1 36> 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
After this the body of Spafford was committed to the deep, 
according to the funeral ceremonies of the church. 
We, as I before observed, steered to the W.N.W., and at 2 
P, M., on the 6th, the man at the mast-head cried out a sail ; but 
on standing toward it, in a short time discovered it to be the 
Rock of Pelado, bearing N.E. by N. We soon gave up the 
chase, and stood on our course, as I was anxious to get an offing 
to fall in with the track of whalers, as, from the best information 
I could collect on this subject, on this part of the coast they keep 
at the distance of from 30 to 50 leagues. 
At half-past 3, a sail was discovered from the mast-head, bear¬ 
ing W.N.W., and we immediately made all sail in chase of 
her, the Barclay making every exertion to keep up with us; 
but by sundown we had run her out of sight astern. At 7 o’clock, 
we brought the chase to. She proved to be a Spanish brig from 
Calao, bound to Conception, but had taken in a load of salt at 
Oucho, a place a short distance to the north of Calao. The cap¬ 
tain and supercargo of this vessel both came on board, and, sup¬ 
posing the Essex to be an English vessel, were disposed to give 
us every information in their power; and, what was of the ut¬ 
most importance to us, they informed me that an English frigate 
had been for some time expected at Calao, from Cadiz, for the 
purpose of taking in money, and that the money which was to 
compose her cargo was nearly all collected. He also informed 
me, that an English armed ship had put in there in distress a few 
days since, having sprung a leak ; that two English whale-ships 
had, within a few days, sailed from thence ; that they had been 
sent in for adjudication by the corsairs of Peru, and on examina¬ 
tion had been liberated. On enquiry respecting the disposition 
of the government of Peru towards those of the United States 
and Great Britain, they informed me, that the latter was held in 
high repute, and its vessels treated with great civility, in conse¬ 
quence of being the allies of Spain; but that the former were 
held in very little estimation; and that, although war had not 
actually taken place between Spain and the United States, it was 
momentarily expected, and every preparation was made in Peru to 
meet it ; that the Americans were notorious violators of their 
