PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
121 
without platform or breastwork. The boat had entered the har- 
bour, and gone all around it, and had approached so near the shore 
and battery as to hear the people talking, without being discovered. 
Finding that the Nimrod was not at this place, I thought it proba¬ 
ble that she had proceeded, with a view of intercepting the Bar¬ 
clay, on her way to Lima; and this I was the more strongly in¬ 
duced to believe, as the captain of that ship had stated his deter« 
ruination of taking the Barclay from the Spaniards, alleging, that, 
as she had not been engaged in any contraband or illicit trade, they 
had no right to capture her, an»l that the Peruvian government 
would certainly liberate her on her arrival at Calao, and by this 
means he should be cheated out of a prize. 1 therefore determined 
to lose no time in endeavouring to get on to the northward, on the 
coast of Peru, where I hoped to arrive in time, not only to frus¬ 
trate the views of the captain of the Nimrod, but to recapture the 
Barclay and the Walker ; for I considered the capture of the 
Nimrod of the greatest importance to our national interests in 
those seas, and while there was a chance of effecting this object, 
provided it did not interfere too much with my other views, I 
thought the pursuit of her should not be abandoned. To captains 
Gardener and West I intimated my intentions, advising the for¬ 
mer to run into Coquimbo, and there demand for his vessel the 
protection of government. The latter I advised to proceed with 
all expedition to St. Jago, and lay his claim for damages before 
the government. 
I gave the Americans whom I had liberated from the Nerey- 
da choice, either to remain in the Essex, or be landed at Co¬ 
quimbo: nine of them preferred remaining; the remainder, with 
captain West, were put on board the Charles, who made sail in 
for the harbour, and I steered to the N.W., with all the sail we 
could crowd. 
Prior to leaving captains Gardner and West, I requested them 
to give me a list of all the whale ships, both English and Ameri¬ 
can, that they could recollect, and were certain of being now in 
this sea. They both agreed that the Gallipagos was the most 
likely place to find them in, and confirmed in every particular the 
vol. i. q 
