PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
1-3.7' 
he could take me where the British whale-vessels most frequent¬ 
ed, advising me, by all means, to proceed to the islands of Galla- 
pages, keeping at the distance of from 30 to 50 leagues from the 
land, and on my way looking into Payta. He confirmed, in every 
respect, the information respecting the British whalers that I had 
formerly received, and assured me that there were many other 
vessels of that description, and others engaged in contraband 
trade, now on the coast, but had no doubt we could find as many 
as we could conveniently man among the islands, as well as the 
American vessels they might have captured. After putting on 
board the Barclay midshipman Cowan and eight men, and fixing 
on Payta and the Gallapagos as the places of rendezvous, in case 
of separation, also furnishing him with suitable signals, and giving 
him instructions to steer such courses as would enable us to 
spread over as much ground as possible in our track, I shaped 
my course to the W.N.W., to run between the rocks of Pelado 
and the Ilormigas, which lie about 30 miles from Calao. 
The town of Calao is the sea-port of Lima, from which the 
latter is distant about three leagues. Calao is an open roadstead ; 
but as the wind here always blows from the southward, and ne¬ 
ver with violence, and as it is well sheltered from this quarter 
by the projecting capes, and by the island of Lorenzo, it is consi¬ 
dered in this sea as one of the safest harbours for vessels. In this 
place all the trade of Peru centres; it is apparently well fortified by 
batteries on shore, and is said to be well protected, in addition to 
those, by a formidable flotilla of gun-boats ; and the calms which 
appear to prevail in the bay seem to render this mode of defence 
very proper; and if this is the case, it must be very dangerous 
for hostile vessels to venture beyond the island of St. Lorenzo. 
Off the point of St. Lorenzo is a very suitable station for a vessel 
blockading Calao, as she can there, in consequence of the calms, 
prevent every vessel from going in, as she can run in and have 
the breeze at the distance of half gun-shot of them, after they 
have doubled the point, and while they are perfectly becalmed; 
and while they are, in this situation, exposed to her guns, the 
boats can take possession and tow them out. 
