rORTERi^S JOUBNAL. 125 



the world ; but nothing, except the catamarans, can be more 

 ckimsy in their appearance, and apparently more unsuita- 

 ble to the navigation of this ocean, than the miserable ves- 

 sels employed in the coasting trade of Peru. 



The two catamarans above mentioned had looked into 

 the harbour of Payta, and were consequently enabled to 

 give me all the intelligence I required. They informed me 

 there were no vessels lying there except two or three small 

 coasting vessels ; and as there was now no necessity for 

 showing ourselves before that place, I shaped my course 

 for the Gallipagos Islands, directing the Barclay to steer 

 W. N. W. by compass, in order that we might fall in with 

 the latitude to the eastward of them, intimating to her com- 

 mander that I should, from time to time, so vary from this 

 <;:ourse as to look over as much ground in our way as possi- 

 ble. This method we put in practice until we made Chat- 

 ham Island, which was on the morning of the 17th. Du- 

 ring our run we had no opportunity of correcting our dead 

 reckoning by lunar observations, nor have we had a chance 

 of ascertaining the rate of the chronometer since leaving 

 St. Catharines. We were enabled to discover by our lati- 

 tude that we had a current of fifteen miles per twenty-four 

 hours, setting to the northward ; and from the violent rip- 

 ples we frequently met with, were induced to believe that 

 its rate was much greater, and concluded it to set also west- 

 erly. On our making the land, found we had, since taking 

 our departure from Payta, been set two degrees a-head of 

 our reckoning. We employed ourselves during our pas- 

 sage in getting the magazine in good order for service, as 

 we had been led to expect some resistance from the heavy 

 armed letters of marque that we hoped to meet among the 

 GaUipagos, employed in the whale-fishery. [Having un- 

 derstood that calms were very prevalent there, we prepa- 

 red our boats in the best manner for attacking them, select- 

 ing crews for them in addition to their oarsmen ; and laid 

 down plans of attack, and established signals for them. The 

 whole, amounting to seven boats, carrying seventy men, 

 were placed under the command of lieutenant Downes. 



I discovered that we should meet with great delays from 

 the prevalence of calms ; and as I could form no plans for 

 future operations until my arrival at the general rendez- 

 vous of the whalersj I considered it adviseable to put the 



