rORTEIl S JOURNAL. 



241 



ihe only British vessels that I could hear of on the coast 0!* 

 Chili and Peru. As I believed it highly probable, that the 

 ship bound to India would touch at the Marquesas on her 

 way thence, I thought it likely, that, by a speedy arrival 

 there, I should be enabled to capture her. None of the in- 

 formation I had received could induce me to alter my ori- 

 ginal plan of going to the Marquesas. The repairs and 

 smoking of my ship were paramount to every other consi- 

 deration, and I knew of no place where I could be more 

 likely to do it undisturbed. 



The morning after the arrival of the Essex Junior, I 

 hauled her along side of the Essex, and took from on board 

 her a quantity of rum and other articles. And now, having 

 nothing to detain us but a head wind, we made every pre- 

 f; paration for getting under way, which we were not enabled 

 to do until the afternoon of the 2d of October, when a light 

 land breeze sprang up, which we took advantage of to get 

 out of the harbour. But as it soon after shifted to the 

 southward, we were the greater part of the succeeding 

 night in beating through the sound (which I call Decatur's 

 Sound) into the south or Elizabeth Bay. 



Prior to leaving the cove, Rynard wrote a penitent letter 

 to me, begging me to overlook his conduct, and reinstate 

 him on board the Essex. This however I would not con- 

 sent to ; but at his request, as well as that of lieutenant 

 Downes, I agreed that he should join the Essex Junior in 

 the capacity of seaman, on^is promise that in future there 

 should be no cause of complaint against him. 



And now I shall notice the important services rendered 

 by our coming into the Pacific. In the first place, by our 

 captures we had completely broken up that important 

 branch of British navigation, the whale-fishery of the coast 

 of Chili and Peru, having captured all their vessels engaged 

 in that pursuit except the aforesaid ship Comet. By these 

 captures we had deprived the enemy of property to the 

 amount of two and a half millions of dollars, and of the 

 services of three hundred and sixty seamen that I libe- 

 rated on parole, not to serve against the United States un- 

 til regularly exchanged. We had effectually prevented 

 them from doing any injury to our own whale-ships, only 

 two of which have been captured, and their captures took 

 place before our arrivaL Shortly after my appearance in 



VOL, I. 31 



