PORTER S JOURNAL. 



On the 12th, gave chase to and spoke the Portuguese 

 corvette Calypso, of 22 guns, on a cruise. Caused them 

 to send a boat, with an officer, on boat-d the Essex ; and 

 then sent heutenant Downes to ascertain, to a certainty, 

 whether she was a Portuguese vessel : both ships prepared 

 for action until eight o'clock, when he returned. 



The Portuguese officer could not be persuaded that we ^ 

 were Americans ; and left us, as I am convinced, under the 

 belief that we were English. 



On the 1 3th, spoke a Portuguese brig, from Rio, bound to 

 Oporto, out twenty-nine days. As this vessel had left Rio 

 long before the convoy, I still entertained some hopes of lall- 

 ing in with it. 



From the 12th until the 17th the weather continued re- 

 jnarkably fine ; between those periods we saw and spoke but 

 few vessels, and they Portuguese coasters, chiefly from Rio 

 Grande, bound to the north, with jerked beef. From those 

 vessels we could obtain no information respecting the ene- 

 my, that could be of any service to us. The crew continue 

 in fine health, except an old man, named Edward Sweeny, 

 who has long been affected by a pulmonary complaint, and 

 the stone. This man was upwards of sixty-four years old : 

 and I should not have brought him to sea with me, had he 

 not generally been useful in tending the stock. 



Since I left the United States, the crew have been on 

 two thirds allowance of salt provisions, generally on half 

 allowance of bread, and full allowance of rum ; and every 

 month I caused them to be paid the amount due them for 

 undrawn rations. To this regulation they submitted cheer- 

 fully ; not a murmur was heard from any person on board. 

 I, however, found it necessary to reduce the allowance of 

 rum, in the same proportion as the salt provisions, when 

 every man in the ship refused to receive any of that precious 

 liquor, unless he could get full allowance : stating that when 

 there should be no more on board, they would willingly go 

 without ; but so long as it lasted, they wished their full al- 

 lowance. However, as there was but a small quantity in the 

 ship, and believing that a sudden privation of it altogether, 

 would cause dejection and sickness among them, I deter 

 mined not to indulge their wishes. I therefore directed that 

 the grog-tub should be upset in fifteen minutes aftef they 

 were called to g^^^ : the consequence was, that every map 



