pokIer's journal. 



161 



squadron sent in search of me to the Pacific. My ship, 

 as it may be supposed, after being near a year at sea, re- 

 quired some repairs to put her in a state to meet them, 

 which I determined to do, and bring them to action, if I 

 could meet them on nearly equal terms. I proceeded, now, 

 in company with the remainder of my prizes, to the island 

 of Nooaheevah, or Madison^s island, lying in the Washing' 

 ton group, discovered by a Captain Ingraham of Boston. 

 Here I caulked and completely overhauled my ship, made 

 for her a new set of water casks, her old ones being entire- 

 ly decayed, and took on board from my prizes, provisions 

 and stores for upwards of four months, and sailed for the 

 coast of Chili on the 12th December, 1813. Previous to 

 sailing, I secured the Seringapatam, Greenwich, and Sir 

 Andrew Hammond, under the guns of a battery, which I 

 had erected for their protection. After taking possession 

 of this fine island for the United States, and establishing 

 the most friendly intercourse with the natives, I left them 

 under charge of lieutenant Gamble of the marines, with 

 twenty-one men, with orders to repair to Valparaiso after 

 a certain period. 



I arrived on the coast of ChiH on the 12th January, 1814; 

 looked into Conception and Valparaiso, found at both 

 places only three English vessels, and learned that the 

 squadron which sailed from Rio de Janeiro for that sea had 

 not been heard of since their departure, and were suppo- 

 sed to be lost in endeavouring to double Cape Horn. 



I had completely broken up the British navigation in the 

 Pacific ; the vessels which had not been captured by me, 

 were laid up, and dared not venture out. I had afforded 

 the most ample protection to our own vessels, which were, 

 on my arrival, very numerous and unprotected. — The 

 valuable whale fishery there, is entirely destroyed, and the 

 actual injury we have done them may be estimated at two 

 and a half millions of dollars, independent of the expenses 

 of the vessels in search of me. They have supplied me 

 amply with sails, cordage, cables, anchors, provisions, me- 

 dicines, and stores of every description — and the slops on 

 board them have furnished clothing for the seamen. We 

 had, in fact, lived on the enemy since I had been in that 

 sea ; every prize having proved a well found store ship 

 for me. 1 had not yet been under the necessity of draw- 



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