rORTER*S JOURNAL. 101 



ed, we got ail our boats ahead, and towed out of the har- 

 bour, and in the course of an hour we were along side the 

 stranger, who proved to be a Portuguese, that had been 

 sent round by the government at Rio Janeiro, for the pur- 

 pose 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 Car- 

 rera, came on board to share with us the dangers ; the lat- 

 ter 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 Por- 

 tuguese flag. We could perceive the hills crowded with 

 men, women, and children, all equally, and perhaps more 

 anxious than don Lewis, to see the light. Among them, 

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

 hesitate to declare their disappointment ; and frankly ac- 

 knowledged that a 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 ad- 

 vanced, I gave up all thoughts of returning to port that 

 night, and stood off to sea, endeavouring to get to wind- 

 ward. Don Lewis, as well as his servants who accompa- 

 nied him, soon became excessively sick ; and however w ar- 

 like 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 se- 

 curing our ship, took on board the remainder of our sup- 

 plies. 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 government of Chili. The com- 

 pany was seated in an extensive tent, handsomely and fan- 

 cifully decorated with the flags of different nations, and the 

 ground covered with rich carpets ; the dinner was served 

 wp in silver plate, and, with the exception of the blades of 



