PORTER’S JOURNAL, 
36 
sirous of doing her as little injury as possible, I gave orders that 
the great guns should not be fired. I hailed her, and directed 
her to lower her topsails, haul up her courses, and heave-to to 
•windward ; but as she attempted to run athwart my stern, with a 
view, as I supposed, to rake us and make her escape, I directed 
a volley of musketry to be fired, which (I am sorry to say) killed 
one man on board her. She proved to be his majesty’s packet 
Nocton, bound to Falmouth, of 10 guns and 31 men. I, that 
night, took out the prisoners, and a quantity of specie found on 
board, amounting to about §55,000. 
On the 13th dispatched the prize under the command of lieu¬ 
tenant Finch, and as I sent in her 17 of the prisoners, I was under 
the necessity of sending as many of my own crew. I sent in the 
prize the captain, master, and passengers ; and, with a view of 
securing their neutrality in the event of any attempt to retake the 
vessel, I permitted them to go on parole of honour, with the pri¬ 
vilege of embarking on board any vessel they might meet, bound 
to England or elsewhere. As I have never permitted prisoners to 
be plundered in any one instance, the officers and passengers of 
the brig soon felt themselves, while on board the Essex, at per¬ 
fect ease, and secure from any violence ; and they seemed to 
consider their capture and trip to America more in the light of 
an agreeable adventure, and a party of pleasure, than a mis¬ 
fortune. 
A Mr. James Heyworth, a merchant from Brazils, on leaving” 
my ship, presented me with two letters unsealed, which he re¬ 
quested me to present in the event of my going to Rio Janeiro. 
One of them I found to be a letter of introduction ; the other 
announcing his capture. To shew the sentiments by which he 
was impressed, I shall give a copy of them both. 
Dear Brother Lawrence, 
By the extreme civility of the gentleman who offers to for¬ 
ward this, I am enabled to inform you that we have been cap¬ 
tured by an American vessel. However, we are proceeding under 
the direction of a prize-master to the United States; have liber- 
ty, if we fall in with a neutral vessel, to go on board; and if not, 
