PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
163 
with the necessary signals, and appointed the island of Plata, and 
the bay of Tumbez, as rendezvous in case of separation, directing 
them to use the utmost economy in the expenditure of their pro¬ 
visions, stores, and water, ordering all hands to be put on the 
same allowance as the crew of the Essex. 
On examining the Georgiana, I found her not only a noble 
ship, but well calculated for a cruizer, as she sailed well, and had 
been built for the service of the British East India Company, and 
had been employed as a packet until this voyage. I therefore 
determined to equip and arm her completely, and mounted on 
her the ten guns of the Policy, making her whole number now 
sixteen, to which were added two swivels, and a number of heavy 
blunderbusses mounted on swivels, as well as all the muskets, 
pistols, cutlasses, and other military equipments we could find on 
board the other vessels ; by these means rendering her as formi¬ 
dable, in point of armament, as any of the British letters of 
marque I could hear of in this ocean ; but this I did not under¬ 
take until I was well satisfied she could be well manned, without 
reducing too much my own crew. A number of seamen cap¬ 
tured in the prizes had already proffered their services to us; 
and on inquiry I found many of them to be Americans. They 
volunteered ther services in equipping the Georgiana, and free¬ 
ing her from much of the lumber on board, consisting of empty 
casks and other cumbrous articles, which were sent on board the 
other prizes; and the heavy brick-work and large iron boilers 
used for trying out the oil, were taken down, to give more room 
on her decks, and relieve her from the great weight, which was 
found greatly to improve her sailing. The command of this ves¬ 
sel, now completely equipped for war, I gave to lieut. Downes, 
with a crew consisting of 36 of our old crew, and 5 of the men 
who had entered from prizes, making her number aitogther 41 
men; the remainder I kept on board the Essex, whose crew now 
amounted to 264 men, including officers and those on board the 
Barclay. I appointed midshipman II add away as acting lieutenant 
on board the Georgiana, and serjt Mr. Miller (my former gunner) 
there to do duty, as well as Kingsbury as boatswain, and two 
quarter-masters. The equipping and manning of this vessel als® 
