PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
39 
On the 13th we set up our rigging-, which had become much 
stretched in consequence of the warm weather, and the larboard 
rigging particularly so, from carrying sail so long on one tafck. 
On the afternoon of the 14th made the high peak (called the 
Pyramid) of the island of Fernando de Noronha, under the lee 
bow, and kept plying to windward, under easy sail, all night. At 
midnight, one of the men on the look-out informed the officer 
of the deck, that he had descried a sail under the lee, but it 
proved to be the peak of the island. 
At day-light bore up for the harbour, disguised the ship as a 
merchant-man, hoisted English colours, ran close in, and sent the 
boat onshore withlieut. Downes in plain clothes, and directed him 
to inform the governor, that we were the ship Fanny, captain 
Johnson, from London, via Newfoundland, bound to Rio Janeiro 
for a cargo, out 60 days; that we were short of water, had seve¬ 
ral of the crew sick with the scurvy, and were very much in 
want of refreshments ; but that we could not anchor, as we had 
lost all our anchors but one, and that our cables were bad. The 
boat returned after being absent two hours and a half; and lieut 
Downes informed me that two British frigates had left this place 
the last week; that they had reported themselves to the gover¬ 
nor as his Britannic majesty’s ships Acasta, of 44 guns, captain 
Kerr, and the Morgiana, of 20 guns, from England, bound to 
India; and that a letter had been left by the captain of the Acas¬ 
ta, for sir James Yeo, of his majesty’s frigate Southampton, to be 
sent to England by the first opportunity. The boat also brought 
me a small present of fruit from the governor. 
I immediately dispatched lieut. Downes with a present of 
porter and cheese to the governor, with many thanks for his ex¬ 
treme civility, and to inform him, that there was a gentleman on 
board, who was intimately acquainted with sir James Yeo, and 
was going from Brazils direct to England, who would take charge 
of the letter and deliver it to sir James. About 3 o’clock, lieut, 
Downes returned with the letter, which, on opening, I found to 
contain as follows: 
