PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
131 
i’evenue laws (,grandes controbandistas ), and neither received nor 
expected much civility; however, it was the policy of the govern¬ 
ment of Peru to hold out ideas and the appearance of a strict neu¬ 
trality, and therefore British vessels were not allowed to dispose 
of their prizes at Calao. The supercargo of this vessel appeared 
to be a man of considerable intelligence ; and when I enquired 
where was the most suitable place to proceed to give protection 
to British vessels, and annoy those of the United States, he ad¬ 
vised me to go to leeward, observing, that the Gallapagos isl¬ 
ands were much frequented by the British whale-ships, and be¬ 
tween that and the latitude of the Lobos islands, I should most 
likely find many Americans, as the sea thereabouts was full of 
them. The Barclay was now a great distance astern ; but as we 
ran to the northward under easy sail, after leaving the Spaniard, 
and made flashes at intervals, she was enabled to join us by mid¬ 
night. 
At day-light in the morning, we stretched away to the west¬ 
ward, leaving the Barclay to steer to the northward, and spread 
to such a distance as just to see her signals, and closed again at 
night. This course we pursued until our arrival off Cape Aju- 
gia, where we arrived on the morning of the 10th, and in the 
course of our run saw but two vessels, only one of which we 
spoke, knowing them to be Spaniards. She was a small brig 
from Guyaquil, bound to the southward, and could give us no in¬ 
formation whatever. In our run we passed near the islands of 
Lobos de la Mare, and Lobos de la Terre ; they are two small 
islands, situated some distance from the continent, and at the dis¬ 
tance of 5 leagues from each other, bearing N.N.W. and S.S.E.; 
they appear to be perfectly destitute of vegetation, and serve as 
a residence to an immense number of birds, with which the hills 
were covered ; and there can be no doubt that an abundance of 
seals may be caught on them, as in passing we were surrounded 
with them, one of which we struck with the harpoon. Tne sea 
was here also covered with pelicans, and various other aquatic 
birds, feeding on the schools of small fish, which were Jto be 
seen in great numbers, constantly pursued by seals, boneters, and 
porpoises; and such as attempted to escape their ravenous jaws 
