PORTER^S JOURNAL. 



she was a ship of war, and an enemy. Shortly after he 

 received a shot, and was immediately taken possession of 

 by the British national ship Cherub, Captain Tucker, one 

 of the captors of the Essex. Lieut. Gamble was ordered 

 to repair, forthwith, on board the Cherub, and, apprehen- 

 sive of being pilfered in his absence, he requested midship- 

 man Clapp to take care of his things : but the latter having 

 also been brought on board in the second boat, they had 

 the mortification to find themselves robbed of a number of 

 valuable articles, including a sextant, two tea-spoons, seve- 

 ral books, and the pistols, which midshipman Clapp had re- 

 cently purchased. 



On reaching the Cherub, lieut. Gamble was politely re- 

 ceived by Captain Tucker, and introduced to the gentle- 

 men of the wardroom ; while midshipman Clapp was made 

 acquainted with his future companions in the steerage. 

 Captain Tucker requested his surgeon to dress the wound 

 in lieut. Gamble's heel, with which he very cheerfully 

 complied. But no stroke of adversity came with so much 

 pain to the feelings of lieut. Gamble, as the capture of the 

 Essex, with which he was now, for the first time, made ac- 

 quainted. He had already suffered under a series of afflic- 

 tions which but few men besides could have endured, and 

 now, to hear of the loss of that ship, seemed to fill up the 

 cup of his misery. It was some alleviation of his feelings, 

 however, to hear even Captain Tucker confess, that he 

 never saw a ship make so desperate a resistance ; and that 

 '•he had expected to see her colours lowered an hour 

 before ' Free trade and sailors' rights' came down." 



In the afternoon of the 16th, the Cherub and her prize 

 came to an anchor in Ranheina Bay, at the island ofMoivee, 

 for the purpose of procuring wood and water. In the mean 

 time, heut. Gamble was surprised to hear, that his men 

 had been robbed of the greater part of their clothing, and 

 that several of their chests had been forcibly broken open. 

 He made a representation of this ungenerous conduct to 

 Captain Tucker, but without effect. The unfortunate 

 natives too, who had taken passage in the Sir Andrew 

 Hammond, (with the exception of Maha, and four or five 

 others,) were compelled to jump overboard ; and must cer- 

 tainly have perished, had they not been picked up by some 

 of the fishermen ; as the ships were at that time at least six 



