in ihe Pacific Ocean. S5 



weigh, i soon perceived that the strange ship was a thirty-two 

 gun frigate, gave orders to cut the cables, and in an instant the 

 Essex Was under a cloud of canvas ; but as the breeze, which had 

 until this moment blown, now failed, we got all our boats a-head, 

 and towed out of the harbour, and in the course of an hour we 

 were alongside the stranger, who proved to be a Portuguese, 

 that had been sent round by the government at Rio Janeiro, for 

 the purpose of getting a supply of flour for Lisbon. As there 

 was every expectation of an engagement, the consul-general, and 

 several Americans and Spaniards, and Don Lewis Carrera, came 

 on board to share with us the dangers ; the latter appeared to us 

 a spirited youth, (about twenty-two years of age,) and as he had 

 never been in any engagement of importance, was evidently 

 anxious to partake of one. His constant request of me was to 

 board the stranger, and his disappointment was great when he 

 discovered the Portuguese flag. We could perceive the hills 

 crowded with men, women, and children, all equally, and perhaps 

 more anxious than Don Lewis, to see the fight. Among them, 

 as it afterwards proved, were our fair guests, who did not hesitate 

 to declare their disappointment ; and frankly acknowledged that 

 the sight of a sea engagement would have had more charms for 

 them than all the entertainment we could have afforded them on 

 board the ship. 



The wind continued light ; and the day being far advanced, I 

 gave up all thoughts of returning to port that night, and stood 

 off* to sea, endeavouring to get to windward. Don Lewis, as well 

 as his servants who accompanied him, soon became excessively 

 sick ; and however warlike he might have felt when he first came 

 on board, he was now as helpless as an infant. We succeeded, 

 by the help of our drags, in getting to our anchors early next 

 morning, and were more fortunate in finding the buoys we had 

 put to our cables than I had expected. We, immediately on 

 securing our ship, took on board the remainder of our supplies. 

 An invitation was brought for us to dine and spend the evening 

 with the governor, who, we could perceive by the flags about the 

 battery in front of his house, had made great preparations for 

 the occasion; and we were informed that the entertainment was 

 given us by the order and at the expense of the superior govern- 

 ment of Chili. The company was seated in an extensive tent, 

 handsomely and fancifully decorated with the flags of different 

 nations, and the ground covered with rich carpets; the dinner 

 was served up in silver plate, and, with the exception of the 

 blades of the knives alone, no other metal or substance whatever 

 was used for any part of the table equipage. The dinner 

 consisted of at least twenty changes ; and by the time the third 

 course had been removed, we had cause to regret that we had not 



Voyages and Travels, No. XLVIL Vol. VIII. e 



