PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
57 
this, I kept persons to observe and report to me such as paid im¬ 
proper prices; and by these means brought the market down to 
tolerably fair rates. Nothing could be procured on shore, as 
every thing had been purchased up by the boat-men. Two of my 
boats were gone a whole day, in search of stock and vegetables, 
and returned at night with only one pig, a few yams and bananas ; 
this was all they could procure. Fresh beef was cheap, but we 
were not enabled to give our people more than two messes of it, 
on account of our disappointment in not getting it from town, 
where we had sent for it; as we were informed, on our arrival) 
that it could not be procured otherwise. 
On the 21st I dispatched lieutenantWilmer to the town of St. 
Catharines, in one of the ship’s boats, accompanied by lieutenant 
Gamble, Mr. Shaw, purser, doctor Hoffman, and midshipman 
Feltus. I directed lieutenant Wilmer to wait on the governor, 
don Luis Mauricio da Silvia, with my respects, and to thank 
him for the civilities I had met with, and gave him orders to re¬ 
turn if possible the same day. I gave orders to Mr. Shaw to en¬ 
deavour to procure a supply of beef, flour, bread, and rum ; to 
remain in town until it was ready, hire a vessel, and bring it down. 
The weather was squally, with heavy rains, when they started, as 
indeed was the case the whole time we lay here. I felt uneasy 
that the boat did not return in the evening, but hoped, as the wea¬ 
ther had grown much worse, that they had determined on remain¬ 
ing that night; however, at two o’clock in the morning, lieute¬ 
nants Wilmer and Gamble came into my cabin almost naked, and 
shivering with the wet and cold, and informed me that the boat 
had been upset in a squall; but that all hands had saved them¬ 
selves, after having been four hours on her bottom. They fortu¬ 
nately were to windward of an island standing in the middle of the 
bay, where they drifted on shore and righted the boat. They lost 
all their clothes, as well as every thing they had purchased in 
town, to the amount of 6 or 700 dollars, but were so fortunate as 
to find next day, among the rocks of the island, every article that 
would float. Lieutenant Wilmer informed me, that there would 
be great difficulties in procuring the articles required ; that the 
quantity of bread wanting could not be procured in a month ; that; 
VOL. i. H 
