PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
215 
of my being on the coast, and had kept together for mutual pro¬ 
tection, and had expressed a determination to seek for and attack 
me. 
I kept with me the store-ship Greenwich and the Georgiana, 
intending to send the latter to the United States on my arrival at 
the islands, as she had her cargo of oil nearly complete, and the 
season was now approaching which would be most proper to dis¬ 
patch her. I was desirous that she should approach our coast in 
the dead of winter, as British ships of war could not, at that sea- 
son of the year, keep the sea to blockade our northern ports. 
On the 12th, I made Charles’ Island, and hove to for the night; 
in the morning I ran close in with Essex Bay, and sent the boat 
on shore to the fiost-office , and on her return was informed, that all 
the papers had been taken from the box ; that some small kegs, 
which had been left through neglect by our people, when last 
there, had been taken away, as wfell as some wood we had left on 
the beach ; and that some fresh tortoise shells had been found 
there, which convinced us that some vessel had been there quite 
lately. 
The letters for lieut. Downes, buried in the bottle, remained, 
however, untouched. Those were brought on board, and a sjioit 
note, informing him of the time of my having stopped there, was 
left in their place; I then bore up for Banks* Bay, and arrived at 
midnight off the south head of Albemarle, where I hove to, for 
the purpose of giving the ground a good examination, and at day¬ 
light made all sail to the northward. At 11 A. M. discovered three 
sail off Banks’ Bay-, standing on a wind, some distance from each 
other. I gave chase to the one in the centre ; the others, which 
appeared to be fine large ships, stood on different tacks, with a 
view of eluding us, while the one I was in chase of bore up from 
us. I felt apprehensive for the safety of my prizes, which were 
now a great distance astern of us; and the in-shore ship tack ¬ 
ed to windward of us, and stood for them, with a view of cut¬ 
ting them oft'; but my anxiety was considerably relieved, on see¬ 
ing the Greenwich heave to for the Georgiana to come up, as 
I was confident it was for the purpose of getting her crew out, as 
she soon after stood boldly down for the stranger. We were not 
long in capturing the vessel we were in chace of, which proved h 
