutenant in- 

 formed me that they were cruising for American vessels, and had 

 captured the Barclay and Walker in the port of Coquimbo, but 

 that the British letter of marcj^ue Nimrod, Captain Perry, had 

 driven their people from on board the Walker, and taken pos- 

 session of her ; that they were in search of the Nimrod, to en- 

 deavour to recover their prize ; that seeing us, with the Charles in 

 company, they had supppsed us to be the vessels they were in 

 search of, and this had been the cause of their firing a shot. He 

 stated that the Peruvians were the allies of Great Britain; 

 |;hat he had always respected the British flag ; and that his sole 



