PORTER^S JOURINAL. 



205 



•stances would permit — the spanker and jib. Some of the 

 guns were occasionally directed at the fort, where a multi- 

 tude of the enemy had collected together, with Wilson at 

 their head, and were endeavouring to extract the spikes 

 from the guns. At 4 P. M. the Greenwich was set on fire 5 

 and all things being in readiness, the cable of the Sir An- 

 drew Hammond was cut, and with a fine breeze from the 

 land, she stood out of the Bay. The night was dark, and 

 the course of the ship was guided chiefly by the flames of 

 the Greenwich. 



In the morning, lieut. Gamble was under the disagreea- 

 ble necessity of cutting away the anchor, which still hung 

 in the water ; the crew not having sulRcient strength to 

 raise it on the bow of the ship ; and in attempting to hoist 

 up the boat, it broke in two parts — so that he found him- 

 self obliged to put to sea in a leaky ship, without a boat or 

 an anchor to help himself in distress. At 8 A. M. of the 

 following day, they set the mizzen topsail, and employed 

 themselves immediately, in bending the other sails. The 

 only seaman on board was Worth, whose good manage- 

 ment in working the ship out of the Bay, prevented her 

 from being stranded on the rocks. 



Having only six cartridges left, and without the means of 

 conducting a voyage to the continent, lieut. Gamble, after 

 mature deliberation, considered it best to steer the ship for 

 the Sandwich Islands, at some one of which, he hoped to 

 meet with relief. It was probable that he might there man 

 his vessel in a more effectual manner, from some of the 

 American ships who were in the habit of frequenting those 

 Islands ; or, at least, receive such assistance as would ena- 

 ble him to proceed in safety to Valparaiso. The state of 

 his crew was as follows : 



Himself — Severely wounded in the heel. 

 Biidshipman Clapp — In good health. 

 Bispham, do. 

 Coddington — Wounded in the head. 

 Worth — A fractured leg. 

 Sansbury — Rheumatism. 



Burnham — An old man, just cured of the scurvy. 

 Pittenger — A cripple. 



