PORTER S JOU'RNAt. 



U5 



but one, which was, that they had, on the first news of war, 

 captured all the American vessels they had found in the 

 bay, and gone otF with them. Yet it appeared to me ex- 

 traordinary that none others should have arrived since, par- 

 ticularly as some had sailed at a late period from Lima for 

 that station. But while the Barclay was running into the 

 bay, I stood over for the north head of Albemarle ; and as I 

 had no doubt, from what I had already seen, that every 

 part of the bay abounded with fish I sent three boats to en- 

 deavour to catch some, and shortiy afterwards followed them 

 myself. We proceeded to the foot of a remarkably black 

 precipice, of a great height, evidently the half of a crater, 

 which has been rent asunder by some violent convulsion of 

 nature, or has been undermined by the slow but constant 

 operation of the currents, and has gradually crumbled into 

 the ocean. This, with a point or peninsula that projects to 

 the southward, forms a bay which may probably afford 

 shelter and anchorage for vessels ; but having but a short 

 time to spare, we devoted it entirely to the object for which 

 we came, and in less than half an hour we loaded all our 

 boats with as many fish as they could carry, and returned 

 to the ship. On the east side of the point before mention- 

 ed, is a remarkable cavern, formed by the beating of the 

 sea, which has caused the rock to fall in, until it has form- 

 ed what the French call a trombe dans Pangle, and excava- 

 ted nearly the whole point or peninsula, leaving merely a 

 support for the arch. Under this place we caught our 

 fish, and all the boats of the ship might have been loaded in 

 the same time. The moment the hook was in the water, 

 hundreds of them were seen rushing towards it, and many 

 of them of a size which made it very difficult to haul in 

 with our largest lines. They were chiefly the black, yel- 

 low, and red grouper, and a fish greatly resembling the 

 sheeps-head, all of an excellent quality ; and so abundant 

 were they, that they were frequently caught with the boat 

 hooks while swimming about the boats. They afforded 

 not only a pleasant amusement to those who caught them, 

 but a plentiful repast to the crew of the Essex, as well as 

 to that of the Barclay. Our supply was so much greater 

 than we wanted for immediate consumption, that after salt- 

 ♦ ing many of them, large quantities were thrown overboard, 

 to keep them from spoiling on our hands, ¥/e also caught 

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