156 



ture. The crews of the hostile ships also continued to 

 carry on the war, in poetry and prose : and some of the 

 poetical effusions of our opponents were so highly merito- 

 rious, as to cause a suspicion of their being the production 

 of Captain Hillyar himself. 



On the 16th of March, twelve days before my capture, 

 the first heutenaot of the Phcebe came on board the Essex, 

 under a flag of truce, and stated that he had a message from 

 Captain Hillyar. Presuming it was another challenge, I 

 required the presence of some of my officers, to which he 

 consented. When they were assembled, I asked the pur- 

 port of his message. He then stated, that Captain Hillyar 

 had been informed, I had said that he acted in a cowardly 

 manner, by running away from the Essex, after challen- 

 ging her, but could not believe the report, and had sent 

 him on board to ascertain the truth. 1 told him I had said 

 so, and still thought so. He then stated, that Captain Hill- 

 yar had entrusted him to tell me, that his firing a gun, and 

 hoisting the flag, was not intended as a challenge, but as a 

 signal to the Cherub. I replied, that Captain Hillyar had 

 informed me, the motto of the flag was intended for my 

 ship, and that there was not a man, woman, or child in 

 Valparaiso, that did not think it a challenge. He still 

 repeated, that Captain Hillyar had desired him to assure 

 me, it was not a challenge. 



I told him in reply, that I had considered it one, but 

 was bound to believe Captain Hillyar, if he said it was not. 

 I added that, however it might be intended, I should 

 always consider it a challenge, whenever he chose to send 

 away the Cherub, and perform a similar manoeuvre — and, 

 under that impression, act precisely as I had done before. 

 Again the officer assured me of the mistake ; adding, that 

 Captain Hillyar was a religious man, and did not approve 

 of sending challenges. 



I shall now close this part of my narrative, by laying be- 

 fore my readers two certificates, one from the only officer 

 now alive, who was present at the foregoing conversation 

 between Lt. Ingraham and myself. I would appeal to the 

 candour of Lt. Ingraham himself, had he not been killed 

 in the subsequent action. 



"On Sunday the 27th February, 1814, at 5 P. M. the 

 Pkoebe ran close in with the harbour, hoisted an English 



