2U 



PORTER'S JOURNAL. 



cult to know them apart at a short distance. I then chan- 

 ged entirely the appearance of the Essex, and gave to the 

 Greenwich the aspect of a sloop of war, hoping at some 

 future period to derive some advantage over the enemy, by 

 the deceptions I should be enabled to practise by means 

 of those changes. 



It became necessary to take all our powder on shore, for 

 the purpose of sunning and sifting it. I discovered, to my 

 great regret, that nearly one third of that contained in casks 

 was damaged and unfit for use, in consequence of the water 

 having entered the magazine, either during our passage 

 around Cape Horn, or (which is more likely) while our 

 rudder coat was in a damaged state, off the coast of Patago- 

 nia. We were, however, enabled to get a considerable 

 quantity from the Seringapatam, which (although it left that 

 ship nearly destitute) in a great measure supplied our defi- 

 ciency. 



We here, after painting our ships, repairing our sails and 

 boats, setting up our rigging, and doing various other jobs 

 which could not be done conveniently at sea, began to lay 

 in our stock of tortoises, the grand object for which every 

 vessel anchors at the Gallipagos Islands. Four boats were 

 despatched every morning for this purpose, and returned 

 at night, bringing with them from twenty to thirty each, 

 averaging about sixty pounds. In four days we had as many 

 on board as would weigh about fourteen tons, which was as 

 much as we could conveniently stow. They were piled 

 up on the quarter deck for a few days, with an awning 

 spread over to shield them from the sun, which renders them 

 very restless, in order that they might have time to discharge 

 the contents of their stomachs ; after which they were stow- 

 ed av/ay below, as you would stow any other provisions, 

 and used as occasion required. No description of stock is 

 yo convenient for ships to take to sea as the tortoises of 

 those islands. They require no provisions or water for a 

 year, nor is any farther attention to them necessary, than 

 that their shells should be preserved unbroken. 



The shells of those of James' Island are sometimes re- 

 markably thin and easily broken, but more particularly so as 

 they become advanced in age ; when, whether owing 

 to the injuries they receive from their repeated falls in as- 

 cending and descending: the mountains, or from injuries re- 



