52 



PORTER S JOURNAL^ 



its way through the loose sand ; and while the water on 

 the surface, and for three feet deep, is perfectly fresh, that 

 at the bottom is as salt as the ocean. By dipping it care- 

 fully, however, or taking your water higher up the stream, 

 you may at all times get it fresh. We, in two days and a 

 half, completed watering our ship, and got as much wood 

 on board as we had consumed since our departure from 

 the United States. The officers and men, in the mean 

 time, provided themselves with hogs, fowls, plantains, 

 yams, and onions, in considerable quantities, from the boats 

 along side ; but their anxiety to procure them, caused the 

 Portuguese to take advantage of their necessities, and ask 

 the most extravagant prices for every thing, which some of 

 our people had the folly to give, as if their stock of money 

 was inexhaustible. This made my interference necessary;, 

 as those who were not disposed to squander their money 

 were likely to go without refreshments. I first began by 

 punishing a man for paying a dollar for a dozen of rotten 

 eggs ; and next, would not permit the boats to sell, after 

 they had come along side, until the price of every article 

 was established as follows : three fowls, one dollar ; nine 

 watermelons for the same sum ; one dollar for a turkey : 

 and every thing else in the same ratio. After this, I kept 

 persons to observe and report to me such as paid improper 

 prices ; and by these means brought the market down to to- 

 lerably fair rates. Nothing could be procured on shore, as 

 every thing had been purchased up by the boatmen. Two 

 of my boats were gone a whole day in search of stock and 

 vegetables, and returned at night with only one pig, a few 

 yams and bananas ; this was all they could procure. Fresh 

 beef was cheap, but we were not enabled to give our peo- 

 ple more than two messes, on account of our disappoint- 

 ment in not getting it from town, where we had sent for it, 

 as we were informed on our arrival, that it could not be 

 procured elsewhere. 



On the 21st I despatched lieutenant Wilmer to the town 

 of St. Catharines, in one of the ship's boats, accompanied by 

 lieutenant Gamble, Mr. Shaw, purser, doctor Hoffman, and 

 midshipman Feltus. I directed lieutenant Wilmer to wait on 

 the governor, don Luis Mauricio da Silvia, with my re- 

 spects, and to thank him for the civilities I had met with, and 

 gave him orders to return if possible the same day, I 



