158 



porter's journal. 



If, on your way back from Albemarle, you can conve- 

 niently touch at Charles' Island, do so, and search there 

 for letters. 



I have the honour to be, respectfully, your obedient 

 servant, 



(Signed) D. PORTER. 



Lieutenant John Dozones, commanding the 

 armtd prize-ship Georgiana, 



Lieutenant Downes made sail to double the south point 

 of the large island, and I proceeded with my other prizes and 

 the Barclay to the S. S. E. At mxridian the weather cleared 

 up, and, to my great surprise, I discovered first Gardner's 

 Island, and a few minutes afterwards Charles' Island, the 

 latter bearing S. S. W. We now perceived that we had* 

 passed between Barrington Island and a fine large island, 

 which occupies the place given to Duncan's and James' 

 Islands on Colnet's chart. We were now convinced that 

 no rehance whatever should be placed on Colnet's survey, 

 which has been drawn onl}^ from fancy or the incorrect in- 

 formation of others ; for no such islands as Duncan's and 

 James' exist where he has placed them, nor has he any 

 where traced an island bearing the slightest resemblance to 

 the one in question. I now bore away for Charles' Island, 

 w^here I anchored at four P. M., in eight fathoms water, at 

 the distance of one and a half miles of the long sandy beach 

 within the reef, the Devil's Rock, or Rock Dismal, bearing 

 E. N. E., and the west point of the island S. W. by S. ; the 

 bottom, however, appeared rocky, and on a closer exami- 

 nation of the harbour, I found we should have lain in deeper 

 w^ater, with much better shelter and bottom, closer in 

 shore. The prizes and Barclay followed us in, and an- 

 chored between us and the beach. As soon as the ship 

 was moored, I went on shore to examine the letter-box, but 

 found no new papers in it. I however saw unquestionable 

 evidence of a vessel's having been in the harbour since we 

 had left it, for the cask of water, and the barrel of bread, 

 and other aticles, had been carried off, and no part of either 

 remained but the hoops of the cask ; fresh tracks of men 

 were plainly to be seen from the beach to the postoffice, 

 where the articles were placed ; and an impression was 

 made in the sand as though a bag had been set down, near 



