56 



PORTER S J O U Ri\ AL . 



by us aii. as he was one of the best men we had in the ship, 

 and highly esteemed by every one on board. 



We were clear of all the islands about four o'clock on 

 the morning of the 26th. It was then necessary to decide 

 promptly on my future proceedings, as our provisions were 

 getting short. I called on the purser for a report, and 

 found that we had but three months' bread at half allow- 

 ance. There was no port on this coast where we could 

 procure a supply, without the certainty of capture, or 

 blockade, (which I considered as bad ;) to attempt to re- 

 turn to the United States, at a season of the year when our 

 coast would be swarming with the enemy's cruisers, would 

 be running too much risk, and would be going diametri- 

 cally opposite to my instructions. I was perfectly at a 

 loss now where to find the commodore, as, in remaining 

 before Bahia, he had departed from his original intentions, 

 and had already disappointed me at three rendezvous. 

 The state of my provisions Avould not admit of going oif 

 St. Helena's to intercept the returning Indiamen, nor 

 would my force justify the proceeding. To remain, how- 

 ever, longer here, w^here I could get no supplies, w ouid be 

 a folly, and it became absolutely necessary to depart from 

 the letter of my instructions ; I therefore determined to 

 pursue that course which seemed to be best calculated to 

 injure the enemy, and would enable me to prolong my 

 cruise. This could only be done by going into a friendly 

 port, where I could increase my supplies without the dan- 

 ger of blockade, and the first place that presented itself to 

 my mind, was the port of Conception, on the coast of Chili. 

 The season, to be sure, was far advanced for doubling 

 Cape Horn \ our stock of provisions was short, and the 

 ship in other respects not well supplied with stores for so 

 long a cruise ; but there appeared no other choice left for 

 me, except capture, starvation, or blockade ; and this 

 course, of all others, appeared to me the most justifiable, 

 as it accorded with the views of the honourable secretary 

 of the navy, as well as those of my immediate commander. 

 Before the declaration of war, I wrote a letter to the for- 

 mer, containing a plan for annoying the enemy's commerce 

 in the Pacific ocean, which was approved of by him ; and 

 prior to my sailing, commodore Bainbridge requested my 

 opinion, as to the best mode of attaining that object* I 



