PORTER’S JOURNAL, 109 
tries, spend their Sabbath in penance and prayers, but in feasting' 
and dancing; and although a good catholic would consider him¬ 
self damned to eternal flames if he neglected confession, or eat 
meat during lent, yet he is above the vulgar protestant prejudice 
of devoting one whole day in each week to the worship of the 
Almighty, when he has it in his power to spend it so much more 
agreeably in amusement. The consul-general had arrived from 
St. Jago, accompanied by don Lewis Carrera, the brother of the pre¬ 
sident ; also the consul, a Mr. Hey well, and another American gen¬ 
tleman ; they dined on board my ship on Saturday, and were salu¬ 
ted with 11 guns. On Sunday, about 3 o’clock, myself and officers 
were on shore with our boats to take the ladies on board the 
ship, she having been previously prepared for their entertainment; 
and we had all laid aside our national and religious prejudices, 
and devoted ourselves entirely to the pleasures of the day, when, 
at the moment we were on the point of embarking with them, 
an officer came from the ship to inform me that a large frigate 
had appeared in the offing, and on perceiving us had hauled in 
for the harbour. We all immediately left our fair Chilians, and 
without any ceremony jumped in our boats and repaired cm 
board, where I found every thing prepared for getting under 
way. I soon perceived that the strange ship was a 32 gun frigate, 
gave orders to cut the cables, and in an instant the Essex was un¬ 
der a cloud of canvas ; but as the breeze, which had until this 
moment blown, now failed, we got all our boats a-head, and tow¬ 
ed out of the harbour, and in the course of an hour we were along 
side the stranger, which proved to be a Portuguese, and had been 
sent round by the government at Rio Janeiro, for the purpose of 
getting a supply of flour for Lisbon. As there was every expec¬ 
tation of an engagement, the consul-general, and several Ameri¬ 
cans and Spaniards, and don Lewis Carrera, came on board to 
share with us the dangers; the latter appeared to us a spirited 
youth (about 22 years of age), and as he had never been in any 
engagement of importance, was evidently anxious to partake of 
one. His constant request of me was to board the stranger, and 
his disappointment was great when he discovered the Portuguese 
flag. We could perceive the hills crowded with men, women* 
