PORTER S JOURNAL, 



109 



he? crew to be armed, I directed her to return immediately 

 10 the ship, with orders for her to run down under our lee, 

 and for her commander to repair on board with his papers, 

 and to apologize for firing a shot at us. She soon returned 

 with the second lieutenant, who brought her commission, 

 and stated that the captain was too unwell to leave his 

 ship. She proved to be the Peruvian privateer Nereyda, 

 of fifteen guns. The heutenant informed me that they were 

 cruising for American vessels, and had captured the Bar- 

 clay and Walker in the port of Coquimbo, but that the 

 British letter of marque Nimrod, captain Perry, had driven 

 their people from on board the Walker, and taken posses- 

 sion of her ; that they were in search of the Nimrod, to 

 endeavour to recover their prize ; that seeing us, with the 

 Charles in company, they had supposed us to be the vessels 

 they were in search of, and this had been the cause of their 

 firing a shot. He stated that the Peruvians were the allies 

 of Great Britain ; that he had always respected the British 

 flag ; and that his sole object was the capture of American 

 vessels ; that he had been out four months, and had only 

 met the aforesaid vessels ; and that the crew of the Bar- 

 clay, and the captain and part of the crew of the Walker, 

 were now detained as prisoners on board the Nerey- 

 da. T informed him that I wished to see the captain of 

 the Walker, and one of the prisoners from the Barclay ; 

 and informed him, that if his captain was too unwell to 

 come on board, it would be necessary for the first lieute- 

 nant to repair on board, and make the apology required. 

 On this, he despatched his boat to the Nereyda, which 

 returned with captain West, of the W alker, and one of the 

 crew of the Barclay, as well as the first lieutenant of the 

 Nereyda. On taking captain West into the cabin, and as- 

 suring him that he was on board an American frigate, he 

 informed me, that he, as well as the rest of the Americans 

 on board the Nereyda, amounting to twenty-three, had been 

 plundered of every thing ; that the Spaniards had not as- 

 signed any other motives for the capture of the vessels, than 

 that they were Americans ; that both his ship and the 

 Barclay were employed solely in the whale-fishery, and not 

 concerned in any mercantile pursuit whatever ; that both 

 ships had full cargoes of oil, were about returning to Ame- 

 rica, and had put into Coquimbo for refreshments ; and 



