112 



porter's journal. 



strongly induced to believe, as the captain of that ship had 

 stated his determination of taking the Barclay from the 

 Spaniards, alleging that, as she had not been engaged in 

 any contraband or illicit trade, they had no right to cap- 

 ture her, and that the Peruvian government would certain- 

 ly liberate her on her arrival at Calao, by which means he 

 should be cheated out of a prize. I therefore determined 

 to lose no time in endeavouring to get to the northward, on 

 the coast of Peru, where I hoped to arrive in time not only 

 to frustrate the views of the captain of the Nimrod, but to 

 recapture the Barclay and the Walker, I considered the 

 capture of the Nimrod of the greatest importance to our 

 national interests in those seas, and while there was a 

 chance of effecting this object, provided it did not interfere 

 too much with my other views, 1 thought the pursuit of her 

 should not be abandoned. To captains Gardner and West 

 I intimated my intentions, advising the former to run into 

 Coquimbo, and there demand for his vessel the protection 

 of government. The latter I advised to proceed with all 

 expedition to St. Jago, and lay his claim for damages be- 

 fore the government. 



I gave the Americans whom I had liberated from the Ne- 

 reyda their choice, either to remain in the Essex, or be 

 landed at Coquimbo. Nine of them preferred remaining ; 

 the remainder, with captain West, were put on board the 

 Charles, who made sail in for the harbour, and I s-teered to 

 the northwest, with all the sail we could crowd. 



Prior to leaving captains Gardner and West, I requested 

 them to give me a list of all the whale-ships, both English 

 and American, that they could recollect, and were certain 

 of being now in this sea. They both agreed that the Gal- 

 lipagos was the most likely place to find them, and confirm- 

 ed in every particular the account given by captain Worth, 

 The list they gave me was as follows : 



American Ships on the Coast of Peru and Chili* 



Ship Fame, Captain Coffin, 



Lion, Clarke, 

 John and Janies, Clasby, 

 John Jar, CofKn, 

 Criterion, Clark, 



