164 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
enabled me to make some promotions on board my own ship, 
from some of the most deserving of my crew, to fill up the 
vacancies occasioned by the petty officers sent on board her; and 
we now considered the sloop of war Georgiana, as she was styled, 
no trifling augmentation to our own force ; but, taken in another 
view, she was of the utmost importance to our safety ; for in the 
event of any accident happening to the Essex, a circumstance to 
which she was every moment liable, while cruizing in a sea with 
which we weye little acquainted, we could calculate on relief 
from the Georgiana; added to which, she doubled the chance of 
annoying the enemy, and might serve as an excellent decoy, as 
we were particularly careful not to change in the slightest degree 
her appearance as a whaler. On the 8th, she hoisted the Ame¬ 
rican ensign and pendant, and -saluted the Essex with 17 guns, 
which was returned by our crew with three cheers. 
The light baffling winds and strong westerly currents prevent¬ 
ed me now from laying any plans for hay future operations; my 
whole attention was turned to getting up to the islands again, as 
I had intelligence of several other British vessels being in the 
neighbourhood and expected there, and among others the Per¬ 
severance, the Rose, and the New Zealand, three fine vessels, 
with nearly full cargoes. I felt anxious to get into port to re¬ 
cruit my stock of water and wood, the only articles we now stood 
in want of, as was the case with my prizes, which were all short 
of water ; but still was desirous of looking once more into Banks’ 
Bay, where I confidently expected, on a change of current, to make 
as many prizes as I could conveniently man. 
The weather being remarkably pleasant, I took advantage of 
it to put our rigging in order, by overhauling and tarring it, and 
painting the ship inside; and as we had been enabled to procure 
an abundance of small spars, planks, timber, and nails, I set the 
carpenters to work, making many repairs which we had not here¬ 
tofore been enabled to do for the want of the necessary materials; 
for although we had had it in our power to supply ourselves at Val¬ 
paraiso, I did not procure them there, confidently believing that 
the enemy w’ould, in due time, furnish us with what we wanted- 
