204 



PORTER-'S JOURNAL. 



the Seringapatam, when the latter hauled down her co- 

 lours, but endeavoured to make her escape in a crippled 

 state, having her sails and rigging much cut. The Green-, 

 wich kept up the pursuit close on her quarter; the Essex 

 was coming up with her fast ; vrhen, in the dusk of the 

 evening, seeing no possibility of escape, the enemy bore up 

 for the Essex, and surrendered his ship. I immediately 

 took the captain and officers on board, left the Greenwich 

 to take care of her, and pursued the other ship, which I 

 captured in about an hour afterwards. 



It proved to be the Seringapatam, which had taken the 

 letters, wood, kegs, &;c. from Charles' Island. The cap- 

 ture of this ship gave me more pleasure than that of any 

 other which fell into my hands ; for, besides being the/ 

 finest British ship in those seas, her commander had the 

 character of being a man of great enterprise, and had al- 

 ready captured the American whale-ship Edward, of Nan- 

 tucket, and might have done great injury to the American 

 commerce in those seas. Although he had come into the 

 Pacific on a whaling voyage, he had given but little atten- 

 tion to that object while there was a hope of meeting 

 American whalers. On requiring of this man that he should 

 deliver to me his commission, he, with the utmost terror in 

 his countenance, informed me that he had none with him, 

 but was confident that his owners had, before this period, 

 taken out one for him, and he had no doubt would send it 

 to Lima, where he expected to receive it. It was evi- 

 dent that he was a pirate, and I did not feel that it would be 

 proper to treat him as I had done other prisoners of war. 

 I therefore ordered him and all his crew in irons ; but after 

 enquiring of the American prisoners, whom I found on 

 board the prize, as to the m.anner in which they had been 

 treated by the crew of the Seringapatam, and being satis- 

 fied that they, as well as the mates, were not to blame for 

 the conduct of their commander, I liberated them from con- 

 finement, keeping Stavers only in irons. 



I now bore up for Jam^' Island, at which place I was 

 anxious to arrive, in order that I might, while at anchor, be 

 enabled to get from my prizes such articles as we might 

 want, such as anchors and cables, with which they were 

 well supplied. On account of the violence of the current, 

 which was setting to the northwest, our attempt was inef- 



