464 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMA.C. 
[September, 
CHAPTER XXVil. 
Galapagos Islands — Charles's Island, or La Floriana — Governor Vilamil's Colony 
— Its origin and advance — Description of the island — Its productions — Pure and 
wholesome water — Prohibition of spirituous liquors — Fowls, terapins, &c. — 
Climate and temperature — Abuses connected with our whale-fisheries — Improve- 
ments and reforms suggested. 
On Monday, the twenty-sixth of August, we sailed from Payta 
for the Galapagos, and arrived at Charles's Island on the thirty- 
first. We came to anchor in Essex Bay, on the north end of the 
island, a place rendered somewhat famous as the anchorage of 
the old Essex, Commodore Porter, during the late war with 
Great Britain. Commodore Downes was then first lieutenant of 
that frigate, but commanded an armed prize, called the Essex, 
junior, during Porter's glorious but unfortunate action with the 
Phoebe and Cherub. We remained at Charles's Island, which 
the new colonists call La Floriana, for the period of ten or twelve 
days ; and every one on board was agreeably disappointed with 
the visit. 
During the frigate's stay, we passed the time very pleasantly at 
the residence of Governor J. Vilamil, a native of Louisiana, in 
the United States, but for many years a resident of Guayaquil. 
Beheving that some account of this infant establishment may be 
interesting to the reader, we shall particularly allude to it, in a 
very short and hasty description of the Galapagos Islands. 
This, in some respects, interesting group, which comprises a 
large number of small islands, is situated nearly under the equa- 
tor," between the eighty-ninth and ninety-second degrees of west 
longitude — about two hundred and forty leagues west of the 
American continent. A majority of these islands are situated a 
little south of the equinoctial line, though a few scattering islands 
are found north of it. Albemarle Island, which is the largest of 
the cluster, is more /than seventy miles in length, and stretches 
north and south, with an eastern coast that is nearly straight ; but 
its western side is deeply concave, embracing the volcanic Island 
