PORTER’S JOURNAL. 173 
’ s \ ,-/( 
xnarle, in hopes of meeting a prize, little expecting to find me 
there at anchor. 
After lieutenant Downes had been with me a short time, I 
dispatched him to Albemarle, in pursuit of the stranger who had 
touched at the island before us, directing him to stop at Charles’ 
Island as soon afterwards as possible, and, should he not find me 
there, to search at the foot of the stake to which the letter-box is 
attached, where I should bury a bottle containing instructions for 
him. 
After the Georgiana left us, I proposed to Mr. Adams that 
he should take two boats and proceed to the large island, for the 
purpose of making an accurate survey of it, and examining the 
resources it would afford us. Mr. Adams (whose zeal for pro¬ 
moting geographical and mathematical knowledge does him great 
honour) grasped at the proposal with avidity, and at 4 P. M. 
of the same day (supplied with a week’s provisions, and every 
necessary for the same period), he sailed on his voyage of disco¬ 
very, in a whale-boat belonging to the Essex, and accompanied by 
midshipman Odenheimer in another belonging to the Montezu¬ 
ma. I directed them to be back to the ship between the fifth 
and sixth day, from their departure, and during this interval we 
occupied ourselves in painting our ship’s bends and upperworks, 
keeping parties every day on shore bringing down to the beach 
tortoises for the ship’s company, of which they succeeded in get¬ 
ting on board between four and five hundred; and although the 
parties on this employment (which were selected every day, to 
give all an opportunity of going on shore) indulged themselves 
in the most ample manner in tortoise meat (which by them was 
called Gallapagos mutton), yet their relish for this food did not 
seem in the least abated, or their exertions to get them on board 
in the least relaxed, for every one appeared desirous of securing 
as large a stock of this provision as possible for the cruize; and 
although they were brought the distance of from three to four 
miles, through thorns and over sharp rocks, yet it was no uncom¬ 
mon thing for them to make three and four trips a day, each with 
tortoises weighing from fifty to a hundred weight. We were ena¬ 
bled to procure here also, in large quantities, an herb in taste 
